The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-08

Dining Room Hoor-Some Plated
eilveFwsfe etrewn On the FIoor-Mr.
gpier's Life Had just Been Heavily
Insured for the BENEFIT OF Els Estate.
Charles l.. spier, Jr., personal repre-
sentative Of Henry q. Rogers In lighting
and railroad interests In Richmond county
and northern New Jersey. and q business
proteg9 Of Mr.. Rogers, was killed mys-
teriously at s:15 O'Clock yesterday morning
in his residence. 7 Tompkins avenue, New
Brighton, Staten Island. He left his bed
room at that hour holding his loaded re.
volver in his right hand and having his
left hand In the collar Of his Boston bull
terrier, Buster. He passed down the stairs
pistol shots were fired in the dining room.
One was from Mr.. Spier's own revolver and
one bullet went through his heart. No in
dications Of burglars were found lster
except a collection Of plated s%ilverware
on the floor Of the dining room beside ths
revolver and an open door to the piazza
in the rear of the ~haliway-the key on the
inside.
Mr.. Spier had Just insured his life for
$75 900 and paid the last Of the premiums
on two policies involved on Saturday morn.
ing last. The police say they are at a loss
to decide whether 1t is a case of murder
or not.
Mr.. Spier was So years old. With his
wife. who was a Miss Dorothy Williams Of
Bowling Green, XVII he moved to Staten
Island in July, 1902, and rented a plain,
old fashioned house from the j. W. Davis
estate. 1t is Of two stories in the front
and three in the back. 1t sits back from
Tompkins avenue about ten feet. A hall
way about ten feet wide runs from front
to rear. At the back OF the house is q piazza
running the entire length Of the building.
The house faces the west. On the south
side, running the entire length, is the dining
room. The parlor occupies a correspond
ing space on the north side. The kitchen
and laundry are in the basement at the rear.
Upstairs above the parlor Is a large sleep
ing apartment corresponding to the parlorl
divided by an Above. Over the dining
room are two bedrooms. Mr.. Spier o.
oupied the front room and his wife was
sleeping in the back part Of the long bed
room over the parlor. Two maids slept In
the attic. Mr.. Spier's bull terrier, which
he had told his friends was Of the ferocious
variety, slept in the room with Mrs. Spier.
MRS. sPIER TELLS OF THE
1t was at just 3:l5 A. M, Mrs. Spier says,
that she was awakened by her husband
knocking on her door. He came in, went to
the bureau and took his revolver from Q
drawer and in a soft voice said to his wife:
kid, l think there are burglars In ths
house. I'm going down stairs to sec.
Don't be afraid
Mrs. Spier sat up In bed and said:
Call the dog
Mr.. Spier spoke to the dog, which spranR
to his side and they disappeared down the
stairs with Mr.. Spier's left hand in the dogs
collar. The hallway was entirely dark.
There are four steps down facing the east
to the stairs and then a landing and then
about q dozen steps westward to the hall
floor. Mrs. Spier heard no moro until Mr..
Spier reached the second fight. Then she
heard her husband shout:
'Sick'em, Buster; sick 'em. Busterl"
After that all was still until Mrs. Spier
heard a pistol shot followed by a crash.
She jumped from her bed and lighted the
gas In the hall. Then she peered from tho
platform Of the stairs and made out her
husbands form lying on the floor at the en-
trance to the dining room, with his head
toward the door to the parlor. She gave a
scream and ran down stairs, calling to her
husband. She kneeled down and shook
him. The dog Buster was standing by,
simply looking interested. He had made
no noise on his own account. Mrs. Spier
turned and cried to Eva Oehlof, the
waitress, who with Bessie Leary. the cook,
slept in the attic.
Eva! Eva! Come quick! Call some
one! Mr.. Spier has been murdered
ALARM BRINGS DOCTORS AND POLICE.
The servants had been aroused by ths
pistol shot. They came down and found
Mrs. Spier lying across her husbands
body, the blood from a wound in Mr..
Spier's side staining her nightdress. Mrs
Spier kept up her screams and W. ohloff
went 10 the front door and called for help.
John Martin, the driver Of a bakers wagon
from Tompkinsville, who was in the neigh
borhood, heard her and he fired of
his revolver twice. That attracted the
attention Of John Blnke. a neighborhood
Waterman, and he came running up. The