The Lenox Avenue Gang was an early 20th-century New York City street gang led by Harry Horowitz ; it was considered one of the most violent gangs of the pre- Prohibition era . It was based in Harlem in Upper Manhattan, New York City , around 125th Street, in what was then a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.
35-475: The Lenox Avenue Gang was started in the early 1900s by Horowitz as an independent group of around twenty members. It consisted mostly of pickpockets and burglars, under Jack Zelig 's Eastman Gang . Mainly operating around 125th Street in Harlem, then a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, the gang generally committed muggings and robberies, but Zelig occasionally hired them for murder. Under Horowitz's leadership,
70-676: A bookmaker and gambler, in 1912 near Times Square . Becker may have been "the only police officer executed for crimes connected to his official performance." He appealed and was retried but was convicted again. The corruption scandal related to the case was one of the most important in New York City ’s early 20th century Progressive Era . Charles Becker was born in 1870 in the village of Callicoon Center , in Sullivan County, New York. His parents were German-American immigrants from Bavaria . Becker moved to New York City as
105-436: A 2nd Avenue trolley car while passing East 13th Street. Zelig was hanging out at Segal's Cafe (76 Second Avenue, now a church), when he received an anonymous phone call requesting his presence on 14th street. Zelig jumped on the uptown trolley; when he stood up at the intersection of 13th street, Davidson approached him and killed him with a police revolver. Zelig was 24 years old. Davidson ran East on 14th Street where he ran into
140-450: A day after her birth in 1913. Helen Becker always believed that her husband was wrongfully convicted of murder. In 1902 and 1903, Becker was one of the leaders of a patrolman's reform movement agitating for the introduction of the three-platoon system. It would have significantly reduced the number of hours that the beat police officer was expected to work. In 1906, he was seconded to a special unit working out of police headquarters to probe
175-596: A flamboyant Estonian immigrant who ran several illegal casinos in what was known as the Tenderloin District , was irritated by a police raid led by Becker on one of his casinos and the damage they left. He complained to the press that Becker "collected 20 percent of the take" there. In July 1912, Becker was reported by the New York World as one of three senior police officials involved in extorting money from Rosenthal's casinos. The day that Rosenthal
210-498: A giant. With the passing of Zelig, one of the most 'nerviest', strongest, and best men of his kind left us." Charles Becker Charles Becker (July 26, 1870 – July 30, 1915) was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department between the 1890s and the 1910s. He is known for the scandal of being convicted of first-degree murder and subsequently executed for the killing of Herman Rosenthal ,
245-479: A lieutenant, as head of one of the city's three anti-vice squads. Becker allegedly used his position to extort substantial sums, later shown to total in excess of $ 100,000, from Manhattan brothels and illegal gambling casinos in exchange for immunity from police interference. Percentages of the take were regularly delivered to politicians and other policemen. The area was under the patronage of Tammany Hall 's leader, Timothy "Big Tim" Sullivan . Herman Rosenthal ,
280-523: A major stake of self-interest in Becker's prosecution for murder. Allegedly, District Attorney Whitman manipulated the evidence to implicate the corrupt Lieutenant. Becker was known to have assets that far exceeded his salary. However, for Whitman, gaining a guilty verdict for Becker in the sensational murder case would help his own political aspirations, and he is thought to have been elected as governor largely based on his success in that goal. In addition,
315-602: A police officer on beat patrol who made him drop his weapon. Davidson claimed he had shot Zelig over a $ 400 grudge, but it was popularly believed he had been killed to keep him from testifying against Charles Becker in the Rosenthal murder case involving the Lenox Avenue Gang. Shortly after Zelig's death New York detective Abe Shoenfeld wrote "Jack Zelig is as dead as a door nail. Men before him – like Kid Twist , Monk Eastman , and others – were as pygmies to
350-418: A powerful entrance to his trial on October 15, 1896, surrounded by a phalanx of policemen. Commissioner Frederick Dent Grant , son of Ulysses S. Grant , headed the proceeding. After almost five hours of examination, Becker was acquitted. He learned about the power of the badge and how he could call on his colleagues for help. Becker married Letitia Stenson from Ontario , Canada. Their son, Howard P. Becker ,
385-588: A young man in 1890 and went to work as a bouncer in a German beer hall just off the Bowery . In November 1893, he joined the New York City Police Department . In the fall of 1896, Becker gained wide attention when he arrested Ruby Young (alias Dora Clark) on Broadway because the known prostitute was in the company of popular writer Stephen Crane , the author of The Red Badge of Courage . The next day at Ruby Young's hearing , Crane stepped forward and defended Young. Crane's popularity carried weight in court at
