Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-23
LITTLE CREOENCE !
PLACED|N STORYOF
GRACE N. COTHRON
Woman Alleged to Have Told
Maryland Official w. E. Land
crs Killed Howard Lacey.
STORY INVESTIGATED
SOME. TIME AGO

While Grace NJ Crothron. wife Of tn,
murderer of John r. WcIdin. a coloret
chauffeur, in Cecil county. Md, IL alleged
to have made confession 10 the effect
that William Il. Landers had intimated 3,
her that he was the murderer Of Howard
NJ. Lacey, n Wilmington taxicab driver
January |, 1919, local authorities doubt
that this is n fact
Police and detectives here heard the
story at the time the woman and her
husband were on trial for the Weldin
murder and they investigated 1t, but
were unable to gather up what they con-
| sidcred some important links and there
! fore they hsltated To take definite action
on the womans unsupported statement.
Lacey, who was a taxi driver, on the
night Of the murder. answered a mysteri-
OTIS call summoning him 60 Eighth and
Shipley streets The next morning his
mutilated body was found in quarry
hole at Shellpot and his car, abandoned.
was found at Eighteenth and Yam Buren
streets. where il had been mired.
The Cothon woman is alleged 10 have
made the statement concerning Iandcrs
to Joshua Clayton of Elkton, Md, States
attorney.
States Attorney Clayton today. at
n
tive Of Every Evening, confirmed the
story gwen below. es he learned il from
Grace Cothron and others while handling
the Cothron case
He said, however, that he knew little
of llanders, who is said 20 bc part Mexican
and who is thought now to be in Mexico.
An indictment stands against him i'm
Maryland, charging him with the murder
ot Homer Jones. a chauffeur IN Monivo-
merry county. Grace Cothron is prisoner
m the Baltimore Jail on the technical
charge OF kidnapping girl at the time of
the Wcldln murder The chief reason for
keeping her prisoner, IL is said Is in
connection with the effort TO run down
lAanderS, who is believed to he cold
bioodcd outlaw. According to Mr.. Clayton,
Iandcrs Is alleged TO have attempted 20
kill Grace Cotbron on ono occasion when
he was in n car with her and her husband.
but was prevented hy the latter He cvi- I
IDENTIFY was afraid the woman would be- !
tray him Grace Cothron told Mr.. CLAYTON /
she and her husband had seen nothing OF /
l.anders since June -. 1919. when he /
eft Coney Island. stating that he was !
going TO California or Mexico.
While discussing the murder and the
,ossibii,ty OF hcinc discovered, Iandcrs
according To Mrs. Cothron.
There's nothing 70 ~ scared of II
cleaned up white chauffeur in Whining
on last New Years night aud stole his
Buick car. He'll The police don't know
.nythinr about that case and never will
The newspapers said taxicsb driver WAS
.illed when the man had a touring carl
Ne wouldn't be boohs enough to try TO
Zeal q taxicab.
I'VE told him we wanted TO 60 to phila-
elphia We had 70 make ciefour be-
ause they had been fixing n road and We
ot toward the edge of Pennsylvania. We
ot on little, narrow road. | hit the fel-
ow on the hack of the head while he was
irving and Knocked him loose from the
Theel. Then | stopped and finished the
DO with rock from the wall | threw the
ody ont at the roadside. In getting turn
d around, ] backed the machine into a
lie of stones which tore the back axle"
CAR WAS STALLED.
The couple, Landers and the woman
18th him, said to be Margaret Layheld,
Continued on page