Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1912 — KILLED MARION MAN IN HOLDUP AT HOME. [ARTICLE]

KILLED MARION MAN IN HOLDUP AT HOME.

Murderer Captured But “Pal” Escapes and Police are Looking for Man Named John Smithson. Saturday evening at about 7 o’clock Clarkson Willcuts, a wealthy retired farmer and banker at Marion, was called to his front door by a ring of the bell. The Willcuts were expecting company and his wife accompanied him to the door. As Willcuts opened the door a man pushed a revolver into hjs face and demanded money. Willcuts promptly grappled with with the man and the robber pulled the trigger? of his revolver and the bullet caused the death of Mr. Willcuts. The man ran down the street, having first dropped the revolver on the porch of the Willcuts home. Later in the night a man appeared at police headquarters and applied for lodging. It was given him. From descriptions given by Mrs. Willeuts and a neighbor wpman who had seen two men prowling about the Willcuts home, the. police decided to interview the man who had applied, for lodging and it was not long until he confessed the shooting. He stated that he had a-“pal” by the name of John Smithson and the police all over the county are now in search of the man. The confessed murderer gives his name as Cecil Fordyce. He told the police he met Smithson in St Louis last September and that the two had been committing crimes in various parts of the country ever since.'Part of his confession reads: “I have been doing “stick up” jobs for the past four years, but have been with this man Smithson only since last Spetember. Last spring- 1 held up a man in Wabash who was in a buggy and got $9. A few weeks ago we held up a man in Toledo near the bridge and got about $56. When we do a job I have been holding up the man with a gun apd Smithson would take their money. He has not been making an equal division. He kept most of it. The first job I done with Smithson was at St. Louis. Then we went to Kala-. mazoo, Mich., then to Toledo and from there to Ft.« Wayne and Wabash. From Wabash we came to Marion. I have been married but I don’t know where my wife is now. My pal had about S3OO in money.” The prisoner says his father is Elmer Fordyce and that his home is in Houston, Miss. He says he was reared at Wabash, Ind., and has several relatives there.