Lawrence, Kansas

In Cold Blood: A Legacy

In Cold Blood: A Legacy

Herbert William Clutter

Herbert William Clutter, born in 1911, a graduate of Kansas State University, was the owner of River Valley Farm in Holcomb. He was well-respected in agriculture circles as a county extension agent, chairman of the Kansas Conference of Farm Organizations and a member of the Federal Farm Credit Board during the Eisenhower administration. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church of Garden City where he helped raise money for the current main church and taught Sunday school. He was killed in his home by Smith and Hickock on Nov. 15, 1959.

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The Legacy, in Photos

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Reader Perspectives

"I was born after the incident and right before the convicted men were put to death. But I grew-up in the atmosphere of the shock in the community. My mom described the incident where trust was brought to a halt...."—Posted by charlie.

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Responses to this Series

Read a review of In Cold Blood: A Legacy from the Garden City Telegram. Go »

Timeline

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The Personalities

Herbert Clutter, born in 1911; owner of River Valley Farm in Holcomb; killed in his home by Smith and Hickock on Nov. 15, 1959.

Bonnie Clutter, born in 1914; Herbert Clutter's wife; she was Smith and Hickock's last victim.

Perry Smith, born October 27, 1928, in Elko County, Nevada; executed April 1965.

Dick Hickock, born June 6, 1931; executed April 1965.

Truman Capote, then 35, spent months in Kansas researching the Clutter murders, the subject of "In Cold Blood."

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Maps

Overview: map of Kansas

Garden City

Holcomb

Journal-World Coverage

In Cold BloodRead Journal-World stories on the Clutter murders, the investigation, and Smith and Hickock's trial, from November 1959 to March 1960. Go »

Watch The Documentary

In Cold Blood"In Cold Blood: A Legacy," the story of people hoping for decades that the world will forget, premiered on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 on Sunday, April 2, 2005. Watch online »

About This Series

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This Series in Print

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