Capote Classic 'In Cold Blood' Tainted by Long-Lost Files

[mystery-ak]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323951904578290341604113984.html?mod=ITP_pageone_0

    February 8, 2013, 10:31 p.m. ET

Capote Classic 'In Cold Blood' Tainted by Long-Lost Files

By KEVIN HELLIKER

GARDEN CITY, Kan.—Truman Capote's masterwork of murder, "In Cold Blood," cemented two reputations when first published almost five decades ago: his own, as a literary innovator, and detective Alvin Dewey Jr.'s as the most famous Kansas lawman since Wyatt Earp.

But new evidence undermines Mr. Capote's claim that his best seller was an "immaculately factual" recounting of the bloody slaughter of the Clutter family in their Kansas farmhouse. It also calls into question the image of Mr. Dewey as the brilliant, haunted hero.


Mr. Capote stands in the living room of the Clutter ranch house in 1967



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[Cincinnatus]

Fascinating. I remember well the release of that book and the hype surrounding it. I read it as soon as soon as copies were available. Now to find out Capote somewhat "embellished" the tale doesn't really surprise me given who he was and what he was like.

[mystery-ak]

Fascinating. I remember well the release of that book and the hype surrounding it. I read it as soon as soon as copies were available. Now to find out Capote somewhat "embellished" the tale doesn't really surprise me given who he was and what he was like.

Me too..I have always been fascinated by this case....

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

Interesting that Harper Lee declined to comment on this story, but I'm not surprised.

[mountaineer]

It always creeped me out that Capote fell in love with Perry Smith, one of the murderers.

[Cincinnatus]

This I was not aware of but it makes sense:

It always creeped me out that Capote fell in love with Perry Smith, one of the murderers.

When these 2 dirtbags finally got their just desserts, Capote was much criticized by the congoscenti for not doing more to help them avoid the noose.

A rather good movie of the Clutter murders was made with Robert Blake portraying Smith. Blake, of course, went on to have a personal involvement with another killing, but for him, no noose.