Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-10-15
LANCASTER YOUTH
ASSUMES THE BLAME
Both Confess to the Crime:
Lured Victim to Lonely
Spot Near Hedrick

Spot Near Hedrick
because he could not refrain from
wrltlng to his parents and giving his
ADDRESS in Chicago on the enyelope
containing his letter written last Sun.
day' Clarence Mccormick of Ian.
caster, Mo-, and his companion, Ruth
mccullough, a snake charmer with a
'iaVeing show, are now in custody
charged with the murder of Irwin W.
Mellott of Ollie, the night OF October
o, near Hedrick. The pair have con.
fessed, Mccormick assuming tho
olame, and in charge of Sheriffs Knox
OF Wapello county and Grimes of Keo.
huK county, are on their way to OF.
tumWa, where they will arrive tonight
about 11:50 on the Burlington.
The following wire was received hv
Deputy Sheriff j. j. Morrissey from
Knox and Grimes this morning:
Chicago, Oct. 14.--Have parties and
they have confessed to crime. Will
be home with them on No 1
| Knox and Crimes
Killed to Obtain Money.
Robbery was the motive of the hor.
rlbie murder, although but $23 and a
Watch were obtained from the man
slain after they had enticed him to a
lonely spot on th1 road between He'd.
4 rick and Ottumwa, where they shot
and crushed the skull OF their un.
Isuspecting victim. 1s
A relentless search by the officials
of both Wapello and Keokuk counties
mas been IN progress since the murder
was committed and the man and won.
an IN custody have been suspected
from the first. Their location was the
only obstacle to the officers, who have
never let UP their search for an in.
slant since the crime was discovered.
Thelr taking in Chicago early this
morning by Sheriffs Knox and Grimes.
assisted by Chicago detective. ends
chase OF week that has taken the
local officials to many places where
the assailants were thought to have
been seen. No clue that held any
promise was left unworked by the
officers, who from early last Wednes.
day morning have been ceaselessly fol
lowing every lead that bore the least
semblance to the location of the guilty
parties. Trips were made to all Of the
surrounding counties. They visited
Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Ollie. Oska-
| loosa and as far as Monmouth ILL.,.
but a letter written home by young
Mccormick, telling his location in Chi
| cago, was the clue that led to the ar
rest of the pair who have been
travelling as husband and wife under
the name of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Bur.
ton.
| Story Of the Crime.
The murder was discovered by Paul
Bond and Clell Bottorff. two young
men residing in the country near He'd
rick, about midnight October 6. as
they were returning home in buggy
from an evening at the skating rink in
Hedrick.
Attracted by an automobile stand
| ing at one side Of the road, their first
thought was that some tourist was
stranded. Investigating they found q
dead man in the tonneau and the
front seat of the car covered with
blood.
They Immediately returned to He'd
rick where they called a physician
and gave the alarm. Sheriff Knox got
| in touch with Rodibaugh and COwger
of Agency and obtained their blood
hounds and Immediately repaired by
auto to the scene Of the tragedy.
Irwin Mellott, the murdered man,
was found covered with coat in the
rear of the car A monkey wrench
and pistol were found in the auto and
a woman's blood stained handkerchief
was picked up nearby. Later the
undertaken in preparing the body
found a part Of la valliere attached
to the coat of the dead man.
! All of these things were taken by
the officers and held to be used as
evidence.
The bloodhounds followed trail
that led from the scene Of the mur-
der to the Union depot in Ottumwa,
but this trail does not tally with the
confession made by the pair in Chi
cago this morning
! A letter to his parents written be-
fore the murder stated that McCor-
mick would be in Oskaloosa last
!; Thursday and told them to write him
/; there in care of the general delivery.
| This letter arrived but was not called
for.
| The officers went to Ollie shortly
after the murder and got clue to the
and a man named McCarty who oper-
ates grain elevator at that place.
rv1 y,nsp ~