Execution of Officer Becker : the murder of a gangster, the trial of a cop, and the birth of organized crime / Stanley Cohen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cohen, Stanley.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Becker, Charles, 1870-1915.

Becker, Charles.

Rosenthal, Herman, -1912.

Rosenthal, Herman.

Murder--New York (State)--New York--Case studies.

Murder.

Police corruption.

New York (State)--New York.

Trials (Murder)--New York (State)--New York.

Trials (Murder).

Police corruption--New York (State)--New York--Case studies.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xv, 320 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Carroll and Graf edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Carroll & Graf Publishers ; [Berkeley, Calif.?] : Distributed by Publishers Group West, 2006.

Summary:

Lieutenant Charles Becker was the only New York City police officer ever executed for murder. He was convicted of orchestrating the gangland slaying of a small-time gambler named Herman (Beansie) Rosenthal in the summer of 1912. Becker was convicted twice, in showcase trials, and died in Sing Sing' s electric chair in 1915. The murder and the trial were front-page news in all twelve New York City newspapers for three years. Sensational as the case was on its own, it was given impetus by the fact that Becker was found to be a central figure in a network of police graft and political corruption whose effects were felt in City Hall, the state capital, and finally throughout the nation. For added measure, there was the strong likelihood that Becker, though clearly a cop on the take, had nothing to do with the murder of Rosenthal.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-304) and index.

ISBN:

0786717572 :

9780786717576 :

OCLC:

71890978

Publisher Number:

9780786717576