The Mail-Journal, Volume 16, Number 20, Milford, Kosciusko County, 6 June 1979 — Page 1

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VOLUME 16

Two killed in head-on crash south of Webster Saturday

A head-on crash at 2:48 a m. Saturday, June 2, claimed the lives of both drivers. The fatal accident occurred three miles’ south of North Webster on SR 13. Killed were Daniel L. Gilbert, 26, 411 North Parker St. Warsaw and Herbert L. Popp, 111, 22, Fort Wayne. A passenger in Gilbert’s auto, Terry Thompson. 21, 1602 East in St., Warsaw, was. taken to Fort Wayne Parkview Hospital with lacerations and two broken legs. He is listed in fair

feft W k Ji® ® I . —- A ® A S' 'SI I ' E A 11 -h ■tf.j k jSj 9 & 'll IIS' W W ©*- alii I Si || £ St/* CLASS OF 1929 4— The Milford High School graduating class of 1929, honored at the Saturday night annual school alumnae banquet, is shown here. On the front row from left are Eugene Felkner of California, class president Ralph Biller of Milford, Russell Price of Nappanee, and Lawrence Hartter of Nappanee. Back row from left, Everete Price of Lafayette, Johnnie Fisher of Syracuse and Bill Rhodes of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Flossie Price Hartter was present at the meeting but not for this photo. (See photo of new alumni officers on page 2).

MHS alumni honor '29 grads

A smaller than expected group of “old grads” attended the annual Milford High School 55th alumni banquet at the school gym Saturday night. According to

The question has been raised, “Could Robert Lee Leslie, Sr., Fort Wayne, have killed Laurel Mitchell?” The answer may never be known since Leslie died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last Thursday. He left three letters, none of which offer much help to police. He was wanted in several states. In August of 1975 the body of Laurel Jean Mitchell, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mitchell of North Webster was found in the Elkhart River’s South Branch, along the Diamond Lake Road, five miles southeast of Ligonier in some four-feet of water. Laurel, a popular teenager, was last seen alive as she was walking from her summer job at Epworth Forest around 10 p.m. on August 6 toward the amusement park where she planned to meet friends. She never arrived at the park. A fisherman discovered her body the next morning.

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Consolidation of THE MILFORD MAIL <Est. 1888) and THE SYRACUSE-WAWASEE JOURNAL (Est. )9()7)

condition. Both drivers died of multiple internal injuries. The autos collided near the center of the road, 2,000 feet north of South Barbee Dr., close to the crest of a hill. Popp was traveling north on SR 13 and Gilbert was heading south. State and Kosciusko County police are still investigating the accident to determine which driver was at fault. It is thought both cars were traveling less than 50 miles per hour.

Mrs. Don Wolferman. secretary of the Alumni Association, they had difficulty getting invitation cards out, and were asking for assistance in updating the alumni

Did Leslie kill Laurel Mitchell ?

Fire departments from Syracuse, North Webster and Warsaw assisted police. The Syracuse JAWS equipment was used to remove Thompson from the wreckage. Investigating at the scene were Kosciusko County Patrolman Brant Nellans and Indiana State Trooper Larry Clodfelter. Both vehicles are listed as total losses. Damage to the 1974 Gilbert auto was set at $1,500 and $5,500 damage was set to the 1977 Popp auto.

mailing list. Approximately 150 attended the affair and enjoyed a catered dinner and heard a program(Continued on page 2)

To this day it remains a puzzle how Laurel’s body got to the place where it was found —a distance of some 15 miles from where she was last seen alive. An autopsy revealed death was due to drowning but'her body showed no bruises to indicate she had struggled wfth her abductor. She had been raped. The teenager was considered a competent swimmer. The murder sent- the entire North Webster community into a state of shock. Leslie Wanted The case of Robert Leslie is an interesting one indeed and makes one wonder if he could be tied to the murder of Laurel. The cases tied to Leslie and the death of the North Webster girl have interesting parallels. Another victim, whose murderer has never been located, for example, was left in the water after she was killed. It would appear Leslie may have roamed widely over Northern Indiana for a period of time.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1979