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#1732779474153420-534: The Becker/Rosenthal case. Charles Becker , a corrupt NYPD lieutenant, had Zelig in his pocket for quite some time. In the summer of 1912, Becker was reported by New York World as one of three corrupt police officers involved in the affairs of Herman Rosenthal . This small-time bookmaker had complained to the press that his illegal businesses had been badly damaged by the greed of the city's corrupt police officers. Becker told Jack Zelig and members of
455-632: The Lenox Avenue Gang, specifically, Harry "Gyp the Blood" Horowitz , Jacob "Whitey Lewis" Seidenshner , Louis "Lefty Louie" Rosenberg , and Francesco "Dago Frank" Cirofisi , that he wanted Rosenthal "croaked". The gambler was gunned down in front of the Hotel Metropole in Times Square on July 16, 1912, two days after his story appeared in the newspapers. In the aftermath, District Attorney Charles S. Whitman made no secret of his belief that
490-531: The United States", but in fact two other members of the New York City Police Department have been executed for murder: William Ennis (executed on December 14, 1903) and John Brennan (executed on December 2, 1926). Becker was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx on August 2, 1915. He is buried next to his daughter. Beginning with Henry Klein in 1927, a number of authors have suggested that Becker
525-539: The alleged corruption of Police Inspector Max F. Schmittberger . The inspector had earned enmity among patrolmen for giving detailed testimony to the 1894 Lexow Committee investigating police corruption in New York. Partly because of Becker's work, Schmittberger was subsequently prosecuted. Deputy Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo was so satisfied with Becker's work that when he was appointed as New York City Police Commissioner in 1911, Waldo appointed Becker, now
560-492: The early morning of July 16, 1912. After Rosenthal left the hotel about 2 a.m., they shot him several times and fled the scene. The gangsters were seen by dozens of witnesses and were quickly arrested. When questioned, they told police that they were hired by New York Police Department Lieutenant Charles Becker , who had ordered Rosenthal's death after he had informed on Becker. Gyp the Blood , Jacob Seidenschner , Lefty Louis Rosenberg , and Francesco Cirofici were charged with
595-492: The events since all of them had been involved in the crimes. The court ruled for a retrial, but in 1914, Becker was convicted again and sentenced to death. He was the first police officer in New York to receive that penalty. Becker continued to profess his innocence. The day before his execution, Becker told the warden, "Sure, I told them to put Rosenthal out of the way, but I didn't mean they should kill him. I wanted them to get him out of town so he wouldn't blab. Killing him
630-455: The execution. On July 30, 1915, Becker was executed in Sing Sing 's electric chair by John Hulbert , New York's state electrician . The process took nine minutes, appearing to cause the man intense agony. For years afterward, it was described as "the clumsiest execution in the history of Sing Sing." Becker has been thought to be the "only policeman to be executed for murder in the history of
665-510: The gang by refusing to bail out their boss. Zelig was later released due to his political connections. One of his men told him that Sirocco and Tricker were planning on murdering him. The assassin, a gunman named Julie Morrell , was lured by Zelig to The Stuyvesant Casino where he was killed by the gang leader on December 2, 1911. (That building at 140 Second Avenue is now used as the Ukrainian National Home.) The next year,
700-434: The gang produced many of the top criminals of the early century, including Jacob Seidenschner , Louis Rosenberg, and Francesco Cirofici . Prominent New York police detective Val O'Farrell ranked Cirofici as "one of the toughest men in the world", and police suspected Cirofici of at least six homicides. However, they were unable to charge him due to a lack of evidence. An associate of the gang, Cirofici's girlfriend Dutch Sadie,
735-534: The gangsters who killed him had committed the murder at Becker's behest. The fall-out from the Rosenthal murder was huge, making national headlines. All of Big Jack's henchmen were rounded up and charged with murder. It was widely whispered that their boss would testify against them in exchange for leniency. The day before he could do so, on October 5, 1912, Zelig was shot behind the ear and killed by "Boston Red" Phil Davidson (of 111 E. 7th Street) while riding on
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#1732779474153770-604: The last leaders of the Eastman Gang . Born Selig Harry Lefkowitz in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York , Zelig was a well-known pickpocket and thief by age 6. He was a member of Crazy Butch 's pickpocket gang before joining the Eastman Gang in the late 1890s. Rising up the ranks, Zelig sought control over the fragmented Eastman Gang in 1908, after "Kid Twist" ( Max Zwerbach )
805-607: The longstanding Eastman / Five Points feud flared anew. As Zelig left the Criminal Courts building on June 3, 1912, he was shot through the neck by Five Points gunman Charley Torti. He was a known associate of Louis Pioggi , aka Louie the Lump, who had murdered Zelig's mentor, Kid Twist Zwerbach, four years earlier. Zelig had been released on $ 1000 bail after his arrest for "shooting up the saloon" of Pioggi's brother Jake. Zelig recovered from his wound in time to be dragged into
