Perry Smith (murderer)
Encyclopedia
Perry Edward Smith was one of two ex-convicts who murdered four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas
, United States
on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote
in his 1966 non-fiction novel
In Cold Blood
.
. His parents, Florence Julia "Flo" Buckskin and John "Tex" Smith, were rodeo
performers. Smith was of mixed Irish
and Cherokee
ancestry (from his father's and mother's side, respectively). The family moved to Juneau, Alaska
in 1929, where the elder Smith distilled bootleg whisky
for a living. Smith's father abused
his wife and four children, and in 1935 his wife left him, taking the children with her to San Francisco. Smith and his siblings were raised initially with their alcoholic
mother. After Smith's mother died when he was thirteen, he and his siblings were placed in a Catholic
orphanage
, where nuns allegedly abused him physically and emotionally for his life-long problem of chronic bed wetting. He was also placed in a Salvation Army
orphanage, where one of the caretakers allegedly tried to drown him. In his adolescence, Smith reunited and lived an itinerant existence with his father. He also spent time in different juvenile detention homes after joining a street gang and becoming involved in petty crime. Perry's father, Tex, moved to Cold Springs
, Nevada
, circa
1964-1967 where he lived to the age of 92 before committing suicide, distraught over poor health.
Two of Smith's siblings committed suicide
as young adults, and the remaining sister eliminated any contact with him.
. He joined the army in 1948, where he served in the Korean War
. During his stint in the army, Smith spent weeks at a time in the stockade for public carousing and fighting with Korean civilians and other soldiers. In spite of his record, in 1952, Smith received an honorable discharge and was last stationed at Fort Lewis
in Washington. He stayed with an Army friend for a time in the Tacoma
area, where he was employed as a car painter. With one of his first pay checks, Smith bought a motor bike. While riding, he lost control of the bike due to adverse weather conditions. Smith nearly died in the accident and spent six months in a Tacoma hospital. Because of the severe injuries to both legs, Smith's legs were permanently disabled and he suffered chronic leg pains for the rest of his life. To help control the pain, he was known to consume a copious amount of aspirin
.
first met in the Kansas State Prison, at Lansing, Kansas
, resuming their acquaintance after Hickock's release in November 1959. Hickock and Smith later testified that they had gotten the idea to rob the Clutters after Hickock was told, by former cellmate Floyd Wells, that there was a safe in the family's house containing $10,000. When they invaded the house, however, they discovered that there was no such safe.
Smith and Hickock were captured in Las Vegas, Nevada
on December 30, 1959, following an extensive manhunt which extended into Mexico
.
Smith admitted to cutting the throat of the father, Herbert Clutter, as well as shooting both Herbert and Kenyon Clutter in the head with a shotgun at close range. The trial record shows a dispute as to which of the two shot the women, Bonnie and Nancy Clutter. Alvin Dewey, chief investigator of the Clutter family murders, testified at the trial that Hickock insisted in his confession that Smith performed all the killings; Smith, however, first claimed Hickock killed the women, but later claimed to have shot them himself. Although Smith's revised confession coincided with Hickock's initial statement, Smith refused to testify in court, as did Hickock, leading to a lack of an official record detailing who killed the women, aside from Kansas Bureau of Investigation
(KBI) Special Agent Dewey's testimony outlining Hickock's confession, along with Smith's confession and the latter's subsequent revision.
While Smith had only a grade-school education, he maintained a strong interest in art, literature and music. He read extensively, and during his time on death row
, wrote poems and painted pictures for other inmates from photos of their family members.
, Truman Capote
extensively interviewed Smith and eventually befriended him. There have long been rumors and conjecture
as to the exact nature of their relationship. While Capote never wrote anything to suggest that there was anything more than a platonic friendship, some accounts have suggested perhaps a stronger association had developed.
on April 14, 1965. Warden Greg Seamon presided over the hanging of the convicted murderers in Lansing.
by Robert Blake
, who had an uncanny resemblance to Smith;, by Eric Roberts
in the 1996 miniseries
adaptation of the original film, by Clifton Collins Jr. in 2005's Capote
and by Daniel Craig
in 2006's Infamous
.
Holcomb, Kansas
Holcomb is a city in Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,094.-History:Holcomb is known for the murders of four members of the Herbert W. Clutter family, an incident which formed the basis of the Truman Capote book In Cold Blood.-Geography:Holcomb...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
in his 1966 non-fiction novel
Non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre...
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood (book)
In Cold Blood is a 1966 book by American author Truman Capote detailing the brutal 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a successful farmer from Holcomb, Kansas, his wife and two of their four children. Two older daughters no longer lived at the farm and were not there at the time of the murders...
.
Family and early life
Perry Edward Smith was born in Huntington, Nevada, a now-abandoned community in Elko CountyElko County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 45,291 people, 15,638 households, and 11,493 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/sq mi . There were 18,456 housing units at an average density of 1/sq mi...
