The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-11-25
SUIT DEMANDS
IMPEACHING
OF CORONER
Battle Renewed in Johnson
County Court Against
Fred W. VehIing.
AUTOPSIES ARE PR0BED
81 Cases Investigated by
Grand Jurors; Illegal
Collections Claimed.
BY DICK MILLER.

AS "At4lSSSeS appeared before the
county grand jury today in the in
vestigation of alleged illegal activi-
ties of Coroner Fred w. Vehling, at
torneys announced reopening of
their impeachment battle against
the county official in johnson coun-
ty circuit court.
Several witnesses, including a rep
resentative of The Times, related
incidents to jurors, which are re-
ported to support charges that Veh-
ling overstepped bounds of author
ity in conducting his Office and held
Illegal autopsies for which he was
paid by the county.
The impeachment action alleges
that Vehling held an unlawful in
quest in connection with the death
of John Snyder, July II. The suit,
brought by James Holland, was filed
by Little, Horn and Little, Indian
apolis attorneys.
Hearing on the impeachment will
be held Dec. 7, attorneys announced.
Charges Illegal Collections
In addition to specific allegations
in the Snyder case, the litigation
charges Vehling has been guilty of
in Office by corruptly.
wilfully. and unlawfully collecting
Illegal fees, and has neglected to
perform his official duties, by hold
ing inquests on bodies of persons
who died natural deaths and with
out any warrant of law and charg-
ing Illegal and unlawful fees for
such inquests."
1t was reported that grand Jurors
today obtained evidence relating to
cases in which Vehling
is alleged to have stolen" bodies.
performed autopsies, and embalmed
them. 1t also was rumored that
several instances in which Vehline
collected fees for alleged curiosity
post mortems in natural death cases
were laid before the quiz group.
The jurors will be asked by Prose
cutor Herbert E. Wilson to deter
mine whether Vehling has violated
state criminal laws and is liable to
Autopsies Are Questioned
AS the probe opened, a question
mark dangled over Vehling's per-
1ormance of eighty-seven autopsies.
Grand jurors were presented hos
pltal and county records which &C
counted for only forty-five of the
first 1872 post-mortems Vehling di-
rected after taking Office last Janu-
airy.
The eighty-seven post-mortems
were not performed at the city hos
pltaI morgue, as is customary. But
in each of the instances Vehlinr
$25-a total of S2175.
The jurors will seek to learn
the post-mortems actually
were performed. 1t also will be IN
to the quiz group to determine if
Cne operations we're carried out as
shown by the claims for fees. and
they were necessary or
merely part of the curiosity" au-
topsy program charged against the
viii Probe Legality
Authorities pointed out that
faulty records might be to blame
and that some of the post-mortems
might have been performed in
Vehling's undertaking establish
nent, at 7O2 Virginia avenue.
Vehling has been attacked nu-
nervous times on charges that he
ordered autopsiees in natural death
Eases, even over protests of mem
oers of families of deceased persons.
Nearly 100 witnesses are expected
10 be called before the grand jury
IN the investigation, which prob
IDLY will last two weeks.
One OF the cases to be brought
before the jury will be autopsies
performed on the bodies of Mr.. and
Mrs. James Jordan, killed recently
Vnen their car was struck by a pas
'enger train near Lawrence.
Chris Jordan, brother of the de-
,eased man, has charged to The
Times that Vehling used high
landed methods in dealing with
rlends and relatives and threat
ned to arrest a friend of James
Jordan, following the accident.
Autopsies Stir Ire
Bodies Of the couple were recalled
rom an Oaklandon undertaken. who
vas embalming them at the re-
IueSt Of relatives, and taken to the
ity hospital morgue for autopsies
n Vehling's orders, it has been
harged.
The grand jury also will probe
'ehling's order which resulted in an
utopsy being performed on the BODY
f Lieutenant Lewis Stanley of
sngine House Is, after he was in
ured fatally in an auto accident
low. l at Sixteenth street and Cen
raj avenue.
Stanley was crushed between the
Of the fire truck. from
hitch he was hurled, and the auto
loblle that struck the apparatus.
After 1t was revealed that Vehling
ad ordered the autopsy, city Of
cials, relatives. friends and county
uthorities demanded an answer for
he act