Norwich bulletin., 1911-11-17

 Ever since that time, Mrs. Spencer said her son had frequently complained oi his head.
 She said that when Bertram was 14 years olo she took him to Charles town, where he enlisted in the navy, | but a few weeks later he returned home. A bursting gun caused injuries l to his head when he was Is, his mother said.
 Father and Son Were Hostile.
 In the same year Bertram left home he returned one evening for his clothes, and his mother persuaded him to remain for the night. When the father came home and learned that Bertram was in the house he took a | lantern. rushed up stairs to the boy room and jumped upon Bertram as he 1 lay asleep.
 Bertranl grabbed a revolver from under his pillow and aimed it at his i father but the weapon was rusty and could not be discharged The boy then ran down stairs and out of the house, his father pursuing him and firing five shots at the boy at he dis appeared in the darkness
 Jumped from Preston Bridge. Later he lived at the home of Cal win Briggs in Norwich Conn In Nor wich he tried to kill himself, the i'mother said, by jumping from Preston bridge. and once was found on the street in a dazed condition Later Bertram went to Portland, Me, New Haven and Hartford
 Attempted to Poison Himself.
 Bertram had carried a revolver, Mrs Spencer testified, ever since he had been attacked by a highwayman and left lying by the roadside. On an other occasion when he was held up, Bertram fired two shots at his asSall- ant, but the shots did not take effe'.i.
 An attempt of the defendant to com init suicide by taking laudanurn when he was 19 years old was described by the witness who said that her son told her afterwards that he was t'rtsd of life and that he had had a love af- fair.
 Letter from Providence Man.
 At this point Mrs. Spencer id Identified a letter written by c. H. Tfl,ey CT Providence to her on December io. 1898. The district attorney objected to the admission of the letter, but tho court ruled it competent, inasmuc?- as the writer is dead. and the letter, the court said, should be regarded Us the statement of a deceased person. in the letter MT -TiIIey said that Ser tram. who was at that time living with the writer had been badly cut in tie wrist during a fNendly boxing boiir. An artery had been severed and he hS q Had narrow escape from death fbe letter urged MT. Spencer to take Fer tram back home and foregive him, and it was stated that Bertram was in poor health.
 Served Eight Months in Navy.
 Soon after this time Bertram enlist ed in the navy, but served only eight months The witness then related sev- eral incidents to show that her son was subject to fits of frenzy, when he would froth at the mouth, make pe- culiar gttural noise in his throat Snd when his eyes looked like "the eyes of a wild animal" as she described them
 h, California Two Years.
  California, and fffs-mother was unable to testify regarding his condition at that time. He came to Springfield in 1902, Mrs. Spencer said, and secured car. Bertram spent two terms at Mount HerTnon school, East Northfeld, Mass. and had gone to school in Leb- anon, Mrs Spencer said, but was all was unable to comprehend fractions.
 Her Husband Gloomy Man.
 Mrs. Spencer said that she had tried twice to end her life by poison, once in 1894 and again in 1895. She then gave a long list of relatives and ances- 1 tors on both sides of her sons fam ily who had been insane. Her own { husband. she said,was gloomy through | out their married life. slept with a light in an adjoining room and always carried a revolver Mir Spencer, she said, always believed that people were [
 
 Cross Brief
 The district attorneys cross-examin- | ation of Mrs. Spencer brought out tho f admission by the witness that while ! the punishments administered by the | father were severe, punishment was always inflicted for cause. Mrs. Spen- Ger also said. on crosS-examination, | that since the arrest of her son her i husband had been chosen suparinterd- | ent of Sunday school at Lebanon. i
 
 brief and after Mir. Callahan had qu~:s- toned her regarding the ages of the relatives who are alleged to have died i Insane, she was excused
 Other Alleged Robberies by Spencer
 From a tall, somewhat frightened young woman, Miss Bessie c. Miles, the stenographer who took Spenccr's lictation the morning of the confess sion, the jury heard him go into de- tails on the subject of fifteen houses nat he told of robbing. Here is an extract from that confession as rad oy Miss Niles:
 T got into this house ani founi -wo orange spoons and about S2 ar. think l got a napkin ring. I was standing in the bedroom and The be.1 vas covered with Christmas presents A woman saw me there and y-ellel l ,ut: For Gods sake don't take those: hey are for my children and I said: All right, I on't.'''
 Hid Under Bed.
 On another occasion he made his eputation as a gentleman burglar. He described entering a house where q nan and woman were sitting in tkc oom next to the one he was search ng. He said that he couldn't find anything that he wanted, anything hat just suited him, and after star.i- ng fin a closet for few minut >s he made up his mind to go out and de- hand money Then he heard a sound ike person pushing back a chair. The confession continued:
 My first impulse was to get out of light, and I dropped to the floor and