Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-06-13
EXECUTION OF LAWRENCE SPILL
LER.
RaviSher and Murderer.
His Statement of His Crime.

! His Statement of His Crime.
On the night of the 18th of April, 1894,
Lawrence Spiller, colored, ravished and muir
dered Lottle Rowe, white girl, aged 10 years,
near the Federal cemetery, about mile east
of this city, and placed her body on the rail
road track where it was found early the next
morning-Sunday. A few hours after, he
was arrested by the Police A special grand
jury was Immediately summoned by Judge
Chakley to indict him The Coroner's In
quest was held, special jury was summoned
and he was tried and on Wednesday morn
ing, May 2nd, was convicted and sentenced to
be hanged on the Sth of June, on which day
| at $50 a. N. the execution was successfully
performed and his body was taken by Rev.
| r. K Clifford (colored) of Harrisonburg, his
{ friend and spiritual adviser for lnterment at
/ Petersburg Grant county, W. Va.,-his ma
tive county. On Friday, May 4th, two days
after his sentence, he made to J. L. Beck, his
former employer, and r. S. Turk one of his
counsel, the following statement and confess
sion of guilt which was not published till aft
er his execution, and which we now publish
not because it is either pleasant or profitable
reading but because it is a part of the history if
| the most horrible double crime ever commit
ted in Virginia, and for which painless death
was not q sufficient punishment
sPILLERs STATEMENT.
| left the shop at the Bodley Wagon Works
| about half past four o'clock on Saturday even
ing, 2Sth April, 1894, and went home, but
didn't stay there but a short time. Came out
by Sine Crawford store and saw Jake Painter
and his wife at the well and asked them if he
was coming to town. He said yes, and we
came on together as far as the Minnesota
blacksmiths shop at the arch bridge Then
went up by the Virginia Hotel to Billy Bar
bours saloon, and ! treated. Then me and
Jessie took another drink, but Mr.. Painter did
not drink this time. Me and Mr.. Painter
came out together and went up to the corner
Then l went straight across the street and got
deck of cards; then went to Mr.. Knowles
butcher shop and got string of fish; then
went to Mr.. Lipscomb's shoe store and bought
some things; then went back to Mr.. Barbour's
saloon and enquired the price of Monticello
whiskey, found 1t was 81 quart, but didn't
buy any. then went to Mr.. Harman's liquor
store and got two quarts of whiskey. Before
| started away he gave me little square bot
tie of whiskey which he told me was sample
whiskey-the same bottle that was shown on
the trial.
L lell lueu anu NeuG HOIle. WIS III dl
home more than twenty-five minutes when |
left and went over again to Sine Crawford S
store and down the railroad track to Bob
Gaines, and across the railroad to the Rich
mond (Waynesboro) road and started up to-
ward the cemetery toward Mr.. John Rowe's. |
This was between dusk and dark. Before |
got up to Mr.. Young's | see woman walking
right in the middle of the road | walked up
and overtaken her, but kept on the sidewalk |
and she in the road. She spoke to me- knew
her very well-it was Emma Greaver She |
stayed in the middle Of the road and stad on
the sidewalk, but before we got up to John |
Rowe's | let her go ahead of me. When | got
to Mr.. John Rowe's there was lady standing |
right by the Richmond (Waynesboro) road |
but in the New Hope road. | didn't know |
her. but l asked her if Mr.. Rowe was at home? |
She said he wasn't. | told her | would be |
back after awhile, and to tell Mr.. Rowe that |
it was that man who had that needle gun that |
was here and he wanted to see him. Emma |
Greaver was just below the house when l left |
and she asked me if | was going down to |
Neeps-that was Jack Painters wife's name. |
her sister. She said Stay there till come /
want to play seven-up." l went to Painters |
but didn't go in the house but came out in
the alley where Jack Brannan and Ed. Dyer |
was. We talked awhile but never said what |
Jack said | did in his evidence Jack Brannan
testified that Spiller said he was going to
Rowe's, and made some obscene threat about |
women.-Reporter.l Ed. Dyer told nearer the |
truth Then | went on up to Mr.. Rowe's |
again. When l got there found girl setting |
in the door, | asked her if Mr.. Rowe had come |
yet? She said he had not | told her | would |
be back again. Then l went on down to
Painters and went in the house. There
found Mr.. Painter and his wife and Bob Back |
and we played four games Of cards, as well as
| can recollect
Then l went up to Mr.. Rowes again. This
was about 10 o'clock I asked if Mr. Rowe |
pTas af hnrn1n rpt md hoy OH Mr.
