The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-14
SCHEME TO Get
ESTATE BURIAL
ORDERS Fooled
vehling to Have No Further
Chance to Name Friends,
Chambers Decides.
NEW Rush ACT Barred
Attempt to Charge Fees for
transcripts Draws
Attorneys Fire.
BY DICK MILLER

Attempts OF Coroner Fred W.
vehling to rush appointments of
administrators so he might obtain
burial orders from the estates, we're
blocked today by Probate Judge
Smiley N. Chambers.
With announcement that the
county's coroner undertaken would
have no opportunity to have friends
in positions to control estates, and
that his recommendations for adj
ministrators. no longer would be
considered, it also was learned he
may be the target of a suit over
recent disposal of a body.
Vehling, according to court rec
ords, has, several times in his less
than four months in Office, rushed
to the court and had administrators
appointed in cases in which he was
interested.
Rushes Through Action
When Vehling went to the front
for the immediate naming Of
an administrator, he obtained the
order for burial and collected his
bill from the estate, it was revealed.
The occurrence which led to the
court froWning on Vehling's prac~
tees came to light after he had at
tempted to hold triple burial Of
the bodies of Mr.. and Mrs. Ben
Stickel and William Cole, 331 East
Tenth street, who were asphyxiated
in their home.
The bodies were rushed to his
undertaking establishment and pre-
pared for burial. Distant relatives
of Cole did not know Of his death
until later in the day and directed
George Usher, 2614 West Washing
ton street, to obtain Coles body for
burial.
Usher, an undertaken, said that
when he went to claim Coles corpse,
he found Vehling had prepared all
of them for burial. Vehling said
he had permission from the admin
istrator to bury the bodies, Usher
charged.
Administrator Replaced
Relatives obtained the services of
an attorney and succeeded in hav-
ing Judge Chambers replace the
administrator. Due to lack Of funds,
the relatives were unable to contest
the case further and Vehling buried
the bodies, levying against the es-
tate.
John F. Engelke, attorney for Mrs,
M. f. Sullivan, 1902 Union street,
today said he is studying transcripts
in the case involving disposal Of the
body of her husband, who was killed
by auto. He said he might file suit
against Vehling.
Mrs. Sullivan said Vehling, in
making verdicts in the case, stated
that her husband met death acct
dentally. and added the word "in-
toxicated" in parenthesis.
She stated Vehling and attaches
of his office said there were no
witnesses to the accident that oc-
Cured in the 3400 block, Madison
avenue. Vehling, she said, told her
the reason the autoists were not
arrested was because Mr.. Sullivan
was intoxicated.
No Evidence of Drinking
Engelke said there is no evidence
of an autopsy Or anything other
than hearsay testimony that Mr..
Sullivan had been drinking.
Two hours after the accident, Feb.
8, Mrs. Sullivan said Vehling noti-
ned her enbalmers were at work.
Mrs. Sullivan, threatened with
SQUIRT action when she first refused
to pay the $25 enbalming fee. later
paid.
Attorneys today said Vehling has
overstepped his legal authority sew
eral times and that no person
needs to pay the enabalming fee I'M
less embalming is ordered by rela-
tive of the deceased.
Practice of Vehling and his pre-
decessors in charging fees for trans
cripts of cases also was scored by
attorneys and relatives. In sew
eral instances, attorneys, seeking
information obtained by the COR
oner's office, have been refused per-
mission to view records of autopSieS
and examinations and have been
forced to pay 35 cents a page for
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