Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-23
LITTLE cREDENcE
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then started for Baltimore, according TO
the tale told Mrs. Cothron, and repeated
by her To Mr.. Clayton. but were un-
familiar with the road They asked IN
formation, but were misdirected rs they
came to Wilmington and stuck in soft
place where the car went in up to the axle:
They tried their best to loosen it but could
not, and they decided to leave it when they
heard some men approaching. I'anders
thought they might bc looking Tor hIm.
They hurried to the station and went by
train to Baltimore. !,
Mrs. Cothron said she asked Gene
Landcrs, ssWho was with your and nc
replied, Margaret, referring TO gir'
whose last name Mrs Cothron believed to
be sTayfcld," lie added that il WAS poor
Judgment To have woman along. Mrs;
Cothron stated that Margaret disappeared
and she believes that she was murdered py
Landers to keep her silent.
The trio left baltimore after the Jones
killing and went to Atlantic City, where
Jones, car was sold for $500. Then they
went TO New York, and worked the "badg-
or game at Coney Island. When the
Cothrons left New York, Mr. Cotbron
saws she never saw Landcrs again, but
had heard him say he WAS going to CALI
fornia or Mexico. Former Statc's At
tornev CLAYTON had search made for
Ianders in California without results.
GRACE cor,InoN FEARED LANDERs-
Mrs. Cothron alleges tbat she induced
her husband TO leave New York and
Ianders. because she overheard landcrs
advising Cothron to put her out of tho
way for fear she would turn him up,
that ,s inform on him.
II Is for this reason that Mrs CothroD
thinks that I.anders did away with Mar
garet Laytield.
Ianders Dragged that nc had stolen five
cars in April, one Cadillac, one Dodge, one
Chandler. and two Bucks. These were
disposed of in Norfolk, Hagerstown and
Shepherdstown.
According to Grace Cothron. tho idea
of killing Negro chautIeurs to secure their
valuablcs rs well rs their cars was fash
ioned in the brain OF Landers after the
killing of Homer Jones, at which time
Landcrs said rrhat IL my third, sig
nifying his third killing. Ianders said it
was much easier and safer to kill Negro
chauifcurs because no one made any 1uss
about dead Negroes"
Landers is described in tho police clrcu-
lars sent out by the Baltimore Police
Department following the Jones murder rs
.3t, years of age, 5 feet 10 or ii inches Tall,
lS5 pounds, dark hair MIXED with gray,
dark complexion.
Ianders is well known In the state ot
Virginia, having conducted saloons IN that
State. and having in the early part OF leis
engaged in Bookkeeping there, 1T rs said
The car stolen from Homer Jones after ms
murder on June II WAS seyen-passeneer
Chandler. One hundred and fity dollars
was also taken from the dead Negro.
Grace Cothron In her statement TO Mr..
CLAYTON In Elkton, described Gene
I,anders as having Mexican blood IN him.
Another story worked on in connection
with the Lacey case is the tale told by
Night Watchrnan Scotten, OF the tikton
Jail. concerning sailor, II. Nj. orwlngs,
or Owings. who WAS confined In the Eikton
Jail charged with auto theft.
Owings was alleged TO have stolen the
automobile Of Conrad Abond, OF Roesville,
in the outskirts of Baltimore. According
to this story. Owinus was heard telling
Grace Cothron acress the corridor that
he also knew Gene Ianders, when the
Cothron woman mentioned his name.
He said he bad seen Gene in Balii-
mo - and Gene told him he had been IN
Pennsylvania, and while he was making
his way TO Baltimore, he had ito knock
man off !" From the description, Scot
ten inferred that the man had been killed
in Wilmington, and Lacey was the man
killed.
He was arrested October 3, and was
afterwards taken TO Baltimore, where he Is
now supposed to be.
IN MIAMI, Jan. I, 1919
As 10 the whereabouts of the Cothrons
on the night Lacey was killed, Mrs. Grace
Cothron stated; I'VE Clarence and N.Y.
self 'badgered' a man in Miami, Fla, on
last New Years night about s o'clock or
$50 clock in the evening. | picked him
up on the Elser's Pier at sign from Clar-
ence. Clarence would walk behind me
and look up if he wanted me to pick up
the man or look down if he did not. | took
the man up to my room, and he nearly un-
dressed himself when gave Clarence sig
nal by lowering the curtain. Clarence
came to the room and threatened To call
an officer by The name OF Morgan, but let !
the man go by taking all his money which |
WAS about 500. The man said he would |
give check or anything n we would keep /,
it quiet about him, as he was married. We
saw the man number of tunes afterwards, /
and every time he would go by Clarence /
s1n