840-431: The murder of Rosenthal. They were each convicted and sentenced to death in the electric chair . They were executed at Sing Sing on April 13, 1914. With the loss of these leaders, the Lenox Avenue Gang disbanded entirely within several months. Becker was also convicted on charges of murder and executed in 1915. Jack Zelig " Big " Jack Zelig (May 13, 1888 – October 5, 1912) was an American gangster and one of
875-469: The reporter Herbert Bayard Swope publicized the case mercilessly in the press, representing the power of the New York World . He devoted much space to the conduct of the trial and individuals' testimony. Later, he said his reporting on the trial catapulted his career. Lastly, as noted above, Judge John Goff showed his bias and played a major role in gaining a guilty verdict from the jury. New York police historian Thomas A. Reppetto believes that Becker
910-411: The sentencing of Young, and Magistrate Robert C. Cornell dismissed the case. Afterward Crane told reporters, "If the girl will have the officer prosecuted for perjury , I will gladly support her." Three weeks later, Young filed formal charges against Becker. Feeling vulnerable, Becker gathered evidence, hired experienced defense counsel Louis Grant, and rallied the support of his colleagues. Becker made
945-402: The time Charles S. Whitman , who had made an appointment to interview Rosenthal before he was murdered, alleged that the four gangsters had committed the murder at Becker's behest. Amid a major public outcry following the murder and extensive press coverage, Becker was transferred to the Bronx and assigned to desk duty. Whitman's office continued to investigate Becker. On July 29, 1912, Becker
980-523: Was wrongly convicted . Andy Logan wrote a thorough account of this position in her Against the Evidence (1970), as she became convinced of his innocence in the murder through her research. They suggest that Becker and his fellow officers had stood back and allowed "the street" to "take care of" Rosenthal since they knew that his co-operation with the district attorney's office would put a huge target on his back. Three people have been identified as having
1015-465: Was Rose's idea and the others. They wanted to save their own skins." Jack Rose had served as a prosecution witness, as did Harry Vallon , Sam Schepps and Bridgey Webber . They were underworld criminal figures who were believed to be involved in the crime but were promised immunity by the district attorney's office in exchange for testifying against Becker. Whitman, who was then governor of New York, signed Becker's death warrant in 1915 and attended
1050-519: Was arrested at the precinct's closing hour by special detectives from the District Attorney's Office. He was tried and convicted of first-degree murder that fall in a trial presided by John Goff , who was "intensely biased against Becker" and whose charge to the jury was slanted toward conviction. The verdict was overturned on appeal on the grounds that Goff had been biased and that there was no independent corroborating witness to testify to
1085-597: Was born in 1899. Six years later the couple divorced, and Howard grew up with his mother and stepfather in the West. His mother married Charles's brother Paul. Howard Becker completed a doctorate in sociology at the University of Chicago and later became a full professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison . Charles Becker married and divorced again. In 1905 he married a woman, Helen, a schoolteacher and later assistant principal. Their daughter, Charlotte Becker, died less than
Lenox Avenue Gang - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-481: Was due to testify to a grand jury, he was murdered at 2 a.m. as he left the Hotel Metropole at 147 West 43rd Street, just off Times Square . Louis "Lefty Louie" Rosenberg, Jacob "Whitey Lewis" Seidenschner, Frank "Dago Frank" Cirofici , and Harry "Gyp the Blood" Horowitz were witnessed shooting him from their car, making no effort at disguise. They were separately tried, convicted, and sentenced to death and were ultimately executed. Manhattan District Attorney at
1155-471: Was guilty because of the testimony of people involved but also he had a strong motive and had shown reckless behavior. The consensus continues to favor Becker's active involvement in the murder. The Becker-Rosenthal murder case was explored by historian Mike Dash in his Satan's Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption and New York's Trial of the Century (2007). He made no conclusion as to Becker's guilt in
1190-476: Was known to carry a butcher knife in her clothing, and she assisted Cirofici in several muggings. While successful in its early years, the gang was brought down after they were hired to murder gambler Herman Rosenthal , a suspected police informant who had complained to the press about police extorting too much of his profits. Horowitz, Seidenshner, Rosenberg, and Cirofici drove to the Metropole Hotel in
1225-545: Was murdered by a rival. Zelig's crew had more than 75 members, including satellite gangs such as the Lenox Avenue Gang in Harlem , led by "Gyp the Blood" (aka Harry Horowitz ). During this period, when ethnic Jewish gangsters became predominant in the gang, Zelig was also known as "The Big Yid". After Zelig was arrested in 1911 for robbing a brothel, Jack Sirocco and "Chick" Tricker attempted to gain leadership of
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