Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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LAYS ALL BARE ? f Tells ?f His D able l?f, His Msj * R?bWies aad Oib*r Crin'f. >. > >, j.> <.* j (, "< ENDING Wira CRIME f , Escaped Suspicion of Thirteen Thefts, I But on Unlucky Fourteenth Lost Locket That Led to Detection and on Fifteenth Shot and Killed a juuii^ n uiiiiiu. The confession of IJertram Geger Spencer, on trial for the murder of Miss Martha 13. ISlackstone at Springfield, Mass., as made to representatives of the State Detective Hureau and municipal police shortly following his a-rest, is one of the queerest of documents and tells all about a series of crimes committed at Springfield by him, while holding a responsible position in a business house of that city as shipping clerK, and looked upon by all as an honest, industrious citizen. No fiction can equal this confession?equal the contradictory phases of character displayed in a man who could' invade a home to loot it, who eould shoot down defenseless women , and, on the other hand, could politely listep to a frightened, fainting woman's request for a glass of water and fetch it to her, or coul 1 sympathetically consider a mother's plea on Christmas Eve that the gifts she had to place in the little ones' stockings and on the family hearth should not bo stolen. Yet in this confession is also the raise into madness the anger of normal men?confessions that he not only robbed women but that he bound and gagged them and showed another phase of his despicable character. When the locket, lost during an attempted burglarly six months before, had-been traced to him and the detectives went to the place where lie worked- as shipping clerk and told f him ho was under arrest as a suspect in the murder of Miss Martha Blackstone. they said that ho had flr^t demanded: "Is this a joke?" "It is too serious a -matter for us to come here and joke al^out," one detective said. ' i Spencer had called to his employer, a Mr. Handy: ."Why, Mr. IJandy, what do you t think? These men have come to ar reet me for the murder of Miss Hlackstono up there in Round Hill. What do you think of that?" HJs employer had reassurod him to the extent of Baying that he had better go with the ofilcers, with the assurance that if he were innocent, everything would come out all right. "All right," he answered, "then I'll f zo." At midnight on the day of his arrest ho was in a cell; the many arti< les found in his house had been j 'entificd as stolen things; the re\olver and mask and searchlight lantern and belt and holster had been uncovered there. The testimony is that Spencer 0 called to State Detective Klynn, whom he saw in the corridor, anfi asked: "Is it true that this drunken fool nvAr thorn In t h ji t noil hn? linnn lint faring all night; that Mrs. Dow and one of her daughters has Identified me as the man who murdered Miss lllackstono?" This "drunken man" was a police ruse. "That's something I can't discuss with you," said Flynn. Spencer already knew that Mrs. Dow and her uninjured daughter, Miss Lucy Dow, had identified a headed belt and a pearl brooch found at his home as articles stolen from them on tho night of the murder. It was two 'days later, he said to ^ the detictives, that he desired to tell everything. They warned him they were policemen and would tell what lie told them to the courts. He said: "I don't care. I want to tell you Verbatim extracts from his confession will perhaps prove tho most interesting. He tells, for instance, of entering a house by a window and discovering a man and woman talking. From their talk ho gathered that the man would son retire, so he lolled linder tlie Vied In n lnwlr rnnm and waited. "The man went upstairs. Then Uiis lady came in and locked the doors and went to bed. I must have stayed there nn hour or two walling Vor her to go lo sleep and every time that I would make the least move to come out I could hear her kind of Srigh. "When I got up to the edge of the bed she rose up and screamed. Then her position changed from a sitting to a lying position. I demanded mon> ey and jewelry. While I was talking to her she pulled off some rings and dropped them into the bed, and I saw her and; said: "What did you do? You dropped something/ She said: No, I didn't.' I asked her to move over to one side and dhe did, and I saw them. I asked her if she had any money. She said a little. She gave me $2. "She asked me for a drink of water and I got her a drink. She asked ' '? r' ( fc RUN ON A RACE SNAG 7 ^ ^ AT JtfKN ,AN*> RELIGION MOVEMEXT SOCIAL MEET. The Colon d Brethren, Segregated ut ? Banquet, One Shouts, "No Black Seats in Heaven!" There was a stir at the Young , Men's Christian Association at Mifcwaukee at a banquet in connection with the Men and Religion Forward Movement because of the men of color were put to eat at a. table by them selves. A negro preacher from Madison rose, and bitterly remarked: "There are no black seats in heaven, we are told." The Mad4son preacher at first started to take a place among the white guests. The other negroes signalled vio-: lently to him as a hint that he was in the wrong place. The negro preacher half rose and turned to his brethren as if to join them. Then he ggve them a severe scowl and sat down. A few stage whispers followed and the colored pastor moved over to the black table. As soon as the speeches began the Madison preacher threw his bomb about the 'absence of black seats in the great hereafter. The black table became very excite]' and tried to stop him. At last, heeMng the murmurs of his brethren, he changed his topic and asked for the co-operation of white people in the work among the blacks. The Rev. George J. Fox, pastor of the Cavalry Raptist church, explained that he had specially asked for the separate table, thinking the inen of his race would feel more at home sitting together. / me which door I wanted to go out and I said: 'The back door.' She went on ahead of me and unlocked the back door and t^he said: 'Good night,' and I said: 'Good nigght.' And that is all there was to it." Of the three little children who were trying to keep awake waiting f/-?r CJnntfi Do nc r?n ChiHul mna pva In the home of Mrs. Helen F. Fisk at 86 Calhoun street, Springfield, Speneer recited this incident: "Yes, it was the night before Christmas; I remember the bed was all covered with Christmas presents and I started to pick up some of those presents, and the lady said: 'For Cod's sake, don't touch those; those , are my children's; and I said: "All right, I won't.' And I went away. Regarding the robbery of the Ripley home at 266 Union street, Springfield, he showed swift cunning. He ( found husband and wife in bed. "They awakened when I flashed my lantern. I warned- them to keep quiet, ne saio. noin 01 mem toia nio they had not a blessed thin*? in , the house; no jewelry or silver and that the only money was a two dollar and a half gold piece. lie looked at the date as he handed it to 1110 and it struck me in an instant, what good would that two dollar and a , half piece do me. lie had identified , the date and I could never pass it , anywhere. I handed it back to him, talked a few minutes with him about , tre troubles of a burglar's life, looked ( out. of a kindow, didn't see anybody, ] talked a few minutes more and left." j He had lived nearly opposite the home of Dr. Ames in Seventh street. One night the Ames family and a number of friends were sitting on the porch. He made up his mind that here was a good opportunity, went ' to his room, hurriedly got out 1ns burglar's outfit, and entered the rear cellar door of the physician's home. "I looked around through the i rooms and found quite a little jewel- 1 ry and things and lput them all in 1 a handkerchief. In a few minutes 1 one of the girls came upstairs. While < she was coming up I ran into a bed- 1 room and got down under the bed. 1 She went into another room, stayed t there a few minutes and went down- < stairs again. Pretty soon they all t came in and came upstairs. 1 "Mr. Ames was the only man 'in 1 the house. Ho went down the end * of the hall into another room. I 1 had all my stuff tied up, and I was t under this bed. No; I didn't have 1 any silverware. T hen I was won- c dering all the time if they would miss t this stuff that was gone. They didn't happen to notice. After I had given everybody time to go to sleep 1 leP 1 he package that I had tied up in c the big handkerchief rigli* r.oxr to 1 the foot of the bed and I came out i and wen I liio the girls' roon and f was looking in the drawer when one n of them kinder sighed and turned ri over in bed. t "I was worried for a long time and i v dcci.'ed to lay low but after six ] t months I guessed that the police ? couldn't have got it and so one night ! I thought 1 would get into some oth- f er house?that was the Dow home, t where I shot the two women." a Spencer then tells jauntily of how he would go out looking for houses a to rob as a man might seek the en- h tertainment of an attractive cafe. t In one place In this confession, he \ admitted that the very revolver with t which he murdered Miss Blackstone v and all but murdered Miss Harriett t Dow was stolen. He stole it out of . v