Rowe come out and told me to come in, that l
was just as welcome in his house as any body. |
There wasn't many words passed till be SAID, |
''Have you got deck of cards?" L said yes. !
We got to drinking directly and we played
some three or four games, l think. Me and |
Mr.. Joe Rowe was playing together and Mr. |
John Rowe and his daughter Lucy. She was
setting catawampus across the table. Swartz |
says he played with us, but l don't remember |
that distinctly; he was there though. We |
drank again shortly and Mr.. John Rowe told
his wife to take drink, but she said she didn't
want it, but he said she must drink for his |
sake. She said she wouldn't do it. He walk |
ed around to her then and said he would make
her drink. Then she taken drink some way
Then | began to get mad. l knowed the rea-
son she didn't want to drink was because | |
had the liquor and had been drinking out of /
the bottle. | was pretty drunk but l under |
stood her reason. They handed the bottle |
back to me but I was mad and told them to
keep the bottle, liquor and all. About that |
time Mason Doom and Deakins came. Doom
and me drank out of Doom's bottle. l only |
had one gun (pistoD with me and l only took |
il out and laid it on the table while | was |
putting the deck Of cards in my hip pocket. | !
couldn't put them in with the gun in the
pocket
Then said I'll go, and l walked out and |
went down between Mr.. Rowes and Morgan |
Gaines to a gate that is there-that was where
the piece of lead was settn. That was the |
club with which it was thought he had killed |
Lottie Rowe, as it had some of her hair on the |
end when found-Reporter.l I know it was
there but | can't get the straight Of it, how | !
got it that night, but got it and stuck it I'M
der my arm and walked up next to the ceme
terry and leant against the wall. | see a man !
and this girl when they come out. l walked |
right along behind them l was foolish drunk |
have myself to save my life. | followed them |
till his feet struck the bridge over the railroad
when | hit him a light blow ON the head with |
the lead. didn't want to break his skull. He !
had his hand around the girls neck some how |
and as he fell, that pulled her down. l hit him |
again and then he fell straight down. l new
er touched him afterwards and never threw !
him into the railroad cut.
picked up the girl. She was badly scared |
and ! told her not to holler. She said she |
wouldn't. carried her back to the wire fence
and lifted her over it on to the pIowed ground |
didn't choke her, only just kept her SO she
couldn't holler. l stepped over the barbed
wire fence, but tore my pants good deal. |
never stopped to tie up the barbed fence wire !
with piece of the lining OF my coat and !
don't believe Britt ever found any of the lin !
ing of my coat there as he swore he did The |
wind blew my hat off, as got over the fence |
1 started on across the plowed field. Before |
we got half way across | heard the girls moth |
er call her and l knowed Charles Bradford |
must have told her that Lottie was gone |
set the girl down just after got over the fence.
1t was very dark She says, Take me right |
here" but it was too close to the road for me. |
She told me she was poor colored girl and !
that there was never anybody had touched |
said this to fool me. Then it lightened and
held long flash and she looked up into my
face and saw me and said ooh l know you ~ |
| know now it was the Lord that showed her |
my face and | knowed she did know NE and |
| was gone. | told her to come on and go with |
me and l would take her home She says
will you do that?" l said yes if you don't |
boiler. She said she wouldn't boiler. She |
said she loved me. l told her if she hollered |
| would choke her to death. We did not lie |
down in the plowed field, but | carried her