The Times from Munster, Indiana • 78

The Times AREA HISTORY SUNDAY. APRIL 10. 1994 13 I Avenger's violent spree I marks courthouse history llyWllHALUM, D.M.D. WSHmm His Association With WilBM of Northwest Indiana, p.c jXf and Terry G. Schechner, D.D.S.

ft 809 Wall St. tffiwlje Valparaiso. IN iVwmamm 1 (219)462-8779 -ttmMI Calumet Roots More community news in The TIMES hen Mike Inik of Whiting entered the Hammond Superior Court House on that fateful day in 1916, he had other things on his mind than the of the building, yet he added much to its rich lore. From the beginning, the Court House symbolized the spirit of Hammond, and when the urban Jrenewers (politically correct for Jcity destroyers) tore the old Ifortress down in 1973 they cut soul out of Hammond, which Shas never been the same. The Court House became a symbol on Thursday, September 18, 1902, when the cornerstone was defiantly laid less than a year after G.

H. Hammond Co. burned to the ground. (October 23, 1901.) From out of the ashes of the slaughterhouse, Hammond arose to become the Calumet Region's first true metropolis, the likes of which may never be seen again. While the Court House was Hammond's butterfly, a visual reminder of resurrection, it resulted from a pragmatic effort to move the county seat from Crown Point to Hammond.

By 1890, the growing population of North Township had increased legal and political work, which increased the number of trips to the county seat. But jouncing down to Crown Point in a buggy or on top of a horse, sometimes over impassable dirt roads, began to lose its charm. Downcounty folk rather enjoyed the traffic, however, and persistently blocked passage of various bills in Naptown that would have allowed the relocation. In 1895, however, Indiana created a Superior Court for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, with court sessions, presided over by a single judge, to be held in places with 4,000 or more people. According to the census of 1890, Hammond had 5,428 souls.

So Hammond, as well as Michigan City, each received a court. This led, in a few years, to the new Superior Court House in Hammond. It was a splendid Court House, too, less a building than a temple of justice. It had a dignity possessed by no other building in the Calumet Region. It aped no other style.

Designed by an architect named Hutton, it was never cashed the check. When he tried to get Judge Virgil Reiter to move the decimal point, the judge not only denied Mike's petition but assigned him to a guardian, which greatly vexed Mike. On Thursday, December 4, 1916, 49-year-old Mike Inik decided that a stronger petition was necessary. So he arrived at the Superior Court House decked out as a knight seeking to right an injustice. That's right, a knight in shining armor, which was stove-pipe topped with an iron hood; his helmet was fabricated from pipe.

And like a knight of old, he carried a two-edged sword, a dagger (butcher knife), an axe (hatchet), bludgeon (hammer), and a club wrapped in black cloth and studded with pins, complemented by a five-pound chain, long heavy belt and a blackjack. To give his attire a modern touch, he also carried four new revolvers and 165 bullets. Not finding Judge Reiter, Mike entered the clerk's office and spread papers out on a desk. Noticing Judge Charles E. Greenwald standing near the office, he invited him to come have a see.

James A. Patterson, the one-armed Lake County prosecutor, told the judge to pay Mike no heed. Weary of unresponsive public servants, Mike then open fired at Patterson, who ducked. Judge Greenwald didn't, and as the price of slow reflexes, he absorbed a .38 calibre bullet. Inik then pivoted and fired at Lew DeBow, the baliff, who took slugs in the hip, scalp, and wrist.

At that point, George Robbins, a juror, rushed to overpower Inik and, for his public spiritedness, took a blast in the face, incurring wounds in the nose and right cheek. Finally, though, other jurors overpowered the avenger, mainly because he was slowed by a get-up that weighed more than 70 pounds. The jurors then steered Inik to Hammond police headquarters in the Court House to face attempted murder charges. A week later, Judge Reiter declared Mike Inik insane and sent him to the mental division of the state prison. Mike was sane enough, though, not to ask for a jury trial.

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Built entirely of Cleveland stone, the favored material of the most beautiful buildings in the East, it comprised 100 square feet in three stories. With its dome, the Court House had a gross height of 120 feet. The ground floor comprised offices, a big steel cell room, rest rooms, boiler rooms and storage. The first floor, through which ran a corridor the entire length, comprised the sheriffs office, clerk's office, grand jury room, commissioners' room, safety vaults and other offices. The second floor comprised the Superior court room, judges's chambers, council room, attorneys' room, library and judge's library.

The third floor, in the beginning, was unoccupied. Flooring throughout was hard maple, the vestibules were tiled, and the rest rooms and stair landings were Tennessee marble. Interior windows were plate glass. A winding staircase led to the observatory tower, outside of which were four porch promedades. All wainscoting was done in paneled quarter-sawed red oak, that color-coordinated with the marble.

The court room was wainscoted five feet high. And since, until 1919, the Superior Court had jurisdiction in criminal as well as civil. The Court House served as headquarters for the Hammond Police Department, which was a good thing when Mike Inik came to call. A few years earlier, Mike had been injured while working at the Standard Oil refinery and given a settlement of $1,500. Alas, Mike believed that the check was two zeros short to the left of the decimal point.

He insisted the check should be for $150,000, and became so obsessed with this notion that he Hospice of the Calumet Area and its volunteer program, call 922-2732, 736-2422 or (708) 895-8332. 5622 CALUMET HAMMOND Because YOU Requested IB Julia Roberts DerKel Washington PELICAN BRIEF (PG-1 3) Shown at 8:10 only Robin Wiams MRS D0UBTT1RE (PG) at 6:15 only POP, POPCORN CANDY BARS STILL 50f BARGAIN MATINEES ALL SHOWS BEFORE 5:00 P.M. M0N. TO FRI. ON i HOLIDAYS FIRST SHOW ONLY CHECK SH0WTIMES SCHINDLER'S LIST (RJ (Digital) 1 PHILADELPHIA (PG-1 3) (Dolby) FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (R) (Dotty) nrw-DS-QW jiMMY HOLLYWOOD (RJ (Doty) THE PIANO (R) (Dotoy) THUMBcLINA 13 UOIOyl 1 JU-j: HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS (R) (Dolby) LEPRECHAUN 2 (R (Stereo) THREESOME IH UOIOyl Xr ABOVE THE RIM R) Dolby) (on 2 screens) Xhi 50 409 10-9 50 SUGAR HILL (R) (Dolby) 2 '54 45-7-15 9 45 CLIFFORD IPC) (bo'bvt 1 30 GENERAL CINEMA BARGAIN MATINEES EVERYDAY ALL SHOWS STARTING BEFORE PM ACADEMY AWARD WINNER RIDGE RD.

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Times Staff Report MERRILLVn.LF, Hospice of the Calumet Area will recognize its volunteers at a special dinner Thursday that will be held at the Radisson HotelStar Plaza, U.S. 30 and Interstate 65. The hospice's board of directors and staff will Iparticipate in activities designed Ito show volunteers how much Ithey have been appreciated for services. Volunteer support for the organization is used in many (areas: direct patientfamily (support, bereavement care, public speaking, office assistance and fund-raising activities. For more information about KENNEDY 6735 Kennedy Hessville- 844-9769 The Rocking Chair Theatre D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS 6 8 p.m.

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