The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-24
FIND
NEAR CALUMET
Corpse of Kupka Child,
Thought Killed and Con-
cealed Is Discovered.
BODY SHOWS VIOLENCE
Girls Story That Boy Was Run
Over and Thrown Into Wagon,
Seems Plausible

The body of Walter Krupka, the lit |
tie South Chicago boy who has been
missing since Dec. Is, at which time
it was believed that a passing wagon
had run him down and the driver had
thrown his body into his wagon and
disposed of 1t somewhere between
South Chicago and Hammond, has been
found. Marks of violence on the body
indicate that this theory was correct
and that the child may have been muir
dered after his injury.
The body was discovered this morn
ing in the big slough west of the Calu-
met river and south of 106th street
by a workman on his way to the In
ternational Harvester company's plant
| in South Deering.
Body Chopped Out Of Ice.
The slough where the CHASTITY find
was made covers about thirty acres.
1t is never dry and the rains of last
week made it a large pond. The cold
weather froze it over and the body,
whose discovery was at once reported
to the police of the sixteenth precinct
station by the finder, had to be chop
ped out of the ice with axes.
On account of the frozen condition
of the body, an exact determination of
the character of the wounds or marks
on it could not be made. 1t was taken
in the police ambulance to Charles
Lesebergs morgue at 10104 Avenue M,
| and the coroner was at once notified.
At o'clock this afternoon a represen-
tative OF the coron@r's Office arrived
at the morgue and began an investi-
cation.
Disappeared Dee. 10.
Little Walter Krupa, who was looked
upon as somewhat weak Intellectually,
but who was nevertheless able to go
on trifing errands, was sent by his
mother on the afternoon of Saturday,
Dec. 10, to make a purchase in a gro
Gerry near his home SS45 Commercial
| avenue. That was the last seen of him
by his parents. On his failure to re-
turn, search was made for him and his
disappearance was reported to the po-
lice, with a minute description of his
appearance and the clothing he wore.
Child Saw Him Run Over.
A little neighbor girl, Hanna Bloom
encranz, related a tale of having seen
the child, who was ten years old, run
over by a wagon driven by a Greek or
| Italian peddler, who picked up the I'M
conscious form and put it IN his wag
on, driving rapidly away. This story
was looked upon by those to whom the
little girl told it as being the work of
a childish Imagination. and little atten-
ton was paid to it by the police, who
adopted the theory that Walter had
wandered away. perhaps to visit friends
and would turn up in a few days.
Search Is Made for Wagon.
This story of the little girl is now
regarded as the true one, as marks
on the body indicate violence readily
attributed to such an accident as she
described Search is now being made
for a wagon resembling the one the
girl described as the police believe
the man who drove it is the one who
placed the body in the slough.
The long time elapsing between the
little boys disappearance and the re-
covery of his body will make the trac-
ing of the wagon and It's driver ex-
tremely difficult.
All CIews Faulty.
After Walter had been missing sew
eral days his parents began a sys-
tematic search. and the police bulletin
published his portrait. Several prom
Using clews were run down but with
out result. Police of nearby towns
took up the search, and Whiting and
/ Hammond were the scenes of efforts to
locate the missing boy. It was at first
believed that he had tried to reach an
aunt in Whiting. and reports that he
had been seen on street cars running
between Whiting and South Chicago
were numerous. Absolutely nothing of
definite nature was learned of his
| Whereabouts until the discovery of his
body this morning.
The Identification was made positive
by the child's parents. who were taken
to the morgue by the police this fore
noon.
Harvey Frahm, 1884 Strand, was re-
moved to the South Chicago hospital
with