Surnames: Luchterhand, Crosby, Brazeau, Gaffney, Haven

----Source: Marathon County Register (Unity, Clark County, Wis.) 1 Sep 1944

Emil Luchterhand of Unity, Wisconsin was arrested at his farm home near Unity on a criminal libel charge preferred by Richard F. Gaffney, Clark count district attorney. The charge grew out of a letter which Luchterhand addressed to the Clark County Board of Supervisors and which was widely circulated in Clark county. Upon the request of district attorney, Judge F. W. Crosby of Neillsville has named Theodore W. Brazeau of the Wisconsin Rapids law firm of Brazeau and Graves, as special prosecutor in the case. Gaffney is unable to prosecute since he is the complainant in the action. Preliminary hearing was set for 10 a.m. Sept. 13 by Justice Haven in whose court Luchterhand was arraigned. Luchterhand was permitted to sign his own bond for $500. Luchterhand, in a statement to the court, asked for a dismissal of the action, but was denied. His prepared statement, read in court, follows:

"I want to make a motion that the proceedings in this case be dismissed. This case is an attack on the right of citizens to freely criticize their public officials when those officials are lax, in doing their duty. It is a matter of public record and I am sure the honorable judge knows that the district attorney and sheriff were so lax in the matter of enforcing the law on slot machines that the Governor had to take action. Further, the honorable judge presided in the case involving the unreported accident. You know that was about two months after the accident before the men............ missing content.