Opinion ID: 1744526
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Hoover Testimony

Text: In January 1945 the Hoovers were living in Kansas City. Lula May Hoover worked in a coffee shop frequented by Spencer Bovard. When he asked her for dates, she told him he could come to her home and meet her parents, which he did. Over the months that followed he became like a member of the family, even proposing marriage to Lula May Hoover. During his visits, Spencer Bovard began to discuss with John Hoover the land in Arkansas. It had belonged to the Northwestern Coal and Mortgage Company which had dissolved in 1922. Some of the stock belonged to the estate of Spencer Bovard's great uncle, John H. Bovard. Spencer Bovard was a co-administrator of the estate. John Hoover had mining experience and with Spencer Bovard's encouragement he became interested in acquiring the land, which could be bought for $35,000. By corresponding with Mr. S.B. Stevenson, Vice President of the First National Bank of Ft. Smith, and with the partial backing of Margaret Piper, John Hoover managed to arrange the purchase, with the bank agreeing to lend him $11,000 of the purchase price. Guy Green handled the necessary legal work. Lula May Hoover was employed out-of-state after April of 1945 but while at home on visits her father would discuss plans to purchase the property. He proposed to sell their home and a rent house in Kansas City and to borrow on his life insurance. The family would move to Arkansas and use the coal and timber from the land to pay off the balance of the purchase price. By August, 1946, her father had bought the land with Margaret Piper's help. He was excited about the prospects and told Lula May that Spencer Bovard had made it possible for him to acquire the land, that he hoped Spencer would help him develop the property and when the original investment had been repaid, he thought he would give Spencer a one-third interest. Lula May Hoover returned to Kansas City in January, 1948. By then her parents were at the point of moving to Arkansas. She testified that something had happened to change her father's attitude toward Spencer Bovard. On Sunday, February 8, Lula May and her father drove to another part of the state on business. Her father was so upset his driving was affected and she took the wheel while he discussed his affairs in resume. He told her he planned to disassociate himself immediately from Spencer Bovard. Although he had discussed other intentions with her, he said they would never come to pass. She took it that while she was away Spencer had been in Arkansas to pump water from an abandoned mine shaft referred to as the old Northwestern, but that for reasons he did not explain her father did not intend to have any further connection with Spencer Bovard. She testified that on Tuesday, February 10, her father was with Spencer Bovard and that evening he attended the Golden Glove fights but never came home. His body was found on February 14 in a remote section of Kansas City, bound and gagged in the backseat of his car. He had been struck on the back of the head but had died from smoke inhalation from an attempt to burn the interior of the car. Mrs. Dopp and Mrs. Deleon testified to actions and statements by Spencer Bovard after the death of John Hoover which raised their suspicions to the point they became terrified of him, and wanted no further contact with him.