Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1910-04-08

] ups. This formidable looking weapon,
! which is of 3S-caliber, with a walnut
! stock Spencer said he took from some
| soldier in the regular army. and being
/ a great lover of firearms he used the
weapon great deal and came to he an
expert narksman. So proficient did
| a penny into the air and pink it be-
fore it touched the ground-pretty
good shooting with so heavy hand
gun, if he was actually able to do 1T.
Spencer said he came to Springfield
about five years ago, and worked
around in different places. He said
that wherever he worked his disposi-
ton always got the better of him. and
sooner or later he was discharged. lie
always had a great desire to have
jewelry and nice things, but his means
would not ALLOW him to buy them. AS
long as he did not have the money to
spend for trinkets he had to get them
in other ways. When he was young
ter he would take anything he could
lay his hands on not for the sake of
their intrinsic value, but just to run
the risk of stealing them, and satisfy
ing the desire to possess them"
Spencer's admissions made 1t ap-
parent that for cool daring and au-
dacity he has had few equals. His
| robberies were never specifically plan
ned
Hid Under Beds
Walking along a street. he would
ton was momentarily distracted by an
outside event-an accident or small
hre-and would enter and secrete him
self and appear later with a drawn
revolver and demand money. Or he
would hide himself under a bed in q
woman's room, watch her take of her
| jewelry for the night and then boldly
demand it,
While on the street, Spencer usually
wore an overcoat and a derby hat.
which. before entering the house. he
would secrete near the structure.
meanwhile DOMINIC a mask and SLOUGH
hat that he carried in his overcoat
pocket. His robbery committed, he
would replace mask and soft hat IN
his overcoat pockets, don his derby
and overcoat, and calmly walk away.
One of his most daring exploits was
In the summer of 1908, when, walking
along the street, he was attracted by
a brilliant light and the hum of con-
versatfon through the open windows
Of a house where card party was I'm
progress Leaning on the window sill
he thrust his revolver into the room
and demanded forced contributions.
The confession as given out by the
police begins with the Luddington
robbery. in which Spencer hid under
a bed, saw a woman while disrobing
take off two diamond rings and hide
them, and later crawled out and forced
her to hand them to him.
While living on Seventh street in
Springfield, he entered the house of
DIR. r. p NJ. Ames, across the street,
and stole some silverware and jeweiry-
In March. 1903, he was attracted py
a crowd in front of the house OF y.
R. Hosley, % Brookline street. and
seized bis opportunity to hide himself
In the house.
Shoots Out Lights
In another instance to intimidare a
woman whose apartments he had en-
tered. he shot out the lights and es-
capped when she threatened to attack
him. Another time in the house OF
A. H. Rogers 80 Temple street, he
hid in closet until the inmates had
retired, then confronted the daughter
of the house Miss Del Rogers. tied
her and made her accompany him to
the kitchen Then, as he left with So
and some silverware, he released her.
In the home of l.. ]. Powers. Pearl
street, he made his way softly to the
top floor where he found two maids.
everybody else was out. He returned
to the lower floor and robbed the
master of the house, who had just
entered, and started to go out.
Finding himself unable to open the
door, he returned to upper story.
whittier Mr.. Powers had retreated and
forced his unhappy 'host'' to come
down and let him out.
Entering the apartment of Miss Eva
Tessier on Salem street, he had to
earn $60-the biggest haul he made
in Springfeld-by conquering the wo-
man after a hard struggle. In this
case, as in many others, he hid In the
house and later made a sudden and
dramatic appearance with a drawn
pistol
In addition to the many breaks and
holdups confessed by Spencer. the self
confessed murderer of Miss Martha
B. Blackstone, it was learned Thurs
day that in his complete confession
made to Capt ]. H. Boyle Wednesday,
admitted that the daanara DR.,
who held up and shot Michael Gill
hooley. the motorman, who received q
bullet in his leg at the end of the
King street line one night in August
1908 after refusing to hold up his
handa zhnn commanded BY a MASKED