New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-06

with difficulty The man. sixty eight
years old. had been shot twice. All re-
covered.
Spencer said he shot the old man when
he was caught robbing the fiat and had
set fire to the place to cover up the crime.
The police had the robbery and arson on
their list OF unexplained crimes. Spen-
GERS account of il convinced Captain Hal
pin that he was the man who did the
work.
The entire list of crimes confessed by
Spencer will be investigated by the police,
who will check up how far the mans &C.
count is correct
His coldly planned murder of the dane
ing teacher and nine other killings OF
which he boasts were committed while
the man was on parole from the state
penitentiary for highway robbery. He
was paroled to Major NJ. A. Messein. OF
the Volunteers of America, and a short
time after he was set at liberty he visited
Captain Halpin and asked him to get him
job. Halpin obtained employment for
Spencer. but the man held the job only
two weeks.
AS soon as Halpin knew that a man
named Spencer was wanted for the Rex
roat murder he was practically certain
for whom to look
Ranks with H. II. Holmes.
The murderer's name, II il is ever
learned-for he saws he doesn't know it
will be ranked by the police with those
OF H. II. Holmes OF Holmes castle
notoriety, who confessed to twelve MUIR
ders and was suspected of total of
twenty-seven. and John Hoch, who COM
mitted four murders and generally was
considered guilty OF many more.
Holmes. many of whose murders were
committee i'm the castle" in Chicago. was
a forger, bigamist. incendiary and
swindler. Hoch married women and
killed them for insurance. while with
Spencer murder was the commonplace
accompaniment OF robbery.
rs your name really Spencer" a re-
porter asked.
"Oh. no: not any more than any other
name. / never knew my parents and
never knew my name. except Harry he
replied
THE first I remember | was in the re-
form school at Feehanvlle." he went on.
THAT is my first recollection. They may
have a record of my real name. ] ran
away from the school and never found
out. From that time on ! lived with
thieves and bad women. / never knew a
good man or good woman in my life.
II got my first prison term shortly
after running away from the school. A
man sold me a suit OF clothes for
nickel-that's how II started. | knew the
suit had been stolen. but il didn't i'm
press me as anything serious, that sort
Of thing was part OF my life The very
next day ] walked right into the shop
from which il had been stolen and ! was
surprised when they arrested me. The
prosecution and the judge wanted me 10
plead guilty and take a sentence OF thirty
days. but my lawyer said no. He said
fight IL out, and so | pleaded not guilty
What DO you suppose ! got? | got
ten years. and If there ever was any good
i'm me that killed it, Ten years for
suit of clothes,
Prison Term Embittered Him.
~ served the full term. I had about
two years good time coming TO me, but
attacked guard and lost IT, They
strung me up by the arms and they
starved me; they put me I'm solitary con-
finement. too / think it was the soil
tary' that really got me. When came
out wanted blood-anyDody's blood.
wanted to kill people and see II run.
They gave me so when they turned
me loose. and $ Of that spent for re-
volver / have been killing people more
or less ever since. I liked il in way.
when ! robbed anybody Il was a sort OF
satisfaction to clean up the job by shut
ting up the victims mouth forever"
At Joliet the murderer was known as
Smith. as Burke and by one other name.
he said Il took the name Spencer when
| got out last time-it was another ten
years sentence but got three years on
for good behavior" explained the pris-
oner
Spencer" fitted the police description
in detail. but In general appearance he
appeared much sighter than the word
pictures given out to assist I'm trailing
him lie IS not burly-merely compact.
His face is not weather-beaten, nor Is
his neck short or particularly thick lie
was CARRIED I'm a plain. well kept business
suit. his linen was clean and his wavy
chestnut hair carefully parted and
brushed.
Looks Like Bank Clerk.
A detective described the man by say
ing: III saw him behind a cashier =
cage in a bank or selling silk over
counter | wouldn't have thought him un-
fitted for the part. That's where you
would expect to see a man OF his appear
ance. He doesn't look like ii tough
that's sure
The abnormality Of the prisoner was
apparent in only one detail. If 1t was
apparent at all. That was I'm his draw.
II was not mannerism. nor draw
characteristic of some parts of the coun-
try. II was the slow speech OF one whose
mental processes are not definite HIS