Evening star., 1909-09-03
BOUND HAND AND FOOT
Body of Wealthy Tennessee
Lumberman Found in River.
SUICIDE FOLLOWS MURDER
Sensational Ending of Search for
Imaginary Treasure.
SUSPECT BROWNS HIMSELF
Andrew Slagle and Business Asso-
ciate Meet Tragic Fate-Reads
Like Fairy Story.
SUICIDE FOLLOWS MURDER
SUSPECT BROWNS HIMSELF
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch To The Star
BRISTOL. Tenn. Sept ember 3.-Like a
chapter torn from Arabian Nights" is
the story of Andrew j. Slaele. the promi-
nent and wealthy Jonesboro iTenn) lum-
herman, whose dead body, with the hands
and feet tightly bound. was found in the
French Broad river at Newport. Tenn.
recently. SlaGle had spent thousands of
dollars in an effort 10 get huge not
of gold, which John Hayden Spencer. his
confidential friend and business assocja 3
of many years. claimed to have buried
IN the mountains near the scene of the
murder.
For months Slagle had advanced Spen-
Ger money on the ina asinary treasure
and on the fateful night had gone there
to take out the gold and ship it to New
York. He never returned, while on the
following day Spencer hurried to his
tSlagieSl home at Jonesboro After the
nody was found and he was accused of
the crime, Spencer slipped out of Slasle' S
nome. where he was stopping, and drown
ed himself in rain barrel. The secret
OF the murder was probably buried in the
breast of the suicide
That SlaSle was cruelty murdered there
can be no doubt. His head was beaten
into pulp. while his hands were firmly
bound behind him. The feet were man
acled and the head tied with ropes and
drawn between the legs.
Resident of Bridgeport.
Spencer lived at Bridgeport some thir-
ty-five miles from the home of Slagle
He had worked for the lumberman for
years. and some months ago confided to
him that he had pot of LOCO pounds
of gold in Spanish and Mexican coins
buried in the mountains near his house.
and suggested that they get it out and
market II. SlaSle paying all expenses and
the proceeds to be divided equally The
lumberman believed the story and began
advancing Spencer money on the treasure
to cover his expenses in guarding ii until
tneV could secretly set it out without the
knowledge of Spencer's uncle, who owned
the ground where it had been found and
who. 1t was feared might lay claim to it.
Some weeks ago it became apparent that
the uncle of Spencer would have to go to
the hospital to be operated upon for can
Ger. and this offered the first opportunity
Of getting out the gold.
Spencer wrote Slagle to come to Bridge
por- on the night of Tuesday, August "a
with enough money to bear all expenses
of their trip TO New York, and that they
would dig up the precious metal and
leave with it, This was the opportunity
that Slagle had been seeking as he had
already advanced large sums of money TO
spencer and was pressing him hard to
produce the gold
The lumberman started to Bridgeport
Tuesday evening. arriving there about 9
O'Clock He went to the spot where they
We're to meet on a bluff overlooking the
French Broad river. From the time ne
left the station at Newport he was never
seen again until his body was taken from
the river the following Saturday after
noon.
The afternoon of the following day
Spencer went to Jonesboro and appeared
at Slagles home, where he inquired for
the latter. stating that he had failed to
keep the engagement. and that he tSpen-
cer) had waited in the mountains with
wagon for hauling out the gold all of
the night previous.
Mrs. Slagle's Presentiment.
The night of the murder Mrs Slagle
had had strange presentiment that
harm had befallen her husband. and on
the following day she called in her pas
tor, well known Jonesboro minister.
and confided it to him. He passed it off
lightly. assuring her that her husband
would return.
Spencer got SO from Mrs Slagle and
left for Bridgeport promising to telegraph
her If ne heard any news of the tlus-
band. He reappeared Thursday night and
told her that he had gone to New York
TO look after the marketing of the gold
He stayed all night. as he had been ac-
customed to stopping at the Slagle home
and was frequent guest there. and the
following day went back to Bridgeport
The next news received by the anxious
wife was telegram signed by Spencer
sent from Newport Saturday afternoon,
stating that her husbands body had been
found in the river and asking what dis
position to make OF it. adding that the
railroad had refused to handle it on ac-
count of partial decomposition. This was
later shown to be absolutely untrue
The body was sent back to Jonesboro
the same train. He professed 10 be heart
broken. and even Mrs. Slagle believed
that he was innocent. Sunday afternoon
strong evidence was found against him,
and he was openly charged with the
crime. He denied everything. Retiring
at II O'Clock, at the SlagIe home, he was
heard to leave the room O'Clock Mon
day morning. and the alarm was at once
given that he had fed. Instead. in few
hours his dead body was found in a rain
barrel. where he had drowned himself
He left no note OF any kind. either to
Mrs. Slagie. the officers or his own family
residing at Bridgeport.
Believed the Gold Story.
The case presents a remarkable in
stance of romantic imagination on the
part of the victim. who was an astute
business man and very intelligent He
believed implicitly the god story. and.
though he had considerable property out
side of what he expected to get he had
few days before subscribed $4,000 t0
college endowment fund on the belief
that he would set several hundred thou
sand dollars from the sale of the gold
The body showed that it had been car
ried between two horses or from the
shoulders of two men. suspended from a
pole, after the murder. There We're the
inpri1ts of horses hoofs over the bluff
where Spencer and Slagle were TO meet
TO go after the gold. and from which il
is believed the body was thrown. Sink
ers had been tied to II. but they had be-
come detached.
The only theory as To the motive for
The murder is that Slagle. having ad-
vanced thousands of dollars on the imag-
mary pot of gold, was pressing Spencer
SO hard to produce it that the latter
thought il necessary to get him out of
the way.
Several arrests have been made of per-
sons suspected of completely in the grue-
some murder.