Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-07-31
SPENCER WAS HANGED
AT DAYLIGHT TODAY
Known as the Tango Murderer" He
Confessed to Killing More Than
Twenty Women in This Country.

Wheaton, ILL.,, July 31.-Henry Spen-
Ger, "tango murderer and dubbed
by criminologists "the man without a
sou" " went to death on the gallows
here today for the murder of Mrs.
Mildred Allison-Rexroat, Chicago dane
ing teacher, near Wayne, ILL.,, on the
night of September 2S, 1913. Only a
small knot of spectators saw the death
trap sprung These included a score of
newspaper reporters and photographers
from Chicago papers and a few init.
mate friends of Sheriff Kuhns of Dd.
page county, who had charge of the
execution. The trap was sprung at
lO;22, and Spencer was pronounced
dead two minutes later.
The crime for which Spencer paid
with his life, his subsequent startling
confession that he had killed nearly a
score of women in all parts of the
country and the apparent cheerfulness
with which he received the verdict of
death, attracted national interest in
his case. Alienists and criminologists
even admitting the strange influence
exerted by opium upon Spencer's brain,
pronounced him one of the most re.
markable criminals of recent years.
Mrs. Allison Rexcroat who shortly af.
ter her divorce from her first husband.
Allison, had married Rexcroat, young
farmer living near Macomb, ILL.,, was
engaged as q tango teacher at Chi
cago dancing school. She boarded an
interurban car on the night of Sep.
tember 2S for Wayne, ILL.,, a short dis.
tance from Chicago, where she had
been asked over the telephone to start
new class in the tango. Early the
following morning her body, horribly
mangled, was found on the railroad
tracks near Wayne, in lonely ravine.
Close examination showed that the
tango teacher had been slain before
her body was struck by the train.
Various clues were run down by tine
police without success and at least
dozen suspects were arrested before
Spencer was taken into custody. Then
by queer turn of fate, the man who
afterward described himself as both a
"lady-killer" and a Hwoman.hater, -
was betrayed by a woman to whom he
offered q $500 diamond ring he had
taken from the body of the murdered
woman.
Lured to the woman 5 home, Spencer
was trapped and arrested by detectives
after desperate struggle. His trunk,
in q rOoming house run by quiet el.
derly couple on the South Side, reveal.
ed more evidence connecting him with
the crime, and under severe sweating
he broke down and confessed.
Under skilful guidance from the DO.
lice, Spencer, weak.faced little man
with rat eyes, reeited remarkable
crime record. He swore that he had
killed more than twenty persons. most
ly women, had robbed and assaulted
many others, and had set fire to a big
apartment, causing the loss of another
life.
"Women, damn 'eml u hate 'em!
They always played me for sucker
and killed them just like flies, I" he
screamed in one of his Outbursts of
passion.
By communicating with authorities
all over the country, the larger part
of Spencer's amazing tale was discred
tied. In a few instances facts appar.
emily supported his claims that he had
other murder victims ON his famous
death list. While he was reciting his
story, the Rev. Johnstone Meyers. of
Emmanuel Baptist church, came for.
ward to tell that Spencer had been a
regular attendant at his church and
had professed to be deeply interested
in church work. Spencer s trial in the
little brick courthouse here was full of
thrills. He frequently rose in his seat
to denounce the judge, his own attor.
ney and the jury in outbursts of pro.
family. Once he knocked his own at.
torney down in open court and his in.
cessant cry during the trial was:
|" Let Is cut this damned foolshness and
put on the necktie party. l IN not nut
ty, and IN willing to be hanged"
Against Spencer's own confession
and discriminating circumstances, the
defense could offer only a plea of in.
sanity and that Spencer was victim
of police I" frame.up" and was being
railrQaded to the gallows The Jury
gave this little consideration and on
November IA Spencer was found guilty
and sentenced to be hanged early in
December, His attorneys secured a
stay of execution and took an appeal
to the Illinois supreme court. On June
10, 1914, the supreme court affirmed
the lower court IS verdict, ruling that
evidence of Spencer's depravity was
not sufficient to justify the opinion
that he was insane. The supreme court
fixed the execution for today between
the hours of 0 a, M. and 8 p. nj.
Since his Imprisonment here, Spen-
eer has read the Bible daily and has
had weekly talks with church workers
He has not changed his early declara
tions that he was ready and willing to
! die.