The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-04-30
FORGER SENT TO
STATES PRISON
John Bria Pleads Guilty to
Charge in Municipal
Court Today.
TAKES IT LIGHTLY
Man Arrested by Police Who
Forged About 20 Checks
to Leave Wednesday.

Standing before Judge Slater with
the end of cigar in his mouth, John
Bria, 25, pleaded guilty to the charge
of forgery.
"Take that cigar out of your mouth"
commanded Assistant Chief of Police
Cyzak to the defendant. Bria obeyed,
but held the butt lightly in his hand,
loathe to part with it, cognizant per-
haps that it would be the last smoke"
that he would have for some time.
"Do you understand" said Judge
Slater, "that the penalty for this of
tense is by Imprisonment in the state
prison at Waupun ?"
Bria said that he did understand.
"And now what have you to say"
said the judge giving him another
chance to deliberate, "is your plea
guilty or not guilty?
Bria still insisted that his plea was
guilty.
Tells of Many Checks Forged.
The defendant told the court that
he had not been sent to jail once be-
fore. The records at the police sta
ton showed that he had been arrested
at Clinton, Ind, for passing worthless
checks.
Bria told the court that he is un-
married, and that he has been living
here since January. The police re-
port showed that he cashed forged
checks in February and in March In
Kenosha, using the names of prom
inent business men, Peter Stahl, j..
Madsen, Larsen Brothers and others.
Deputy Sheriff Silver Olsen caught
the man and held him for the police
last Saturday night when he tried to
cash a forged check at the place of
John Krasowski, 900 Park street, where
he had succeeded in cashing forged
check before, but where he was recog-
nized on his return.
Given Prison Sentence.
Sergeant Emil Meissner informed
the court that Bria had been in the
check forging business for several
months here, and that there were a
collection of bad checks now in the
hands of the police with information
that there were still more to come in.
"Why young man." said Judge Stat
er to the defendant, "there are enough
forged checks here to keep you in
Waupun for great many years"
Bria smiled with some nonchalance.
He seemed unaware or impervious to
any sense of the terror of prison
life.
at is the judgment and sentence of
this court" concluded Judge Slater,
"that you stand committed to the
state prison at Waupun for a period
of three years, the first day OF your
confinement to be solitary"
Sheriff Willems said that the prison
er will be taken to the state prison
early Wednesday morning
Call Girl Responsible.
Again the old-old cry that there is
a woman in it, is brought into the
story of Bria and his downfall. Ac-
cording to report brought from Gin
ton, Bria was model young man un-
til he was about 10 years of age. Then
he fell deeply in love. The girl of
his choice, however, after period in
which they were friends and sweet
hearts, turned him down.
He went from detection and despair
into a state of indifference, chose bad
companions and soon drifted into that
most hopeless of mortals, victim.
Bria came to Kenosha in January,
sought employment and got it and
at first it was thought that he would
change his ways.
81 didn't like Kenosha," he told
Judge Slater when he was brought in
to court. He did not like Kenosna af-
ter he had been here month or two
and cashed the checks that got him
into trouble. He went away just at
the time the police commenced their
search for him.
For weeks the detective squad of
the police station were on the trail of
the patent leather boots" He was
arrested just after his return to Ke-
nosha when he sought again to cash