The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-03-16

Emil Wanatka, charged with the
murder of Charles Pacini in a com
plant made by District Attorney Frank
5. Symmonds, had his name called as
defendant in the United States court
OF Judge Mack in Chicago this morn
ing, but he failed to answer present.
Attorney Charles S. Deneen, former
governor of Illinois, appeared Tor the
henosha man and told the court that
he was in jail in Kenosha charged with
murder. The question of the DISPOSE
ton of the case in the federal court
was taken under advisement by Judge
Mack. In the federal court, Wanatka
was charged with conspiracy in con-
nection with the Chicago Kenosha au-
tomobile ring. In the same connection
the defendants named included Hugo
Lencioni, Louis Stella and Adolph
Stein, also of Kenosha.
Stein has pleaded guilty to the charp-
es of the government, but the other
men are to stand trial and agents Of
the government SUNNI oned many wit
nesses on Tuesday. Detectives Rock
and Kirsch of the Kenosha police de-
partment are expected to be two of the
principal witnesses for the government.
The case has been before the court
for many months and it was indicated
that the opening of the trials today
would bring some final disposal of it.
Wanatka Declines to Plead.
Agents of the federal government
are declared to have been in Kenosha
on Monday and to have suggested to
Wanatka that he enter plea of guilty
to the charge of conspiracy.
That's true" said Wanatka, when
he was seen at the county jail this
morning. ferguson was here on Mon
day and suggested that plead guilty
to the charge and take my sentence.
He expressed the belief that / would
be released on a very light penalty,
but | refused to follow the course he
suggested. l am out on bond and the
governor is looking after the matter
in Chicago. I had no information in
regard to the operation of the automo-
bile ring and I'm not going to say that
did just to get rid of this case"
Called "King of the Ring
II know" continued Wanatka, "that
I was called king of the ring, but just
the same, I never knew any of these
Chicago men who have pleaded guilty
to stealing and selling automobiles. 7
did handle one automobile which was
found to have been stolen, but I did
not know that it had been stolen until
a year after / had sold it. When it
came to me it appeared to be perfectly
clean and I bought it and drove it
while and then sold it. In the same
year that this automobile was handled
I sold more than fifty automobiles in
Racine and Kenosha. Fifteen of them
were sold in Kenosha and there di ! not
appear to be cloud on any save this
one. The reason they called me the
king was that l went to Europe and
they at once jumped at the conclusion
that l had made lot of money selling
stolen automobiles. The federal men
who have investigated the case know
that have told the truth"
Harris Here On Case.
Federal Agent Harris, who was most
active in the development of the evil
dence for the government, was in Ke-
nosha on Tuesday and said that he
would be in court this morning. He de-
clined to say anything about the num-
Der of witnesses summoned or the
identity of them, but it is known that
some twenty witnesses from Kenosha
went to appear in the case. Many of
these are character witnesses for the
Kenosha defendants.
Fritz Rudy and Albert Brankow, who
were originally connected with the
charges of conspiracy, were recently
acquitted following trial before
Judge Lands. The other Kenosha de-
PENDANTS were to have been brought to
trial at the same time, but heavy
court calendar forced an adjournment
of the cases until the present time.