Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1914 — CHARGED WITH BRUTAL MURDER [ARTICLE]

CHARGED WITH BRUTAL MURDER

If Cedar Lake Saloonist - Former Remington Boy Jailed. VfCTIM, BEATEN TO DEATH When He Refused to Sell Three Lowell Boys Any More BoozeRay Heilig, One of Trio, Formerly of Remington, Where His Father Used to Conduct a Restaurant and Bakery. Cedar Lake, otherwise quiet at this season of the year, had a sensa•which has stirred up Lake county. It was nothing less than the death of John Mitch as a result of a murderous assault made on Thursday evening and bringing his death last night. The story of the events leading up to the assault are told as follows:

Three young men of Lowell, named Hesilig, Jones and Weively, went t« John Mitch’s saloon at Cedar Lake. When they came in Mr. Mitch saw they were already intoxicated, so he refused their demand that he sell them drinks. They lounged about the saloon until Mr. Mitch wished to go to his supper. He then TTUt the fellows out the front door and locked the door. He went out the rear door and there they lay in wait and committed the assault, it is though-, with beer bottles. Mr. Mitch had his skull fractured, one leg broken and when found one eye lay out upon his cheek. He never regained consciousness and died last night. Although he kept a saloon Mr. Mitch was known as conducting an orderly place and was generally respected. The fact that he refused the' men drinks because they were already intoxicated indicates the sort of house he maintained.

Lowell parties who know the young men are Inclined to believe that Weively took no part in the assault, but the real facts as to who did the murderous act are not known. —Saturday’s Hammond News. Kay Heilig, one of the trio of alleged murderers, is a son of Geo. W. Heilig, a Lowell baker, who a number of years ago resided in Remington, Jasper county, and conducted a restaurant and bakery there from 1884 to 1 893, when he sold out to C. W. Harner and located at Lowell in the same business. Ray is now 31 years of age, and is unmarried, we understand . He has no palate, and doesn’t talk plain. This misfortune has made him the butt of rough jokes and 5s said to' have caused him to be mean when under the influence of liquor, to which he was addicted.

The young men had gone up to Cedar Lake the afternoon of the tragedy for no other known cause except to get drunk. Mitch, the murdered man, kept a saloon right across the Monon railroad track west of the depot at Cedar Lake. AU three of the men who are alleged to have beaten Mitch up were lodged in jail at Crown Point, and it will probably go pretty hard with them. The father of young Heilig was formerly well known to the writer and many of the Remington and Carpenter readers of The Democrat, Who are sorry to learn of this trouble and extend their sympathy to him and Ms family.