Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-05
MYSTERIOUS DEATH
Of SOLDIER PROBED
by ARMY OFFICERS

ed the mysterious killing Wednesday
night in a room at the Alvin hotel,
on Forsyth street, of Andrew Laino,
sergeant of Company D, Twenty-sec-
ond infantry with the death a
month ago of John Kollanus, q pri-
vate in the same organization, whose
! body was found in a clump of woods
near Camp Jesup with the throat
slashed.
Both Laino and Kollanus were ma
tives of Finland, with no relatives
in this country. Kollanus, in note
found among his effects after his
death, entrusted a large sum of
money to Laino's care, with the re:
quest that it be forwarded to his
relatives in Finland.
! Laino was suspected of the killing
| Of Kollanus, authorities stated
| Thursday, and was kept in confine
ment for some days, being finally
released when no evidence could be
| found relative to Kollanus' death to
support any theory except suicide.
Laino's body, a bullet from a As
Colt army automatic through his
brain, was found soon after $3.50
o'clock Wednesday evening, lying
in a pool of blood on the bed in
his room on the third floor of the
Alvin hotel
Military Probe Ordered
Police and military authorities
thus far have been unable to de-
termine whether he came to his
death by suicide or murder.
A military board of officers APP
pointed at Fort Mcpherson made a
sweepin investigation Thursday and
was to make report during the
day. The board went to Alvin no.
tel and police headquarters where
they sought information shedding
light on the manner in which Lame
met his death. The preponderance
of evidence, it was stated, points to
suicide.
Homer Brown, negro porter on
duty at the time the shots were
fired, told the police he heard two
shots, the second following the first
in few seconds.
So far as could be learned, The
first man to enter Laino's room aft |
err the shots were fired was Patrol |
man J.. c. Butler, who patrols that |
beat. closely followed by officer S.
D. Priest, who handles traffic a
Forsyth and Marietta streets, only |
few yards away.
Lainos body was lying prone on
the bed, the head on the pillow and
the left arm flung back over his |
head. The right arm was lying |
across his chest. The automatic |
with which he evidently had been |
shot also was on his chest, not |
grasped in his hand.
The bullet, which Captain V. M |
Meddis, medical officer at the fort.
said caused instantaneous death.
had entered at the right temple
just above the ear, penetrated the
brain and left the head at the left
temple, ranging upward. AS it left
the head. according t. the theory,
it ploughed through the left elbow.
which is believed TO have been
crooked over Laino's head, f1atten-
ing itself against the iron bed post.
Bullet Passed Through Hat
The first shot, which is believed
not to have injured Laino, passed
through the crown of his straw hat
from front to back, then through
the wall of the room at a point six
inches lower than the level of the
bed, ricocheted upward and flatten-
ed itself in a door-jamb in the ad
Tot Of iYN@ trrIt
inches higher than the hole in the
wall.
LainO was in civilian clothes at
the time of his death, being in town
on a pass, and had no marks, of iden-
identified by Lloyd E. Lowell, also
a soldier at the fort, who happened
to be passing. He telephoned Cap
tain Meddis, Captain N. w. Rich
mond, adjutant at the fort, and Cap
tain B. w. Mills, Laino's company
commander, who rushed to the scene.
The only articles found on Laino's
person were a pocket handkerchief,
a pair of cuff links and $2.95 in
cash. A pint of corn whisky, about
one drink gone, was found on the
manteI of his room.
Captain Richmond, expressing sur
prise at the small amount of money
found on Lainos person, said that
a day ago he had received his
monthly pay, amounting to $594O,
and, presumably, had this entire
amount on his person when he came
to town Wednesday morning about
10 o'clock and registered at the Alvin
hotel.
Registered Under Own Name
At the hotel he registered under
his own name, "a. Laino," Captain
Richmond, investigating the hotel
register for the last month, said he
found the signature, "Mr. and Mrs.
"A. Laino," signed in the same hand
writing under date Of March 20, and
the signature, Mr.. and Mrs. Bar
field" in the same handwriting un
der dates of March % and April j.
Supporting the theory of suicide
which has not yet been accepted by
either the police or military authorl-
ties was a rudely penciled sentence
Here today for my las" The
sentence ended here and the writing
has not yet been identified as that
of LainO. Neither was a pencil found
in the room.
After a careful examination, Nlghl
Chief of Police E. L. Jet, who per
sonally supervised the proceedings,
took the negro Brown, together with
Night Clerk John Labrizzzi and Mr.
and Mrs. D. NJ Golfer, who reside at
the hotel, to the police station for
examination. They were all released
later.