Peter ley, 72,
Found Murdered
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PORT CLINTON, O—Peter C. Basiley, 72, night
club owner, was shot and killed early Friday. His body
was found on the floor of a kitchen closet used for
storage of spices, shortening and other supplies.
Dr. C. It. Wood, county coroner, ruled the death
a homicide, saying1 Mr. Basiley was shot three times with
a .25 caliber automatic revolver. The first bullet ap¬
parently struck the victim in the heart, and the other
two—in the left elbow and — —/.■ —r=—
left side—apparently were
fired after Mr. Basiley had
fallen to the floor.
Sheriff Myron Hetrick
is working on the theory
the murder Was committed
in the act of robbery. However,
there was no sign of a struggle
and there was no immediate
indication that anything was
stolen..^...': .'.■."■::.'- '
,': The • shooting j, occurred be¬
tween-1:55 a.m., when JT W»i#.'
ress left the night club at the
west.city limits on Route 2 and
5 a.m. when Mrs. Arthur L.
Robert, a sister-in-law of Mr.
Basjley's first wife, called Port
Clinton police.
Saw Lights ■
Mrs. Robert, who lives near
■ the night club, said she awaken-
I ed and noticed lights still burn¬
ing at the night club. She told
I police that Mr. Basiley normal¬
ly turned off the lights at 2
a.m. when the bar closed.
Police notified the sheriff's de¬
partment and Hetrick and Po¬
lice Officer David Miller went
to the club. They found the
doors unlocked, but could find
no trace of anyone. They went
to the upstairs apartment where
Mr. Basiley and his wife, Ath¬
ena, live, but could arouse no
one. (Mrs. Basiley is a patient
at St. Vincent's hospital, Tole¬
do, where she was taken No¬
vember 10 following an automo¬
bile accident in Toledo.)
Hetrick then went to the near¬
by home of Mrs. Steve Bench-
ich, a daughter of Mr. Basiley's,
who had a key for the locked
apartment. Mr. and Mrs. Banch¬
ich returned to the night club
and opened the apartment door
and helped look for Mr. Bas-;
iley.
Once inside the apartment,
I where officers thought Mr. Bas-
j iley might have been asleep, no
one was found and a detailed j
! search of the night club was be-1
I gun.
Bullets Found
It was then that the door to
the spice closet was opened and
the victim was found. AH three
bullets had gone through Mr.
Basiley's body, and all were re¬
covered.
Officers are conducting a de¬
tailed search of the night spot
today in an attempt to turn up
facts in the case.
Mrs. Grace Adkins, Port
Clinton, the club's lone waitress
at this time of the year, said
she had left the night club at
1:55 a.m. and that Mr. Basiley
was alone when she left. She
told authorities her employer
had intended to turn out the
lights and lock the door five
minutes later.
Mr. Basiley operated a res¬
taurant in downtown Port Clin¬
ton for 15 years before building
the night club on Route 2 West
in 1946. He has operated there
ever since then.
Earlier this year, he complet¬
ed arrangements to sell the
building to the Port Clinton
Moose Lodge, which intends to
remodel it into a lodge home.
The lodge was to take posses¬
sion shortly after the first of
next year. Mr. Basiley planned
to retire.
The victim had spent the ear¬
ly afternoon Thursday visiting
his wife in the Toledo hospital.
He returned to Port Clinton in
time to open the establishment���at 4 p.m.
Surviving besides his widow
and daughter, Mrs. Banchich,.
are another daughter, Mrs. Ted
Graham of Chicago; a son,
James, an air freight pilot work¬
ing out of Atlanta, Ga., and
several grandchildren.
James Basiley had returned
to Atlanta 'just last Tuesday af¬
ter visiting his father for sev¬
eral days. ,
Funeral arrangements are
pending at the Neidecker-Eber-
le-LeVeck mortuary.
