Attribution: Brandonrush, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, indulges the keeper in yet another deep dive into his newspaper clipping past with parts of an entry from his covering the courts in Stevens Point in 1958-59.
The day-long hearing and trial grew out of an incident at the Parakeet Tavern in the small town of Junction City and the keeper’s published account of it included the following details: “Witnesses for the prosecution testified that Mrs. Petta and Mrs. Fricke were standing on the bar during a Halloween party at the tavern. This resulted in a warning from local law enforcement officials.
“During questioning, Mrs. Petta admitted that she had stood on the bar. She said she didn’t know why she did it other than that she just felt an urge to get on the bar.”
Following a paragraph in which Mrs. Fricke denied standing on the bar there is the following: “A prosecution witness had testified earlier that Mrs. Fricke got on the bar, walked several steps and then fell off the back of the bar when she attempted to avoid stepping on some glasses.”
The account goes on at some length in that vein and includes details about Deputy Otto Black being knocked cold at closing time and requiring subsequent hospitalization and Deputy Groshek testifying he had to handcuff Mrs. Fricke and Mrs. Petta when they hit him on the back, shouted obscenities at him and would not stay in the squad car where he had placed them.
To say the keeper enjoys reliving those early reporter days would not be a surprise to Phyllis who hears about them often.
