The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-02
They Were Only "Greasers"

TN the early morning OF December 18th, soon after
midnight telephone call to the police station In
Merose Park reported that woman was being as
saulted at two strings Of bocars inhabited by Mex
lean laborers, in the Proviso yards of the c. 6 N
w The police do not know to this day who sent
b the call: they didn't ask when they took it over
me phone. But here, to start with, was something
explosive. woman presumably an American was
being rayiahed by bunch of "greasers."
But she wasn't; there no woman In the case
Not knowing that the woman was non-existent
Policeman Stahl started for the scene on his motor
cycle. Sergeant Bon1, and Officers Kolwttz Win
ters and Malecky went too. According to the testi
mony Of three Of these men, all who were able to
testify at all, only dim nightHghts burned in the
two OF the 80 boxcars which were the quarters Of
me unmarried men, No cries were heard from any
voman-not until the shooting started and the wo-
man IN me camp cried out In tear and alarm.
Stahl and Kolwitz were on one side Of the string
Of cars; the other three were on the other side
Most likely they shot At each other; It wouldn't be
the Arst time that officers lave done that in the dark
They saw no one about the But 90 70 70 feet
away from the cars, Stahl and perhaps Koiw1tz met
drunken Mexican, Jose Sanchez
A F'TER che shooting was over. Stahl and Sanchez
were dead, one lying almost across the body Of
the other. And Kolowitx called to the other ofacers
who had by that time come to his side Of the cars
that ne was badly wounded In the arm.
The bewiIdered officers we're willing to assert.
even under oath. that volley of from 80 to so
shots had come from the two cars They got OHIO
ers from Chicago with tear bombs and raided the
two cars At the inquest the three officers who
were alive and not wounded, testified that no gun
or weapon was found In either car Where the
"voey" had come from. they did not attempt to en-.
plain That the officers had shot at each other was
not suggested
Now We WIN say that OfHcer stahl shot at sanches
first. What Justification hs had for shooting at q
drunken man. we do not know. Perhaps none. But
he put four BULLETS into Sanchez from the front
One at least made mortal wound but not instantly
fatal. Sanchez stin had time before he dropped TO
pump four bullets into Stahrs brain. We say that
Stahl shot nrst for he could have fred after the
first of the four shots penetrated his skull
The coroners physician made a careful examine
ton Of both bodies. He sent out for a new hacksaw
blade during the autopsy. Yet at the inquest not a
bullet was put In evidence, to show from what gun
it might have come. Did they know in their own
minds that Stahl and Sanchez killed each other? In
fact the inquest seemed to concern itself entirely
with who killed Policeman Stahl. 1t was either as
sumed that he killed Sanchez, they didn't care
who killed Mexican
DUT the who sat at the inquest as the de
- PENDANT" in the another young Mexi-
can, Agustin Moralez. He was picked up after the
shooting by two officers at Oak Park where he was
riding toward Chicago streetcar. He had on
him when arrested revolver with charges in
it, not even blank cartridges. And he had two quart
bottles full of moonshine, but they were full not
empty. They still full when shown at the
inquest The officers testified that he was perfectly