The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-04-21
Officers Amberlang and
Marsh Removed After
Mystery Shooting.
IS CLOSED INCIDENT
Officer Found Floundering in
Snow Drift but Has No
Explanation.

Two more police stars fell into the
basket early Sunday morning when
Chief of Police owen O'Hare stripped"
Charles Amberlang and William Marsh
following reports Of failure on duty
Marsh it was said was overcome by the
storm and failed to pull the box after
one o'clock in the morning. Amber
lang was also said to have fallen down
on his duties as a patrolman.
Amberlang, one of the oldest and
best known members of the police de-
partment was found laundering in a
snow drift near the Elks' club Just
after one o'clock Sunday morning. He
was picked out of the snow drifts by
William J. Frazier, and other men who
had left the Elks club after they had
heard several shots fired in the neigh
borhood. Amberlang admitted to the
chief of police that he had fired the
shots. "Amberlang did not give me
any sufficient explanation for his con-
duct" said Chief O'Hare this morning
land l stripped him. can add that
l regretted to take The action as
he has been in many ways an excel
lent police officer"
The shooting which started over on
Wisconsin street just across from the
Evening News Office, sti1l remains I'M
explained and members of the depart
ment today were willing to have cloak
of mystery" thrown about it. 1t was
just after one o'clock Sunday morning
that people in the neighborhood heard
the first shot. In the Elks were a
number of members of that order and
they came out onto the porch at the
club in time to see the flash of a re-
volver at the corner of Wisconsin and
Chicago streets and several other shots
followed. Although it was still storm
ing the men who saw the shooting de-
clared that they did not see any one
running away from the officer and
they hurried over and found him in
the snow drift and took him to the
police headquarters.
Amberlang made no statement of the
facts in the case at the time, but on
Sunday he returned to the Office of the
chief and announced 81 have no one to
blame but myself. No accusation of
intoxication was made against the of
fcer by the head of the department,
but the men were held at the station
until six o'clock Sunday morning.
"Amberlang was very valuable to the
departm ent as traffic officer" declared
the chief this morning. she was one
of the best men for a street crossing
that have ever had under me in Ke-
nosha and regret to lose him on that
account. However, there was nothing
to do but to let him go after the oc-
curence Of Saturday night. l do not
know what Amberlang was shooting at
or why he was shooting and if he de-
sires to make any further statement it
is up to him to do it. Marsh failed to
pull his box and this indicated that
he was not attending to his duties.
Both officers are entitled to a hear
ing before the commission if they de-
sire to ask for it.
What was the shooting about ?"
former Officer Anberlang was asked
this morning. 81 don't know" was his
answer. "Did any one shoot at you ?"
mo, don't think so. l didn't see any
one and l don't know how to explain
it," Amberlang continue. "Was Marsh
along with you when the shooting took
place." the questioner continued. 81
don't know; he said he was, but |
didn't see him" With this the officer
let it be understood that the inter
view was closed I was not init
mated that the matter would be taken
to the commission.
The report that Amberlang had fired
at William j. Frazier was untrue.
Amberlang was firing into the air when
Frazier saw him and called the de-
partment and later aided Police Officers
Kirsch and Long in taking Amberlang
to the police Office.
Playful Target Practice.
It developed this morning that the
epidemic of shooting had started at
the store of the United Storage Bat
terry company on Wisconsin street early
Sunday morning when chandeliers and
oil cans had been the target of the
bullets from the revolvers. Holes in
the side of the building and broken
chandeliers were mute evidence of the
craftsmanship of the officers this
morning but nothing could be learned
at the store of just how the whole
thing started. "Bebe" Lencinone, the
proprietor Of the store, had made no
complaint to the department on ac-
count of the damage done. At the store
it was said that there was no one
there who had any information in re-
gard to just what had happened while