New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-19
ADMITS FLOCG|NG SPENCER.
Father Believed Severe Punish
ment Needed in Discip|ining Boy.
DEFENDANT WEEPS IN CAGE
Witness Says He Never Intended
Physically to Harm Boy, Who
Was Wild and Disobedient.

Springfield, Mass. Nov. ia brief ses-
sion proved one OF the most interesting
court days since the trial OF Bertram q.
Spencer. charged with the murder OF Miss
Martha p. Blackstone. began last Monday.
Only a few witnesses were heard to-day,
but the interest centred in w l.. L. Spen-
Ger. father OF the defendant who took the
stand to testify In his sons defence. In
view Of the testimony given on Tuesday by
the prisoners mother. who described fog
gings given TO Spencer by her husband and
related a story Of her husband taking Ber-
tram, as a small child tying him 10 a cnop
ping block and threatening 10 cut off his
head. there was great curiosity among the
spectators.
When the elder Spencer's name was
called there came into the court a good
looking. dignified. we'll dressed man. whose
speech and manner proclaimed him per-
son Of more than average education. Mr..
Spencer bore the ordeal calmly. His eyes
hardly ever turned in the direction Of his
son. who crouched in the prisoners cage,
weeping silently and necessarily swinging
one leg which was crossed over the other.
Mr. Spencer told of Furnishing his son.
and. while he did not attempt To mitigate
his severity, he declared that he believed
his method Of correction was the only feas-
blo manner OF disciplning the boy. who,
he said, was disobedient. wild and Of a
ferocious temper. He declared that he
never intended to harm Bertram physical
~. Bertram, he said. was I'm the habit of
swearing at him and angering him.
Mr. Spencer said that once Bertram tried
To brain him with shovel while at work
in ditch After the witness had over
powered his son Bertram ran home and
for more than two hours afterward the
father could hear the boy raving around
the house and swearing necessarily.
Witness said. under cross-eXaminauon by
District Attorney Callahan. that he was
elected superintendent Of the Congregations
al Sunday school at Lebanon. Conn, and
kept that office up to two weeks ago. II is
understood that the prosecution brought
out this point in order to show the jury
that the witness was a good citizen, rather
than the brutal person described by Mrs.
Spencer i'm her testimony on Thursday
Mr.. Callahan asked the witness II he had
not tried to bring up his son as a Christian
father should, and he replied that he had
tried to bring the boy up right, but he was
not a Christian man until later i'm life.
MY motive in Furnishing him he said.
was to make him obey"
The first witness to-day was Dr. Hosea
NJ Qunby. superintendent of the state in
sane hospital at Worcester. Or Quinbv,
who had been summoned by the common
wealth az an insanity expert 10 rebut the
testimony Of the alienists employed by the
defence. was put on the stand by the de-
fence 70 tell the jury Of the death in the
Worcester Insane Hospital of Helen A.
Tiffany, an aunt Of Spencer's mother. Miss
Tiffany died az the hospital on April q
last Cross-examination by Attorney Cen
eral Swift brought ont the fact that the
womsns insanity became apparent at
climatic period Of her life
Dr. Quinby was followed on the stand by
Joseph Steadman, OF Brattleboro Vt. for
merry a resident of Lebanon and man
who grew mp with the defendant. Mr.
Steadman related a number Of peculiarities
exhibited by Spencer during his boyhood
The last witness was John Landers, Of
Chicopee. an inmate Of the state farm at
Brdgewater and formerly a prisoner at
the Springfield Jail. Landers told or an
outburst Of Spencer in the Jail last Sep