Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-12-29
M|Mhe 1ytmhttatar.
FRIDAY MORNING. DEC. 20. 1876.
Local..
The Slower Murder.

The Slower Murder.
DISCHARGE OF THE ACCUSED-IAE CHlEf
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION I'M
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF THE
PRISONER,
&C., &C., @c.
There were not less than five hundred
persons white and colored in the Court
House Wednesday morning to neal the ex-
animation of James L. Spencer, OF whose
arrest and preliminary examination we
gave an account last Friday. The charge,
| that of being In the party that murdered
| old Mr.. Christopher Slower in March,
| eight years co., brought out several OF the
young people who were at the party at Mr.
Stover's that night, including two OF the
murdered mans daughters, now married.
The prisoner appeared to be calmer IMAM
| on his previous examination except when
young Campbell vas testifying to his
confession" when he became very much
excited, shaking his finger at the witness
and making an angry dumb show. When
the daughters of the lead men were asked
if they could identify Spencer he stood up
| promptly with the manner of a man quite
| conscious of his innocence. Capt. James
Bumgardner, Jr., appeared to represent
! The Commonwealth and MI. George M.
Cochran Jr., appeared for the accused.
Magistrates d. N. Vanlear and ID. w.
| Coiner sat in the case.
COULDN'T RECOLLECT.
Rufus Kindig, d young man of twenty
four, testified that he was n OF the party
at Mr.. Stover's that night when, about s
O'Clock, the three men came in with pistols
pointed and faces and hands either black
or blacked, the witness could not be GER
tain which. The men told the party of
young men and women, eight or ten in
number, to be still and keep their seats,
and they should not be hurt. In a few
moments all was confusion, and witness
ran out. passing Mr.. Slower, who was ly.
ing on the platform. Witness could not
| give a very connected account Of what
TRANSFERRED in the house, but remembered
that after he got out he got some distance
on the road with two ladies, / three
men came up to him and said Halt r.
Witness jumped behind al oak tree: and
they didn't see him. The men went OF
towards Barterbrook.
Il DAUGHTERS OF MR.. TOWER ON THF
STAND.
Mrs. Hippert, a lady about thirty
years of age, testified to there being com
pany at her fathers ON the night of the
18th of March, 1858. when about 9 O'Clock
some voices were heard to say outside
Don't let the dogs bite.'' Then three
men, n large and two small, entered witt
pistols, and their faces bound in ONT
thing like oil-cloth. Her father ran vi
Of the men. They then started out. She
was standing by her father wien he was
shot by one Of the smaller men as he went
out, and caught him in her arms as he fel
to the platform. He died in three minutes
In assisting her father in the scutf1e before
he was shot. she had struck one of the mel
on the head and pushed the oil-cloth around
Couldn't recognize the prisoner (who 0
stood up for inspection) as being II OF
them, could not say whether he was OF wax
not there. Mrs. Mary McCan, another
daughter Of Mr.. Slower, gave similar tes-
timOny.
Miss Fanny Kindig, an interesting look
ing young lady of twenty-five, testified te
having been at the party On the fatal night
but could not say whether the men wert
black or masked men, nor could she iden-
fifty the prisoner as one Of them.
WHAT THE PRISONER HAD SAID.
Robt. Craig, who made affirmation in
stead Of oath, testified to having talked tt
Spencer about the murder, and to s.. hav>
ing said that Mr.. Stover's death was not
regretted by the ne1ghborhood or his
family-tllat was all.
MORAL IN ROCKFIsH GAP.
Mrs. Campbell, q pretty little woman Of
twenty, wife OF the chief witness for the
prosecution, testified that she lived within
q mile of the prisoner, who lived with hel
aunt, Ellen Carr, as his wife, though he
had another wife, Mag Thomas, a short
distance off, who he would bring home
when he had a row with Ellen. She hao
heard her aunt say to Spencer often, wher
quarelling with him, that s'she hadn't
killed anybody like he had" Whenevel
Spencer went Off after the other wife, Ell
len always quarrel ed-she never missed q
time.
THE CORNERSTONE
Ed. G.. Campbell, uncle of the chief wit
ness that testified to the confession, said
that after Stovar's death Spencer remarked
that he supposed witness brother who
married his daughter would get a lot of
money as Slower had a good deal. adding
II know that"
Francis E. C%ampbsll, the chief witness
who hear / the confession" repeated his
testimony to the effect that Spencer was
helping him to build a chimney and while
they were eating their dinner in the woods
S. was boasting Of ''what great things he
had done and could do if John Stonehouse
would back him." He said he wasn't
afraid Of doing anything as these moua-
ia in lawyers didn't amount to anything
He remarked in boast that he had KILLED
one damned old hog" Campbell said who?
Spencer said "I'm afraid to tell you.'
Campbell said "You don't think I would
tell on you - when Spencer replied. 'I've
got no reason to think SO; it was old Sto-
ver." Witness said the murdered man
was not his grand father but only about
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