A small-time gambler shot dead in the heart of Times Square. Gangland gunmen and conspirators running for cover. A cop on the take charged with murder and facing execution. New York in 1912, a city in transformation. Award-winning journalist and author Stanley Cohen has re-created the infamous Becker-Rosenthal affair in a book that reads like a historical "Law & Order." Lieutenant Charles Becker was convicted of orchestrating the slaying of Herman "Beansie" Rosenthal after Beansie had exposed the officer as the centerpiece ...
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A small-time gambler shot dead in the heart of Times Square. Gangland gunmen and conspirators running for cover. A cop on the take charged with murder and facing execution. New York in 1912, a city in transformation. Award-winning journalist and author Stanley Cohen has re-created the infamous Becker-Rosenthal affair in a book that reads like a historical "Law & Order." Lieutenant Charles Becker was convicted of orchestrating the slaying of Herman "Beansie" Rosenthal after Beansie had exposed the officer as the centerpiece of "The System" -- the Big Apple's network of police graft and political corruption. The case was front-page news in New York City for three years until Officer Becker was sent to Sing Sing's electric chair, and its effects were felt in city hall, the state capital, and throughout the nation. The old System was dismantled, and criminal geniuses like Arnold Rothstein filled the void and created organized crime as we know it today. Yet, nearly a century later, there is still good reason to believe that Becker, while clearly a dirty cop, may have had nothing to do with the murder of Rosenthal.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very good hard cover with DJ. Pages are clean and unmarked. Covers show very minor shelf wear. Binding is tight, hinges strong. Dust jacket shows light wear. Ex-Library with usual markings.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Ships same or next business day!
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 0786717572. A near-fine volume in a near-fine DJ, dustjacket in Mylar, unclipped.; Large 8vo 9"-10" tall; 320 pages; "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. "