THE TOUGHEST MAN IN NEW YORK CITY GETS WHACKED

Big Jack Zelig returned to New York City in early August to discover he was wanted by a grand jury to testify as to his involvement in Rosenthals murder. This was in addition to the concealed-gun charge Zelig had been wanted for since June. Zelig had an axe to grind with Bald Jack Rose, since it was Rose who had approached him with the idea of the Rosenthal hit in the first place; which Zelig had turned down flat. Zelig was certain it was Rose who had told Whitman that Zelig was somehow involved in Rosenthals murder. And even though it was Beckers men who had planted the gun on Zelig, Zelig figured it was done without Beckers knowledge, and by the direction of Bald Jack Rose, who for some reason envisioned Zelig as a threat to him personally. This made Big Jack Zelig quite angry indeed; not a good thing for Bald Jack Rose, if and when he hit the streets of New York City. Rose had to figure out what to do about Zelig and do it quickly. On Aug. 22, Zelig marched into the Criminal Court Building on Center Street to testify in the concealed gun charge against him. Before testifying before the grand jury, Zelig was met by a group of reporters outside the courtroom. Zelig told them, as far as the concealed gun charge was concerned, it was Bald Jack Rose who had framed him; not Becker. As for the Herman Rosenthal murder, Zelig said, Herman was my friend. If I were not in the predicament I am at the present, I would make it a point to find out who did the killing and break his leg for him. When Bald Jack Rose read Zeligs comments in the next days papers, his head began to hurt. However, Rose was nothing if not diabolically brilliant. When he learned that Zelig was scheduled to testify for the prosecution at Beckers trial, which was set for October 7, Rose figured a way to eliminate Zelig, and then have the blame put on Becker; the proverbial gamblers daily double. Rose found his Lee Harvey-like patsy in the name of Red Phil Davidson, a degenerate gambler and part-time pimp, who, because of his gambling, never had two nickels in his pocket at the same time to rub together. How the connection was made and what the payoff was is all conjecture, but the facts are the following: Around 8 p. m., on Saturday, Oct. 5, a little less than two days before Beckers trial was set to begin, Zelig was sitting in his usual hangout - Segals National Caf, on Second Avenue when the phone rang and a woman asked for Zelig. Apparently, it was a paramour of Zeligs; a manicurist who owned an uptown salon. Even though Zelig was married, he had a weakness for members of the opposite sex and that became his undoing. Zelig agreed to meet this pretty young thing, and after bragging to a few pals what he had in store for the evening, Zelig left Segals, hopped on the Second Avenue Streetcar, and headed for the girls uptown apartment. Zelig was in such a jovial mood, he didnt notice Red Phil Davidson slip out of a doorway near Segals and jump onto the trolley behind him. Davidson was the perfect man for the job, since just two days earlier, the big and burly Zelig had knocked out Davidson with one punch, after the two men had argued about a gambling debt. As the street car neared Fourteenth Street, Davidson pulled out a police-issued .38 caliber Smith and Weston revolver, snuck up behind the seated Zelig, pressed the gun against the back of Zeligs right ear, and blew The Toughest Man in New York City into the hereafter. The fact that it was a stolen police gun pointed the finger at Becker and his boys more strongly. Davison jumped off the trolley, but he was so inept a killer, he was arrested minutes later on Fourteenth Street by a passing policeman, who just happened to be in the right spot at the

right time. At his arraignment later that night, Davidson said he killed Zelig because earlier that evening Zelig had robbed him at gunpoint of over $400. However, Davidsons acquaintances all agreed Davidson never had $400 at one time in his entire life; so Davidson had no real motive to kill Zelig, unless he was paid to kill Zelig. Like noted before Bald Jack Rose was diabolically brilliant. When the news of Zeligs demise was related to Whitman, he admitted it would be a minor setback to his prosecution. However, Whitman said he certainly had enough evidence to convict Becker, especially with Roses testimony, and the presiding judge, John William Goff, in Whitmans back pocket.