The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-20
MURLER MYSTERY
STILL UNS0LEO.
coroner's Jury Returns Yer
dict Spencer Died at I'm
known Mans Hand

Fargo, n. D., Jan. 2O.-A coroner's
jury composed Of Wick w. Wood and
Elmer Smith yesterday returned a
. verdict that Harvey Spencer came to
his death On the night Of Sept. %,
1911, at IL o'clock from a wound in
the left groin. caused BY a bullet fred
from a revolver in the hands OF a per-
son unknown.
Coroner Mitchell. and his jury met
in the undertaking rooms OF Ben
Wasem yesterday afternoon to take
evidence and agree upon a verdict as
to the cause Of death Of Harvey
Spencer. shot to death in this city in
front of the Nichols & Shepard ma
chine house on Fourth street north,
on the night Of Sept. 90. 1911.
There was but n witness called.
Christ Johnston. who was with the
unfortunate man when he was shot.
Johnston's story is as follows:
JohntOn's Story of Affair.
Il have resided in Fargo all my life.
was born here and live at 213 First
avenue south. in the house in which
| was born: have a grocery store at
81 Front street. / knew Harvey OF
had been in my store two or three
times, he was a harmless sort Of
a man, about 35 year old. who talked
silly and made brags.
"On the day of, the shooting he
was in my store. He came in the
evening and suggested that we go
after some lunch. 1 wanted to go to
DIDN'T care to-. and l wanted to go to
Armstrong; place. I said I'd go and
he could pay for the lunch that night
and / would the next night, and he
said all right. He asked me IL 1 could
give him A bill for silver and 1 said I
could. He did not have IS in silver,
SO we made no exchange. Then he
asked me if 1 would keep $40 for him.
and l declined.
Story Of the Holdup.
We then went to the Armstrong
restaurant on n. p. avenue and after
eating, started back to Front street.
L was joking with him about getting
married, for he had Just finished tell
ing me he could marry a girl with a
section of land. when a man stepped
from the Nichols & Shepard company
Ger. said: Hands up Spencer
stepped to M side and 1 took a step
forward, and just then a second man
stepped forward and rammed a gun
right into my stomach and said: up
with your hands. too
Just at this minute, Spencer made
another step sideways as though to
run and the man who had me, started
towards him and at that / ran. 1 didn't
get as far as the corner until I heard
a shot. / went to the Armstrong res
taurant and called h police. After
that l went back and saw Spencer
lying on the walk. His pulse was beat
ing, and he vas making a noise, but
he died soon afterward."
story is COrrobOrated.
IN answer to questions By the jury
and Statac ~ 1-
Johnston said hat the two men were
large, and hat they had something
over" their faces. that they had big
guns. and that they had caps on their
heads. He said they We're so muffled
up. that he could not even tell wheth-
er they were black. or white. .
Desk Sergeant Powers. was called
and told Of looking into the case, but
that nothing new developed. It was
stated hat a lincman Of the. North
western Telephone company was
across the street when the shooting
too place. He was interviewed BY
Detective OVERLY and stated that he
was going to the Washington house.
where he lived. and he saw three or
four men across the street and they
appeared to be scuffling; that sudden
break away and &c towards the road
way the next minute he saw an
her start and run, The next in
slant he heard a pistol shot. and the
man Who::Was running away went the
faster. He left town the next day and
SO did not get q chance to tell his
story, until some time later. His story
orrooorate Jo%hnston's in every par
Gcular and the jury returned a YER
dict as given above. and thus another
murder mystery is charged up against
Fargo.