Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-05-02
VERDICT OF CORONER'S JURY-INDICT-
MENT OF THE GRANDPARENTS
TRIAL-EXAMINATIO WIT
NESSES,

NESSES,
| Our citizens were startled and Mortified last
Sunday morning at the news that a young
| girl, Lottie Rowe, aged Is years, daughter of
Joseph Rowe, living near the Federal cemetery,
| one mile east of Staunton, had been both out
ragged and murdered near her home about II
o'clock Saturday night.
That night this girl had been attending a
party at her uncles, John Rowe, in the
same vicinity, and was returning to her home
| accompanied by Charles Bradford, a young
man from this city, and just as they arrived
at the bridge on the New Hope road which
spans the Z. & 0. railroad. they were overtaken
by large negro who, Bradford states, knocked
him off the bridge under which he lay for
some time unconscious, and that on reviving
| he looked for the girl and could not find her
and went to her fathers house, supposing she
had gone home.
| Just before the arrival of the West-bound
G. & O. train between 4 and o'clock Sunday
morning the dead body of the girl was found
lying on the railroad track with her skull
mashed and other wounds on the forehead
|
eating that she had been choked before being
raped and killed.
| On following the trail of the dragged body
| the place of the horrible crimes was discover
ed in piece of plowed ground near by, which
gave evidence of terrible struggle, and the
hat of Lawrence Spiller large and remark
| ably strong negro. employed at Bodeys
| Wagon Works near there, as a blacksmith,
was found and also bludgeon made of
spoke with heavy metal cap, which belong
ed to him, and the tracks in the plowed
ground showed that they were made by the
shoes worn by him; and, after he had been
arrested. on visit of some gentlemen to the
house of his coored paramount they caught
her in the act of burning up some clothes,
some of which they saved from the burning,
| and which had blood on them, whereupon
she was also arrested. These are very strong
evidences that the guilty party was arrested,
which was effected by clever ruse of the Of
ficers, who told him that they wished him to
go with them to identify another person whom
they claimed to have arrested. These officers
were Policemen Simpson and Hamilton, and
Deputy Sheriff Dawson. When told by
Simpson that he was wanted to identify the
party they claimed to have arrested he assent
ed and put on his shoes and went with them
He was taken into the buggy with Dawson,
and Simpson and Hamilton rode before in an
other buggy, and when he arrived at the jail
he was covered with pistol by Simpson who
then told him that he was the arrested party
and that he was charged with having murder
Spiller was also armed with a pistol, but he
made no resistance and gave up his pistol.
To preserve order the Sheriff summoned to
his aid 25 special deputies. During the day
there were rumors that persons from Clifton
Forge and several other places contemplated
the lynching of the prisoner and, in conse-
quence thereof, and to make assurance doubly
sure the military companies of Staunton,
Harrison burg and Charlottesville were called
out-that from Harrisonburg arrived at half
after II O'Clock Sunday night, and that from
Charlottesville at about l o'clock, and were
surprised to find everything quiet here.
BATHROOMS CLOSED.
By order of the Mayor, the bar-rooms of the
city were closed from II o'clock Sunday night
till II o'clock Monday night, and the sale of
liquors forbidden within one mile of the city
limits during that time.
VERDICT OF CoRoNER's JURY.
The coroner's inquest, Justice Arch Kinney
acting as coroner, which commenced on Sun
day was resumed and concluded on Monday
at about half after o'clock. p. m after the
examination of dozen witnesses, when the
al
AUGUSTA COUNTY TO WIT:
An inquisiton taken at point where the
body of Lottie Rowe was lying in the county
of Augusta on the 2Sth day of April in the
year of 1894, before Archibald Kinney, a JUS
tice of the peace, of said county, and acting as
coroner upon the view of the body of Lottie
Rowe there lying dead The inquest not be-
ing concluded, it twas adjourned to the Sheriff's
Office of said county, and again assembled at
8 a. M, April 30, 1894 The jurors sworn to
inquire when, how and by what means the
said Lottie Rowe came to her death, upon
| their oaths do say, she came to her death in
| the night of April 2Sth or the morning OF
| April 29th by blows upon her head, fractur-
| ing and crushing her skull, and further upon
| their oaths, and from the testimony before
| them, said blows were inflicted upon her and
| she came to her death at the hands of Law
renee Spiller.
| The following composed the jury of in-
| quest
J. D. Shull, w. B. Sellers, Nelson Andrews,
C. J. Wilkerson, Thos. j. Mauck and George
A. Bach
| INDICTMENT OF GRANDJuRY.
With the view of giving the prisoner a
speedy trial, Judge Chalkley, Judge of the
County Court, had special grandjury sum-
moned for Monday.
| The following constituted this grandjury =
| Samuel F. Pilson, J. A. Fauber, Michael
McAleer John W. Todd, Charles Lynham,
Henry D. Peck, E. NJ. Cushing, Jacob A.
| Hanger and H. Erskine Gay.
| The Grandjury was empaneIed at O'Clock
Monday morning, and after several hours en-
gagged in the examination and deliberation
| they made an indictment against Lawrence
Spiller for murder in the first degree for the
| murder of Lottie Rowe.
| CONCURRENT JURISDICTION.
As the county and city have concurrent
jurisdiction in this case, the prisoner is prose
cuted by Meade f. White, Commemorative
| Attorney for the county, and by ]. L. Bum
gardner, Attorney for the city. AS the pri-
soner failed to have counsel employed, the
Judge appointed Misses R. S. Turk and Joseph
A. Glasgow to defend him.
| COMMENCEMENT OF THE TRIAL.
About O'Clock, the prisoner was taken
from the jail to the Courthouse. The Court
house yard was packed with people, and the
| Charlottesville military company with load
ed guns and bayonets fixed, formed the guard,
with positions on both sides of the walk from
the Jail to the Courthouse, and prevented the
| crowd from entering the Courthouse The
prisoner, accompanied by Sheriff Watts,
Deputy Sheriff Dawson, Chief of Police J. H.
Waters, and Policeman c. E. Gregory, then