The herald., 1897-01-24
THE SPENCER CASE
Racy Developments That Open Up New
Lines of Investigation

Lines of Investigation
The further hearing in the suit Of Isa-
bel Spencer against Mrs. Anna Spencer
was continued before Judge Van Dyke
yesterday.
After a severely technical and dry as
dust kind of investigation into the merits
of the case, and much skirmishing around
the dangerous ground which Judge
Lamme has skillfully sought to evade,
the explosion came yesterday The fact
whether Mrs. Anna Spencer melted her
| aged husband to the morphine habit,
| whether she was a true, faithful and
| loyal wife, in all that the term might i'm
ply, and whether she eXtorted from him
his property leaving him penniless, will
now be gone into at length.
The witness, by whose testimony this
mine was sprung, was Mrs Jane Ann
Newton, very ladylilSe and modest ap
! pearng witness, who some time ago OBJ
| tanned divorce from her husband on
| grounds that were sufficiently indicated
| in her testimony. Mr. and Mrs. Newton
| lived first in cottage on Main street
and later occupied half of the double
house in which the Spencers resided.
PR1MED WITH MORPHINE
| Mrs. Newton stated that on several
occasions Mrs. Spencer told her that she
| left morphine in Mr.. Spencers way for
| she didn't like to give him money and tell
| him to go and buy ii. She said it was
necessary to sustain him and so gave it
to him secretly. On one occasion witness
saw the old man partaking of dish of
apple sauce He detected in it some
white pellets and when he saw them
he rose up and left the room. His wife
/ laughed heartily and again told wit
| ness her reason for giving morphine in
such fashion. On another occasion wit
ness saw Mr. Spencer lying down upon
the sofa, when his lower jaw had dropped
| and he had a most curious look. Mrs.
Spencer remarked that her husband had
| taken too much; that he was an old
| man, while she was young woman and
| If anything should happen she would be
| blamed for it.
Mrs. Newton, leaving the morphine
phase of the case, proceeded to tell how
| old man Spencer was maid-of all-work,
and performed the humilating duties
| of the office in fear of his WIFE When
/ his wife would go out he would quit
work and then when he began to ex-
pect her home would go to the garden
! gate and watch, and upon his wife's
return she would find him busily engaged
! in the performance of some menial Of
| flee. Sunday was set apart as scrub
| bing day and upon one occasion when
| witness demonstrated with him, in the
absence of his wife, and said: You
| ought to have more fight in you, Mr..
| Spencer" he despondently answered:
| "Oh, what can l do? I'm an old man;
| she's got all I've got and cares nothing
| for me. She can get no more unless
| she cremates my body and takes my
ashes to fertilize the orange orchard"
| Mrs. Spencer told witness that Walter
! Stephens had drawn will once for her
husband, and that when she found that
part of the property was left to the
children and part to herself, she tore it
but what you give me you will give by
deed"
| THE WORM TURNS AGAIN
Only on one occasion did Mr.. Spencer
| attempt retaliation upon his wife. That
lady and Mrs. Newton had been condol-
| ing with one another at each being hard
up. The Old man broke in Hard up!
] am hard up I'm an old man and
| haven't got a dime
His wife sharply took him to- task.
| "Mr. Spencer" she exclaimed, mot an
other word" and the old man subsided.
| All these details as to the Spencer
marriage were distinctly interesting,
| and rendered, perhaps, the more so in
asmuch as almost every particular was
given over the protest of Judge Lamme,
! counsel for Mrs. Anna Spencer. But
! q veritable storm of words arose when
Mrs. Newton began her story of her hus-
bands dealings with Mrs. Spencer.
| Judge Lamme stated that the clauses
| of the complaint upon which this line
of testimony bore had been stricken out
| in the case of Newton VS., Newton, so
soon as Judge Mckinley had got
"whaek'' at it. Attorney Lee, of plain
| tiffs counsel. retorted that the same al
| legations had been set up again so soon
| as plaintiff got a "whack' at 1t, and that
| the Objectionable clauses were still in
| the pleadngs.
SOME WAYS THAT ARE DARK.
| Witness proceeded, after the little out
| burst, to state that Mrs. Spencer visited
i her at the cottage quite frequently be-
cause she said she intended employing
| Mr. Newton to do some detective work
| for her She found that Mrs. Spencer
would call for Mr.. Newton at the livery
stable frequently about dusk, and they
| would drive off, and Mr.. Newton would
| not return home until l or o'clock in
the morning Mrs. Spencer told witness
| that she had a boy who had married
| woman that was little better than
| woman of the town. and these night
| purpose of gaining information ON this
| point They lasted until some time last
| year, when the boy returned to live with
| his wife.
About April 15 1S93 Mr.. Newton went
| to Chicago and remained there for about
| six weeks Just before he left the wit
ness heard portion of a conversation
| between him and Mrs. Spencer that was
| highly suggestive. She was sitting at
| the window when she saw him coming
| toward the house, but before he reached
| the gate Mrs. Spencer rushed down and
! Intercepted him.