The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-04-23
Strange Restoration.

AN ODD restitution was made at Spen-
cerville near Newport, last week, that
contains all the elements of romance.
For good many years Mr.. w. d. Spen.
Ger has been citizen of SpencerYie,
coming there originally from Eastern
Tennessee. Spencerville is small
town FIVE miles from Newport, the latter
city being located on the line of the ST..
Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern rail.
road. For many years Mr.. Spencer has
pursued the business of farming and rum
ming store in Spencerville, and has, by
business energy and thrift, accumulated
very comfortable fortune. He has
become SO identified with Spenrcryille
and its interests that his neighbors have
long since ceased to remember that he
was not always neighbor, and that he
came to that County stranger with an
unknown history. Mr.. Spencer never
married, but pursued his bachelor way
with quietEcss, although several maiden
ladies cherished hopes from time to time
that we're never destined to ripen into
the flowers of connubial bliss, and faded
one by one rs the enyied object gathered
more worldly goods from year to year.
1t can be imagined, therefore, how like
q thunder. bolt ':om n clear sky the start.
that two strangers, officers from Tennes-
see, had arrived aud had charged their
respected townsmen with a crime COM
mitted in Tennessee seventeen years
before. But their astonishment became
CONSERVATION when Mr.. Spencer said to
the officers: "GentIemen, ! am the man
you are after. The crime you charge me
with, l committed"
The officers informed him that they had
come to take him back to Tennessee and
let him suffer punishment for that which
he had confessed he had committed.
Mr.. Spencer then said-(an eyewitness
related the story TO a Gazette reporter yes
terday eyening:)
Seventeen years ago, when ] was
more boy, two other young men and my.
self In drunken spree broke into Is store
in our town in Tennessee and robbed it
Of $500 in money. We divided the, e,mon.
ey and ran away. / was wild and reck.
less, but was not thief, aud before
God | do not think could have been
persuaded into this crime if had been
sober. But we took the money and the
shadow of tho crime has haunted my
life ever since. have tried TO live down
my conscience in this quiet and peaceful
place, but l have not been able to do 30.
l am glad you hnvo come, and am ready
to 60 with you. ] want to make full
restitution for what did seventeen years
ago. l have made money, and want 10
pay back all of that blood money.
want to pay the $500, although the other
boys got part of it, and interest on it for
seventeen years. 1t is all / can do.
Nothing will clear my heart of the stain,
but can ut least restore this money"
Mr.. Spencer then figured out the inter.
est on the total amount of the stolen
money, and paid over to tie officers over
$4,000, and to that extent wiped out the
past.
"Now, gentlemen" he said, ~ don't
want you to keep this secret. / want
everybody TO know that I have been d
thief. 1t is my expiation. want them
to know that have done all in my pow
er before God to efface my crime. fl
suffer in the eyes Of my neighbors, it is
just. have deserved it."
The informant of tho reporter said that
this quiet but pathetic acceptance of his
fate visibly affected the officers of the
law, who stood there with requisition
from Governor Hughes to take prisoner
back to his old home. Their eyes became
moist at the spectacle of the agony Of
the lonely bachelor whom wealth could
not make happy, and felt that his life
was failure. They conferred among
themselves, and decided that they would
not proceed further. The money had
been recovered with long years of inter.
est. Mr.. Spencer had beon punished.
His conscience had been q severe Judge.
And after few hours they loft Spencer.
vile and returned to Tennessee, leaving
Spencer freer and happier than he had
been for seventeen years.-Arkansas Ga.
,scife