Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-24
LAST OF TRIO NOW
!. IN LAWS HANDS
Will O. Bruce, Known Here 10
Years Ago, With Will Spinks
and Arthur Hanye, Surrenders
8 for Murder.

VIII c Bruce, formerly of Atlanta, a
pressman who for the past II years and
8 months has been under indictment
in Nashville, Tenn, for the murder OF
Walter Martin, of that city, and who has
been at large ever since the time when
he is alleged to have committed the deed,
gave himself up 10 the police in Mont
gomery, Ala, few days ago. and was
carried back in the custody of officers to
Nashville, Saturday. He will there await
trial at the next session of the criminal
court.
That man should grow tired of the life
Of fugitive-that he should one day
weary of the unceasing flight and vigil
lance which are the price of his freedom
I is rare enough; but Il has long ago been
recognized by criminal authorities as one
of the important possibilities in every
case. An innocent man may flee for Il
while under stress of circumstantial
fright, but he turns soon in desperation
and defies the law to harm him. But
even the guilty very often come to the
point where they ask themselves. "Oh,
what's the use?"
] So the ews, flashed back to Atlanta
in dispatches Saturday, that Will Bruce,
formerly well known here, had surren-
dered himself to the law to satisfy an al
legged crime nearly IL years old, Is moth
| ing marvellous.
AN UNUSUAL CHRONICLE.
But it adds new chapter to an unus-
ual chronicle.
About 10 years ago there was a trio of
boon companions in Atlanta trio OF
which the police were always wary. The
names of that trio were Will Spinks, Ar
thur Hanye and VIII Bruce.
! They were young, those three, and full
of a fire that made them men who should
be handled carefully for the good of So
ciety.
They were always together. Time and
again, in those days, their names were
ASSOCIATED with this sensation and the
other affair, just enough to cement them
though none OF them had become a felon.
| together in the minds Of the public.
One night an Italian was killed, down
on Decatur street. between Pratt and
Moore streets, not far from the present
police headquarters. He was found
stretched out upon the sidewalk. dead. A
short distance away was found the in
strument of the deed-an ordinary fence
fence alongside the street. covered with
the blood of the PROSTATE victim. That
paling today lies in the little glass case
museum of the Atlanta detective depart
ment.
Will Spinks and Arthur Hanye were in
dicted together for the murder. But II
they were guilty the tragedy was never
to be requited before the law.
While the indictment against the two
men was still pending. after a mistrial,
Arthur Hanye killed VIII Spinks on al
most the same spot that the other tragedy
had marked nearly a year before. The
killing happened in saloon. Spinks
cursed Hanye, and Hanye stuck his knife
in the top Of spinks' head and walked
out. And so one of the two men, named
in the joint bill of indictment, was re-
moved.
Arthur Hanye was indicted for the kill
ing OF VIII Spinks, was tried. convicted
and hanged, all about 1896, That was 10
years ago. p.
A year later, a man named Walter Mar
tin was killed in Nashville, and VIII
Bruce, the last of the former trio, was
charged with the commission of the deed
He. was indicted FOR #; but, he fed the
city for parts unknown, and nothing fur
Their was heard from him till just the
other day, when he surrendered himself
| to the officers at Montgomery.
In the dispatch from Nashville It is re-
counted that Bruce, after leaving the
city, went west and secured position as
pressman at Dallas, Tex, under the
name of Joe Wallace. He got into cor
lrespondence with his people In Nashville
soon afterwards, and kept in touch with
them until he surrendered to the officers
In an interview. Bruce claims he was
justified in the killing.
He was in Atlanta two months ago. but
said he could get no work as there was
a pressmens strike on at that time
Bruce was divorced from his wife before
he killed Martin. His two children, Wal
lace aged IL. and Willie May, aged TO-
are living with his mother-in-law in Bir-
mingham, Ala Since being away from
Nashville. Bruce has travelled considerG-
bly, and has worked in practically every
city of Importance in the south and south
west. He spent part Of his II years of lib
erty in South America.