Evening star., 1940-05-07
Crazed by Custer,
Teacher Kills -Four,
Shoots Two and Self
Errotic Junior High
Instructor Runs Amuck
With Target Pistol
3y the Associated Press,

3y the Associated Press.
SOUTH PASADENA, Calf. May.
death hovered near today for
three critically wounded survivors Of
. deposed school principals bullet
spewing target pistol that cost the
lives of four other education au-
thorities.
Slain were George G. Bush, 81, for
IS years superintendent of schools
here and in nearby San Marino;
John E. Alman, so, principal OF the
South Pasadena-San Marino High
School for Is years; William Speer,
43, business manager of the COM
bined school district, and Victor v.
Vanderlip, As, manual arts and
printing instructor at South Pasa-
dena Junior High School.
Hospital authorities described as
critical the condition of high
strung, erratic Verlin Spencer, 38,
who suddenly went berserk after
being told his junior high school
contract would not be renewed,
moved down the six school attaches,
and then turned his 20 caliber pistol
upon himself.
Had Nervous Breakdown.
Little hope also was held for the
other survivors of his mad outburst
Of gunhre. Miss Ruth B. Sturgeon,
IS, art instructor at the junior high
school, and Miss Dorothea Talbert,
80, secretary to Supt. Bush.
Police Chief Frank Higgins re-
ported Spencer, an expert marks
man, had numerous recent alterca-
tions with school authorities follow
ing a nervous breakdown year ago.
He went to the Board of Education
Building yesterday, demanding a
hearing on notification his con-
tract would not be renewed at the
end of the school year.
Higgins said an argument de-
veloped and Spencer pulled the tar
get pistol from his pocket and
started firing. Bush, Altman and
Speer fell dead, each shot once
through the heart.
Turning on his heel, Spencer en-
eountered Miss Talbert, who at
tempted to rise in horror from her
secretarial desk. The pistol barked
twice more and she slumped to the
door, shot through the shoulder.
Students See Him Flee.
Waving the smoking gun and
shouting "Ill get them ALL" Spencer
ran through a group of students
leaving their classrooms, jumped
into his automobile and drove back
to his own school.
There he found Miss Sturgeon
and Vanderlip, with whom Higgings
said Spencer had had recent diff
ficulties. The art teacher was seated
at her desk grading student papers
and looked up to see Spencer ad-
vancing toward her. Her screams
were silenced by three quickly fired
bullets into her breast.
Vanderlip was next. The principal
found him outside on the campus,
forced him into the basement and,
after a terrific struggle in the man
ual training room, left the in
structor crumpled dead on the floor
with three bullets In his body. N,
Walking across the campus, Spen-
Ger encountered squad Of police,
armed with shotguns and revolvers.
He ducked into the school cafeteria
as they moved to open fire and beat
= them to the draw. A bullet from
his own gun entered his right side
and lodged near the heart.
Police found In his clothing
scribbled will in which Spencer
stated he was Of sound mind" and
bequeathed his property to his wife,
Jolly, providing she did not spend
more than 5000 on his funeral ex-
penses. He also has son, Verlin,
fr. u.