The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-26
Confess to Robbery of Pap
pas and Suspected of
Murder at Gate
City May rs
MURDERED MAN NOW
BELIEVED TO HAVE
BEEN FROM COLUMBUS
Chief Bodeker Writes to Columbus
Authorities for Information.
Three Boys Confess to
Series of Robberies
in This City
BY RICHARD F. LussrER


When Robert Spencer, aged IS years;
Willie Spencer, aged IS years, and Boyd
McNutt, alias Charlie Ryan, aged II
years. confessed to Detectives Lon Tay
lor and E. H. Jones yesterday morning
to highway robbery and several lesser
crimes the police knew that a dan
gerous band of young criminals were
within the cluthes of the inexorable
law
The boys were captured within Is
minutes after completing one of the
boldest highway robberies in the an
nails of crime In the city of Birming-
ham.
Not only are these three boys, none of
whom has reached the age of 90 guilty
of the most daring of highway rob-
berries, but they are under suspicion of
the greatest of crimes, that of murder.
Evidences were found in the loot and
plunder discovered in the hang out of
the boys that point very strongly to
lheHi dS HaNihS Buhly hioN iSp6S "
the murder of the unknown man at
Gate City on the morning of May IS.
Parpas' Store Robbed
At 1915 o'clock Thursday night Jim
Pappas, who operates a pool room and
general store at 3400 Tenth avenue,
north, was about to close up his estab-
lishment when suddenly a masked form
peered in the doorway. Pappas was un-
der the impression at first that friend
was playing a joke on him and was not
alarmed. However, he was moment
late disillusioned when two other masked
forms quickly emerged from the darkness
and rushed inside the store with drawn
pistols and the hoarse demand of
Hands up you"r'
Pappas Immediately complied with
the demands of the highwaymen who
Very. cody proceeded to rob him OF all
available cash in his pockets and cash
register, about $50. They also stole
number of pool room chips.
Following the robbery of thei Greek
store1eeper, which was over I'M a few
moments. they escaped on the run,
while Pappas Immediately notified the
police and gave a good description.
They were captured about 10 minutes
afterwards as they entered the Spencer
fiat on the third story of the old Tubb
building at Avenue and Twenty-sec
ond street by Detectives Taylor and
Jones' who were awaiting the arrival
of the boys.
Detectives Talk
These boys are bad characters said
Detectives Taylor and Jones, and we
We're close 10 them on several rob
berries and burglaries in East Birming
ham. Last night Immediately after be-
ing informed of the hold up of the
Greek by three young men we felt
| certain that the Spencer brothers and
Boyd McNutt were responsible and i'm
mediately started for the home of the
| Spencer boys. We got there just one
minute ahead of them.
| AS they came in we went for them
and McNutt Immediately drew his 3S-
| calibre pistol but before he could use
! it he was disarmed The Spencer broth
| ers offered no resistance but We're very
sullen at their capture.
| The money and pool room chips which
they had just stolen from Jim Pappas
| We're found in their pockets as well as the
| red bandanna handkerchiefs they used
| as masks. Everyone of the boys was
armed with 3S-calibre pistols and several
photographs were found in their rooms
| in wild west costumes which showed
! that these boys were fond of playing
| the part of desperadoes.
| fhe boys We're taken to police head
| quarters at an early hour this morn
| ing and after a while they confessed
| TO several burglaries. They told us of
breaking In to the shoe store of w. o.
| Henry at the end of the Gate City loop
and the confectionery store of J. w. Car
roll also on the end of the Gate City
| loop. Dr. Ira Sellers was also robbed of
a case of surgical tools and in the rooms
| of the boys was found a miscellaneous
amount of loot and the boys had for
| gotten where it had been stolen from.
Suburb Terrorized
| "These boys have been responsible for
many breaks in East Birmingham In
the past few months and have terrorized
Continued Pnge EIeven)