Chance of a Lifetime

A bulletproof limousine, with seven armed guards, whipped up to Manhattan's Federal jail and collected Murderer Louis ("Lepke") Buchalter. After 14 months of haggling with the U.S. Government over his custody (TIME, Jan. 10), the State of New York had its hands on Lepke at last.

But the State must electrocute him on Feb. 7, as scheduled--or back Lepke goes to serve out a 14-year Federal dope-peddling sentence.

Back-fence politicos have gossiped that Lepke had something to "sing" to Governor Dewey that the New Deal did not want told. If so, Dewey now had his chance to prove it. Lepke was handcuffed, but he sported a neat black suit and a big black cigar. He had the swagger of a man who thought he "knew too much" to die. To his Federal jailer he cracked: "Keep a bed for me--I'll be back."

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