Gen. Tadeuz Kosciusko survived battles with British forces during the Revolutionary War, but a bronze statue honoring him in the park that bears his name was no match for a hacksaw.
On Monday afternoon, two Bishop Noll Institute students walked up to take pictures of what was left of the statue — the general’s shoes — on the concrete pedestal at Kosciusko Park in East Chicago.
The young man’s mother, who declined to give her or the kids’ names, said the statue’s theft was “crazy.”
“It’s been there for so long,” she said. “I pass by it every night, and I didn’t notice until my son told me.”
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East Chicago historian Paul Myers said Monday that the statue has been at the park since 1934.
Police recovered the statue Friday a few blocks away in an abandoned garage in the 5000 block of Melville Avenue, according to a probable cause affidavit that explained the charges filed against David Martinez, 35, of East Chicago.
City spokesman Steve Segura said he thought the statue, visible on the west side of Indianapolis Boulevard and south of 150th Street at Kosciusko Park, would be saved.
“If it’s non salvageable, we’ll get an expert opinion and build a new one,” Segura said. “We’re trying to rescue him.”
Segura begrudgingly admired the chutzpah in taking the statue. Nevertheless, the city is looking at at least $40,000 to bring Kosciusko back to life, he said.
“It’s so blatant to pull something like this off. I mean, at what time of day did they do this?” Segura said.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the statue was removed and dragged out of the park Friday afternoon.
Acting on an anonymous tip, police, at about 2:45 p.m. Friday heard the sound of metal being sawed and opened the door to what appeared to be an abandoned garage at 5019 Melville Ave., where police saw a man trying to saw off the head while a second man watched, court records state.
David Martinez, 35, told police he owned the house, records state. Martinez is charged in Lake Superior Court with theft, which is punishable by six months to 30 months. Police photographed the statue with the hacksaw still in place at the neck, the probable cause affidavit states.
Kosciusko was a Revolutionary War hero. According to History.com, Kosciusko arrived in 1776 and joined the revolutionaries in the fight against the British. He was the mastermind behind the Battle of Saratoga and counted Thomas Jefferson among his closest friends, the website said. He died in 1817 in Switzerland.
The statue is valued at about $10,000. Park authorities took possession of the statue.
Ruth Ann Krause and Michelle L. Quinn are freelance reporters for the Post-Tribune.