The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-12-07

Removing the last barrier to the i'm
mediate release Of Harry Gordon, Ed
ward Minkowski, Ben Loef and julius
Kious, the four Kenosha men serving
terms in the House Of Correction on
grand jury indictments of Illicit liquor
traffic and pardoned on Thanksgiving
Day, Governor John ]. Blaine this
morning at eleven-thirty o'clock noti-
fed District Attorney Frank S. Sym
monds by telephone that it had been
his intention in issuing the pardons
that the men be released at once and
that the fines, in their reduced
amounts, be collected by execution on
any property which they might have.
The communication was transferred by
District Attorney Symmonds to the Of
fcials Of the House of Correction,
where the men have been held pending
the disposition of their fines.
1t was anticipated that all of them
would be released today and would
arrive in their homes here late this
afternoon. All have fines unpaid and
the action of the governor leaves it to
the officials of the county to collect
these fines by execution on whatever
property they may possess rather than
by having the prisoners serve out the
fines in the House of Correction.
Hurried by Gordon Writ.
The communication of the governor
made it unnecessary for District At
torney Symmonds to go to Milwaukee
today to oppose the write of habeas
corpus filed in the Milwaukee county
circuit court by Harry Gordon demand
ing his release from the House of Cor
ection on the order of pardon issued
on Thanksgiving Day by Governor
Blaine. The telephone communica-
t;on from the governor left no doubt
regarding the meaning of the pardon
order and gave no grounds for any
opposition to the writ of habeas cor
pus,
District Attorney Symmonds declar-
ed that he had received no reply from
the officials Of the House of Correction
but that in the face of the governors
new order, he saw no way by which the
four Kenoshans could longer be
incarcerated. He stated that he had
notified these officials on Monday that
ii was his understanding that the time
served in default of payment of fine
was no part of the sentence He was
prepared to go to Milwaukee to oppose
the release of Gordon when the tele-
phone message from Governor Blaine
clarified the situation
No Property Available.
The new order brought doubt in the
minds of the officials as to whether
the fines as reduced by Governor
Blaine would ever be collected. Since
the time that the application for par
don was made, Sheriff Rauen and Dis
trict Attorney Symmonds have attempt
ed to execute on property to collect
the fines but have been unable to find
any property upon which the fine could
be imposed. 1t is thought possible
that the fines may remain as judg-
ment against the defendants and may
be collectible later.
Statements to the effect that some
of the prisoners were ready to meet
the fines could not be substantiated
and it is probable that they will all
stick together" in whatever action
they take regarding the fines.
All of the four men were convicted
on grand jury indictments Of either
selling or Of having it in their possess
sion and were sentenced by Judge Bel
den in the Kenosha county circuit
court. In each instance they have
served at least half of the sentence
imposed but none of the time suggest
ed in the sentence as an alternative
for tba pavment of the fines