Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1907 — A Murderer Jailed At Lafayette. [ARTICLE]

A Murderer Jailed At Lafayette.

A promising candidate for the gallows is now in the Tippecanoe county jail at Lafayette. It is a young man named James C. Whittinger, of near Crawfordsville, who was arrested for the murder of a companion named Charles H. Summerfield. They were riding last Friday th; u the McCey woods, eight miles southeast of Lafayette and both badly intoxicated from liquor they had with them. Summerfield was so drunk that he went while asleep Whittinger shot him thru the head and left him lying hidden in the woods. Whittinger then took the horse and buggy and drove to near Danville, where he abandoned the rig in the road, and was later arrested near Crawfords v ille. He has confessed the crime antPsays he did it to get possession of Summerfield’s horse and buggy. After shooting Summerfield Whittinger tore an aluminum name plate out of his own hat and threw it away and this was afterwards found near Summerfield’s body, and this led to Whittinger’s arrest and coniession.