perpwalk

It's amazing the difference in a 1912 "perp walk" and the 2008 version.

The "gunmen" referred to (though hard to clearly identify in this photo) are 4 individuals with colorful nicknames -- "Gyp the Blood" Horowitz, "Lefty Louie" Rosenberg, "Whitey" Lewis, and "Dago Frank" Cirofici -- who were convicted of killing Herman Rosenthal, proprietor of an alleged gambling house in New York City. Apparently just days before his murder earlier in July, Rosenthal, according to period accounts, was in the process of contacting the city's District Attorney, hinting at police corruption and threatening to divulge the secrets of the gambling community. For newspaper stories directly related to this photo, refer to the following: 1) GUNMEN HEAR TO-DAY THE DEATH SENTENCE; Sheriff Will Take Them to Sing Sing at Once, Guarding Against Attack. INFORMERS HAVE VANISHED Jack Rose Can Be a Sicilian Marquis -- Title Offered for Part of Profits from His Book. New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Nov 26, 1912. p. 24 & 2) GUNMEN NEAR BECKER IN THE DEATH HOUSE; Four Sentenced to Die in Week Beginning Jan. 6, and Hurried Off to Sing Sing. CROWDS HINDER THE SHERIFF Wives of Two Gunmen Go with Them to Prison and Receive Their Valuables. New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Nov 27, 1912. p. 9 For details regarding Herman Rosenthal's murder, see GAMBLER WHO DEFIED POLICE IS SHOT DEAD. New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Jul 16, 1912. p. 1 You'll find that period newspaper accounts are great tools for finding fascinating details of as-it-happened events, often in much more (and gruesome) detail.

Here is picture of the gunmen after their capture, from LOC/Flickr pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2422667831/

Other Bain/LOC photos of characters involved in the Gunmen's Trial:

A Mrs. Jane Brown was arrested at Gimbels in January 1914, according to the New York Times. She was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $50 bill. She told officers that she was born in San Francisco to English parents, and that she'd been in New York about nine months--but she also gave a fake address when asked.

In front ot George Stanton's offices, Builder and Gov't contractor 1910 BROOKLYN.-The lowest bids received Dec, 19 for alterations and repairs to public schools in Brooklyn were as follows...; Public School 77, Geo. Stanton www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ld...

Ida Sniffen Walters was the central figure in a sad case in which she poisoned her two children and attempted to kill herself in December, 1912 in New York. She was the mistress of a prominent New York lawyer who stood by her, divorced his wife, and married her in prison. Suffering from what we would probably call profound, post-partum depression, she was found insane.
"MRS. WALTERS WEDS LORLYS E. ROGERS; Her Husband the Father of Two Babies She Poisoned and for Whose Death She Faces Trial. HIS DIVORCE 24 HOURS OLD "
query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9901E7DE133FE233A...

artolog: Thanks for bringing our attention to the full story here. We'll include some of it next time we update.

Wow! What a powerful picture. So very sad to hear the story behind this.