Charles Becker Trials: 1912-14

Putting Becker in charge of such a squad was the height of irony, and Becker lost no time in turning the squad into his personal mobile hit squad. Soon, every pimp and gambler on Broadway and in Manhattan knew that failure to pay Becker the cut he demanded meant swift and sure retaliation in the form of a raid by Becker's squad. From outside the police department, Becker also recruited the cream of New York's thugs to work for him, such as "Gyp the Blood," "Dago Frank," "Whitey" Lewis, "Lefty Louie," bald "Billiard Ball" Jack Rose, Sam Schepps, Harry Vallon, "Bridgey" Webber, and "Big Jack" Zelig.

Funeral procession for Herman "Beansie' Rosenthal. (Courtesy, Library of Congress)

Becker's criminal enterprises included dealings with Herman Rosenthal, nicknamed "Beansie," a well-known gambler. For a while, Becker and Rosenthal jointly ran and shared the profits from a gambling house, but a dispute arose between them over who was entitled to what percentage. Becker's squad raided and shut down Rosenthal's operation. In retaliation, Rosenthal went to New York's new and squeaky-clean district attorney, Charles S. Whitman, and told him everything he knew about Becker's criminal operations. Whitman surprised all of New York by attacking the powerful Becker head-on, summoning a grand jury for the purpose of bringing criminal charges against Becker.

Furious, Becker ordered his thugs to kill Rosenthal, brazenly promising them police protection. On July 21, 1911, several of Becker's men, led by Jack Rose, approached Rosenthal outside the Cafe Metropole and shot him to death. Undaunted by the murder of his star witness, Whitman was able to trace the getaway car to Rose and promptly arrested him. At first, Rose refused to talk, but when Becker failed to come to his rescue, Rose cracked and told Whitman everything about Becker ordering Rosenthal's murder. Whitman mobilized his forces and smashed Becker's ring, arresting Becker and his associates for Rosenthal's murder.