The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-03-31
The Trial of Spring for Murder.

the papers OF that city Among the witness
i examined was ARTHUR. the son Of the prison
The Ledger says he told his story in an artls
manner and with great hinuteness, fully CORE
Grating the different statements OF the differe
witnesses previously examined in reference
| circumstances with which he was Connected
The whole statement of the boy bore the impr6
of truth upon its face; it was consistent throue
out. During the time he was delivering the
idence, the father moved to the Western endf
| the dock, so as to get n better view of his 81
than he had of the rest of the Witnesses Ie
| conduct of the fither was not marked bv az
unusual emotions.
| Arthur testified that he was born in Philad-
| phia; was eighteen years old has three your
sisters in the Asylum in Washington: that te
dirk knife found under the body of one of te
murdered women, was given TO him by boyn
| Washington, named Jas. Gooman; that to
weeks previous to the murder he missed te
knife, that his father, before the Thursday te
murder was committed, had So in money. with
he said he got from Mrs Harrington, and S3le
obtained from Thos. Ford. His father, sue
time previous, he said, told him n woman rsl-
ed Julia Conner was about to loan him $50;
the real name of which woman, the witnesson
| Tuesday before the murder, ascertaihed wasprs.
! Shaw, one of the murdered.
| The visit to the house of Carroll, on the ,ght
previous to the murder, was next minute} de-
tailed. Spring told his son he was going here
M
panied him for the purpose of nreyentiu the
outrage und protecting the inmates. Win his
father hrst proposed TO go to the house rob,
the witness refused to go, but the priseer fl
nally promised he would only ask Mrs Shaw
to loan him money, when he consentd to ac-
company him. While at the house, tk priso-
oner limited to the witness that he void "fx
them" The witness said if he was s.oiug to
do anything like thGt,'' he would leave. Liquor
was then brought in, and while all hans were
drinking, Carroll and his brother, who BID been
out, knocked at the door, were let in. an being
drunk, commenced fighting with Mrs. Carroll
which ended in n fight between Carrel and
Spring, during which the latter pulled sonhthing
out Of his pocket, which the witness pcled up
and found to be a piece of leaden pipe whpped
up in paper not SO large as the piece shoFn the
witness before the grand jury. They sool after
left the house, and their way to McGuires
the prisoner requested the witness not to throw
the leaden pipe away, for he would fix tlrm for
that yet''-that he would hit both of thelnn the
head and end them, whereupon the Witness
threw the pipe away, as he said he woul{ carry
no weapon with which his father could qmmit
murder. In consequence of this 1emaiS his
father did not speak to him until the mex day.
On Wednesday his father returned to Crrols
for his hat, but the witness kept watcl over
him all day, and at ] o o'clock at night came
home, and told witness he had been down at
SiAioii >, anu HC lOuilu Out Iildl MI aLu MRS.
Carroll were going to ball the next night: he
said Mr.. Lynch was in New York. and there
would be no one in the house but them two wo-
men; he said he would fix them off; he didn't
say anything about it further until Thursday
morning.; he said he going down there that
night, and wanted witness to go there with him;
said he would not go he asked him five or six
times, and he got angry, and did not speak to
witness until supper; he was not out of witness
sight that day The witness next testified that
previous to leaving on the errand for Miss Nc
CURE, he went up stairs and finding his father
in his room, with his coat off. and teing hand
kerchief on his head, told him where he wus GO
ing. He replied very we'll" Witness return
ed about l o o'clock, and feeling certain his faith
er was in bed, remained, in the bar-room, rea-
ding the Police Gazette, until the baker attach
ed to the house askad him to 60 and see If there
was any salt in the house, and here we give the
testimony as reported:
Il went and got him some salt; while looking
for it, heard noise mt the back door. | went
and opened the door. and saw my father out
side; said | thought you were in bed; | did
think he was in bed down to that moment; in
one hand he had his shoes, and in the other he
had three twenty dollar gold pieces and ten
dollar gold piece; he put the gold into my hand
[ gave the baker the salt, at that time had the
gold in my hand under the candlesticll; the mo-
ney was wet; | came back: he took the candle
stairs; got n pan of water and took it up stairs;
he had his coat off; there was light in the
room he asked me for the money aud gave it
to him ; he then told me to go down stairs, md
if they asked if he was in bed to say yes; when
[ went up with the pan | observed the cond-
ton of his shirt: the breast of it was full of
blood; he had on three shirts that night an un-
dershirt and two linen ones; saw this before |
went down: asked him what crime he had
committed and he said he had killed them two
Cd d-m b-s; he was then washing the
shirts; staid down stairs about quarter of an
hour; | told MGuire if he waiting for faith
eT he was up stairs; some one came in and drank
and | went up stairs; father was then washing
his shirts; looked at his coat to see if there
was blood on it; washed it off; | meant to con-
ceal his crime as far rs could; | asked him
what two women he had killed; and he said
Mrs. Carroll and Mrs. Shaw: / said do YOU
mean Mrs. Carroll; he said no, l mean Mrs
Lynch and Mrs. Shaw; he left the shirts on the
table to dry: they the same shirts | saw in
the grand jury room (the witness identified the
shirts J the windows were shut down he said
it was no harm to kill them, for they were COM
mon women any how"
The witness then detailed the particulars of
the manner in which the two were mur-
dered, rs narrated to him by his father on the
night of the tragedy. 1t appears that Mrs.
her sister, exclaimed :'Mr. Spring if YOU save
my life, I'll give you all the money Eve got"
when he struck her violent blow
The purchase of the shirts and stockings with
the $40 gold piece and the payment of n So
gold piece to Mrs. Mcguire for board. were res
tilted to by the witness. who also identified the
shirts; the piece of pipe was also identified by
him as belonging to McGuires cellar. The
point of the dirk was also shown and likewise
,1a1N E4I