South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-07
TWO COUNTIES IN
FIGHT For RIGHT
TO HOLD SPENCER
Confessed Rexroat Murderer in
DiSpute-POIiCe Think He
Imagined Many of the Crimes
He Confessed To.

CHICAGO oct "A legal battle \
for the possession Of Henry Spencer.
slayer Of Mrs. Mildred Allison Rex |
roat. the Chicago tango teacher and !
confessed slayer Of "a other persons, /
was started Tuesday by officers of
DuPage county where the Rexroat
murder was committed
Plans wire started ro4 hasty trial /
Of the self confessed multi-murderer. !
Papers issued by the DuPage grand |
jury were brought to Chicago. The |
Chicago detectives holding spencer /
refused TO permit the service Of the |
papers declaring that he was their ]
prisoner, and that he had confessed I
enough crimes in Chicago, murders
and robberies 10 warrant his being
held for trial here.
Spencer spent a sleepless, feverish |
night and Tuesday paced his cell
trembling with weakness due to the |
wearing off of the effects of mis- last
opium orgy.
He smoked innumerable cigars, !
struggling TO quiet the nerves OF a /
system clamOring for the soothing
poppy vapors. He made a brave but
unsuccessful effort TO conceal his
condition when he learned that he
was To be given another third degree |
examination Tuesday. the fourth [
since MS arrest
OF the murders Spencer has CON
fessed TO. the police believe they will
be able To fix upon him only one muir
der or possibly two.
Captain Halpin, chief of the detect
I've bureau, announced his conviction
that Spencer. in giving his IONS. cir
cumstantial confession Of fiendish
crime. was a consummate falsifier.
Four OF the murders he says he
committed Were perpetrated while
Spencer was in the Illinois state pen
itentiary at Joliet. OF twelve of the
alleged murders the police in this and
other cities have no record. In one
case described by Spencer police
records show that a body was recOv-
cred, but the detectives have as yet
established no connection between
Spencer and the crime.
Except for possibly two murders.
Spencers weird story OF killing peo-
pie by hammering in their skulls and
sinking their bodies in lakes seem
pure fabrication said Captain Hal
pin tonight. His ina ginatiOn, slim
ulated by drugs. poured out one OF
the most fantastic tales of murder
that has ever come from a man whose
mind is given To dreams Of crime"
May Have Killed Others.
Captain Halpin declared Monday
night that he has complete proof that
Spencer murdered Mrs. Rexroat and is
almost equally confident that he muir
dered Mrs .Annabel Wight. Mrs.
Wight's house was robbed Dec. 4.
1912, and she was beaten so badly that
she died in the county hospital July
Is 1913.
The body OF Ida oliver. recovered
from the drainage canal May %, 1912,
may correspond 20 the foreign wo-
man. whom Spencer said he lured
along the canal and killed after rob-
Dlng her
Spencer was in the penitentiary
when Policeman FNnnell and Devine
were killed Aug. II. 1902. He was
also in prison in 1908 when Fanny
Thompson was killed and when Em-
met McChesney was killed in Sept.
1911. MCChesney was slain in the
rear OF 26O0 State street and the muir
der was ar first thought 70 correspond
20 the man who Spencer said ne kill
ed under the South side elevated
structure.
Denlals were received today from
police authorities in other cities men
toned by Spencer that many OF the
bOasted crimes were committed.
Identified as Murderer.
Complete Identification of Spencer
as the murderer OF Mrs. Rexroat came
from several sources Monday, while at
least two sections of his confession,
referring 70 the holdups and robberies
were confirmed by visitors to the de-
tective headquarters
c. A. Goodwin or Wheaton, H..
identified Spencer as the man who
had ridden with Mrs .ReXrOat on the
seat behind him from Chicago 10
Wayne. H.. on the night Mrs. Rex
rost was murdered. Spencer's voice
was identified as the drawing voice
that had had called Mrs. JOhnStOne,
Mrs. Retreats landlady and through
her had made the engagement that
had led the dancing teacher TO her
death
Captain Halpin said he probably
would be able 20 prove that the death
Of Mrs. Wright was the work OF Spen-
Ger. although there was a discrepancy
of n month In the date mentioned by
Spencer as the time he killed her and
the police record OF the attack on her
Frank Cissel. owner OF a saloon and
roomiug house near the Illinois Cen
trail station. whose saloon Spencer
said he had robbed confirmed that
Leo Basilupos. owner OF down town
restaurant. who was held up and
robbed by Spencer
In describing his murder OF Mrs.
Rexroat. Spencer said he met her last
Nav a few DAYS after she had been d.
vorced from Allison. He said he lured
her 10 WAYNE where he killed her by
telling her he had a dancing class for
her to instruct out there.
Reports from indianapolis. Fort
WAYNE and other cities in which reg
fStrations we're held Monday, show
that all the old parties are making
every effort 10 bring their members
into line for election day I'm Novem-
her Unofficial preliminary reports
show that the registrations are large
IN all cases.
Democrats. republicans. progres-
sives and nOn-partisans all eNerted
every effort 10 secure a heavy regis
tration. In Forty Wayne the registra-
tion VIII run 10 over 5000 voters,
while that OF Indianapolis will beb un-
Usually large.