The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-03-20
DEFENSE SHOOTS
HOLES IN STORY
Stephenson, Attorney for
Beckman, Questions Girl
Regarding Assaults.
SHE ADMITS LYING
Tells Convincing Stoly Yester-
day under Examination
by Morris Barnett.

standing trial on serious statutory
| charge in circuit court before Judge r..
B. Belden and jury composed OF men.
| That wall of evidence, which had
been built up by the direct examina-
| ton of Gertrude Brzikci, former
servant girl in the Beckman home,
who charges that the head of the house
/ twice assaulted her, showed a solid
| front when court adjourned last night.
| Under the questioning of Morris Bar
| net, district attorney, the girl built
/ up an apparently "fool-proof" back
ground for the charge which she
preferred against Beckman of being
| the father of her daughter, born on
January 8, 1928.
| She told of having gone to work
| for Mrs. Beckman as nurse maid for
the two children in September OF 1921,
in answer to an advertisement. She
stated that at the time she was fifteen
| years old and that she was paid $500
week. She said that she left the
Beckman employ the following May,
and did not return until Mr.. Beck
man came to her home in August OF
| 1922 and asked if she would return to
work. She said that she returned and
worked until January 9 of 1928, the
day her daughter was born.
Under the questioning of the prose-
cutor she told of the two occasions
upon which she claimed Mr.. Beckman
assaulted her. On both occasions she
said that Mrs. Beckman was away
from home, and that she was there
with the two children.
| She set the first date as the Mon
day after Easter in 1922. Mr.. Beck
man came into the kitchen, she said,
while she was filling the baby's milk
| bottle. He caught her arms from be-
| hind and pinned them to her sides,
and then took her through the dining
room to den which opens from the
dining room and there perpetrated
the assault She demonstrated how
Beckman held her by catching hold
of Mr.. Barnett.
She said that the second assault
occurred on the 22nd of April. Mr..
Beckraan, she said, came in the front
door and caught her and carried her
to bedroom on the second floor. In
answer to her pleading with him not
to assault her she stated that he re-
piled, whats the use of living II
you can't have aClittle fun" She also
described the intimate details of the
crime. She testified that upon this
occasion Mrs Beckman had gone down
town, taking her daughter with her,
and that the little boy was in her
/ charge. He was on the porch at the
time, she said. In answer to the dis
trict attorneys questions she told OF
other details Of, the assault.
The girl stated that Mr.. Beckman
had promised to buy her a ring. An
other time, she stated, she complained
Of a headache and Mr.. Beckman went
to nearby drugstore and brought
back Some pills, together with a bottle
of brown medicine which he told her
to take. She testified that she took
one spoonful of the brown medicine
and threw the pills away. Then she
! left the Beckman employ.
During the summer she stated that
she was often seized with nausea. In
August she returned to the Becknian
home and things went along much the
same as before until Jan. when she
was seized with severe pains In the
morning. She complained to Mrs.
Beckman and was told to go home
until she felt better.
At home her mother applied hot
irons which didn't relieve the pain. AT
last she called in DR.. O. w. McClus-
key who informed her family that she
was about to become a mother. She
stated that the physician asked If she
had had anything to do with man,
and that she named Mr.. Beckman.
The baby, she said, was fourteen
months old last Sunday.
Cross-Examination Starts.
AS Mr.. Barnett finished his exam
ination Judge Belden recessed court
until today. The taking Of testimony
had started about o'clock yesterday
afternoon, the earlier hours having
been given over to examining the jury
Attorney Stephenson began his ex-
animation by briefly going over the
testimony relative to how the girl
came to work for the Beckmans. She
admitted that she had told Mrs. Beck
man that she was is years old when
she went to work there.
"But / lied" she said. I wanted
the job"
Mr.. Stephenson then questioned her
closely regarding the dates of the al
/ legged assaults. She admitted that II
these two dates were not correct there
were no two occasions when she had
been assaulted by Beckman. She said
that she was positive of the dates and
that on each occasion she had associ-
ated the assaults with the dates.
She said that she had left the Beck
man home two weeks after the last as
sault which occurred on April %. Then
she fixed the time that she left the
Beckman's as two days before Dec
Grafton Day.
81 don't want to mislead you, Miss
Brzickig Mr.. Stephenson said, but
wouldn't that be nearer SIX weeks
| than two weeks. Decoration Day
falls on the 9Oth of May. Now you
are sure of the two dates, April IL and
April 22?" The girl replied that she
was.
Q. Do you know Charles Rock, lieu
tenant of police?
A. No.
@. You know the policeman who
came to your house after your baby
was born and asked you about the
assaults
A. Yes.
Q. Didn't you tell him that you
knew there were two times, but that
you couldn't tell what day or month
10