The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-10
NEW SMYRNA'S REDCLOT
TWO ARRESTS FOR THE QUAD
RUPLE MURDER.

William MoRae and Irwin jenkins
Jailed on the Strength of a Confes-
sion Made by a Boy Named Marion
Clinton-He Claims TO Have Been
With the Murderers on the Night OF
the Crime.
DELAND, FLA, March 9.-The heavy iron
doors of the Volusia county Jail closed in
she faces of William McRes, Marion Clin-
ton, and the much advertised negro Irwin
Jenkins at midnight last night, and this
afternoon the grand jury handed in true
bills against these parties for the murder of
the Packwood family at New Smyrna in
December. 1891, the particulars Of which
we're given the readers of the NEWS at the
time. The arrests were made about 10
o'clock last night immediately following a
full confession of the terrible crime
upon the part of Marion Clinton,
g boy about IS years of age, to
Hiram Cowart, a member OF the grand
jury, while sitting down at the roots of an
oak in this city. Clinton was invited around
TO the jury room and States Attorney
James D. Beggs was sent for, and TO him
she same confession was made. The states
attorney then went before Justice Bradley,
swore out warrants and McRae and Jen-
kens were soon awakened from their slum-
bers by Sheriff Kurtz and plaosd in cells.
Clinton being taken upstairs and kept alone
and under guard the balance Of the
night. The three ares here, with
about 100 others, who had been
summoned from the New Smyrna section
before the grand jury and are the three
men who have been strongly suspected of
committing the crime since it was done.
The evidence heretofore has been entirely
circumstantiaI and not strong enough to
bring out true bills. During the session of
the court following the date Of the murder
Clinton was taken before the grand jury to
testify. Upon the assembling of the jury
this morning, and as he passed by the crowd
In front of the court house, he was evil
IDENTIFY passing through trying ordeal and
seemed to have passed a ter-
rible night All three have
lived in the New Smyrna section for years,
aud McRae, who is supposed to be the
principal, is prominently connected in
Orange county, and 10 able to, and will
doubtless, employ the finest legal talent In
the state to defend him.
THE CONFESSION.
In substance the confession of Clinton is
said TO be as follows: He says that on the
night the murder was committed he met
young McRae and went with him to Nc
RRe's house, where the negro Jenkins also
stayed. Jenkins was in bed and asleep at
the time and about O'Clock McESae also
went to bed. Clinton hung his coat,
containing a revolyer on the wall. Some
time during the night be was awakened by
McRea and Jenkins, who told him 70 come
with them for boat ride. This was about
o'clock a. m. Jenkins rowed the boat and
Clinton steered. A landing was finally made
at the Packwood place aud Jenkins and
McRea left the boat and went up TO the
house, leaving Clinton on guard. Clinton
claims that ne saw Jenkins break in the
window with scantling and soon after
ward heard six shots fired in rapid success
sion. Jenkins and McRea then rushed from
the house to the boat and rowed rapidly to
McRea's house, where they spent the ball
ance of the night.
The horrible murder Of the Packwood
family, two young ladies and two little
children, found chopped TO pieces in their
cottage that fronts the Hillsboro river six
miles below New Smyrna, is the darkest
crime that ever blotted the annals of the
state, and if sufficient developments point
conclusively to the guilt Of these parties it
will require the utmost vigilance on the
part Of the sheriff and his deputies to pre-
vent the people from taking the law into
their own hands. The circumstances which
led to this terrible tragedy will only be
developed as the trial proceeds. The in
vestigation of this case has already cost the
state and county thousands Of dollars and
1t is only the beginning of the end.