Evening star., 1943-06-03
Murders
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NluIU0IS
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home at / pm. After waiting until
a m. outside the county courthouse
the brother left for his home alone
Asked at a press conference earlier
today If the suspect was still in Gus
today, CommonWealth's Attorney
Harrison said. If I knew anything
I would not tell you"
MI Harrison did say. however
that Il am more hopeful today that
a break Will come than at any time
since Tuesday"
Three brothers of Morris Love
Mercer, of Loudoun; Ernest, New
York banker, and Oscar, bank
president in Albuquerque. N. Mex.
visited the county courthouse and
conferred with Mr. Harrison. They
declined to comment.
Had Accepted Notes.
/ Other relatives Of the slain Loudour
/ County farmer would not discuss the
case with reporters, after disclosing
they had turned certain information
of financial nature over to police
From questioning of the relatives
other friends Of the family and police
officials however. it appeared that
Mr.. Love had accepted notes from a
man for 81 900 and $500, thinking the
notes had been indorsed by the
mans father, prominent Harpers
Ferry farmer
The mans brother said last night
that the man had not done the
right thing with the notes. and
there were other indications that
the Endorsements were not genuine
and that Mr.. Love. discovering the
supposed forgeries. had set Tuesday
the day of the killings, as the dead
line for the man to make good on
the notes
According to responsible citizens
in Leesburg. who have kept pace
with developments, the notes were
not found at the Love house by
police, although Cancelled checks
for $4,000 and $500 made out to the
suspect were discovered in the farm
er's desk drawer.
Clew Found in Ledger.
Capt. Edward McDermott of the
Virginia State Police spent much
of yesterday poring over the dead
farmers ledger, which, it was indi-
Gated. showed a record of the notes
1t was after this investigation of
the ledgers that Capt. McDermott
predicted developments" in the case
/ by tonight.
The mans brother said the
man had borrowed the money
to make improvements on his home
Formerly in the rock-crushine
business, for the last six months
he had been engaged in moving
sand to Martinsburg, West Va, fol
construction of an Army GONZALES.
cent hospital.
The name of another man, sale
to have been dishonorably dis.
charged from the Army as a trouble.
! maker, was on the lips of well.
informed local sources, although
police made no comment about him
1t could not be learned whether h.
had been questioned in connection
with the Staying, or was being
/ sought by police. The brother O.
the man questioned said he knew
the second man.
When reporters early today visitee
the county Jail to learn if suspect!
were being held there, they wer,
greeted by the following sign on tht
front door:
I'VE have no information. Pleast
do not disturb
| Tests Under Way.
On the basis of the FBI examina
ton police hoped toestablish whether
or not all the shots were fired from
.22-caliber rifle picked up at the
side of the tenant farmer and ten.
tatively identified as belonging te
James Love.
Ballistics tests made on the bullet.
removed from the bodies of four Of
the victims, it was learned. were
especially difficult because the pei
let's were badly mangled.
Two colored men, Johnny Parker
and Raymond Lucas. who were
questioned by authorities and de-
tanned in the county Jail late Tues
day and yesterday. were given theil
freedom shortly after pm. yester-
day. Mr.. Harrison said they hac
been detained in the hope that they
could shed some light on the crimes
Parker worked for Morris Love as
farm hand for many years, but
recently left the farm because of
an alleged disagreement over wages
Crime Reconstructed.
Mr.. Harrison late yesterday re-
vealed how the boot tracks of two
men who were thinning corn shortly
before they died and bloodstains in
the yard of the Love home helped
police to reconstruct the events cul-
| minating in the killings.
Mr.. Harrison expressed the view
that the killings began with the
bludgeoning of the elder Love by
an assailant who struck him with a
mallet as he sat in a front porch
rocking chair. Mr.. Loves spec
tacles, which he used only for read
ing, and a half-smoked cigarette
had fallen beside his body, which
had been covered with an untitled
feather-bed ticking. Mr.. Love was
still holding pencil between his
fingers when his body was found.
Police were unable to locate any
piece of paper on which the mur-
dered man might have been writ
ing or figuring when he was at
tackled.
Mr.. Harrison said James, the son,
was thinning corn with Mr.. Russell
behind the barn. Examination of
boot tracks, Mr.. Harrison revealed,