The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-01-19


aged 20 years, special motorcycle
GER Of the village of Winthrop Har-
was shot to death by bandits in a
h powered motor car, on the Sher-
Road near the Durkin farm about
) miles south Of Zion. Petersen had
n trailing the bandits for several
es and had almost reached them to
their mad drive, when sawed
shot gun was thrust out the back
the car and the deputy was shot
death
lis body from the waist up was rid
4 with bullets, causing him to lose
troll of the motorcycle. This ran
the yard of the farmhouse, crash
into a ditch and throwing Peter
from it. His neck was broken by
fall.
Kenoshan Right Behind Him.
sobert A. Wilson, we'll known real
ate dealer Of Kenosha, had been
sed by the bandit car only short
lance from the scene of the shoot
RG4lAQ ~ CeAAlC OnG NCpuJJ
and Wilson Joined in the chase. A
)ment later he saw flash and then
Petersen fall from his motorcy-
Stopping his car he went to the
/ of the injured officer, picking him
in his automobile and carrying him
Waukegan. Petersen, entirely un-
nscious, breathed his Aast before they
ached Waukegan.
Meanwhile the motor bandits speed
| away to the south and no trace has
nee been found of them. Police of
anosha were notified immediately of
e accident and joined in the trail Of
e bandits.
Declared to be Negroes.
One clew as to the identity of
lie bandits was given by a salesman
Zion who passed the car just south
that city as it was being pursued
y the deputy. This salesman declar-
d that the Studebaker was being driv-
II at terrific speed but that he
aught glimpse of the occupants of
he car. He declared that two negroes
7ere in the car, one at the wheel and
ne on the back seat keeping watch
the officer
Henry Hudson, who operates a re-
reshment stand near the Durkin farm,
leard the shot and Immediately called
he police at Waukegan to notify them
If the tragedy. No car meeting the
description passed through Waukegan
after the call was received and it is
believed that the desperados avoiding
he cities chose a roundabout way to
reach Chicago and escaped.
Farmers Saw Killing.
George Pablick, farmer, saw the
shooting which occurred directly in
front Of his home and along with
Melvin Jordan, a farm hand, who also
heard the fatal shot, hurried to give
aid to the injured police officer. They
aided Wilson in placing the injured
man in his car and then sent out tele-
phone calls to warn the countryside of
the approach of the bandit car
Some reports declared that there
we're as many as five men in the car.
1t is believed that they may have been
members of the band of bootleggers
who ply their trade between Milwau-
kee and Chicago. Another theory is
that = the car was stolen one and
that the thieves took no chances on
eing arrested.
A Kenosha county deputy sheriff
trailed the car for short distance in
Kenosha county but turned back when
it crossed the line into Illinois.
Start Chase at WinthrOp HarbOr.
The chase which ended in his death
was started by Petersen at Winthrop
The large Studebaker car
came rolling into the village at a speed
of not less than fifty miles an hour
according to people there who saw it.
Police Officer Petersen was standing
by his motorcycle at the side of the
street when the car dashed by.
He turned to his companions and re-
marked that he could see no license
number on the car. With that he
jumped on his motorcycle and speeded
away after the bandits.
Never Halted at Zion.
The driver of the bandit car never
checked his speed. Petersen, giving
his machine an open throttle was
quickly gaining on the speeders as they
approached Zion. Through this city,
despite the bad road for half mile,
the bandit ear rolled on with the mo-
torcycle officer almost in reach of it.
The motor police of Zion was in Chi
cago and no attempt was made there
to halt the car although it was seen
by many people there who remarked
about the break-neck speed with which
it was being driven.
Petersen, stopped by the half mile
stretch of bad road, again took up the
chase and had almost overtaken the
car again when he was shot to death.
Motorcycle Riddled With Bullets.
That Deputy Petersen was never Civ
en- a chance for his life was shown by
the condition in which he was found
and the condition of the motorcycle
which he rode. The bandit shot but
once and shot to kill. The bullet
marks in the motorcycle indicate that
he used a sawed off shotgun and that
he waited until Petersen was within q
few feet of his car before he fired.
Petersen's body was riddled with
bullets according to John McLaren