100 Years After a Murder, Questions About a Police Officer’s Guilt
19 Jul 2012 EWR Online
Becker and Rosenthal, Associated Press; Street scene, Wide World Photos
Today, the only sign that cash once flowed bountifully at 104 West 45th Street is a sleek bank branch on the ground floor of a black glass skyscraper.
A century ago, the nondescript high-stooped brownstone that stood there masked a more pretentious interior. The lavish red-carpeted second floor was dominated by a cabinet of Japanese curios, copies of masterpiece paintings and expensive faro and custom-built roulette tables.
This illegal gambling den was one of several owned by Herman Rosenthal, known as Beansy, a flamboyantly indiscreet Estonian immigrant.
