In October 1918 the 84-year-old Benjamin W. Strattan became the subject of an inquiry by the Lake County Council of Defense. Someone had accused him of some sort of unpatriotic behavior — the details of the accusation and the identity of the accuser(s) were passed over in silence by the local newspapers. The Council saw fit to summon Benjamin to appear before it in Crown Point and answer the charges, which he did on October 14.
The next day the Council's chairman wrote a letter to Benjamin telling him the good news: the Council had cleared him of all charges; better than "not guilty," he was found innocent. At Benjamin's request, the Hobart News of October 17 reprinted the letter for the benefit of the local gossips:
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