Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-05-04
An lYROCIOUS CRIME

A YOUNG GIRL OUTRAGED
AND MURDERED.
THE MURDERER CAUGHT, TRIED,
CONVICTED AND SENTENCED
TO DEATH.
There are few housekeepers in Staunton
who do not remember a frail, light haired
girl of twelve years who began four years
ago to appear at their doors with a
basket asking for provisions. She was the
daughter of Joseph Rowe, a helpless, thrift
less sort of man. who to his other frailties
had added that of liquor drinking. The
family lived about in various parts of
Staunton, and six months ago went to
live near John Rowe, a brother of Joseph,
about mile and a half East Of the city.
The neighborhood is settlement of colored
people called Pinchtown, hamlet made
famous by A. G. Gordon's pathetic story,
s'The Pinchtown Pauper." Joseph Rowe
occupies cabin little better than shanty,
about three hundred yards from his broth
er, who lives in somewhat better house-a
house one half Of which is a vacant store.
This house Of John Rowe's has been the
place for the last six months for holding
nightly balls attended by many people OF
whose character there was no doubt, and
attracted number Of young men from
StauntOn who went on s'slumming'' eXpedi
tions. 1t was but lately that these ''ghost
dances" at Rowe's became so VIGOROUSLY
disorderly that the county police ralded the
house and a number of men and women
were captured and fined. At these ''balls y
the little light haired girl of basket memo
ry, now the fifteen-year-o Lottie Rowe
was nightly attendant. 1t would have been
hard for woman OF age and experience to
have held to the right there; the young girl
whose childhood i'll fortune had marked for
its own, soon sunk her budding womanhood
to the level of her surroundings.
Six months ago when the I'd Presby-
terrain church revival meetings were
being held here she attended them,
and in sorrow and tears spoke of her deter
mination to reform her life. That perhaps
was the last glimpse OF the white road Of a
better life that she ever had. Her home,
it it could be called home. was presided
over by father who drank whiskey and
played cards with negroes. One Of these
negroes was Lawrence Spiller.
Lawrence Spiller is a mulatto giant i'll
strength and stature, over six feet two
inches in height and weighs over two hun
bred. He is a blacksmith at Bodley IS
Wagon Works, and the way he came to be
such, has bearing On his present crime.
When the Bodley wagon works were located
in Wheeling, W. Va, the Superintendent
of the West Virginia penitentiary told MI.
B. that he had prisoner whose time was
nearly out who was an excellent blacksmith
and who had proved, while a prisoner, that
he was honest and could be trusted. His
crime was having beaten another negro
over the head with the butt Of pistol un-
til he left him for dead. 1t was done, so it
was claimed, in fight. He has been with
Mr.. Bodley for eight or nine years and in
that time made good The prison superin-
tendent's recommendation of him. He
came with the wagon works when they
were moved here, some four years ago. His
face has rather an Indian look in it. His
strength is in full proportion to his great
size, and it is said he can lift eleven hun
bred pounds with ease. He has no morals
and has been living with colored woman
not his wife, near the wagon works. He
has never visited the colored people in his
vicinity, but always showed preference
for the white people of the Pinchtown cir
Gle, where he could drink whiskey and play
cards. He has habit of getting drunk
every Saturday night but keeping sober all
the week. He has been a welcome visitor
at the RoWes.
Last Saturday night as usual, Lottie
Rowe left her fathers house for that
of her uncle. She was dressed for the
dance, and wore a red skirt and a
white bodice. The distance between the
two houses, which are in sight OF each
other, is not over three hundred yards.
She walked south on the New Hope road
crossing over the overhead railroad bridge,
passing Pat Flynn's vacant lot which is
enclosed with a wire fence, and in a few
more steps was in her uncle's house. There
were some men there-three from Staunton
and two other white girls.
When Lawrence Spiller arrived at JOhr
Rowe's this ghost dance house, he found
Joseph Rowe, Lottie and two OIL three
Young white men from Staunton. Their
he rlayed cards and drank Whiskey witt
the two Rowes, and others, Spiller taking
out two pistols and laying them on tht
table to keep the cards down. In the meal
time Lottie was sitting on the lap of one o.
the young men. To one Of The young mel
Spiller exhibited his jealousy by asking
him if he didn It know that he was ''tramp
ing on my toes when you come out hele!''
THE MURDER.
It was about twelve o'clock when Lot
tie started from her uncles home to hel
own. The night was dark, and a thunder
storm was threatening. Her compan
ion was Charles Bradford, young man
from Staunton. AS they walked on they
heard some one behind them. They thought
itwas young man they had left at Rowes
1t was MOTT was Spiller fired with lus
and whiskey, and with murder in his heart
In a moment more Bradford received
blow on the side of the head
A moment more and he received
another which knocked him dow
fbe embankment and out of sight for thu
dark night hid him. The giant
then struck the little girl, who did moi
weigh ninety pounds, and dragged her from