The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-10-14
CHANGED NOTE TO A CHECK
Liquor Agent Arrested on the Com
plant Henry Gerling Declares That
He Is Victim of Held In
Bonds of $500.

Leo Kahan, of Chicago, but said to
be widely known among dealers in
liquors in Kenosha, was arrested at
Appleton on Friday afternoon and
brought to Kenosha on Friday night
by Police Officer William Bienemann.
He is charged with obtaining money
under false pretenses and Henry Ger
ling, Main street saloonkeeper, who
makes the complaint, claims that an
attempt was made to make him the
victim of a bold swindle.
Kahan spent the night in Jail and
was arraigned in the municipal court
this morning and the hearing of the
charges against him continued pend
ing further investigation. Attorney
George w. Taylor appeared for him
and declared that he was the victim
of unfortunate circumstances and not
guilty of any wrong doing.
Kahan and companion whose name
is not mentioned in the case, went in
to the Gerling saloon during the noon
hour on the Goth Of August and made
q proposition to sell Gerling seven bar
rels of whiskey. They claimed that
the whiskey was in bond and present
ed bonded certificates which they were
ready to turn over. The price offered
was a low one and Gerling showed a
willingness to accept the proposition
but wanted more time to look into it.
Gerling admits that he signed three
"notes0 with the understanding that
the notes and the bonded certificates
were to be left with him for further
examination. He declares that Kahan
put the papers all together and left
them in the saloon and went away.
When he made an examination he
found that one of the three notes he
had signed was missing. He told the
district attorney that later this note
showed up in the form of a check on
the First National bank for the sum
of $87.17. Gerling asserts that he
wrote no check and his story to the
district attorney indicated that the
check had been drawn later. Gerling
discovered that the one note was miss
ing on the day of the transaction and
it came back a week later. 1t had
been cashed at the Hotel Brevoort in
Chicago. Gerling reported the case to
the district attorney and search was
made for Kahan. He was located in
Appleton on Friday and arrested by
the police there on orders from the
Kenosha police department.
Gerling later had considerable deal
ings with the company which was
represented by Kahan and the COM
pany gave him credit on its books for
the amount of the check which the
salesman had cashed in Chicago. Ger
ling refused to drop the matter when
he had been secured, asserting that
bold attempt had been made to swim
die him. Kahan claimed after his ar
rest that the whole matter was due to
a misunderstanding on the part of Ger
ling. He asserted that the transaction
had been regular in every way and
that he had accepted the check with
the understanding that it was to be a
payment. Gerling this morning de-
clared that the transaction had never
been closed up and that he had ex-
pected that all papers relating to it
would be left in his possession.
When arraigned in court Kahan en-
tered plea of "not guilty. and the
preliminary hearing was adjourned I'M
til next Saturday. Kahan went back
to jail in default of bonds of $500.