The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-06

nave amounted TO more than $1O,UOO
| in the last year, according to his con-
fession. He has spent the money on
| women in the Twenty-second street
district where he said he has been a
| big spender in the cafes Il killed Mrs.
| Rexroat because she was trying to
make a sucker out of me- he said.
''She told me was responsible for her
| condition and how badly she needed
| $780, We intended going east to be
married but 1 decided right then to
put her out of the way and save all
that trouble. 1 did not murder her for
the ring. I took it just because it was
| there
! Ten of Spencer's victims were wom-
en-. Two, he said came from New York.
He said he married four times and
killed two of his wives He always
mutilated his victims so that they
could not be identified.
Married Helen Gould's Maid.
81 married Helen Gould's maid in
| New York. said Spencer. II took her
| to Fort Montgomery and killed her in
the woods near by. She had about
| $500 and $500 in diamonds
Did you have any other women in
New York;" asked Captain Halpin.
"Yes, there was wodow I married
We were coming to Chicago and stop
ped off at Detroit We went to Belle
Isle or Walker or Windsor. We walk
ed down one of the walks in the park
and [ shot her. 1 got $500 and a dia-
mond."
Spencer said he killed three per-
sons with the revolver found in his
room The jewelry he got he sold to
denizens of the district he frequented
and did not go near pawn shops.
Shortly after the murder of Fannie
Thompson he said he was arrested for
robbery and pleaded guilty on one of
80 charges. The last Job he did was
a few nights ago when he robbed the
Astor Cafe, located a block from the
n nfn0 10 ia l.
the alley past detective headquarters
Chief of Police McWeeney believes
that Spencer is telling the truth.
Il believe we have the man who has
committed this large number of muir
ders,' said the chief. when Pennell
and Devine were murdered 1 was lieu
tenant at the detective bureau and
worked on the case. I talked to him
about 1t for half an hour and he went
over the story in a way that makes me
think he is telling the truth"
1T is the most wonderful confession
ever made in the United States" as
serted Captain Halpin I'VE have not
been able to trip him up in his state
ments and many things stamp his
confession as the truth. 1t will take
several days to establish for a certain
ty the truth or falsity of his story
Can't Name All.
The police cannot account for all
the victims Spencer claims to have
slain. The only victim Spencer was
able to name was Fannie c.. Thomp-
son, who probably is the women he
said he killed before he started on his
alleged career of murder.
Spencer told his gruesome story
calmly to Captain Halpin and a room
full of detectives and newspaper men.
He said that he never drank nor
smoked but that he chewed tobacco
and smoked opium. He had not, how
a
''I have been a thief all my hfe,'
he declared. "I killed all those women
to get their money. I found it was
the easiest way to live. 1t cost me
four or five hundred dollars a week
to enjoy myself the way I wanted
to in these cabarets and dives, and
the easiest and quickest way to get
the money was to get some girl off
by herself and kill her.
Mrs. Rexroat was easy. She
thought she was working me the same
way she worked the farmer. She
thought I was a farmer like her hus-
band and she could work me the same
way. I let her think so. At first 1 was
going to take her to Michigan and kill
her there, but finally I decided it
would be less trouble to take her a
little way out on the car line and get
it over in a 'buSineSSlike way She
thought we were going to be married.
She came along just as I told her.
when we got out at the station it
was nearly s o'clock. We turned around
and walked down the track until we
got where it was dark. 1 took her by
the right arm, pulled out my gun and
shot her through the head. Then 1 laid
her on the railroad track so she would
be tore up I took what few dollars
she had and her diamond ring. 1 opened
her suitcase and dumped her stuff out
of it and brought it back to Chicago
with me. 1 took the next train back
r l.
Avoids Pawn Shops.
"I didn't want the ring. 1 never go
near pawn shops; that's the way people
get caught. I gave the ring to a girl,
just a common girl I met on the street
She went to New York Tuesday or
Wednesday,
Spencer said that he had married
four women, killing the first one near
West Point, N. Y He did not say how
many years ago. One wife is living in
Detroit, he said, and another in Chi
cSgo.
Spencer gave details of his alleged
murders at the Wisconsin and Michi-
gan resorts. where he said he had spent
most of the summer as hotel thief,
committing an occasional murder
Il killed two girls az Delavan lake
for their money and rings" he said.
"One of them one time let me see she
had some money with her and so I shot
her and sunk her body in the lake. The
other girl I killed the same way, but
she did not have much money"
When got back to Chicago I met
man one night who looked as if he
had money. I shot him in an alley in
the South side levee. He did not have
much money, but enough for me to
go to hotel for a few days and
there I met another man. an older
fellow. who said he was a broker.
We got friendly and he let on to
have fine business and a lot of
money. He looked like money. I
was disappointed in that fellow. I
got him to take a walk with me one
afternoon late. in Jackson park and