The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-27
.FLOATER FOUND:
MAY BE MURDER
BODY OF MAN SUPPOSED TO BE
PETER AHO OF HER AN
TAKEN FROM WATER
THIS MORNING.

The body Of drowned man. believed
to be Peter Aho OF Herman. Mich. was
found floating in Portage Lake near
the shore. in the vicinity of the RuppeI
dock and warehouse this morning.
From subsequent developments this af-
ternoon, 1t seems the case is one Of
the most mysterious with which the
county and city officers have had to
contend for some time.
win Houle. a fire man on the Min
eral Range railroad, was the first 10
see the body when came drifting
slowly shoreward at about half past
O'Clock. around the corner of the Law
ton boathouse. With the assistance of
two other men Houle dragged the body
In shore 10 shallow water and Chief
OF Police Thor was summoned The
chief on arrival sent for Justice Of the
Peace John j. Eichkern. who impan
neled a jury to conduct coroner's in
quest into the circumstances Of the
mans death The jury consists of
Michael j. Brustmaker, Henry Grand
champ, Frank Cumbrath, Henry
Knapp, James Kendall and George A.
Sheard. and after viewing the body an
adjournment was taken until o'clock
this evening, when an inquest will be
held in Justice Eichkerns office
Under Sheriff Sheridan made an ex-
animation of the body at the O'Neill
undertaking rooms and from all APP
pearances the man would seem to have
been i'm the water but short time,
there being no sign OF decomposition.
The fact that the body was floating on
or near the surface Of the water after
so brief an immersion, gave rise to an
idea that the man might have been
dead before entering the water, there
not having been time apparently for
the formation of gases generated by
decomposition, which ordinarily bring
body 10 the surface after about nine
days. County Physician Jackson was
, called by the under sheriff TO make a
professional examination of the body
10 ascertain whether or not there was
air I'm the lungs.
The post norton examination re-
vealed the fact that there were indica-
lions of foul play. 1t was found Aho's
neck was broken. and marks on the
neck indicated that a rope might have
been fastened around the body and
dragged some distance. Sheriff Byers
and Chief Thor are conducting n rigid
Investigation and already there have
been some interesting disclosures. 1t
has been found that Aho left his home
at Herman last Saturday To come 10
Hancock, possibly with the intention of
getting married. and ii is supposed he
| had considerable sum of money on
| his person, although when the body
was found, there was only forty cents
found.
A number of letters found in the
pocket of the dead mans coat bore the
address of Peter Aho, Herman, Mich
Herman is n small village in Baraga
county, and one of the papers found
was a bill for some supplies from q
4 hay and provision dealer in Herman
All the letters were written I'm Finnish
land were taken charge of by Judge
Il Efchkern. The man was appasentlS
between thirty-five and forty years OF
'Iage, of medium stature and somewhat
heavy built, with a fatty jaw and
thick mustache. He was dressed II
dark clothes.
Letters found In Aho's pockets APP
lparently were in answer to a matrimo
lnial advertisement, three of them be
ling from Hancock. one from Ashtabula
To-, two from Chicago and one from
Duluth, all being from girls. Some o
the girls were Hllda Aho of Hancock
Lizzie Kangas. sos LaSalle street, Chi
lcago and Miss "T. p" OF Ashtabula
10. All of the Hancock letters were from
lHiIda Aho. In one of the letters was
valentine decorated with cupids AM
hearts, and In two others were photo
lgraphs. one of the letters from Mis-
lAho. made a date to meet the man VIII
lis now dead I'm Hancock. last Satur
lday and while the writer expressed
Willingness to wed. she asserted sh
would not promise to marry until sh
saw Aho.
Under Sheriff Phil Sheridan foun
Hilda Aho this afternoon. She wa
working at residence on Ripley roa
land although she admitted CORES
tponding with Aho, stated that sh
never saw him. having written in an
lswer TO an advertisement that appear
ed in the Hancock Tyomies. She state
THAT she was to have met Aho at TN
Hancock depot last Saturday, his iden
ltity being made known to her by mean
of red necktie and a red ribbon l
; 1.-THE lapel of his coat. but that she al