Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-04-08
ODD INCIDENT
In Career Of Murderer
Spencer Is Revealed
When the MotGrman Whom He
Shot and Nearly Killed
Recognizes Man Whom He Had
Made Boon Companion.

Springfield Mass, April IA dra-
matte incident in the career of Bert
ram Gage Spencer. Springfields self
confessed masked burglar and murders
er of Miss Martha B. Blackstone, was
revealed tonight when Michael Gil
hooly, a street railway motorman whom
Spencer today admitted having shot
and nearly killed two years ago, recog-
nized in Spencer the man whom OF
late he had been making a boon COM
panion. hobnobbing with him daily and
even acting as his host at local
theatres.
For several months previous to the
murder of Miss Blackstone, which took
place week ago this evening, Gill
hooly and Spencer were on terms of
close companionship. Gilhooly, how
ever, had not the slightest suspicion
that the friend whom he was treating
so royalty was the masked bandit who
had shot him as he stood on the plat
form of his car. Spencer mistook Gill
hooly for the conductor of the Car
which he had held up and ordered him
to throw up his hands. Gilhooly be-
lieving that the command was joke.
did not obey and was shot twice, once
in leg and once in the body. For a
long time his condition was critical.
Spencer today declared that he was
the man who had shot Glhooly and
had made his escape so neatly as COM
pletely to mistify the police.
For several years Gilhooly had
known Spencer very slightly but the
robber did not get at all intimate with
him until after the loss Of his locket
at the Blair home last fall. Soon after
that episode, which finally resulted in
his detection. Spencer became the close
friend of Gilhooly. They exchanged
visits at each others home and fire.
quently attended theatres. All this
time Gilhooly was wearing as a scarf
pin the bullet which Spencer had fired
into the motorman's side. Spencer re-
garded the ornament with equanimity
and frequently rallied Gilhooly on his
preference for so ghastly a mementO
Never did he betray himself by word
or look. All the while he was simply
the young, model, married clerk and
ex-railroad man. This latter profess
sional tie aided in bringing the two
men closer in their association, which
increased in intimacy until about
week before the Blackstone murder
A curious feature of the Intervening
of the lives Of these two men. hereto
fore linked chiefly by the nearly fatal
assault Of one upon the other, was the
Introduction hy Gilhooly of Spencer to
Orin Watwood. the conductor whom
spencer robbed of something more than
dollar the night he shot Gilhooly This
Introduction took place within d few
weeks after Gilhooly and his secret as
s;tilant began their friendship. Gill
norlyS surprise Oh learning that he had
made Il friend cC the desperate who
had shot him was stupefying. His
friends even had some difficulty in con-
vincinS him that it was true. Tonight
his chagrin is almost ludicrous. The
solicitude that Spencer felt ove- the loss
of his lccket as he hastily descended a
ladder at the Flair house early last fall
and the cool daring with which he strove
TO recover the lost trinket, which bore
his tel!tale initials. was made known by
him to the police tonight.
When the excitement over his attempt
to "ob the 1ous" had quieted down. he
returned TO the mouse the same night and
sought the locaet which he had felt pail
off his watch chain as he slid down the
ladder His quest was unsuccessful and
with nerve undaunted by the published
accounts of :he police attempts to trace
and capturc him he returned again to
the house the next night. His search
WAS unrewardcd. The locket having been
picked up by Tie man. who finally sent it
to the police and thus brought about
|SEenCerS capture.