Satan's
Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York's Trial
of the Century ,
by Mike Dash and David Ackroyd (Narrator)
Charles Becker, a handsome young German-American
boy, grew up in poverty in the small village of Callicoon
Center, New York in the late 1800s. In 1890 he, like so many
others, left his rural home to seek his fortune in the "big
city". But while he did achieve fame and fortune in New
York City, this is no fairy tale, for two reasons. First,
the author claims that everything he presents in this audio
book is true, based on actual court records, written accounts
or sworn testimony. Second, Charles Becker did not live happily
ever after. In fact, of all the millions of men and women
who have held the title of police officer, Charles Becker
is the only police officer in history who was ever executed
for murder. After working at assorted jobs, Charley became
a New York City policeman. Although his salary was meager,
he quickly learned that he could supplement his income handsomely
by accepting graft. Corruption in the police department was
so widespread that few men from the humblest street cop to
the highest commissioner were untouched by it. Charley was
especially successful in collecting protection money from
prostitutes and gamblers, so it was ironic when he was put
in charge of a special squad formed to clean up vice. When
small time gambler Herman Rosenthal was assassinated in Satan's
Circus, the crime and vice center of the city, an ambitious
DA saw an opportunity for political advantage. Charles Becker,
high-ranking police officer, was charged with ordering the
murder, and his trial, conviction and execution made history.
New York City at the turn of the century is so
vividly described in this audio book that the listener can
almost hear the trolley bells and the rustling skirts of the
prostitutes who climb aboard the screeching trains. When Charley
is incarcerated in a windowless cell in The Tombs in summer,
the listener can feel the suffocating heat and the claustrophobic
conditions. The author has diligently researched life in New
York City at the turn of the century. His coverage of Tammany
Hall and the inner workings of the police department and their
influence on the lives of ordinary citizens is fascinating.
Dash's descriptions of the people who populate Charley's world
are so Runyonesque that the audio book sounds more like a
novel than a work of nonfiction. Surprisingly, this is also
a love story, thanks to Dash's depiction of the unwavering
devotion of Charley's wife, Helen.
Although Charley was pronounced guilty after
two trials, the jury is still out on his guilt or innocence
after almost 100 years. It's no secret that he was a corrupt
policeman, but Dash's account of his trial and the evidence
that was used to convict him make it hard to believe he was
guilty of murder. I wish I could ask my Grandmother what she
thought of him, since she grew up with him in tiny Callicoon
Center and must have been befriended by him when she went
to New York City in the 1890s. Even without that curious and
intriguing connection, I'd recommend this book for its entertaining
and informative look at the history of New York and one of
her "finest?"
Ruth
Mormon
9/9/07
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