Evening star., 1943-06-03

showed that James and Mr.. Russell
had been working together. thinning
alternate rows of corn. The gum
boot tracks made by James and the
leather shoe tracks made by Mr..
Russell showed that Mr.. Russell
continued the thinning alone, pre-
sumably after James had gone to
the house.
May Have Been Called.
Mr.. Harrison theorized that James
was called by his mother or attract
ed by noises from the house and
hurried up the lane from the barn,
leaving Mr.. Russell to continue the
work alone. Police found spots of
blood, progressing from drops to
fairly large clots, near the gate lead
ing into the Love yard from the lane,
on leafy weed about hallway from
the yard gate to the porch of the
house, on the steps leading up to the
porch, and splattered on the bottom
of the porch door leading into the
dining room. This led police to be-
lieve that James first was attacked
near the gate an dstumbled toward
the dining room where he kept his
rifle.
1t was theorized that the killer or
killers beat James to the rife.
James hao been dubbed on the
skull and shot through the heart.
What puzzles police, Mr.. Harrison
added, was the fact that no blood
was found on the floor from the
dining room door to the spot where
James lay dead. about IS feet away,
His mother, shot through the heart,
lay a short distance away.
1t was the police theory that the
murderer or murderers did not have
weapon when they approached the
house, but that in the course of an
argument one Of them reached into
the box Of croquet mallets directly
behind where Mr.. Love was sitting
on the porch and secured the
weapon to bludgeon him to death.
After Staying the Love family, Mr..
Harrison theorized, the killer or
killers. carrying the 22-caliber rifle
either went directly to the tenants
farmhouse, about 300 yards away
from the Love home. to ask for Mr..
Russell or sought him out behind the
barn. Mr. Harrison indicated police
believed Mrs. Russell was the last to
be killed. Even though the killer
might have visited Mrs. Russell first
to learn the whereabouts of her hus-
band, it was believed she was not
killed until her husband had been
shot and beaten. Mr.. RuSsell's body
was found near the end of a row of
corn behind the barn. Stuck in the
ground few feet away were two
metal-tipped thinning sticks, with
which he might have defended him.
self if he had had any advance
warning of the attack.
All Shot at Close Range.
A wallet belonging to Mr.. Love
and containing an unindorsed sl.39l
check from milling company pay
able to Mr. Love had been planted
on Mr.. Russell, Mr.. Harrison con-
tinued, to give the impression that
AsA9. ASuooS1t lldu SulClu6
after Staying the others. Obviously
Mr.. Harrison added, the farm tenant
could not have committed suicide
since his skull had been crushed
from the rear with a heavy instru-
ment, wound that could not have
been inflicted.
Powde. burns found on the bodies
Of the four victims who were shot
indicated to police, Mr. Harrison
said. that all were shot at close
range while lying PROSTATE. Mr.
Harrison revealed that Mr. Russell
had been shot at such close range
that no powder burns were visible
on his shirt where the bullet had
entered. but were marked on the
skin itself.
Mr.. Harrison pointed out that the
killer did not have to be a crack
shot to slay with one bullet when
his victims already had been clubDed
to the floor Mrs. Love was the only
one of the five who had not been
bludgeoned She was killed with a
single rifle shot through the heart.