The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-09-03
CICCHINI CASE
Is BEING HEARD
State Presents Evidence in
Assault Case Before
Judge Slater.
POLLESCH ON STAND
Police Officer Tells of Attack
On Him Made in the
Cicchini POolrOom.

The preliminary hearing in the case
of the State of Wisconsin versus
Ottilla Cicchini, the first of three
similar cases to be tried, in which
Cicchini is charged with assault with
intent to do great bodily harm upon
police officer, got under way before
Municipal Judge John Slater today.
The state holds charges against OF
tilla Cicchini and his two sons, Her
man and James Cicchini, in which
each of the three are being held for
the same offense. When the case was
called this morning, Assistant District
Attorney Morris Barnett, who is hand
ling the prosecution, chose to prose-
cute Ottilla Cicchini as the first case
in the trio and the evidence in this
case was started and continued
I through the afternoon.
On a second case against James
Cicchini, charged with permitting
gambling on his premises, jury was
demanded by Roy Stephenson, attor-
ney for the defense, and the names
we're drawn subject to call this
afternoon.
In the assault case Police Officer
Otto PoIlesch was the second to take
the stand. Or. A. l.. Christopherson
had previously told of treating the
injured man. The examination and
.cross-examination brought ont the
sensational story in which The state
alleges that the police ofiicer was set
upon by the three Cicchinis and as
saulted while the officer was attempts
ing to perform his duty.
IA Pollesch told of walking his beat
on the night Of Sunday, August Is, and
of his tour of inspection of all of the
soft drink parlors and poolrooms on
his beat. He described in detail how
he had strollsd over to the Citchini
place in the basement of the building
at the southwest corner Of Rowland
avenue and Elizabeth street, ard Of
finding the defendant, Ottilla Cicchini,
sitting in the center of the doorway
on the sidewalk leading to the poolroom
below. The officer told the court that
he asked Cicchini to move aside and
let him enter. On his way down the
stairs Pollesch declared that he saw
Cicchini throw the cap of a pop bottle
to the bottom of the stairs, and that
ne called something in Italian. In
answer. to the call, he said, the two
Cicchini brothers, James and Herman,
came out of the poolroom.
Defied Him to Come Down.
Pollesch went on to tell how Her
man Cicchini defied him to come down
into the place.
Herman said that if came down
stairs he would kill me-" Pollesch
testified. "Just as / got down to the
second or third step leading to the
poolroom," he went on, "Ottilla
! Cicchini grabbed me by the coat coll
lar from behind and held me while
the other two Cicchinis joined him and
all three started to beat me-"
One of the three grabbed his star,
another his club, and James Cicchini
grabbed mis- hand when he attempted
to get his gun to defend himself, he
said. In the seattle that followed
Pollesch was struck several times
about the face, neck, and head, and
the fighting continued for several
minutes while large crowd stood on
and watched from the street. In the
meantime a call had gone into police
headquarters and a riot squad ans
wered. When the officers arrived they
succeeded in separating the men from
Pollesch, who was by that time severe
ly injured and and beaten, and thsy
placed all three under arrest.
M. L. Heindel, 322 South Ridge
street, the second witness for the state,
testified that he had been talking to
Officer Pollesch just moment or TIVE
before the fighting began and declared
that he saw Polleseh attempt to pass
Cicchini at the doorway and GO down
part of the stairs. Heindel said that
he attempted to take the club out Of
the hands Of the elder Cicchini when
he saw that he was beating the officer
with it, but that he failed. His tes-
timony corroborated that of the Of
ficer on the stand in the details that
led up to the fight
Ernest Petersdorf, 666 South Edo
ward street, also gave testimony in
the case for the state He was placed
on the witness stand atnoon and told
of what he had seen standing on tho
corner of the building Sbove.
The state had other witnesses to
call for this afternoon and testimony
is being continued in the case.