Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1897-02-25
HORRIBLE DETAILS
OF the Murder Of The SpiCerS
BY Indians, South OF
Bismarck.
Bodies Of The Babes and Four
Grown Persons Frightfully
MutiIated.
Lynching Will be The Next
Order Of Businss-Excit-
ment1 Great. .

mont Great.
W1NoNA, N. D., Feb. 2o.-A horrible
sextuple tragedy was discovered one
mile from this place on the ranch of
Rev. Thomas Spicer. The horribly
mutilated bodies Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Spicer, their daughter, Mrs. William
House, with her year.old twin boys,
and the aged Mrs. Waldron, the
mother Of the postmaster Of this place,
were discovered, and there is a. yet no
positive clue to the perpetrators of the
horrible crime. The appearances and
some other circumstances have led to
the suspicion that the murder was com.
mitted by Indians, and this suspicion
was in part started from the known
fact that one Indian
Was Seen in the Neighborhood
of the ranch the previous day. Then
the condition of the bodies shows that
this had been done with axes and clubs,
which fact is taken to at least partially
corroborate the suspicion of Indian
murderers. The Standing Rock Indian
reservation is not far away and when
the Indians from there get away and
manage to get hold of some whisky
there is sure to be trouble. If the mur-
der was committed by Indians the
murderers are undoubtedly now back
among the reservation Indians. There
is much excitement here over the
tragedy.
The details of the murder are most
shocking. News of the tragedy when
fzst received created sensation such
ss ls seldom experienced. Yesterday
morning Jack Spicer, brother OF the
desd man, while driving after . load OF
wood, passed h,s brothers house, situ-
ated about mile and kalf north OF
the town of Wlnons. Receiving no
answer to his knock, he opened the door
and entered. A horrible scene met bic
sight. Mrs. Waldron was lying On the
floor dead, hole crushed in her skull
and her gray hair matted with blood,
which had flowed from the cruel wound.
Spioer was horriiied. but passed on to
the next room, where he found Mrs.
VIM. Rouse and two twin children dead
on the lounge. Mrs. Rouse had been
struck twice in the back Of the head
with the leg of table, and her bead was
badly crushed. The children had been
struck evidently with the same instru-
ment over the right eye and the right
side of the head. and their little skulls
we're crushed. Spicer then, half crazed
with his gruesome and awful discoveries,
went to the barn. where he found the
body of Mrs. Thomas Spicer lying dead,
with hole in her skull and deep cut
in the back of her head, evidently done
by blow with an ak.
At this he did not seek further, but
came to town and notified tho authori-
ties and large crowd Of excited people
accompanied the officers to the Splcer
home. After careful search the body
OF the husband of the woman last found,
Thomas Spicer, was found. in
the COW shed with his head crushed and
throat cut. He was mutilated in hor-
rible manner, having knife wound over
the heart and other injuries.
The mutilation Of the bodies Of the
victims and the killing of the twin
babies OF Mrs Rouse, who we're only one
year old, and the fact that Mail Carrier
Lebrock saw two Indians IN the vicinity
with their faces bldeously painted, indi-
Gates that the treacherous Sioux have
added another to their long list of
helnous crimes.
The crime wiped out nearly the entire
family, two daughters who were away
from home alone escaping. William
Rouse, husband Of the murdered woman
and father of the two little ones. was
also away from home at the time, having
left only day or two before. He was
summoned by courier and not allowed to
SEQ the extent Of the crime until after
the dead had been cared for. Exotic
ment is running high and every effort is
being made to ascertain the perpetrators
of the crlme, who will be given short
shrift at the end Of rope II captured.
The coroner's jury is still at work in
learning facts regarding the murder OF
the Spicer family at Winona. About the
only question that remains is the iden-
tity Of the murderer From last accounts
it is generally believed that the perpe-
traitor Of the crime is an Indian who had
an engagement with Spicer to trade
horses. From the account given by Mr.
Labrock, tho Bismarck and Winona mail
carrier, it appears that the Indian was at
the Spicer home 4 day or 60 before the
murder was committed, and wanted TO
make q trade, but did not have the