Evening star., 1913-10-06


life- The very next day 1 walked right
into the shop from which 1t had been
stolen and was surprised when they
arrested me. The prosecution ano
aase sentence s df 5f sssty sa but
my lawyer said no. He said fight II
| out, and so / pleaded not guilty.
What do you suppose l got? got
| ten years, and IL there ever was any
good in me that killed it. Ten years
| for suit of clothes!
| .I served the full term. / had about
two years good time coming e me-
| but I attacked a guard and lost Ia IT.
| they starved me; they put me In SOIL
| tary confinement too.
ct think it was the solitary that really
got me- When l came out l wal Wanteo 60
kill people and see it run. They gave
me SO when they turned me loose, and
eight Of that l spent for a revolver,
have been killing people more or iess
ever since. / liked il in way Wnen
robbed anybody it was sort of sat
isfaction to clean up the job by smut
ting up the victims mouth forever.
| at Joliet the murderer was known as
Smith, as Burke and by one other name,
1 got out last time--it was another ten
year sentence, but i got three years on
for good behavior" explained the pris-
oner.
| LOOKS Like Clerk.
/ Spencer fitted the police description
| in details, but in general appearance he
seemed much slighter than the word
pictures given out to assist in trailing
him. He is not burly; merely compact
His face is not weather-beaten, nor is
his neck short or particularly thick. He
was garbed in plain, well kept Dusi-
ness suit: his linen was clean and MS
wavy chestnut hair carefully parted ana
brushed.
A detective, trying to visualize the
monstrosity Of the story to which he had
just listened. described the man mega
lively.
s'If I saw him behind q cashiers cage
| in bank, or selling silk over g. coun-
/ ter, I would not have thought him un-
/ fitted for the part. That's where you
| would expect to see man OF MS aP-
pearance. He does not look like toush'
that's sure"
| The abnormality Of the prisoner was ap-
parent in only one detail. if it was ap-
| parent at all. That was in his drawL IL
was not mannerism, nor the draw
CHARACTERISTIC OF some parts OF the coun-
| try. 1t was the slow speech of one whose
| mental processes are not dennlte. his
memory seemed nebulous not only as
made evident by his speech, but MS IN
ability to recollect details of his crimes.
| His whole manner of telling his story.
with its incompleteness its lapses and
vagueness of detail, was regarded as
symptomatic of his admitted addiction TO
| the opium smoking habit.
| Even this evidence of his physical anu
| mental state was only moderately mark
ed. For the most part those who heard
| his story of criminal abnormality had
difficulty in reconciling the seif-possessed
young mamie is thirty-two years OF age
with the moral monstrosity he pictured
| himself to be.
| Lured to Her Death.
| Mrs. Rexroat was murdered on the
night of Friday. September 20, by being
choked and shot. Her body was then
placed on the tracks Of the Elgin, Joliet
| and Eastern railroad. She was lured to
| the loneliest spot in Dupage county. be-
| fieving that she would meet class of
young men and women to whom she
would teach the tango.
| Then began search that resulted in
numerous arrests. but apparently left the
police no nearer a solution UP to the ar
| rest last night.
Everett Rexroat. son Of wealthy Ma
| comb, ILL.,, farmer, and husband Of the
murdered woman, was placed under NOM
inal arrest, but was exonerated the first
day of the inquest, when he established a
complete alibi. The search then centered
on a mysterious Mr.. Spencer, with whom
Mrs. Rexroat was believed to have left
the city, and who was thought to have
been infatuated with her. Numerous
| Spencers were all released, the latest be-
ing Edward Spencer, who had been held
as a suspect until last night, when he was
allowed to go after confronting the con-
fessed murderer.
Police Lay in Wait.
| or the clues developed, one led ito. a
disorderly apartment in 22d street Here
woman was found who said that Spen-
Ger called on her as we'll as other times.
on the Friday night Of the murder. She
said he had diamond ring. which he
| wished to sell for 500. She gave the
name of another woman with whom she
thought Spencer might be found. This
| trail led to the Michigan avenue rooming
house where the arrest was made.
Halpin learned that Spencer probably
would be at the roomints house this after
noon. With Detectives O'Keefe and Trant
he waited for four hours near the door
way of the rooming house, finally enter
ing the room to wait for Spencer's re-
turn. When the murderer entered the
door the police captain seized his wrists
and the two detectives searched him for
weapons. Spencer made no resistance. :
81 did not have my gun" he COM
planned. "If I'd had 1t would have en-
tered the room with the revolver in my
hand, and some body would have been
| shot. I haven't gone tato a room for