The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-10-10
CONFESSES HAVING
KILLED FOURTEEN
MAN ARRESTED AS SLAYER or
DANCING TEACHER CONFESS
ES MANY CRIMES.
ROBBERY, MOTIVE OF MAN
Says He Needed Hundreds Of Dollars
a Week to Enjoy lifc-Police
Doubt If All OF the Story
is True

Is True
Chicago, Oct. Henry Spencer, ar
rested in a rooning house, near the
South Side ieyee. has confessed to
the police that he murdered Mrs. Mil
dred Allison ReX-oat. the dancing
teacher, at Wheaton, H., Il week ago,
and that liz has killed, within the past
is years, Is other persons. Robbery,
he declared, was responsible for all,
except two, OF the murders. Most OF
his victims were girls. They We're
lured to lonely spots and either shot
or beaten 10 death with 4 hammer.
Doesn't Smoke Nor Drink.
Spencer gave as his reason Tor the
crimes the fact that il cost him four
Or five hundred dollars each week to
enjoy life. He declared that be fire..
quented cabaret shows and dives. lie
also declared that he never drank liz
uor or smoked, but cheWed tobacco
and smoked opium.
Spencer told the police that his ca
reer Of crime dated back to his boy
hood. lie positively was identified as
the mysterious Mr.. Spencer, with
whom Mrs. ReXroat left Chicago on
the night she was killed.
Mrs. Retreats rattan suit case was
tound in his room, as was the revolg-
er with which he said he had killed
her.
The police, while in doubt as TO
the full truth OF S%pencer's confession,
are confident that they have found a
wholesale murderer and that he Will
prove that he has killed at least sev-
eral Of those whose deaths lie de-
scri0ed IN a confession.
Suitcase ~Substantiates Story.
Speneer's story was so startling
that it probably would have received
no credence had not the suitcase in
volved confirmed 1T least part OF his
statement.
All OF his murders. except Two, he
declared, had been for the purposes
o. robbery. The two, Policemen Pen
nell and Deyine. shot to death -
years ago, he said he killed 70 escape
being arrested.
y intended 20 KIN Mrs. A. ]. SEQ
field, the proprictrpss OF the rooming
house wl.are ! have beea living, he
said. If | hadn.t been arrested a.
just this time. ! would have Killed
her
Spencer was arrested in a roomjne
house near tho South Side levee dis
trict.
4 woman, with whom he Is said
formerly 10 have lived, told the police
that on the nisht Of Sept. ~. Spencer
came to hoe house. Ills shoes We're
covered with dust and he showed 4
diamond ring. resembling the one
worn BY Mrs. Rexroat. He also took
4 revolver from his pocket and re.
moved an empty shell which he threw
from the window.
Met i'm Dance Hall.
Il met Mrs. Reyroat two months
ago at a dance hall" Spencer said in
his written confession. right after she
got q divorce from her first husband.
got acquainted without any trouble.
nobody Introducing us. toe her
home that night. and we decided to
be good friends.
After that night | saw her three
or four nights a week for several
weeks. She thought I was a farmer
and would be easy pickings, SO | tried
to neep that impression with her"
Spencer admitted thai robbery was
his only purpose in killing Mrs. Rex
roat.
-
SHE kept trying to make a sucker
out of me-. and ! wasn't going to let
her" he said. She old me she was
going to teach the new tango dance,
so OH Monday night before the muir
der ! went down and danced around
with her most of the evening. She
tried to show mo how to dance and |
kept acting the farmer"
Spencer told the police that he had
killed 10 persons since his last re-
lease from the Illinois state peniten-
tiary in September. 1912, and four, a
MAI and a oma and Policemen Pen
nell and Devine, before that. Except
in the Staying OF the policemen, whom.
Spencer said. were shot by himself
and q companion named Murphy, in
escaping arrest for burglary. the kill
ings We're all for purposes Of robbery.
Steamer Sinks; Seventeen Missing.
london. Oct. 1.-THE steamship Car