The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-10-02
Mrs. Matzur Declares Sym
mOnds Statement About
Her Untrue.
FORCED INTO PERJURY
Declares She Was Forced to
Plead Guilty While Innocent
to Save Her Husband.

A frail little woman with plnched
cheeks and haggard face is indignant
about statements published about her
during "battle Of words" between
District Attorney Morris Barnett and
former District Attorney Frank SYM
monds which started when the latter
gave speech before the Optimist club
on Monday in which among other
things he condemned the Office OF dis
trict attorney for its inactivity in
forcing cleanup in the city.
The woman is Mrs. Joseph Matzur
who sometime ago appeared In court
on a charge of possession and manu-.
facture of moonshine, pleaded guilty,
and was fined 500 and costs. 1t was
quite a case at the time and aroused
a great deal of interest. But, accord
ing to Mrs. Matzur, the true facts
in the case were never divulged. And
when statements about her part In 1T
were batted back and forth in the
newspaper controversy between Bar
nett and Symmonds she determined to
shield her own good name and that
of her four children and come out.
with the true facts in the case.
"Guilty" Were Not Punished.
Mrs. Matzur speaks English only
brokenly with large scattering OF
German, but her evident sincerity
makes up for all she lacks in express
sive ability. Mrs. Matzur declares that
she and her husband haven't got along
we'll for many, many months. In two
weeks there will be heard her case
for divorce against Joseph Matzur.
Her tone seemed to hold nothing but
bitterness and. scorn for her husband.
But Mrs. Matzur's prime interest in
coming out with her statement at this
time is to correct a false impression
she says. "The paper" she declares
"says that Mr.. Symmonds said that the
guilty were punished and the not guilty
were not punished That is not true.
Mr.. Symmonds says my husband came
home and was surprised to smell moon
shine in the house. He knew it was
there all the time. He brought it
there with Mr.. and Mrs. Walter
Prosko. And when the sheriff came
to \ raid the house he said that he
knew nothing about it and blamed
me for it to save the Proskos and
himself from jail"
Raid Is Recalled.
1t is recalled that following raid
by the sheriff's Office on an anonymous
tip, still was found on the seco:.d
floor of the Matzur home in operation.
Matzur was placed under arrest by the
sheriff and taken to the county jail.
But there District Attorney Frank
Eymmonds had the charge against him
dismissed and placed against Mrs.
Matzur.
"The night before the raid" con-
tinued Mrs. Matzur, "Mr. Matzur
brought the Proskos over to my home
and with them they brought lots of
mash and still. They put it up
stairs and were making moonshine
whiskey with it. The next day Mr..
Matzur went to work. The Proskos
went to their own home and / was left
alone in the house when the sheriff
came to raid the place. They found
Mr.. Matzur and took him to Jail.
'.I was called to see Mr.. Symnonds
in his Office and then went over to the
jail. / was told to plead guilty my
self to the charge and save my hus-
band from Jail. I didn't want to do
it because didn't have anything to
do with it. But l was forced into it
to save Mr.. Matzur and the~ Proskos.
None of them were punished at all and
they were the guilty ones"
Has Had Hard Time.
In her excitement and emotional
mood Mrs. Matzur had to stop fire.
suently in relating her side of the