The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-06-01
NARROW ESCAPE FOR ALL
Betski Runs Away After Ditching the
Car and Other Passengers Ask Police
to Arrest for Attempted Murder
Other Motor Car Accidents.

The police of Kenosha are seeking to
find some trace of John Betski, Wau-
kegan man, who is charged with at
tempting to kill five other Waukegan
men along the lake shore road south
of Kenosha at an early hour Sunday
morning. It is alleged that Betski de-
iberately seized the steering wheel of
an automobile in which he and the
five other men were riding and threw
the machine into the ditch, wrecking
it and slightly injuring several of the
members of the party. Betski got
away while the other members of the
party were picking themselves out of
the ditch. The names of the other men
haye not been secured by the police.
Philip H. Mailman, agent for the
Cloverleaf Casualty company of I'LL
nois, whose home is in Waukegan,
made the report Of the case to the po-
lice late Sunday morning. He declared
that his Chauffeur, Donnie Hull, Jr.,
had brought party of six Waukegan
lren from that city to Kenosha early
Sunday morning. Betski had been one
Of the members of the party. After a
short stop in Kenosha, Hull STATED to
drive the car back to Waukegan.
Betski occupied the front seat Of the
automobile with him and just as the
party was getting out Of Kenosha on
the Park avenue road Betski became
quarrelsome and abusive. cit will kill
tho whole bunch of you before you get
to Waukegan, was the threat tha5 he
was alleged to have made and one Of
the members Of the party to subdue
HIM finally landed him blow in the
face. This seemed to quiet Betski, but
a few minutes later when Hull hal re-
laxed his vigil a little Betski is alleged
to have reached over and grapped Inc
steering wheel of the car and he de-
hberately turned it into the ditch.
The car turned over and the members
Of the party were thrown out. Two
of them were under the car but in
some miraculous manner adj the mem
bers of the party escaped serious in
jury. Hull started after Betski, who
leaped from the car as he turned it in
to the ditch, but the man managed to
get away. He ran north toward Keno
sha. Later Hull came to Kenosha and
had the automobile towed to garage
and the Waukegan men returned to
their homes by train.y
Betski has not been seen in Keno
sha. He is a Waukegan laborer and
unmarried and it is thought that he
managed to catch a train near the
scene of the automobile spill.
Other Motor Accidents.
Between five and six O'Clock Satur-
day evening, Charles Schilling, living
at 1856 Dayton street and employed in
the foundry Of the Simmons Manufact-
uring company, was severely injured
when he stepped in front of an auto
mobile at the corner of Rowland and
Prairie avenue The front wheel Of the
automobile passed over his right leg
and one Of the bones was broken lust
above the ankle. He was hurried to
the Kenosha hospital It is said that
he was confused at the time of the
accident and witnesses claimed that the
accident was unavoidable.
A similar accident occurred at the
corner of Grand avenue and West
Main street just after five CLOCK Sun
day afternoon when Frank Coshans,
who had some trouble telling the police
where he lived, was run down by an
automobile. He lurched into the road
directly in front of the automobile.
It was running at low rate of speed.
The man was thrown to tn pavement
and badly bruised. He was taken to
the police station and DR.. Thompson
called to attend him. He found no
broken bones and the man was later
able to walk away from the city hall.