The Tippecanoe County Coroner and his deputy initial opinion was Obenchain's death was due to heart failure. Their conclusion was based on observing no external evidence and the student's prior medical history. No autopsy was performed at the request of the the father who suspected a cover up. Once the body was returned to South Whitley, five Fort Wayne physicians performed an autopsy discovered the Obenchain had died of a broken neck. Specifically, there was a dislocation and fracture of the first cervical vertebra that nearly severed the spinal cord. They discovered finger marks behind the ears. Various witnesses gave conflicting statements about what they saw happen to the victim. No one was ever accused of a crime or identified as the person responsible. The day after the 1913 Tank Scrap, the entire university body assembled in Fowler Hall and with a unanimous vote ended the tradition.
The day after the 1913 Tank Scrap, the entire university body assembled in Fowler Hall and with a unanimous vote ended the tradition.