. His parents, Florence Julia "Flo" Buckskin and John "Tex" Smith, were rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
performers. Smith was of mixed Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
ancestry (from his father's and mother's side, respectively). The family moved to Juneau, Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
in 1929, where the elder Smith distilled bootleg whisky
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
for a living. Smith's father abused
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
his wife and four children, and in 1935 his wife left him, taking the children with her to San Francisco. Smith and his siblings were raised initially with their alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
mother. After Smith's mother died when he was thirteen, he and his siblings were placed in a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
, where nuns allegedly abused him physically and emotionally for his life-long problem of chronic bed wetting. He was also placed in a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
orphanage, where one of the caretakers allegedly tried to drown him. In his adolescence, Smith reunited and lived an itinerant existence with his father. He also spent time in different juvenile detention homes after joining a street gang and becoming involved in petty crime. Perry's father, Tex, moved to Cold Springs
Cold Springs, Nevada
Cold Springs is a census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It is located just off U.S. Route 395 in the northwestern part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area, adjacent to the California state line...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1964-1967 where he lived to the age of 92 before committing suicide, distraught over poor health.
Two of Smith's siblings committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
as young adults, and the remaining sister eliminated any contact with him.
Military service and life in Washington
At age 16, Smith joined the United States Merchant MarineUnited States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
. He joined the army in 1948, where he served in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. During his stint in the army, Smith spent weeks at a time in the stockade for public carousing and fighting with Korean civilians and other soldiers. In spite of his record, in 1952, Smith received an honorable discharge and was last stationed at Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
in Washington. He stayed with an Army friend for a time in the Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
area, where he was employed as a car painter. With one of his first pay checks, Smith bought a motor bike. While riding, he lost control of the bike due to adverse weather conditions. Smith nearly died in the accident and spent six months in a Tacoma hospital. Because of the severe injuries to both legs, Smith's legs were permanently disabled and he suffered chronic leg pains for the rest of his life. To help control the pain, he was known to consume a copious amount of aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
.
The murders and life on death row
Perry Smith and Richard HickockRichard Hickock
Richard "Dick" Eugene Hickock was one of two ex-convicts who murdered the four members of the Herbert Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood...
first met in the Kansas State Prison, at Lansing, Kansas
Lansing, Kansas
Lansing is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Leavenworth County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,265...
, resuming their acquaintance after Hickock's release in November 1959. Hickock and Smith later testified that they had gotten the idea to rob the Clutters after Hickock was told, by former cellmate Floyd Wells, that there was a safe in the family's house containing $10,000. When they invaded the house, however, they discovered that there was no such safe.
Smith and Hickock were captured in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
on December 30, 1959, following an extensive manhunt which extended into Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Smith admitted to cutting the throat of the father, Herbert Clutter, as well as shooting both Herbert and Kenyon Clutter in the head with a shotgun at close range. The trial record shows a dispute as to which of the two shot the women, Bonnie and Nancy Clutter. Alvin Dewey, chief investigator of the Clutter family murders, testified at the trial that Hickock insisted in his confession that Smith performed all the killings; Smith, however, first claimed Hickock killed the women, but later claimed to have shot them himself. Although Smith's revised confession coincided with Hickock's initial statement, Smith refused to testify in court, as did Hickock, leading to a lack of an official record detailing who killed the women, aside from Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Kansas Bureau of Investigation
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, or KBI is the criminal investigative arm of the state of Kansas. The agency was established in 1939 by the Kansas Legislature, and is a division of the state's Attorney General...
(KBI) Special Agent Dewey's testimony outlining Hickock's confession, along with Smith's confession and the latter's subsequent revision.
While Smith had only a grade-school education, he maintained a strong interest in art, literature and music. He read extensively, and during his time on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, wrote poems and painted pictures for other inmates from photos of their family members.
Relationship with Truman Capote
During research for his novel In Cold BloodIn Cold Blood (book)
In Cold Blood is a 1966 book by American author Truman Capote detailing the brutal 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a successful farmer from Holcomb, Kansas, his wife and two of their four children. Two older daughters no longer lived at the farm and were not there at the time of the murders...
, Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
extensively interviewed Smith and eventually befriended him. There have long been rumors and conjecture
Conjecture
A conjecture is a proposition that is unproven but is thought to be true and has not been disproven. Karl Popper pioneered the use of the term "conjecture" in scientific philosophy. Conjecture is contrasted by hypothesis , which is a testable statement based on accepted grounds...
as to the exact nature of their relationship. While Capote never wrote anything to suggest that there was anything more than a platonic friendship, some accounts have suggested perhaps a stronger association had developed.
Execution
Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were executed by hangingHanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on April 14, 1965. Warden Greg Seamon presided over the hanging of the convicted murderers in Lansing.
Film portrayals
Smith was portrayed in the 1968 film version of In Cold BloodIn Cold Blood (film)
In Cold Blood is a 1967 film based on Truman Capote's book of the same name. Richard Brooks prepared the adaptation and directed the film. Some scenes were filmed on the locations of the original events, in Garden City and Holcomb, Kansas including the Clutter residence...
by Robert Blake
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
, who had an uncanny resemblance to Smith;, by Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
in the 1996 miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
adaptation of the original film, by Clifton Collins Jr. in 2005's Capote
Capote (film)
Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was...
and by Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
in 2006's Infamous
Infamous (film)
Infamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career....
.