The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-03-19
District Attorney Examines Wit
nesses To Prove Conspiracy
Among Labor Leaders
TELL OF FIGHT ON DORFFMANN
Attorney Seeks to Bring Out the Facts
In Connection With Assault On
Deputy Sheriff During. the
Month of November

District Attorney r. v Baker Thurs
day afternoon began an Investigation
into the assault on William Dorffman at
the Badger Brass plant last November
and as result Of the investigation it
is possible that leading labor leaCers
of the city may be arrested on a
charge of conspiring to slug and as
sault Dorfman and other employees of
the Badger Brass Manufacturing Com
pany. It is claimed that many wit
nesses are to be examined under the
the discovery complaint made before
Court Commissioner Henry Hastings on
Thursday, and it may be some time
before the result Of the investigation
is known.
/ The work of examining the various
people who are alleged to have had some
knowledge Of the dealings Of the "Com-
mittee' Of the Union men, was started
just after noon Thursday when Attor-
ney Baker filed complaints against John
Roe, Richard Roe, Tom Brown and
James Jones "Whose real names were
not known to the district attorney
alleging that they were guilty Of con-
spring to assault certain Workmen.
There was another complaint which
charged the same mythical defendants
with starting riot. It is alleged that
the men referred to are leaders among
the union men who have been connected
with the troubles at the Badger Brass
Factory.
Between noon and one clock Deputy
Sheriffs were sent scurrying all over
the city to get summons on people
wanted as witnesses at the investigation
and the evidence was given behind clos
ed doors at the Office Of Court Commits
sioner Hastings. No one but the Court
Commissioner, the District Attorney
and the stenographer were allowed in
the room when the evidence was taken
and the officials Of the court were care
full to see that the witnesses were not
allowed to talk with each other. The
evidence brought out many new facts
in regard to the assault on Dorffman.
and it is claimed from this evidence
that some of the men who were plomi-
nent in the troubles at the Badger
were closely connected with the as
sault. Harry Birofski was fhe first
witness examined and he was examined
because some of the men had left a
revolver in his keeping. He gave the
names Of the men who left the gun and
who took it away, but declared that at
the time he did not know that it was
the revolver which had been taken from
Dorffman. He stated that the men had
offered to pay him for keeping it for a
few hours on the day after the assault,
but he had refused to take any money
from them and had insisted that they
take the gun away.
Mrs. Mary Hertzberger was the next
witness and she told the story of how
the men went to her house where they
had boarded on the night of the fight
! and had asked to be allowed to leave
the revolver which she admitted she
afterward learned had been taken from
Dorffman III her cellar or in her trunk.
! She declared that she refused to allow
the men to leave the gun in the house
and that afterward they took it out
| and hid it under the chicken coop
/ where it remained until it was taken
to the BiTofski store on the following
, day. The woman gave the names of
the men and claimed that it was HI.
Kekst and R. Siebel who had brought
the revolver to the house. She stated
that they offered to tell her all the
particulars of the big fight at the Bad
ger but that she refused to listen to it.
She declared that the men were greatly
| frightened and excited.
Mrs. Louis Kekst was the next wit
ness called.
Later in the afternoon the district
attorney examined H. Kekst and L.
Kekst, but their testimony was largely
the same as they gave on a former pre-
liminary hearing. 0. Hertzberger, the
man who kept the boarding house where
a number of the men boarded was also
examined All of the men were very
guarded in their statements and the
statements were conflicting in many
particulars. However, nearly all of
them stuck to the main points Of the
original story.
l The Rirhn0ond ThAa%nr