The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-11-30
EEANDER KUKkELA Is
CHARGED WITH MURDER
Cousin Of De a d Man, Said to
Have Been Last Seen With
Him, is Accused.
HEARING ON FRIDAY MORNING


Leander Kukkela, cousin of Matt
Kukkela, who was found dead in RAJ
vine on Saturday morning last, and
who Is believed to be the last person
seen with the deceased, is held on
charge of murder, and his hearing will
take place before Justice Olivier an
Friday morning next at 10 o'clock.
The coroner's jury, which yesterday
afternoon held an inquest into the
cause of Matt Kukkela's death rem
dered a verdict that the deceased came
to his death between November 20 and
%, on the hillside back Of Hamers pas
ture. from some unknown cause
The hearing occupied all the after
noon and was not concluded until about
3 o'clock August Kantela, Henry
Leinonen, Chris Kotila and Matt Ko-
tia, who were in the party of search
ers who discovered Kukkela's body ly-
ing i'm the ravine Saturday morning,
testified to their knowledge of the
mans disappearance. Several of them
had been drinking with Kukkela in
Hilrs and Pylka's saloon on Tezcuco
street during the afternoon and even
ing of the goth, which was payday at
the Quincy, but none of these had gone
home with him. Some of them stated
that they had last seen the deceased
I'm company with his cousin. Leander.
The latter was not a member Of the
searching party. Chris Kotila stated
to the jury that he had gone over to
I.cccders house on Tuesday and that
they talked of the disappearance of
Matt. He could not remember who
started the conversation. He stated,
however, that Leander had said that
on the night in question he Geander)
had been left sleeping on the hillside
by Matt Kotila, with whom he had
started for home going up by the short
cut from Reservation street. Matt
Kotila, on being questioned, said he
had started out with Leander but had
left him on the hillside. He said IL was
:. cold night for anyone to go to sleep
outdoors. He had reached his own
home about o'clock, and did not hear
of Matt Kukkela's failure to return
home until Monday.
The searching party according to
witnesses was not suggested by any
one i'm particular, but came about from
n general discussion among some of
MATHS friends, who spent several days
during the week i'm making explora-
tions on the hillside. They had not
visited the ravine where the body was
found on any of the previous trips, and
had not seen the body i'm the gully be-
cause of the snow that had fallen. BY
Saturday the snow had all gone and
the body could be plainly seen. None
of the men had touched the body,
knowing that they were not permitted
to do so until the police and coroner
had been notified Matt Kotia. when
recalled and asked about the coat worn
by Leander, said that he had noticed
it to be torn, about the arms. but did
not notice whether it was otherwise
ripped or not.
Chief of Police THOR related how he
had been Informed by one of the
searching party of the finding of the
body and his starting for the scene I'm
company with Justice Olivier. The
body was found lying on the hillside,
the head towards the upper end of the
ravine. The arms were doubled up |
beneath the body. and the top button
hole of the outer shirt was torn. The
shirt was unbuttoned all the way down. |
The ground had been trampled by per-
sons who had arrived before Thor
did, and the chief had not examined
the top of the hill to see If any signs |
existed of struggle having taken
place there.
Henry Pylkas testified that both
Matt and Leander Kukkela had been
in his saloon on Saturday afternoon
the last two to leave when he closed
up about quarter after IL o'clock.
He had not seen Leander again until
called to the Jail on Sunday to act as
Interpreter
DIR. w. II. Jackson, the county ply
stefan, described the examination OF
the body which he had made and how
he found the neck to be broken. There
were no other marks of violence on the |
body. and the breaking of the neck
might have been caused by the body
rolling down n hill and falling but
FEW feet. He did not know of any way |
I'm which IL could have occurred In
scuffie. Such break might be caused
by a sudden wrench, severing the Sec
tons of the spinal column and twist