The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-08-02
CHARGES
ARE NOT
SUSTAINED
Unusual Postmorten Held
at Whiting After Dece.
dent Had Hung Himself,
No Proof of Police Bru-
tality.

WHITING. IND. Aug. 2-In the
presence Of Two undertakers. four physi-
clans. Chief Clay Collins and Attorney
Fetterhoh Of Whiting. Deputy Coroner
Green, a TINES reporter and a party Of
Hungarians from Whiting. postmor-
ten was held yesterday afternoon on
the body of Peter Leketos. who lived
at White oak avenue and Fred street.
Whiting. and who on Friday afternoon.
July 20. hanged himself in the Whiting
city JAN
When the body as cut down the cause
Of Leketos death was So apparent and
the circumstances so plainly manifest
that Coroner Green did not hesitate to
save the taxpayers the expense of a
postmortem and after making the neces-
sary inves cation he permitted burial
Of the deceased.
Since the burial last Satu- lay rela-
tives and friends Of the deceased have
been causing a commot1on in Whiting
that has stirred the city from center
10 circumference Charges have been
openly made against the police force
that have been very serious in their
allegations. Friends of the deceased
claimed that when Leketos was arrest
ed he was beaten over the head with
clubs, pounded on the back and sides
and otherwise maltreated and abused
The suspicion was openly expressed
that the man died Of injuries in the po-
lice station and that in order to conceal
the effects of their treatment. the Off
GERS hung him up by the neck with his
belt strap and reported that he had com
mitted suicide.
These men got busy. enlisted the ser
vices Of Or. Hale Of East Chicago. Sc
cured from the state board permission
to e~hume the body and made arrange
ments with Coroner Green for a post
norton. The permit was given TO Tn
dertaker Huber of East Chicago, who
took the body from the grave shortly
before noon yesterday and soon had it
at his undertaking establishment.
Mr.. Green invited the coroner's physi-
clans from Gary. Hammond. East Chi
ca 90 and Whiting to attend the post
morton. and accordingly the work was
observed by Drs. Warrington. Hoskins
and Johns. who rendered such assist
ance as was required while DR.. Hale
made the examination.
The physicians unanimously agreed
that the man had received no injuries
prior to his hanging. His skull was not
fractured. there were no bruise on his
body and nothing apparently to sub
stantiate the charges that had been
made.
The rumor has spread hiatt there was
some motive back of the agitation that
the man did not commit suicide. II
seems that he carried life insurance and
that the policy specified that death by
suicide within one year from the date
Of the policy would render it void. II
i. could have been made to appear tc
the insurance company that death was
caused by injuries. the policy might
have been valuable.
During the two or three months prior
to the death of Leketos. he and his wife
had had considerable trouble over 6
boarder that had come into the HON,
/ and who Leketos accused of having
alienated her affections The wife had
, the husband arrested several times
when he came 70 the house to protes
| against the conditions that apparently
existed.
The last arrest that was made fol
( lowed one Of these visits and police Of
fcers say that the man was obstinate
and resisted arrest and threw himseli
down in the street and that his conduc
was such that he could not be taken :,
/ the station without the use Of force.
Authorities trust that the postmorteu
/ held yesterday viii put a ouietus upor
/ further disturbance