Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1913-10-06
ErStwhiIe ParamOur of Chicago Dancing Teacher
UnfoIds Revolving Career of Crime
ROBBERY THE MOTIVE IN TWELVE INSTANCES
Two Policemen Shot Dead When He Sought Escape Twelve
Years Ago-Kied Women to Get Money, He Says, as
He Found it the Easiest Way to Lve-Mrs. Rexroat
Thought She Was Working Him. He Says.

and kill her.
Mrs. Rexroat was easy. She thought
she was working me The same way she
worked the farmer She thought
was a farmer like her husband and
could work me the same way. | let
her think so. At first | was going
to take her TO Michigan and kill her
there, but finally l decided it would
be less trouble to take her a little
way out on the car line and get it over
in a businessli1e way.
Laid Body on Railroad Track.
"She thought we were going to be
married. She came along just as [
told her. When we got out at the
| station it was nearly eight o'clock. We
! turned around and walked down the
track until we got where it Tas dark.
took her by the right arm, pulled
out my gun and shot her through the
. head. Then I laid her on the railroad
track so she would be tore up [ took
4 what few dollars she had and her dia-
1 mond ring. I opened her suitcase and
/ dumped her stuff out of it and brought
/ 1t back to Chicago with me. [ took
/ the next train back, about ten min
{ utes after 7 shot ner
i didn't want the ring. I never go
! to pawnshops; that's the way people
/ get caught. l gave the ring to a girl
! just q common girl I met on the street
/ She went to New York Tuesday or
/ Wednesday,"
/ Killed Two Girls for Money and Rings.
+ Spencer said he had married four
women, killing the first one at West
Point. \. Y. He didn't know exactly
/ how many years ago. One wife is liv-
! ing in Detroit he said and another in
! Chicago
Spencer gave details of his alleged
murders at the Wisconsin and Mich
/ igan resorts where he said he had
spent most Of the summer as a hotel
thief, committing an occasional mur-
der
4 killed the two girls at Paw Paw
lake for their money and rings" he
said. "One of them one time let me
see she had some money with her so
shot her and sunk her body in the
lake The other giCl I killed che same
way, but she didn't nave much money.
The girl at Delevan lake, I shot with
the same gun with, which I killed
Mrs. RexcOat
His Male Victims.
when I got back to Chicago I met
a man one night who looked as if
he had money. ! shot him in an alley
i'm the South Side levee. He didn't have
much money. but enough for me TO GO
to a hotel for a few days and there
I met another man. an old fellow, who
said he was a broker We got friend
~ and he let on to have a fine bus
mess and a lot of money. He looked
like money. I was disappointed in that
fellow. [ got him to take a walk with
me late one afternoon in Jackson park
and 1 shot him there and went through
him He told me he had q, lot more
than I found. ! rolled him into a
swampy place where they were dump
ing. The papers had a lot about it
and called it a case Of suicide
Killed Woman With Hammer.
Another case the police called sui
eide was a woman 1 killed on the
northwest side. / killed her with a
hammer. tore up her clothes and set
fire to them. The last woman | killed
was a few days ago, two blocks west
of the county hospital ] beat her to
death with a hammer. She had two
rings and 5000 This murder was done
with the hammer the police found
wrapped up in a towel by the railroad
track They thought the hammer had
something to do with the RexrOat mur-
der"
Spencer~said he killed three women,
including Mrs. ReXroat with the re-
volver the police found in his lodg-
ings He said he bought it month
ago. after his other Weaaon refused
to work He claimed to have held up
many of the restaurants which re-
Gently have been robbed by highway
men.
Spent $500 in Two Nights.
why. ! spent 500 in two nights in
Charley Vests last week." he said.
y
end in these cabarets. I average two
jobs a week all the time I am out Of
Jail"
The last abortive crime Spencer
called one or MS failures. An old man
and his wife were found by firemen
tide in their beds in their apartment
four months ago, while two children
were stunned and lying in an adjoin-
ing room. The fiat was on fire and
The occupants were taken out with diff
hculty. The man, SIS years old, had
been shot twice All recovered. Spen-
Ger said he shot the old man when he
was caught robbine the fiat, and had
set fire 10 the place to cover up the
crime
All the Grimes to BE Investigated.
The police had the robbery and arson
on their list of unexplained crimes.
SpGnCer's account of it convinced Cap
tain Halpin 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 account is correct.
On Parole from Penitentiary.
His carefully planned murder of the
dancing teacher and nine other killings
of which ne boasts were committed
while the man was on parole from the
state peuiLeTtiary for highway rob-
berry He vas paroled to Major NJ A l
Messlein 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 a job. Halpin !
obtained employment for Spencer, but
the man held the job only two weeks. |
AS soon as Halpin knew that man |
named Spencer was wanted for the |
ReNroat murder he was practically /
certain for whom TO look.
Never Knew His Parents.
The murdefer's name. il 1t. is ever
learned for he says he doesn't know |
il, will be ranked by the police with !
those Of H. II. Holmes of Holmes !
Castle" notoricty who confessed to !
twelve murders and was suspected of /
total of twenty -SeVen, and John |
Hoch. who committed four murders !
and generally was considered guilty of |
ma0V more. Holmes many of whose |
murders we're committed in the cas-
tie in hicaso was forger. bigamist, |
incendiary and swindler Hoch mar
ried women and killed them for insur-