The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-10-06
WAS ARCH BRIBER
TEACHER HERE?
School Circles Buzz With
Story of Man Arrested
in Bribery Plot.
LEFT HERE IN 1918

School circles in Kenosha buzzed to-
day with a sensation. Every where
was recalled the wonderful personality
and charm Of E. G. Rickmeier, formerly
a teacher of commercial subjects in
the Kenosha High School and with it
was associated a story from Washing
ton which declared that E. G. Rick
meier had been arrested at his desk
in the Treasury department on Thurs
day charged with being one of the
leaders of band which had sought
to obtain brides to the amount of
more than $160,00O in connection with
revealing confidential information
from the office of records in the Treas
ury departments.
"Can this be the same Rickmeier
who taught in Kenosha?" was the
question asked by the school officials
and they drew a parallel in the story
of the life of the man charged with
the serious crime in Washington and
the man who had been one of the most
popular teachers in the Kenosha
schools, This indicated that Rick
meier who is now in the federal net
had been appointed from Sheboygan to
the government position and it indicat-
ed that the suave teacher who came
to Kenosha had made his application
from Sheboygan.
Left Here in 1918.
The parallel further showed that
Rickmeier had resigned his position in
the Kenosha schools just about the
same time that the Rickmeier who is
named in the federal complaint had
gone to Washington to go into war
work.
"We have never heard a word from
Rickmeier since he left Kenosha but
there is startling parallel" declared
one of the school officials in Kenosha
this morning. "The young man came
to Kenosha from Sheboygan and he
took up his work in the Kenosha schools
in the fall of 1917. In April of the
next year resigned to go into war
work He was an excellent teacher
and was we'll liked among the teach
ing force Of the Kenosha schools. 1
was struck with the similarity when
read notice of his arrest in the
News on last Wednesday evening and
since that time l have, been seeking
information. We are led to believe
that this must be the same man.
Charge Gigantic Thefts.
A dispatch from Washington says
that Rickmeier and Garrett Underwood
former employee of the War depart
ment have been named in the great
conspiracy to secure brides through
the theft of information from the gov
eminent records.
A Duluth, Mimi, taxpayer, whose
identity is not revealed and who had
been selected by the prisoners as a
victim of their operation, gave the
first information which led to the
arrests this morning. Other taxpayers
concerned residing in California, Okla
homa and Texas, also furnished infor-
nation to the authorities.
How Scheme Was Worked.
Rickmeier, who is assistant chief Of
the income tax personal audit section,
and Underwood began the operations
which led to their arrest last January.
At that time Underwood addressed to
the taxpayer letter advising him that
an assessment in excess of $3.50 900
shortly would be made against him.
Underwood said he would visit the tax
payer If his travelling expenses were
paid, with "a view to entering into
negotiations by which the tax payment
might be avoided. He suggested as an