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


found wrapped up in a towel by the
railroad track. They thought the
hammer had something to do with the
Rexroat murder
Some of the police doubt that Spencer
has committed the large number of muir
ders and holdups to which he lays claim,
many of them and probably is the most
dangerous homicide maniac ever captured
his boyhood He accounted for his i'm
munity from trial for murder by saying
that he would get apprehended for some
minor crime and would take the short
sentence and while he was in Jail the muir
der mystery would be shelved and for
The Fannie Thompson murder, the kill
ing of the two policemen, the murder of
q woman near the county hospital and the
attempted killing of a family of four on
mysteries.
The murderer's name. if learned, for he
doesn't know it. will be ranked py the
police with those of H. H. Holmes, OF
f'Holmes castle notoriety. who confessed
to twelve murders and was suspected OF
who admitted four murders and was gem
orally credited with many more
Never Knew His Parents.
'Ts your name really Spencer" re-
"Oh, no. not any more than any other
and 1 never ever Knew Knew my name except
Harry" he replied
. Hath t Rfen a rhe eh5sc hi:
THE first I remember was in the re
form school at Feehanyille." he r went on, on;
have a record of my real name. ran
awav from school and never found out:
and bad women; I never knew a good
man or woman in my life ,.,
after Filming away from the school. 4
man sold me a suit of clothes for nickel:
had Been n9w sto IL but it didn't impress me
as anything serious; that sort OF tIllhS
was a part of my life: The next Gay :.
walked right into the shop from winch II
had been stolen and was surprised when
they arrested me The prosecutor and the
aues Sentence %ante of thirty days but my lawyer
said no. He said fight 1t out and so
what do you suppose got? got ten
years, and if there was any gooo IN me
that killed it. Ten years for suit Oh
Il Served the full term. L had about
two years good time coming to me t put !
me up by the arms and starved me; they
put me in solitary, too 49, o,,,,
got me. When came out wanted bloon;
anybody's blood I wanted to XII sIo pe onne
they turned me loose and eight of that |
spent for revolver. I have been killing
i In way; when 1 robbed anybody it was
a sort of satisfaction to clean up the 1oo
by shutting up the victims mouth i0f-
His Personal Appearance.
Spencer" fitted the police description
in detail but in general . appea1rSa a so rg
pictures given out to assist in trailing
him. He is. not buriy- His face is is. not
particularly thick. He was garbed IN
plain. well kept business suit; his linen
hair carefully ref i' parted and brushed.
defective trying to viSnanI he t bed ist
TtIeS,eS d Described ser Se the man, ~
eff I saw him behind a cashiers cage
IN bank or selling silk oyer a e4Hn{eff For
the part That's where could expect to
see a man of his appearance; He doesn't
The abnormaiity of the prisoner was ap-
parent in only one detail, If it was appar.
speech-the drawi spoken of in the de
scriptions. 1t was not a manner1s1n, nor
of the country. 1t was the slow speech OF
one whose mental processes are not
definite.
Intended to Kill Landlady.
"I intended to kill Mrs. A. ]. SEQ |
field. the proprietor of the rooming |
house where I have been living" he |
said eff 1 had not been arrested at
Just this time would have killed her.
Mrs. Retreats suit case, covered |
with blood, was found in Spencer's
room The revolver used in the muir |
der was hidden in a bureau drawer, |
covered with papers. Spencer was ar
rested in a rooming house on the
is -aid to have lived at one time, told
the police that on the night of Septem-
Der 26 Spencer came to her mouse. his |
shoes were covered with dust and he
showed a diamond resembling the one
worn by Mrs. RexrOat He also took |
a revolver from his pocket and re-
moved an empty shell, which he threw
from the window.
The police say Spencer was per-
nnitted to tell his story without inter- |
s.
gruntled because she thought he was a
farmer, he said.
''She kept trying to make a sucker
ont of me and 1 was not going to let |
her. he said. ''She said she was go
ing to teach the new tango dance, SO |
on Monday night before the murder
went down and danced with her
most of the evening. She tried to show
farmer"
Spencer told the police that he had
killed ten persons since his last re-
lease from the Illinois state peniten-
tiary in September. 1912, and four, a
man and a woman and Policemen
Pencil and Devine, before that. Ex-
cept in the Staying of the policemen,
who, Spencer said, were shot by him
self and a companion named Murphy,
in escaping arrest for burglary, the
robbery. Following is the list of kill
ings Spencer related to Chief of De-
tectives Halpin
Police Grow Doubtful.
While the police are satisfied Harry
Spencer is guilty of many murders be-
side that of Mrs. Mildred Allison-ReX-
roat, they were forced to the conclu
sion that his statement of numbering
twenty persons during his career of
crime is an exaggeration.
Spencer is addicted to opium, users
of which have a diseased imagination.
Some years ago the police investigated
his conduct and learned that while in
Joliet prison for larceny the prison
authorities regarded him as mentally |
defective and from time to time con-