Evening star., 1943-06-04
Grand Jury 10 Get
Murder Confession
Al June IA Session
Slayer Of Five Tells Of
Fondness for Victims
Of Form Massacre
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inquired about his draft status and
a drivers permit for a helper, was
not made for the purpose of estab.
fishing an alibi, although he later
called on police and others to testify
as to his presence there
Their case, officials disclosed, will
be based on partially burned notes
for $2,50O. The slayer. according tc
police, thought he had destroyed the
notes. but the flames failed to finish
the job.
Killed for Note.
1t was because of A. Morris Love s
demand that Clatterbuck make good
on the notes that the Staying
occurred, taking the lives of the
well-to-do Loudoun County farmer
his wife, his son James and Wal
ter Russell. tenant farmer, and Mr.
Russell's wife.
When Clatterbuck finally broke
at the Middleburg Jail, he told State
Trooper E. H. Lowe that he burned
the notes in gravel parking lot
next to the courthouse here.
Although two days had passed, in
vestigators found remnants of the
notes on the lot.
It also was the opinion of the men
who have spent Two days with Clat-
terbuck that the lives of all but Mr..
Love would have been spared if
young James. the 22year-old son of
the farmer, had rot rushed from
the dining room of the Love home
with rifle in his hands after he
heard scuf1ing on the front porch.
State Trooper Howe, revealing that
Clatterbuck had telephoned to Mr..
Love for an appointment before COM
Ing to the Love home Tuesday
morning. said he believed Clatter-
buck had no intention of killing Mr.
Love and that after he had bludg-
eoned him to death would probably
have gone off in his car if James
had not appeared with the gun.
"OoPuhS AhSpHcU CTImeS.
Mr.. Howe said Clatterbuck must
have known his visit was no secret
and that it was only the presence of
the Weapons-a croquet mallet and
James rifie-that prompted him to
commit the five murders.
Again and again after confessine
the crimes Clatterbuck protested
that he was very fond of the Love
family and was an old friend of the
Russels, Mr.. Howe said.
Confidential information not dis
closed by the authorities led them
to suspect Clatterbuck. 1t was con-
fldential information also that threw
a temporary red herring across the
path of the investigation. but Off
clals also would not disclose what
this information was.
Deep religious feeling and a strong
love for his family battled within
Clatterbuck when investigators tried
to draw confession from him. ac-
cording to MI Howe
Clatterbuck was taken into Gus
tody Tuesday night and later re-
leased. He was taken again Wednes-
day night. He did not make his
confession until about 2::30 o'clock
Thursday afternoon-just as funeral
services were being read for his five
victims
Mr.. Howe said that Clatterbuck
was defiant and refused to break
down through hours of examination.
They said the defiance appeared to
De an attempt to protect his family.
The authorities described him as
a good husband and father"
Mr. Howe never left Clatterblck's
side from the time the second arrest
was made Wednesday night until
Clatterbuck was installed in the
winchester Jail Thursday afternoon
after having been taken to the
Love farm to re-enact the crime in
detail. The State trooper said he
aid everything. from quoting Scrip
cures to the religious minded slayer
to convincing him that he was
always the friend of the underdog,
to get Clatterbuck to break. The
quotations from the Scriptures
mainly had to do with truth being
The best policy
Nobody Is Friend
Finally. Mr.. Howe recalled, Clat-
terbuck said that nobody is a friend
of mine"
Mr.. Howe and Sergt. Charles w
Blue, who was one of the leaders of
the investigation. told him that they
would either clear him or put it on
nim.' Then suddenly, according to
Mr.. Howe, Clatterbuck broke down.
sobbing:
You wouldn't believe it. It was
terrible thing. I'm going to kill
myself"
Then. clutching Mr.. Howe with
trembling hands. he sobbed:
'All right, killed them
Mr.. Howe had a pencil and a
piece of paper before him as he
faced Clatterbuck. The suspect
reached for the piece of paper and
pencil. and Mr.. Howe said he wiped
the tears from his eyes and began
to write. But Immediately, he put
his face in his hands and said:
I'm just an ignorant man. I'll
tell you what happened"
He described his activities on the
fatal Tuesday from the time he left
home at around $50 in the morning
until he burned the notes.
Wife ExnectS Child.
Then he moaned:
Take me away from here" They
were then in the Middleburg Jail.
Mr.. Howe suggested Norfolk or
Richmond and asked Clatterbuck if
he would like to see his wife. an ex-
pectant mother. Clatterbuck shud-
dered and said he couldn't face her.
Then he asked to see his brother.
Meredith, but minute after the
State trooper had started out for
Leesburg Clatterbuck decided he
couldn't see him either.
1t was then that Mr.. Howe told
Clatterbuck he was going to take him
back to the farm. Mr.. Howe told re-
porters today that Clatterbuck re-
enacted the entire crime, not boast
fully. but thoroughly. To establish
beyond doubt that Clatterbuck was
not shielding another person. the in