The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-07-23
BURLINGTON COP
FIGHTS BURGLAR
Burlington Has Battle with
Burglars Wednesday
at a Garage.
ESCAPE WITH LOOT

Patrolman Betzig of the Burlington
police department, shot it out with
a gang of thieves in that city early
Wednesday morning, according to
messages received by Kenosha officials
this morning. There were more than
a dozen shots fired In the pistol duel
which was participated in by at least
two of the robbers and the officer and
which resulted IA the routing of the
thieves before they had completed
plundering the garage into which
they had broken.
It is believed that it was the same
gang of thieves that entered garage
at Wilmot late Tuesday night or early
Wednesday morning. The gang may
have been responsible for the cpl
demic Of garage robberies which has
occurred recently in Kenosha and
Racine counties.
Patrolman Betzig of the Burlington
police department shot it out with a
gang Of thieves in that city at 200
o'clock this morning. There were
dozen shots fired in the pistol duel
which was participated in by at least
two of the thieves and the officer.
There was a fusilade of bullets, as
evidenced by the number of holes in
the building of the Bank of Burling-
ton, which acted as a backstop for
majority Of the leaden pellets which
showered about the form of the of
fcer, but missed the mark at which
they were fired.
The appearance of the officer on the
scene Of the burglary which the
thieves had planned was too late to
head it of and they got away with
$500 worth of tires and accessories.
Fired from Inside Garage.
The thieves were we'll protected
from the fire of the officer who hap
pened along at the time the burglary
was going on. He was walking through
the alley in the rear of the garage of
Nagel and Lois, located in Chestnut
street, for the purpose Of calling in"
at the report box located about mid
way in the block in the alley.
He was in the act of making his
report by punching the clock" when
there was a crash directly in front of
him and the glass in the report box
was scattered about his head. There
Is light directly over the report box
so that the officer was in the view of
the person who had fred the first of
the bullets. A second shot followed
the first before the officer could seek
shelter in the shadows, the bullet
lodging in the light post.
Neither of the shots took effect and
the patrolman returned the fire, which
he ascertained came from inside the
tire shop and garage, the flash of
the powder revealing the location
of the thieves.
Escape in a Barrage.
When the thieves noted the officer
had obtained place of safety and a
vantage point from which he could
return bullet for bullet, they hasten
ed out of the building, carrying four
tires and other stock with them.
Patrolman Betzig gave chase and fred
as he ran, but the thieves managed to
make their way to waiting automo-
bile which sped away into the dark
ness before the officer could reach it,
1t is believed the driver of the car
was seated in the machine ready to
start the motor at moments notice.
The sound Of the shots which awaken
ed the residents of the neighborhood,
also informed the driver of the fact
that his pals had been discovered at
their work and the officer believes he
was prepared to make a quick get
away, the motor car starting the mo-
ment the two pursued thieves leaped
to the run-board.
An investigation by the proprietors
of the garage resulted in the discov-
cry that four tires and number of
inner tubes were taken.