An article that Harper Lee wrote for the FBI magazine discovered

Harper Lee

Nelle Harper Lee, author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

A manuscript by the American author Harper Lee was recently discovered and now her biographer, Charles J. Shields, believes he has found another unknown text by the author, an article about the famous fourfold murder that occurred in Kansas.

This article was written in March 1960 in the Grapevine, a magazine for professional FBI agents, two months before he published his famous novel "To Kill a Mockingbird". The letter is not signed by her but Detective Shield discovered evidence confirming her authorship.

The article was about the horrific murder of Herb and Bonnie Clutter and their teenage children, Nancy and Kenyon, at their country home in Kansas. Lee reported with Truman Capote on how the community was reacting to the brutal killings.

Capote used this material in his non-fiction story "In Cold Blood", downplaying Lee's contribution by describing her as his "research assistant".

In his article, Harper Lee wrote about "the extraordinary murder case in the history of the state." In it he reported that the victims of the murder had been tied by the hands and feet and that the murderer fired at close range. Furthermore, he also reported that Clutter's throat had been slit.

“The role of Dewey… was doubly difficult; Herbert Clutter was a close friend… the leads from Dewey and his co-workers were initially pretty poor. The murderers took the weapon and the projectiles that they used to kill the family; the duct tape used to gag the three victims could have been bought anywhere… However, in the basement boiler room where Clutter's body was found, investigators discovered a clear footprint marked with blood. "

Shields found the article while reviewing his 2006 best-selling biography, "Mockingbird: a Portrait of Harper Lee." He said he was looking for any clues that he might have previously missed. He began by perusing the Kansas newspapers and, on the Garden City Telegram, started by reading a column by Dolores Hope, who she knew was a friend of Harper Lee.

“Nelle Harper Lee, a young writer who came to Garden City with Truman Capote to gather material for a New Yorker magazine article on the Clutter case, wrote the article. The publication of Miss Harper's first novel is scheduled for this spring and trailers say it is destined to be a success. "

Article by Dolores Hope

Dolores Hope was right and Harper Lee became one of America's most revered writers with her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, a story about racism and legal injustice established in the southern United States in the 1930s. When she thought there would be no more news about her, 20 years later the author he returned with "Go and put a sentinel," a novel that features the characters from his first novel. Harper Lee died in February of last year at the age of 89.

Returning to the main theme of Shields' discovery, as soon as he had the news he contacted the Grapevine:

"I was told that there has been a rumor in the office for years that Harper Lee submitted something, but we have not been able to see anything in his name."

From the date of the column Hope published, February 1930, he suggested looking in the February or March issues of the same year.

"Lo and behold, a very well written article on the Clutter case was published in March 1960."

Commenting on why she was not mentioned in the article, she replied that it was because it was typical of her not to interfere with her friend's audience Truman.

One more proof of his authorship is that en the article contains details of which only she and Truman were aware, something Shield discovered.

Shield will include his research in "Mockingbird: a Portrait of Harper Lee: From Scout to Go Set a Watchman," to be published by Henry Holt today.

The Grapevine will print Harper Lee's article in the next month. Shields has been commissioned to write the introduction to this "exciting discovery."


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  1.   Alberto Diaz said

    Hi Lidia.
    It is curious, very curious, how every so often news appears about characters we thought we knew everything about. What an exciting surprise for the discoverer.
    I wonder if Capote was fair in downplaying Harper Lee's work during the Kansas murder investigation. I suspect not, and if so, it seems fatal to me.
    A literary greeting from Oviedo and thanks for sharing.