The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-10-31
FIRST REAL EVIDENCE PRODUCED
Johnson Jackson Tells How Caster Claimed
to Have Received Money.-AttorneYs
Wrangle over Legal Points.
(From Fridays Daily }

The preliminary hearing of the four
aldermen began before Court Commits
sioner Hastings this morning and
after four witnesses had been exam
ined it was evident that Caster was
not being shielded by the crowd that
has assisted so nobly in the efforts to
clear the other accused men of the
charges brought against them. The
evidence brought out by the State to-
day was the first positive evidence
| that has been brought out in connec-
ton with the charges made by the Dis
! trict Attorney and if it fails to weave
a web of guilt around all of the accused
it is thought that it will certainly be
sufficient to hold John Caster for a
trial ia the Circuit Court.
The hearing attracted a great deal
/ of attention and the report that the
confession Of Caster which is claimed
to involve many people who have not
! been mentioned in connection with the
case, put many of the aldermen and
former aldermen on the anxious seat.
! The court room of Commissioner
Hastings was all too small for the
crowd and the hearing was continued
| to the court house.
The State at once went at the case
and City Clerk Jacob was the first
witness called. The City Clerk gave
evidence as to the passage of the street
railway ordinance and for the first
time the attorney for the defendant
called the ordinance to task to test the
manner of its passage. This consumed
great deal of time and was punctu-
ated with constant wrang1img among
the attorneys.
At last Jacobs testimony was fin
ished and the State called John Oster-
man. Osterman was one of the star
witnesses of the morning. He testi-
fed that Caster had told him that he
expected to secure four hundred dollars
for the passage of the ordinance and
later showed him draft. He did not
/ say where the draft came from but the
in timation was that it had beer re-
ceived in connection with the passage
of the ordinance. Osterman was sub
jected to a strict cross-examination by
Firthman but he did not materially
change the statements made in the
original examination.
The State next called Theodore
! Schend in an effort to show disposition
of funds alleged to have been receiv-
ed by the defendant, and the evidence
of Mr.. Schend showed that Caster had
paid two hundred dollars on a mort
gage, on the 18th of last October.
This evidence was admitted under the
protest of the attorney for the defend
ant. During the fierce argum ent
which attended the taking of the tes-
| timony of the first two witnesses, the
attorneys had several arguments, and
the District attorney was accused by
Firthman of having all the witnesses
as assistant States attorneys"
This caused storm, and Attorney
Buckmaster advanced toward Firth
man and accused him of using the
methods of ''Shyster'' in his defense
of the case.
A moment later it was noticed that
one of the witnesses for the State had
not been excluded from the room &C
cording to the orders of the court and
Attorney Firthman at once moved that
the attorneys for the State be fined for
contempt of court. It was shown that
the presence of the witness of the
State was an oversight and the matter
was overlooked by the court.
Alderman Jacob Sch1enker was then
called to the stand and his testimony
/ h r-d Eos dnf =
that Caster had told him that He had
received more than any of them" in
connection with the passage of the or
dinance. This evidence was all that
was secured from Sch1enker, but the
efforts of the defense to shake this tes-
timony on cross examination were flu
tile. Attorney Firthman attempted to
show that the witness was a drinking
man, but Sch1enker declared that he
had not had beer at the time Caster
made the statements to him. With
this testimony the court took recess
until two o'clock.
At the afternoon session Alderman
Matthias Greenwa1d was the first wit
ness sworn. Mr.. Greepwa1d stated
lAdl 6dSlCI nSVSI lO1Q u1IQ That ne re-
ceived money for his vote, but he
stated that at one time Caster had told
him 'sthey know all about it, Efforts
were made to bring out who the they
referred to were and this brought out
a struggle between the attorneys on
the technical points. Finally it was
brought out that the ''they'' was the
District Attorney.
Alderman Greenwald finally stated
that he understood Caster to refer to
the rumor of bribery which had been
heard 3n the streets.
The ross-examination revealed the
fact that Caster drank out of the bot
tie, aud that everybody wanted cold
beer, as the day the conversation took
place was a hot one. The examina-
ton brought out the fact that the men