I James Speichers purchase inn at Kentland Mr. and Mrs. James Speicher, New Paris, have bought the Triway Inn in Kentland. James Speicher is the son of Mrs. Pauline Speicher and brother of Lewis, Bill and Pat Speicher, all of Milford. He graduated from Milford High School and served in the U.S. Navy. He also has a license in real estate. The Triway Inn was built in 1961. The new owners, Mr. and Mrs. Speicher, took possession of the inn on June 1. They have three married daughters and a son in college. The Triway Inn has had guests from every state in the union and several countries through-out the world. In the past few years big bands touring the Midwest have stayed there overnight. The late Guy Lombardo and band and Wayne King and his band have been guests there. Many reunions like the 585th Army Battallion Reunion are held there each year. Walk-A-Thon is planned for Kiwanis Club The Milford Kiwanis Club will hold a Walk-A-Thon on Saturday, June 23. Kiwanis Club members and their families will meet at the EMS building on Main Street at 7 a.m. and walk 15 miles. Monies earned during the Walk-A-Thon will go into the club’s youth fund. They will walk to Leesburg via Old State Road 15. Lunch will be eaten in Leesburg and then they will return to Milford via roads 700 N; 200E; 1100 N, around Waubee Lake; 1150 N; and back to town on the Old State Road. First, second and third place awards will be given to youngsters who participate. Francisco Moran booked at jail Francisco Moran, 27, Leesburg, was arrested on a warrant of a burglary charge by the Kosciusko Circuit Court. He is charged with breaking and entering the Waubee Lake cottage of Harold Miller with intent to commit a felony on January 20 of this year. His bond was set at SIO,OOO.

The 36-year-old truck driver was termed a “prime suspect” in several cases. He had reportedly confessed in a letter to the murder of 16-year-old Trena Lynn Biddle of Fort Wayne in 1978. He was acquainted with her. Her half-clothed body was found on Schwartz Road in the Fort Wayne area. She died of strangulation. Other cases where Leslie has been named.as a suspect include the death of a 13-year-old Markle girl who was stabbed in March of 1974. She disappeared after making purchases at an area drug store. Her body was found three days later in an outhouse near her home. She had been stabbed in the chest and her throat was cut. She had not been assalted. Sharon R. Smith was killed in 1977. She disappeared after leaving a Fort Wayne nightclub and her body was found several days later in the Maumee River. And he was also a suspect in the shooting death of Bruce and Margaret

Yentes purchases Gulliver's Travel Agency in Syracuse Rex Yentes, district sales manager for Capitol International Airways in Creve Coeur, Mo., has purchased the Gulliver Travel Agency in Pickwick Place, Syracuse. He announced the purchase while in the community early this week. Yentes taught at Wawasee Prep from 1968 to 1973 when he began management of Gulliver’s Travel Agency. He continued as manager until 1978 when he moved to Missouri. The purchase was from the State Bank of Syracuse. Margaret Freeman, who is currently the agency’s manager, will continue as manager, Yentes said. Kenneth Bond, daughter injured Kenneth Bond, 26, r 1 North Webster and his four-year-old daughter, Jennifer, were injured in a motorcycle-car accident. Sunday, June 3, at 3:51 p.m. The accident occurred on Sidney Road, near Webster Lake. The auto was operated by Thomas L. Miller, 16, Muncie. Police said Bond was traveling on Sidney Road and was attempting to turn off the road onto Yellow Banks Road. Bond was treated at Kosciusko Community Hospital for a broken right thumb, bruised leg and abrasions. His daughter suffered abrasions to the arm and foot, but did not require treatment. Bond was released from the hospital. Investigating the accident were Kosciusko County Patrolmen Thomas Brindle and Thomas Kitch. Advisory board to meet June 11 The advisory board of North Central Indiana Special Education Cooperative announced its regular meeting to be held on June 11 at 7 p.m. at the Warsaw Community Schools CAO. The agenda for the meeting will be roll call and minutes of the May meeting, director’s report, contracts with Cardinal Learning Center on transportation and classroom space. Also the 1980 federal funds budget on current services and new services will be discussed.

