The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-02-02
Jury Asks for Instructions.

The jury took the case just at half
past eleven o'clock and after taking
dinner they began baIloting on a YER
dict. Just before two o'clock this af-
ternoon the jury came back into court
and asked for further instructions.
There were three or four questions ask
ed of the court indicating that the
jurors, or at least one of them, were
not just clear on what was necessary
in order to reach a verdict. The
questions were answered by the court
and the jury retired to continue its
deliberations. Less than three min
utes later the jury asked for pen and
ink.
Both the defendants were in court
waiting anxiously the return of the
verdict when the jurors came in and
asked for further instructions.
It was the second conviction by a
jury in week for the former sheriff
as a jury in the same court had found
him guilty of receiving brides on last
Thursday night, within an hour after
the case had been submitted to it.
In the case decided by the jury to-
day Ritter and Meyer were indicted
under eight counts of bribing Peter
Fisher Jr., who was formerly District
Attorney of the county. The indict-
ment9 charged the giving of amounts
ranging from 500 to SITE which was
alleged to have been collected by the
defendants for the protection of gamb-
ling games in the county.
Penalty is Heavy One.
The penalty under the Wisconsin law
for giving a bride is imprisonment in
the state prison for not less than one
year nor more than five years or by
q fine not exceeding one thousand dol
lars and not less than two hundred
dollars, The penalty would follow each
count in the indictment and the maxi
mum penalty were it imposed, would
be forty years in prison. Undoubtedly
the sentence of the court would not
be the maximum punishment on all
counts. RtA,ss E5A2
"These are the high muckety-mucks"
cried #. R. Case of Chicago, in closing
the argument for the defense this
morning in the trial of Joseph Meyer
and Alex Ritter on al joint indictment
for bribery on eight counts.
He opened his hand in sweeping
gesture and indicated the two defen-
dants. II don't know what that means
but here they are, look at them! These
are the goats of alt the others, and
there is no evidence against them.
"They didn't squak, they wouldn't
squak, because there was nothing to
squak about" s
Attorney Case went farther than
any attorney has been. heard to go in
any of the local courts in what APP
peared to be an attack upon the pro-
ceedure 81, the court itself.
His argument was followed by the
closing argument of Mortimer Walker
in behalf of the state, with the special
prosecutor at his best, while he drove
home the points of the case, and made
a plea for the upholding of the insti-
buttons of government and the con-
stitution as founded by the American
government, Ssrs5, G,
The case, which occupied all Friday
in getting jury and hearing the evil
dence, went to the jury, this noon, with
the possibilities of an early verdict.
Attorney Case declared to the jury it
self that he expected conviction, but
added in an extraordinary tone of
mockery, ''Thank God there are other
courts than this
Meyer and Ritter didn't squak bat
these other fellows did squak. They
are not going to get. one ounce of i'm
munity for their squaking, either, but
they think they will" declared Case
''They said to themselves, "We'll come
here and be gooG fellows, and maybe
that will save US couple of months
"And on their evidence you're going
10 convict these two men. That's what
you're going to do. You're going tc
convict them. There's no question
about that. You're going to convict
these high-monkty monks"
caro- YOU CHALLENGING the jury t.