The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-10-06
CONFESSES TO
BE THE SLAYER
OF 20 PERSONS
Spencer, Arrested For Tango
Teachers Murder, Admits
Many More Crimes.
AFODERN BLUEBEARD'S
MOTIVE WAS ROBBERY.
Claims To Have Been In And
Out of Prison Since a Boy,
Hunted and Hounded All
His Life and Sore on
The World.

rnicaros Oct s-Tne police began
Rodav their investigation Of the con
fes=ion. last night. of Henry Spencer
mat he Is the murderer of 16 persons
upozsezEfns evidence to support his
-,srnfssion that he killed Mrs. Mildred
eAsissor, FSexroat the dancing -instruc-
fsor On SAINT IS, the authorities are
convinced that they will in a short
sinne confirm Spencer's guilt OF many
tor not all the crimes of his career
Follovrfng his arrest last night for
rfha Rexroat murder, which was made
.Rx the home of a woman VINO hao
notified the police of his coming oe-
sssctivek went to Spencers room
lvrhawe thev found the rattan suit case
that Mrs Re<roat had taken with her
ION her fatal trip to Wayne
Enroute to the Detective Bureau
lspencer admitted to Chief of Detec-
hives HaIpin that you've go the
goods on me; I know I'll swing for
fthis-"
Then began his extraordinary recital
~ the murders he had committed, the
list OF victims growing longer as the
iruestfoufrs, continued on through the
might BY morning Spencer had as
lserted that he had murdered 10 per
sons of whom six were men ana IL
we're women. including two to whom
he had been married Spencer says
ne does not l1nSF-%Ais- real name ana
i4s,a4 the frst he remembers he was IN
i9he Home for the FDriendless, within a
block OF the scene OF his arrest last
irIrht He has spent half of his 81
wears in the State Penitentiary IN
fToliet He was sentenced twice for
Wholesale robberies and was returned
twice following violation of paroles.
tFFe A short weighs about las pounds
F-raars-xinsses and has the appeara1aAl
lot en- clerk He has been a regular at
s4endant at the prayer meetings OF the
lTmmanuel Baptist Cts-eEeh- and was at
l4he wedding OF its pastors daughter
three nights before ne murdered Mrs
lRexroat-
Details as to names and dates of his
many murders Spencer could not al
ways supply. but as to whether ne
.-l,rat 'em in the head with a ham
1uer'. or shot 'em to DEATH his
fmemory was better He also remem-
ihered approximately how much mon
;ey OF jewelry he got from his victims.
His recital was made IN the most
lTemorSe- He said he did not drink
nor smoke-except opium He as
lnerted that he had not touched
i-,flF' for two days and a physician de-
.elared that the prisoner was not un-
der the influence of the drug
You have got me dead to rights on
~ha Rexroat murder" Spencer said,
is.and I know that shall be hanged
In q couple of months That IS why
/ want to tell everything else and get
Il out OF the way
u have been in and out of prison
rfnce was a boy he continued Il
have been hunted and bounded all my
life I am sore on the world My
own life doesn't amount to much and
tuohodyss life has meant much to me-.
The proceeds of Spencers crimes
have amounted TO more than $4,000
fn the last year He has spent the
money ON women
II killed Mrs. ReToat because she
eold me I was responsible for her con
dfrion and how badly she needed $500
4 didn't murder for the ring. \ took
/. ft Just because it was there
Two men whom Spencer murdered,
he said, came from New ork- He
-aad he married four times.
7 married Helen GOuld's maid in
New york. said Spencer, Il took her
20 Fort Montgomery and killed her in
the woods nearby. She had about
SSoO and $500 in diamonds
Did you have any other women In
Eew York - asked Captain Ha1pin-
Yes. there was a widow 1 married
We were coming to Chicago and stop
ped on at Detroit We went to Bell
Isle or Windsor We walked down
one OF the walks in the park and
shot her. I got $500 and a, diamond" "
A few nights ago. Spencer said, he
robbed the Astor Cafe. about a block
rom the detective DuTed C01e1 OI
Police McWeeney believes Spncer is
telling the truth. The chiefs opinion
In strengthened by the familiarity of
Spencer with the facts in the matter
OF the murder Of Policemen PenneI1
ana Devfne, which Spencer says was
his work
After being questioned for IA hours
during which the number of murders
ne confessed to having committed was
Increased TO more than 20. Spencer,
exhausted by the ordeal, was allowed
20 retire in a cell shortly after eight
o'clock this morning, for few hours
sleep.
he had been questioned without in
tsrruption by Police Captain Halpin
ana Assistant States Attorney Sulli-
van IN regard to the details of his
criminal career ever since his arrest al
O'Clock Sunday night After the long
siege he put his hands to his head and
rasd=
I am too tired to rememer any more
fust now. I got TO have some sleep
me truth of the matter is that killed
90 many I can't remember all OF
them"
From an unofficial source it was
1narned that Spencer had amplifed his
story OF the murder of one of his
wives He said the woman's name
was Nellie. but refused to give her
surname
Il was in New York six years ago
and enc day I visited the art gallery
Continued On PaEs ~