William Webber
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- For the Anglican bishop of Brisbane, see William Thomas Thornhill Webber
Louis William "Bridgie" Webber (1877 – July 30, 1936) was an underworld figure in New York and a former associate of gang leader Monk Eastman who later testified against police lieutenant Charles Becker during his murder trial in 1912.
During the early 20th century, he and Henry Vallon operated various struss games as well as an opium den on Pell Street and a popular poker room at the corner of 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue which was often frequented by Becker and other police officials (and thus never subject to police raids).
In 1911, two thugs were hired by gambler Herman Rosenthal to assault Webber who left him severely beaten. When Rosenthal further attempted to lure customers away from Webber's Sans Souci Music Hall, Webber used his political connections to have Rosenthal's Hesper Club raided by police (however other sources claim he had been hired by Rosenthal for protection from Charles Becker, to whom Rosenthal had refused to pay off for running his gambling operations at the Hesper Club, and was severely beaten by Jack Zelig and members of the Eastman Gang who destroyed his clubhouse as well [1]).
Brought into custody by a police detective two days following Rosenthal's murder, Webber claimed he had been at his clubhouse during the night. Although held in custody, his testimony against Becker and members of the Lenox Avenue Gang helped convict the five men who were sentenced to death.
Fearing reprisals from the city's underworld, he was under police guard after his testimony and traveled to Cuba. Shortly after his return to the city, Webber was stabbed by an unidentified youth on July 14, 1913 and fled New York. He became a successful manufacturer in Passaic, New Jersey for a number of years and later served as vice president and secretary of the Garfield Paper Box Company. He later died of peritonitis while undergoing surgery for appendicitis at St. Mary's Hospital (or Passaic General Hospital) on the night of July 30, 1936 on the 21st anniversary of Becker's execution. His funeral was attended by over 300 people including Mayor Benjamin F. Turner.
[edit] References
- Becker Witness Dies; William (Bridgie) Webber Succumbs After an Operation. New York Times 31 July 1936
- Becker Accuser Dies; Hid From Under World; Bridgie Webber, Who Helped to Send Five to Chair, Became a Prosperous Manufacturer. New York Times 1 August 1936
- Rites for Bridgie Webber. New York Times 3 August 1936
