The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1910-05-12

the charge that he was about to face,
unless a guilty conscience appraised
him. He claims to be ignorant of what
he had done to cause his arrest.
Margaret Padruza is the young girl
who last November went away with
Dave Pavek, taking with her clothing
and jewelry belon ging to the wife of
an Oklahoma grocer by whom she was
employed. For time mystery attached
10 the whereabouts of the young girl,
who had sent her trunk on to Coving-
ton. KY, where she had sister living
but she failed to make her appearance
at the Covington home until a ofru-
night or so after her trunk arrived
While her relatives were trying TO To-
cate her. ii developed that she had
taken French leave of the grocer's wife,
who employed her as servant, taking
the latter's valuables with her, and the
presumption was that she had left in
company with Pavek who had been seen
hanging about the place
Return To Harbor.
On Sunday the couple returned to
Indiana Harbor, and when Pavek ap-
piled to officer Pat McKenna for in
formation to where he could find
bed for the night, the officer prompt
ly recognized him and the girl who
accompanied him as a pair the police
had been looking for, and provided
them with a bed at the Indiana Harbor
police statioD
Here the girl was questioned con-
corning her crime, and she confessed
everything, but agreed to restore. the
property she had stolen if leniency
, would be shown her Her former. en-
ployed consented rot to prosecute the
girl if she would return the jewelry she
had stolen, saying that she did not care
for the clothing.
Makes shocking Confession.
1t was during the girls confession
that she made the startling revelations
which landed her father behind the
bars.
With the information he had re-
ceived from Margaret, Chief Lewis
started a thorough investigation of
Padruza's conduct toward his family.
He learned that the policeman was in
the habit of exercising the utmost
cruelty toward his children, three of
the younger ones being al home besides
his grown daughter Mary. The chill
dren are Stella, aged fourteen. Walter,
aged nine and another girl aged six.
He also has a grown son, Steven. whom
to be sent to Crown Point on a charge
of vagrancy The young man was
only recently released after serving his
time at Crown Point.
whipped His Children.
According to report Padruza was in
the habit of whipping his children most
numerically. Walter the nine-year-
old boy seemed to have been the spe-
ciaI target for his fathers wrath. II
was infrequent occurrence, accord
! ing to the report that was given Chief
Lewis, for Pedruza. who is a powerful
man, to hold the little chap at arm S
length with one hand and lash him
with a whip with the other and 1t was
the marks of one of these whippings
| that were revealed to Chief Lewis when
he had the boy brought before him and
stripped, in order that he might see the
evidence of this inhuman treatment
with his own eyes.
1t has also been charged that Pad
ruza. whose wife died about year ago,
was in the habit of leaving his chill
dred with insufficient food in the house,
while he remained away from home
for a protracted period. He is said to
have sometimes brought food home
which he prepared for himself and al
lowed the children to go unfed.
Padruza was taken to Hammond to-
day for arrangement in the superior
court.