BRENDA SIMMONS

Plan for Sounds of Hope Banquet and Finale Concert

Plans for the Rotary-sponsored homecoming banquet and-finale concert for the Sounds of Hope are being firmed up, Lewis S. Immel told the SyracUseWawasee Rotary Club at their Tuesday noon luncheommeeting The two occasions, which have become the socially touted events of the season, are scheduled for Friday, July 20, the day the touring singing group are scheduled to arrive home. Tickets Now On Sale Mr. Immel said tickets for the banquet are now on sale, and that he is acting as ticket chairman. The Oakwood Hotel dining room, where the banquet will be held, will seat 260. and in previous years the event has been a sellout, Mr. Immel told his fellow Rotarians. Already 185 tickets have been sold. He is urging anyone interested in the banquet to arrange for tickets early. On the other hand, the finale concert, which will follow the banquet, will be held in the Wawasee High School auditorium which seats about 725. In previous years this has been a standing-room-only affair, and here, also. Mr. Immel is urging an early ticket purchase. Eighth Year This is the eighth year Sounds of Hope have visited Europe under the direction of Varner Chance, but it is the 14th year Mr. Chance, retired music instructor of Wawasee High School, has made the trip. By now he has many friends in England and on the Continent of Europe, making for a much richer visitation tour. Three local persons are among the 77 who will be making the

Moser of Wells County. The father of five was found by Detroit police at shortly after 1 a.m. EDT in the Willard Hotel in Detroit. He died at Detroit General Hospital at 7:30 a.m. In all, he was suspected in 12 murders, some as far away as Florida and Georgia. Florida carried an arrest warrent on him, charging him with kidnapping. The FBI was looking for him on a charge of murder in the killing of a young woman in Georgia and the attempted slaying of her companion in Florida. The companion was wandering with a bullet wound in her head. She had been raped. The pair had been picked up by a man answering Leslie’s description near Indianapolis. In one of the three notes left by Leslie, he said he was sorry for what he had done. He did not, however, tell what he was sorry for and he did not mention any of the /lames of victims.

RAYMOND HIVELY

tour. They are Brenda Simmons, a senior, and Raymond Hively and Lynn Brown, both juniors. Registration is scheduled for Saturday, June 23, and practice sessions will be from that time until June 26 when the group will Igpve by air for Europe. The tour will include the following countries: z ' Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,

Summer sewer rates to be based on May bills

Summer sewer rates for the residents in the town of Syracuse for the months of June, July, August and September, will be based on the May billing. This will be the maximum amount billed. The ordinance was agreed at a special board meeting. Tuesday evening. Mrs. Phil Frew, representing the Lakeland Day Care Center, presented the town board with a request for a grant to the north five acres behind the Calvary United Methodist Church, Syracuse, for the construction of the new day care center. Mrs. Frew stated the day care center will be licensing for 100 children. The state requires 35 square feet per child in building space and also an unstated amount per child in playground space. John Cripe, board member, said he was surprised about the amount of land they were asking for. He stated he would like to see the type or size of construction for this size of land which he was under the impression would only be a few acres. Cripe also felt the

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LYNN BROWN

France and England. Mr. Immel’s presentation made up the Tuesday Rotary program There were 37 present including the following guests: Joe Howell, Don Peck, Merle Schwalm/ Phil Inebmt, Arch Baumgartner, Dick Lockerbie, Don Kime, Harry Bishop, Bill Sales, Maynard Hochstetler, Rex Yentes and Leo Seltenright.

°board needed clear definitions and clarifications before any further consideration to the granting of the five acres. . There was .also a concern by board members what the remaining three and one half acres would be utilized for and the access to that area Dana Bonds The town board approved industrial development revenue bonds in the amount of $1,000,000. This amount will be used for the Dana Corporation plant expansion. By the town issuing these bonds it will save the company $40,000 per year of (Continued on page 2) Retail merchants to meet Friday The regular monthly meeting of the Syracuse-Wawasee Retail Merchants Association will be held at the Three Flags Drive-In. on Friday, June 8. at 7:45a.m. All members are welcome.

1 ROBERT LEE LESLIE ... leaves suicide notes.