Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-05-04
A SHOCKING STORY OF CRIME
FROM AUGUSTA COUNTY.
A GIRL ASSAULTED AND MUIR
DERED.-SHE WAS BUT FTP
1EI.N VEARS or AGE

LOttie Rowe, the fifteen.year old
daughter Of Joseph Rove. The
body of the murdered girl was
found about dawn on the track of
the Chesapeake and OHIO Railroad
face downward, with her shoulders
acros the rail, by Cd old negro
man. The entire top part OF the
skull was shattered, while her
person bore unmistakable marks of
assault.
! An investigation was at once
instituted. 1t seems that tue young
girl together with Charles Brad
ford, had started about midnight
from the house of her uncle, John
Rowe, to her own home, across
the railroad and about six hundred
Yards from her uncle'S. Bradford
states that as they approached the
bridge they passed q negro man,
who afterwaTd, overlook and at
tackled him, (BradfOrd) knocking
him off the bridge to the railroad
embankment several feet below.
Ca recovering consciousness he
went to the girls home, told OF the
attack on him, and asked ii she
had reached home. She had not,
and a search was instituted.
From the description given 10
the police by Bradford they went
to the home OF Lawrence Spiller,
negro blacksmith, near by, and
under pretense of wanting him to
identity another part, he was
brOul hit here charged with the
murder and locked up. Meanwhile
evidences of his guilt were rapidly
discovered. He had been identi.
fed by Bradford as the man who
assaulted him, had been at Rowe's
house drinking aud bad left there
Just before the couple. From the
bridge Spiller was tracked down
the road about fifty yards. Here
he had gone over wire fence and
here were found bis hat, identified
by several persons, aud a bludgeOn
which the prisoner admitted hav.
ing made.
A rain which had fallen an hour
before enabled the officers TO track
Spiller to the spot where evidences
of struggle showed the assault
had been committed. Tneuce the
negro bad carried the unconscious
girl toward the railroad, thrown
| her over a wire fence on which
pieces of her clothes were found,
and carried her body to the rail-
road track, where the bloody stone
with which her skull had been
crushed was found.
On going to Spiller's house Just
after the murder, his wife was found
burning his clothes, but they were
snatched from the stove and found
to bear spots Of mud and blood.
They have been recognized as the
clothes he had on at ROwe'S last
night. The prisoner IS a powerful
mulattO, more than six feet tall,
about thirty.Age years old and
weighs 240 pounds. When arrest
ed he had a revolver on him. lie
protested his innocence, but ad
mitted that he had been drinking
and could give no satisfactory ac.
count If his whereabouts, Spiller
served a five years term in the
West Virginia penitentlary tor
assault with intent to kill. A spe.
clal grand jury has been summoned
for tomorrow and the sheriff has
summoned a posse of twenty men.
The military will be ordered out
| it 1t is deemed necessary.
The West Augusta Guard, Capt.
| II. w. Holt, has been ordered
under arms and is biyouaced in
The courthouse, opposite the al.
The HaIrisonburg Guards have
! been telegraphed to be ready aud
Superintendent Prime, OF the.
! VALLEY Railroad, has wired that he
viii place special train at their
disposal. Groups Of quiet meu are
bundant on the strerts outside
nd there is fear of an attempt at
lnching the prisoner.
spILLER T&IED AND CONVICTED.
Spiller was indicted by the grand
lary on Monday and his trial COM
Iplcted on Wednesday The evil
denee against him was strong. He.
as convicted AMI sentenced to be
Hanged on Friday, the 9Th day of
June.
The prompt action of the court is
worthy of commentator. When
the public are assured that crimes
will be promptly punished mob law
will cease to exist. The laws de-
lays and the defeat Of justice by
undue regard to technicalities, have
been responsible for much OF
the mob law that has heretofore
prevailed in the different sections Of
the country.