True Crime Historian presents yesterday's news, tales of classic scandals, scoundrels, and scourges

told from historic newspapers in the golden age of yellow journalism.

And a lot of these stories from the old newspapers, the press coverage often takes on the attributes of another character in the drama.

In this case, the town of Rising Sun, Indiana seems to evolve as the story progresses.

When one of the town matrons, the spinster Lizzie Gillespie, is found assassinated in her parlor,

town folk tell reporters she had no enemy in the world and there could be no logical reason for the murder. And then they start thinking of things, but they don't want to name names.

And when Lizzie's twin brother Jim goes to trial, he and his co-defendants fear lynching,

but the town only wants to be entertained by the scandal.

While I recognize the tragedy of a life lost, I find a subtle comedy in this tale of small-town intrigue, family betrayal, and murder.

I'm true crime historian Richard O. Jones, and I give you Lizzie Gillespie, killed by twin brother, a family tragedy in rising sun. son. All the relatives and friends of Miss Elizabeth Gillespie are at an utter loss to understand any motive for the deed.

The victim was a woman of literary and musical attainments. They all knew her as a

woman of lovable, noble character and who has devoted her life to her mother, and they never knew

her to have an enemy. She was considered the leader in social circles and philanthropic work.

One family who knew her well, say the probable

cause of her single life, was an unfortunate love affair when she was about 22 years old.

Dr. William Gillespie, her brother, is a prominent physician living at Walnut Hills. Dr. Gillespie, when he was notified

of the shooting Tuesday evening, left immediately for rising sun. He and his sister were devoted to

each other. Dr. Gillespie telephoned his wife this evening that his sister was sinking rapidly

and could not survive. Mrs. Gillespie left

for Rising Sun tonight. She said her husband had found no clue yet to the identity of the assassin.

Miss Gillespie frequently attended the symphony concerts and other musical events in Cincinnati during the winter season.

She was well known too in the women's club organizations.

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