KODIAK, ALASKA — AUGUST 25, 1945
PRICE 10 CENTS
Double Murder, Suicide Caused Deaths
lOn Terror Bay, Coroner’s Jury Finds
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I Woman Burned To
'Death At Lazy Bay
Mrs. Neketta Fenashi burned
to death in a fire at Lazy Bay on
the southern end of Kodiak is
land at 2 am Thursday morning,
according to a wire received here
by deputy 0. S. Marshal Paul
Herring from Tom Johnsen, PaF
cannery superintendent at Ali
The wire said the cause of the
fire was unknown.
Father C. Pi. King united in
marriage Tuesday Eugene D.
Bervin, of Port Angeles, Wash.,
red Mary Fitzpatrick, of Red
ding, Calif. A1 King and Mrs.
R. C. King were witnesses.
Hi School Pupils
Must Register
High school pupils are request
ed to register for their fail sem
ester subjects on Thursday and
Priday, August 30 and 31, in
(reparation for the beginning of
he new school year on Septem
ber 4, Superintendent Harry
Jolt announced today.
Registering prior to the open
| ng of school gives the students
t chance to express their choice
Jji the matter of elective subjects,
Superintendent Holt explained,
i»nd gives the superintendent an
Wea of how many classes must
rae planned for.
li Parents are cordially invited
li> aceompany their children
«hen they come to register.
£V~
Members of the Congressional
arty that visited Kodiak last
ieek and local officials are
aown in the photograph:
From left to light—Homer D.
ngell, Representative from Gle
an; Governor Ernest Gruening;
>r. A. Holmes Johnson, presi
ent of the Rotary club: Repre
mtativs Charles R. Robertson
f North Dakota; I. M. C. And
reon, Farm Security Director,
|f Anchorage; Captain W. M.
JcDade, commanding, NOB;
Representative Marion T. Ben
*tt, of Missouri; Lee Bettinger,
'resident of the Chamber of
/ommerce; Delegate E. L. “Bob”
lartlett; 0. A. Torgerson, may
r of Kodiak; Col. D. R. Wilson,
ommanding, Fort, Greely; and
)r. Meredith Burrill, director,
loard of Geographic Names.
The Congressional party re
»toed to Anchorage from here.
Mirror photo by T. A. Hors
>an, Freymueller Studio.)
A verdict of double murder
and suicide was brought in by a
coroner’s jury that traveled to
remote Terror Bay on the west
side of Kodiak island to investi
gate the deaths of William Bau
mann, 74, his wife Betty, 54; and
Baumann’s partner in a gold
mine, John E. Stickler, 77,
whose three bullet-shattered
bodies were discovered in the
Baumann home Sunday.
The verdict was reported here
by Special Coroner Mary Gregor
off and the jury which returned
on Charles Madsen’s boat early
Wednesday morning. Members
of the jury were Jack Allman,
Paul Fretzs, A. Verle Collar, Lee
Bettinger, Max Folsom and Wal
ter Sipprell.
The triple tragedy was discov
ered first by the aged couple's
son, William, Jr., 21, who had
been commercial fishing thisi
summer. On his way to Kodiak >
with a group of fishermen he de-1
cided to stop at home to see if
his parents wanted anything
from town.
He and others on the boat first
noticed that Strickler’s 2-story
house, located about 50 feet to
the rear of the Baumann resid
ence, was burned to the ground.
With Edward Larsen, of Afog
nak, he rowed ashore. The door
of his home was open with a
large 4-foot stick resting athwart
it. Just inside in a crumpled face
downward position was the body
of his father.
A glance through the second
door into the main room of the
house disclosed the body of
Strickler a few feet inside the
room with a 30-30 carbine beside
it, and further in the room lay
the body of his mother partly
under a large table.
He and Larsen left without
investigating or touching any
thing and came on to Kodiak to
report their discovery to deputy
U. S Marshal Paul Herring.
The latter contacted the FBI in
Anchorage aud they immediately
sent Agent Jack Haves here by
plane Monday, and the two left
for Terror Bay via a local Coast
Guard boat, accompanied by the
son and Charles Skinner, a for
mer partner in the gold mine
and owner of the home adjoining
Baumann’s property.
The two officials investigated
the scene and then made the trip
down the bay Tuesday, ques
tioning scat'ered residents in the
vicinity, returning in the after
noon shortly after the arrival of
the jury party, which also in
cluded Dr. A. Holmes Johnson
and William Lamme.
Although there were many
puzzling features that prevented
any sure reconstruction of events
the investigation indicated that
the 3 people were alive on Fri
day.
The Swan, Wildlife Service
boat stopped at the place that
day, and Strickler asked to come
to town on the boat. He was
told that the boat would be back
Saturday or Sunday to pick him
up. His request for transporta
tion to town was said to be un
usual.
On Sunday between 10 and 11
the boat returned and signalled
several times but no sign of life
was seen. As the day was rainy
and stormy the Swan left with
out putting a skiff to shore.
Evidence indicated that some
time after the murders Strickler
went to Baumann’s home where
he took the latter’s rifle into the
living room. There he removed
one suspender, opened his shirt,
set the stock of the gun on the
floor and pressed the muzzle a
gainst bis chest and pushed the
trigger by reaching down with
his left hand. The bullet went
through his heart, pierced his
body and went out through the
roof directly above where the
body was found. There was
blood on the muzile of the gun,
one exploded shell in it, and one
exploded shell sitting on a bench
close at hand.
Evidence indicated Baumann
was shot across the left arm and
(con'inued on page 9)
Kodiak Host To Washington Callers
Word On Plant
Site Awaited
A definite answer on the pro
posed cold storage site is still a
waited from the Alaskan Deparf
ment, was the repoi t at the Cham
ber of Commerce meeting Thurs
day at the Victory eafe. The site,
although not part of the original
military reservation; was turned
over to the department for their
use by the General Land office
and as no use has been made of
it the city ;s seeking to have it
removed from military jurisdic
tion.
Another site nearby, owned
by the Mew England Fish com
pany, was once investigated, but
the owners said they were defin
itely planning use of the site for
development as soon as the war
was over. The Cbamter decided
to write the company officials at
this time for more definite word
on their plans now that hostil
ities have ceased.
Member Ray Martin suggest
ed that the Chamber should seek
to have a Coast Guard unit or
boat stationed in this area as an
important contribution to the
business ol the community and
that it should also investigate
plans for any commercial shuttle
boat run that might have Kodiak
as its terminus. The executive
committee was instructed to in
vestigate both projects.
President Lee Bettinger gave
a report on his visit to Anchorage
at the hearing before the Con
gressional committee.
He said the committee mem
bers were surprised to discover
the restricted deed set-up and
said they felt sure corrective ac
tion could be obtained. Be said
they seemed in sympathy with
returning local land, now entire
ly reserved for military use, to
the public domain. Mr. Betting
er also told them of plans for a
small boat harbor and channel
work in this vicinity.
Guests at the luncheon were
Rev. Lincoln Wadsworth and
Vincent Root.
An official visitation from Rev.
Mother St. Edward, Superior
General, and Mother Maty of
Good Counsel, Assistant Super
ior General, in early September,
is expected at the local hospital,
it was announced today.
The two have left Philadelphia
and are accompanied by Sister
Mary of Lourdes, who will re
main here as nurse for the insti
tution.