Evening star., 1943-06-06
Details Are Checked
In Mass Sayings for
Grand Jury Action
i. Time 1t Took CIotterbuck
;, To Go From Farm to
Town Is Uncertain

Declaring the hard part is over
IN. solving the crime that took the
lives of five Loudoun County CVaD
residents, county officials yesterday
reported there were a number of
details to be Strengthened out before
the case against Thomas William
Clatterbuck. 33-year-old confessed
slayer, is brought before the grand
Jury on June IA.
, Commonwealth Attorney Charles
F. Harrison said the confession was
the longest he had ever taken, there
were still number of points to be
explained. Mr.. Harrison told re-
porters he had not gone into all the
"details as d stenographer took down
the account Of the murder of A.
Morris Love, well-to-do Loudoun
County farmer; his wife, Ruth; his
son, James, and Mr.. and Mrs. Walter
Russell, tenants on the Love farm,
(which is said to be worth more
than 100000.
After the murders. according to
his confession, Clatterbuck drove
fVo-and-a-half miles into Hamilton.
talked with pank president. had
his tires pumped up at a filling
CATION across the street and then
grove seven miles to Leosburg.
There he parked his car and went
Ip the court house to see the sheriff,
As a Hamilton banker had advised
ann, concerning a forged promissory
Eote.
Time Element is Vital.
s County officials know that Clatter-
suck was in the court house before
11e crime was reported since he
konsulted with State trooper
ebout drivers license and the
Hooper as we'll as the coroner,
H1eriff and other police officials went
20 the farm as soon as the murders
were reported,
. 1t was the testimony of the
Hamilton bank president as well as
Lhe State trooper that established
What appeared to be an alibi for
Elatterbuck, delaying his arrest for
q hours
e Mr., Harrison. in preparing his
ease for presentation to the grand
iury, is anxious to straighten out
fhe time details. Officials figure
Ihat the time it took Clatterbuck to
Get from the farm gate, where he
1as observed by an extract salesman
70 the court house was about half
an hour. One of the jobs now is to
compare the time estimates given
by the salesman with those given
by Clatterbuck.
Another question is the death
weapon. Clatterbuck related in his
confession, according to Mr.. Harri-
son, that he wrested James rifle
from his hands and proceeded to
Shoot all the victims but Mr.. Love
who already was dead from bludg-
coming with a croquet mallet. The
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
which assigned its laboratory tech
rlcians to matching the bullets with
James rife. reported that the rife
was not the death weapon.
Jarring Affects Tests.
1t was pointed cut yesterday. how
ever, that the jarring the rifle got
while being used as a battering In
strument might have thrown of
the laboratory calculations. Also,
the bullets taken from the bodies
of the victims were SO crushed from
contact with bcne that matching
was difficult The FBI, it, was
understood. is still working on some
balllstics experiments in connection
with the case
! That Clatterbuck's account Of the
crime might also require explaining
in some parts was indicated by find
ings that only two small spots of
blood were visible on the barrel of
the rifle. Clatterbuck said in his
confession that the barrel of the
rife was used to club James and
Mr.. and Mrs. Russell after they
were shot.
Sheriff Paul Alexander said he eX-
rected to visit Clatterbuck in the
Winchester tVal Jail today to
match some Of the details of the
confession against the FBI report.
Meanwhile. the heartbroken fam
ily of the confessed slayer moved
yesterday from the home Clatter-
buck had forged notes to rebuild
into an attractive frame house to
the home of a brother. Meredith
Clatterbuck near Hamilton. The
prisoners wife who is expecting a
fifth child in less than two months.
was reported to be under the care
of her sister -in-laW, trained nurse.