The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-09-21
BRUTAL MURDER or N. D.
MAN, HENRY SPENSER,
In FARGO LAST NIGHT
Continued From Page one.
close fight with the holdup man or
men. when he was shot.

4 lhS AO4lOWAuS SLOtys
4 "Spenser was around my place as
| usual last evening and asked me when
was going to close up and said,
/ right away. He suggested that We go
out and get some lunch and I agreed,
/ with the understanding that I would
buy last night and he was to buy to-
night.
Il wanted to go to the Chinaman's
place up the street here but he said
that the Chinaman did not make good
coffee and he would prefer going down
town. So we agreed on going over to
Armstrong; place, which we did.
'On the way over we picked up
Henry Lehr who went with us to eat
After we had finished the eating 1t was
suggested that we hit around town for
q while before going to bed However.
| Spenser said he guessed that he would
go back over to Lees place, a Chinese
rooming house, where he was going to
put up for the night. I said / guessed
that had better turn in too, as I was
not feeling very well last night.
We parted company with Lehr who
went to the Tweeden hotel and we hit
off down Fourth street towards Front
street.
Stick up them hands yelled some
one at us and that was the first /
knew of there being anyone around.
| We were directly In front of the office
OF Nichols & Shepard. I was so taken
by surprise that ] did not put them
up right away and the fellow punched
me in the ribs hard. That punch was
reminder that I was to do something
and up went my hands In search of
the sky He punched me so hard
have a blue spot on me yet where the
end of the gun struck me.
"Spenser Jumped at first and then
another man came out and pulled
gun on him. The two men were full
Of business and they ordered us back
in the entrance way of the Nichols
e. Shepard house. 1t was dark back
there and spenser. stood on the first
step and / little higher and towards
M. P. avenue.
There was one man hold Of each
of us as we backed into that place.
We had no sooner gotten in the dark
than Spenser made a break. The man
looking after me allowed me to 60
and turned TO help his partner in the
scuffle with Spenser. AS he turned
away from me ran and no Tom Long
boat or Dan Kelley could have caught
me.
''As / ran I heard shot fired, but
did not turn back. Going into the
Armstrong restaurant managed to
tell about the trouble in a GREATNESS
voice / was SO scared that the desk
sergeant at the police station could
not hardly understand my lingo.
after I had called the police
went back to the place where the
trouble had occurred I found spenser
lying on the steps and called to an
engineer in the building. The engineer.
suggested something about a doctor,
and I told him to hurry and get one,
but Spenser was dead in very few
minutes.
The Police on Trail.
The police were on Front street and
N. r. avenue in very short time
Officers were patrolling those streets
when the murder, occurred and addi-
tional help was sent to their aid but
no trace Of the men could be found.
The police In Moorhead and Dill
worth were at once notified and the
Dilworth authorities searched all
trains going through there.
Two men were found in boxcars in
the N. r. yards and they were taken to
the station. However, there is moth
ing about them to give grounds for
any suspicion in connection with the
murder.
The Highwaymen.
According to Johnson. the men who
committed the deed were either coll
ored men or southerners. They spoke
a southern dialect and must have had
at one time, lived in the south, or
else they had cultivated the talk for
the benefit OF throwing people off the
track, should they ever be pushed in
criminal affairs.
Both highwaymen wore heavy black
masks over their faces. They were
very large men, being over or about
six feet IN height and Weighing alm~st
200 pounds. The men carried long
revolvers, which were black Furnished
johnson says it would have been i'm
possible for the men to have gotten
away on NO. 5 Northern Pacific pas
senger train. That train leaves here
at 1880 d. m. and was passing through |
the yards as they rounded the corner
OF Miller's laundry approaching the
Nichols s. Shepard building.
Sponsors Body.
Sponsors body was found in pros
trate position on the steps leading to
the office Of the Nichols a. Shepard |
building. He was shot through the |
left groin and the bullet passed down
ward going through his body and pen-
etrafing heavy board In the steps.
The most remarkable thing about 1
the murder Is the fact that Spenser
cred an artery and as the man lay
gushed away. Thep lace where be was
shot looked like shambles.
The body was taken to Undertaken
Wasems establishment and 1t was
found that all he had left was a cheap
dollar watch. His pockets were pulled
out. showing that the men had
him before leaving the scene
3f the shooting. There was also a
lodge card Ia his clothing, which Is
used as an identification mark,
Blood flowed all over the steps of the
building and down OH the sidewalk,
causing fearful looking place. The
scene Of the murder was visited BY
numerous people this morning.
Who u spenser?
johnson says that he never knew
What Sponsors name was until the
odge card was found iii his pocket.
spenser has for d number Of years
listed at bis place at various times.
spending alb much al week iii the
siky and loahnR around the johnson
store known a. the Little Red grocery