The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-02
HAMMERICH
VICTIM OF
MURDERER?
Postmortem A SIX Q d by
Family Indicates Sus-
picion Of Crime.

Gustav A. Hammerich was vic
tim of a murder and not a suicide
from gas, according to the theories
advanced by the authorities after
a postmortem examination today.
Hammerich, who was "a years
OF age, was found dead in the
kitchen of his hone. 2140 Seven
teenth street. Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday morning an inquest
was held and the jury pronounced
death due to gas asphyNation- He
had committed suicide, the jury
said. The funeral was held Fri
day afternoon. The body was not
inferred, but was placed in vault
in Chippiannock cemetery as MEM
beers of the family had become con-
WINGED that murder had been done.
The first suspicion of this came
when the son of a neighbor told of
having heard a statement made by
Mr.. Hammerich in Long View park
last Sunday. 1t was made to other
men, and the boy overheard it. As
cording to the boy Hammerich said:
He will either get me or l will
get him.
When members of Hammerich's
family heard Of this their suspl-
eions were further aroused.
This belief was deepened when 1t
vas learned that a man who view
ed the body in the Knox undertake
ing pariors Wednesday had said
that he had heard Hammerich a
day or two before his death threat
ened "to get somebody Or that they
would get him.. The fellow said
that the statement was made in a
downtown building. No one knew
who the man was and little after
ton had been paid to him at the
time.
Decide on Postmortem.
However, with the story of the
boy and that of the unknown man
tallying, there was immediate in
vestigation. DR.. Joseph De Silva.
the family physician, was called
anud was requested to hold a post
motem.
The physician took up the mat
ter with Magistrate D. J. Cleland.
who is acting as deputy coroner in
the absence Of John F. Mabe ry.
Magistrate Cleland consented to
the investigation, and Coroner Ma
berry gave his appoval before leav-
ing the city this morning.
After the postmortem had been
conducted DR.. De Silva and Magis-
trate Cleland both said they be-
3ieved that Hammerich had been
~hit a stunning blow on the head
by someone and that the gas had
\ then been turned on and the
u stunned man killed by the fumes.
The blow was not sufficient to have
caused death, but was sufficient to
have knocked Hammerich sense
less, the physician decided from
the marks on the skull The bruise
caused comment at the inquest, but
it was suggested that it resulted
when Hammerich fell on a heavy
iron used to hold the door open.
This theory has been abandoned,
now that there Is a suspicion of
murder Persons who were at the
house say that there was no blood
on the iron. A door knob had been
pulled of and this is said to be
evidence that there was a struggle.
Another feature of the murder
theory is the claim that Hammer
jch had been chewing tobacco. The
tobacco was still in his mouth
when he was found dead, and this
last act does not seem to be one
that would be one of a man COM
Knitting suicide.
Hammerich had been dead seven
hours when found. His sister, Mrs
Anna Schroeder, who made her
home with him. said that she got
breakfast early Tuesday morning
and that after eating she had gone
to work Her brother had shown
no sign of dependency. Magis-
trate Cleland has referred the find
ings of the postmortem TO Police
Chief Tom Cox and that official has
started an investigation.