Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-06-22
The Burial of SpiIIer.

| A DOUBTING WIFE AND FRIENDS DISIN
TER THE BODY FOR IDENTIFICATION.
When the body of Lawrence Spi1ler, TIN
executed murderer, arrived at the home O.
his wife, Petersburg, Grant county, w
Va. Oh the afternoon of June 9th, accom-
panied by Rev. T. K. Clifford. colored, OF
Harrisonburg, it was met by his wife and
| two children who were loud in their mani
festations of grief. 1t was very much de-
composed and the minister drove on
straight to the colored cemetery and buried
it. The refusal to open the coffin for their
| inspection aroused the suspicious Of the
wife and her negro friends that Splller'
| body had been handed over for dissection
| in Virginia and was not in the coffin at all.
On the following Tuesday, three days after
the burial, number of people went to the
grave, opened it, viewed the body and sat-
| isfied themselves that it was that of Spill
ler. The Moorefeld Examiner, from which
we get these facts, publishes two letters
| written by Rev. Clifford at the dictation
| of SpilIer. One is sort of circular letter
to his old companions, his wife and his
children. Its contents are interesting as
showing the mental exaltation which did
not desert him on the gallows, and which
accounts for the wonderful nerve he dis
played
/ LETTER TO FRIENDS.
STAUNTON, VA, June 1, 1894.
| 10 Annie Tross, my sister, and to Maud Spill
Ter, my daughter
| I only have few days to live in this world
but thanks be to my dear Savior l am ready
to meet him. have experienced a change of
heart and am now at peace with God and all
mankind on earth. | feel sure of getting to
heaven MY way is clear 1t is true that
have committed an awful crime for which I
must suffer the penalty and it is just But the
Lord has been very good to me in that he has
pardoned all my sins. You need not have any
doubts in regard to my future welfare; it is
all we'll with my soul. l want you all to
meet me in heaven. 1t will be winter for a
| short while but it will soon be summer for
ever. Tell your ma and all the children to
| meet me in heaven. Farewell. You must
| not grieve after me. / was once with you
We were all together but when my body
comes to you this time my soul will have been
gone to that God who gave it and will be at
rest.
A message to old associates. Red
man, George Redman, Isaac Nailer Russell
Washington, Job Redman, Ada Spiller, my
children, and Henry Spiller my brother:
1 want this to be warning to you all. On
the 9Th day Of JuneI walk out to face eterni.
ty. There will be no fear about me. am not
afraid to trust God my maker. l want you
to change your way of living so that you may
meet death with joy and not with grief You
know it will be a sudden drop into eternity
but feel my precious Savior will be with
, me to take me to house not made with
hands but eternal in the heavens Thank
God Twill see heap of friends that l will
know and my little children. am going to
dwell with them. | will rise from my grave
on the resurrection morning. am shod with
gospel grace, and then will sail back into
heaven again. | want you all to be ready to
sail up with me. Don't forget this whatever
you do. If you do you will neglect your soul
1t does not make any difference how the wind
may blow nor how the rain may descend, hold
On to the gospel pillow till the storm ceases
Good bye; this is all that l can do. God bless
you all his
LAWRENCE x SPILLER.