The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-10-15
TWO MURDER
SUSPECTS ARE
IN CHICAGO
THIS MORNING FOR
CRIME AT HEpRIcK.
HAD BEEN IN 0SKALO0SA
Clarence Mccormick and Mrs. Ruth
McCuIioch are Held for the
Killing OF Irwin MeIlett
Last Week.

Chicago, Oct. Truth McCulloch,
aged %, snake charmer and vaude.
vile performer, and Clarence Nc,
Cormick, aged IS, confessed today &C.
Cording to detectives to Turing J. w
Mellett, wealthy Hedrick Iowa farm.
er into a deserted field near Hedrick
and killing him on the night OF Oct.
6. The couple we're arrested today in
rooming house on West Madison
street where they were living as man
and wife, Sheriff Grimes of Keokuk
county who came to Chicago two days
ago with a description of the pair,
will take them back to Iowa to ans.
wer for the crime. Mccormick, the
son of an Iowa farmer, was clarking
in ten cent store when he saw the
McCulloch woman and became infat
uated with her while she was taking
part in vaudeville show at the OF.
tumwa fair. He induced Mellett tc
take him and the girl automobile rid.
ing and later made an appointment
for another automobile trip. Accord,
ing to the confession given to the
detectives, Mccormick said on the
second trip he shot Mellett who was
riding In the front with the girl
Fearing he was not dead he crushed
his head with monkey wrench. They
then emptied the mans pockets, tax.
ing gold watch and $23. They re
turned to Hedrick and rode in a box
car to Monmouth, ILL.,, where they
took a passenger train to Chicago.
They were without funds and were
about to be evicted for non-payment
of rent The watch was pawned i'm
Chicago shop and found by detec,
tivec.
Parties Were Known Locally.
Young Mccormick has been the
owner of an attraction, den OF
snakes and has been travelling about
the country with carnival company
The girl. Mrs. Ruth Mathews as she
was known in Oskaloosa, her former
home, was travelling with Mccormick
as snake charmer. They were to-
gether in Oskaloosa several days
preceding the murder and had stop,
ped at a local hotel. Mccormick was
seen about town with numerous par
ties and was there ostensibly to close
deal with Irwin Mellot for the trans
fer of his interests in the carnival
property
Irwin Mellot is a well to do farmer
and trader residing near the town OF
Ollie in Richland township, KeOkuk
county. He is a Spectator and would
trade for any kind of marketable
property. He recently disposed of a
quantity of grain and was known to
have "a roll of several hundred dol
lars in currency on his person. Nell.
OFT was about OSkaloosa all day Tues
| day in connection with local business
affairs and he made some kind of a
deal with Mccormick, to take him
and the girl to Delta or PaCkwOod
where they were to meet other par!
ties and go to Ottumwa Mellott could
not get away until evening and the
party left about shutdown Tuesday
to go to Packwood.
Wednesday morning an automobile
wac found by the roadside on high
way near Hedrick and upon investi
! CATION the body of a man was found
in the rear seat of the machine, dead
The top of his head had been battered
into a pulp with heavy monkey
wrench and in addition four bullets
from a small calibre revolver had
been fired into his head. Brains and
blood were smeared from one end
of the car to the other. The auto
wrench was found near by covered
with hair, brains and blood and moi
far away was a small handkerchief
evidently belonging to a woman, part
" saturated with blood and showing
the bloody print of small hand. The
girl had left some personal possess
ions in room here in town aud these
lead to a trace of her identity. Thu
handkerchiefs found in the room ant
that with the auto were of the sam'
pattern.
Ruth McElRae the woman in tn
case is a Marion county girl. The par
ents now reside on farm near Kno,
Vile. She lived in Oskaloosa about
year and was worked at eating a
eating houses and restaurants a
waitress.