The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-01-19
BURKE TAKES STAND
IN HIS OWN DEFENSE
Continued from Page il

| CONTINUED from Page u
connection with the ring activities told
earlier in the day by Joseph Custer,
former Kenosha internal revenue agent.
Talking for nearly an hour, Feuer laid
bare the entire inner workings Of the
ring, exposing in detail the develop
ment of the conspiracy.
May Rest Case.
/ Charles Grosscurth, Feuer's COM
panion in the liquor deal here, who
with Feuer, Custer and Joseph Budar,
former Milwaukee cafe owner, pleaded
guilty to charges Of conspiracy to
bride Bert Herzog on Monday, leaving
Burke the sole defendant, also testi-
fed for the government and his cross
examination was under. way when the
court was adjourned shortly before six
o'clock. The trial was resumed at nine
| thirty o'clock this morning, and it is
thought that the government will
rest its case today.
The story Of Feuer was by far the
most sensational event in day filled
with surprising developments. Feuer
| testified that he came to Kenosha in
June, 1920, to see about the delivery of
the car Of whiskey he had sold to Joel
Jacobson and Lyman Gordon, Keno
sha saloon keepers and that the car
was seized in Kenosha that afternoon
When he went to the station to see
about it, he testified, Custer was point
ed out to him as federal agent.
Was Given Checks.
"This stuff has been going on before
and m going to turn you in" FeueI
testified that Custer told him. Feuer
then told how he argued with Custer
and induced him to take ride to
"talk it over" and finally gave him q
$500 bill as "hush" money. The car
was unloaded that night by Erler, JAG
OLSON, Gordon ard several others, Ecu
er said, and he was given $1,000 in
checks by Jacobson and the rest in cash
The stopping of payment on the
checks by Jacobson after Feuer had
returned to Chicago caused him to
make hurried trip to Kenosha, the
witness continued, and there Jacobson
explained that, with prosecution i'm
pending, the men could not afford to
make the checks good unless some
protection" could be arranged.
Gordon and Jacobson finally agreed
to pay everything except $4,000, Feue1
testified, this sum being reserved by
them to give to Walter Burke, to "take
care" of any difficulty with the au-
torities which might arise.
Met Custer Later.
Later Feuer said that he met Custer
accidentally, and that Custer told him
there was chance of shipping a lot
of liquor into Wisconsin, as Burke
was so big and influential that he
could arrange to get the liquor in:
/ Feuer described the working out OF
details of the conspiracy at meeting
between Custer, Grosscurth and him
self in Chicago, and when the first cal
of whiskey came into Milwaukee on
August Is, he told how he gave Gus
ter money he had received from
Budar, and Custer wrapped up $4,000
in a newspaper. The two of them
met Burke outside the Majestic build
ing, Feuer went on, and Custer hand
ed him the package there in the open
street at Feuer's suggestion.
When the other four cars came in
Feuer testified, that Budar regularly
gave him $4,000 in the afternoon and
number of certified checks totalling
$4,000 later in the day, except once
when the entire payment was made
in cash. The first $4,000, Feue,
said, he always gave to Custer the
same afternoon for distribution to
Burke and Herzog.
Starr is Drawn In.
When asked if he had ever met Tom
Delaney, Wisconsin federal prohibition
director, Feuer answered, 81 wanted to
meet Delaney to find out if Burke
was giving him part of the $4,000, but
Burke never would let me-"
Bob Starr, Milwaukee saloon keeper
was drawn into the testimony Of both
Custer and Feuer, and he was called
to the stand himself after Feuer had
completed his story. Starr admitted
that he had had dealings with Feuel
and Burke concerning the purchase OF
the sixth Milwaukee whiskey car, and
said that he did not agree to buy the
whiskey because he did not have
enough money to swing the deal.
Feuer testified that the reason Starr
was approached as a buyer for the
sixth car was that Burke said he didn't
want the car sold to Budar, as he
made too much noise" and talked too
much. Burke suggested Starr, Feuer
said, and he limited that there had
been trouble among the alleged ring
members over the matter.