The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-04-21
GORDON LOSES INITIAL
BATTLE IN BOOZE FIGHT
Harry Gordon, Indicted on Liquor Charge,
Lost First Battle in Municipal Court
on FRIDAY Afternoon
FISHER PUTS UP A STRONG CASE
District Attorney Fisher in Final Argument to Judge
TulIy Practically Cinches Gordon Being
Tried in April Term of Court

Harry Gordon, the first alleged Ke-
nosha wet to feel the weight of the
law in the muchly hailed cleanup" of
Kenosha county lost the first legal en-
gagement in which promises to be a
long out battle if the indicted
liquor men and the district attorney,
when the district attorney with the
aid Of two detectives brought in
strong evidence yesterday afternoon in
municipal court Of the fact that Cor
don had violated the law. There was
no formal ruling made by Judge Tully
who took the case under Amusement
but District Attorney Fisher was elat-
ed over the fact that the attorneys for
the defense had not been able to over
throw the weight of evidence. "If
all the objection that the defense has
to the present status of Gordon is that
he was arrested on a warrant in which
the complaining witness was not nam
ed it will be a mighty easy matter to
release Gordon on this warrant and
Immediately re-arrest him by naming
Detective Hayes as the complaining
witness, said Judge Tully.
Wet Gentry Much in Evidence.
The case of Gordon is creating a
stir in wet circles in Kenosha, known
members of which were in the court
room yesterday afternoon The crowd
was so great Mn fact, that the munich
pal court room could not accommo-
date the crowd with comfort to the at
torneys and it was moved that the
he ~,
the circuit court rooms. Attorneys
Baker and Drury appeared in behalf
of Gordon, who did not exhibit any
fears that the decision would go
against them,
Says County is Criminal.
Detective Hays was called to the
stand on re-cross examination and was
questioned by Attorney Baker Attor-
ney Baker in questioning the detective
attempted to show that the detective
had been a co-conspirator to the crime
and that Kenosha county was really
the, true cause of the whole crime.
"The spirit of the law is not that
detective shall be hired to solicit crime
in order that he may apprehend the
&ulpLlbS JiS attOLACJ oNoICN' Pub tAAO
law is very clear in the other sense.
1t expressly states in many of the stat
utes that a detective shall not solicit
crime or abet it or to encourage it. If
Gordon sold whisky to a detective in
the employ of Kenosha county then
Kenosha county is lawbreaker."
In the cross-examination the point
was brought out that Hays was getting
paid at the rate of seventy-fve cents
an hour for the work that he was do
ing for the detective agency. By bring
ing this out the attorneys point was
that Kenosha county had constituted
police force and a sheriff's Office with
many deputy sheriffs and that it was
uncalled upon for the district attorney
to engage outside assistance,
Worked on Grand Jury.
Mr.. Burgett, vice president and gen
eral manager of the private detective
agency then took the stand and the
attorney used the same tactics. Mr..
Burgett testified that he was getting
twenty-five dollars q day for the work
that he had been doing towards clean
ing up Kenosha county but added that
he was not working full time on--this
particular job. Peter Fisher then in
timated that Mr.. Burgett had been en-