The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-02-08
QUIZZER TOLD
TO BE CAREFUL
Judge Warns Mulch He
Cannot Say Courts
Sent Him.
PROSECUTORS MEET
Frank SymmOnds Tells Judge
that He Instructed
Mulch Properly.
PROSECUTORS MEET

Mirko Mulch, identifed\as the per-
son who has been making the rounds
Of the Eighth and Sixth wards, ask
ing citizens questions in pertaining
to their voting at the last November
election, was brought into the cham
bers of the municipal judge this
morning at the request of District
Attorney Morris Barnett. Mulch
was accompanied by Frapk S. Sym
monds, former district attorney, and
present challenger of the title, who
admitted that he had sent out the
man to make inquiries for him.
There was no charge placed against
Mulch, but Mr.. Barnett laid the mat
ter informally before Judge Slater,
stating that he had received informa-
ton that Mulch had been frightening
people by his line of questioning,
representing himself as an attache
Of the court and limiting at possible
grand jury investigation"
Said Court Was Sending Him.
One woman, whose name is with
held, gave a lengthy and clear ac-
count of what happened in her home
when the man identified as Mirko
Mulch, called.
Il didn't know the man, she said,
"and when he came in he merely ask
cd some formal questions about who
lived upstairs, and whether they had
lived there at the time of the cleo
ton. He then told me that my vote
and the votes of the two people, man
and wife, upstairs were not legal. I
asked him why they weren't legal, and
he hedged about and couldn't give
any information about that.
Il told him that I had voted at the
primaries and had lived in the ward
long enough to vote, and if anybody
said I didn't have a right to vote,
I'd like to know the reason why. AS
he couldn't give any answer and had
asked quite a few questions, l started
in to ask him a few. Who is send
ing you out, Mr.. Symmonds? / asked.
At first he didn't answer, but seemed
to be trying to evade the question, so
| asked him again. Then he answer
ed, No, the court is sending me out.
Il said, What court? Do you
mean Judge Belden, Judge Slater, or
who? And then he answered, Well,
this case is going to be taken before
the grand jury called down the
lady upstairs and he told her the
same thing. When he told her about
the grand jury, she asked him if she
would be called upon to testify and
he said, Yes, you will be if you don't
give me the information now
Il told him that / had voted for
Morris Barnett and so did she. After
the man was gone, we decided that
we would see if what he said was
true, because it seemed strange that
man could force us to tell things
in that way"
1t was information and complaints
such as this which caused Morris
Barnett to decide to take up the mat
ter without delay, and Mulch was
forthwith called upon to present him
self in the judges Office this morn
ing, Mulch came accompanied by
Frank S. Symmonds.
,,As long as / am an officer of Ke-
nosha county" District Attorney Bar
nett told the court with some fire, Il
am not going to let anyone go about
intimidating and terrorizing the peo-
pie"
Il hope you'll do that" retorted Mr..
Symmonds.
Il have done it SO far and will con-
tinue to do So" replied Mr.. Barnett.
lie told the court that he did not
think it was necessary to bring any
drastic action against Mulch, as he
was not looking for disturbances of
any kind, but that he thought it was
high time the man should understand
that he could not compel people by
vague threats to give information as
to how they had voted.
Judge Tells Mulch to Refrain.
Mr.. Symmonds assured the court
that he had given Mulch instructions
that would tend to nothing of the
kind.
II gave him instructions as to how
he should interrogate people," Sym
monds said. Il told him that he
coul say there was going to be a
court action, and that he could ask
if they voted for Barnett.
The matter ended this morning
when Judge Slater informed Mulch
that he must be careful not to repre-
sent himself to people as one in any
way connected with or representing
the court.
Meanwhile what the former district
attorney hopes to gain by directing a
line of inquiry among the voters, even
accompanied by extreme, complais-
ance, no one has been able to discov-
er. 1t is generally admitted that it
would not affect the state of the vote
as taken if the majority town rose
UP and were willing to take an affi-
davit that they had voted for one
candidate or another.