the locker of an officer of Company ] a F of the National uards of Califor- 1 nia, in an armory at Oakland-. la Then he confessed fifteen burg- h , ? . % M 1' I , I . > ? i ! ' . OFFICER SLAIN Aikea P#!ic aw Skat aid Killed by a PrMMotit Cih'z ( A DEPLORABLE AFFAIR iv ' < H t , . . Town Shocked by Newt* of Faithful Officers Death at Hands of Prominent Citizen?Kicking of Patterson's Dog Said to Have Started Trouble in the Street. The correspondent of the News and Courier says one of the most unfortunate and deplorable tragedies in the history of Aiken occurred there Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock, when Mr. .lames Selgler shot and instantly killed officer Wade Patterson, one of the oldest and most valued members ^ c /\f Vi.o f r* I f \r HP h orn UL lilt? 1U1 V.C Wi. mat 11 j . aaavav were several eye-wvitnesses to the tragedy, but ther refuse to be quoted. The story centers around a dog belonging to the dead policeman. It seems that Mr. Seigler had been playing with the dog, when the animal became enraged and bit, or attempted to bite, 'Mr. Seigler, whereupon the latter became incensed and kicked the dog. This drew a warning rebuke from Officer Patterson, who reminded Mr. Seigler that he had trifled with the animal. Mr. Seigler. it is said, replied to the warning by cursing several times and the officer threatened him with arrest. This seems to have closed the incident. The two men then separated, Mr. Selgman walking into the store of Mr. John Overstreet, entering through the side door from Park avenue. Officer Patterson walked to the Main street entrance of the same store, where the difficulty was renewed. Words passed, which it jnnmo nrnvnUorl ^nnalflomhlA nrnfan ity from Mr. Seigler, and for this Mr. Patterson arrested him. Mr. Seigier immediately offered bond for his appearance, and Mr. Patterson accepted the bond of $5. The report goes that Seigler handed Patterson a five dollar bill, and without further words pulled from his pocket a 3 2-calibre automatic revolver and fired four or five shots into the breast of the officer, producing instantaneous death. Bystanders rushed up and found Officer Patterson still clutching the mcney and his revolver securely fastened in its holster, the barrel pointing upwards. Mr. Seigler was arrested by Rural Policeman Jlolley, who one of the eye-witnesses ,and taken to jail. Mr. Seigler is one of the most prominent men of the county, being a son of the late Capt. A. S. Seigler, and has a host of friends, who deeply rgeret the shooting. Officer Patterson came from Edgefield to Aiken about thirty-five years ago and has almost continuosly since been a member of the Aiken police force. He was recognized as one of the best and most conscientious officers on the force, and was a man wholly and altogether void of any fear, being at all times cool and resourceful, and his untimely death has cast a gloom over the city that he lias guarded so long and well during the dark hours. He leaves a wife and five cnildren. * .? POISON IN BODIES EXHUMKI). Stronger Case Against Chicago Woman Now Near Death. Poison found in the viscera of two more of the ten persons who had died mysteriously beneath the roof of Mrs f.ouise Vermilya, Chicago, made more than tangible Friday the suspicions and accusation made against the woman. She still is at the county jail Hospital, where she lies ill from attempts to take her own life. Toxicologist Walter D. Haines Friday notified the coroner's office that arsenic ,vas present in large quantities in the /isicera of Conductor Richard T. Smith and of Frank Brinkamp, the atter being Mrs. Vermilya's son. In ho case of Frank Rrinkamp, Mrs. Vermilya's favorite son, the fiancee )f the boy induced an investigaion. * C*cts New Appointment. Rev. F. Warren Dibble, of this ity, who graduated from Wofford in 010, and who has been preaching n the Western North Carolina Conerence was appointed a few weeks igo (o a charge at West Concord, his will he interesting news to all hose who like to keep track of tlie vork Orangeburg boys are doing in be world. arios covering a period of nearly our years in Springfield. Thirteen imes he committed depridations here nd escaped even suspicion. The fourteenth time was when he .ttompted the burglary of the Blair 1 louse and in a slide down a ladder o escape, the locket he wore as a vatch charm was torn from its chain o be afterwards found', examined and vhat with his initials on it and the dctures of his mother and sister within, to lead to his examination and irrest. The fifteenth time was that n which he killed Miss Blackstone i ind shot Mim Harriett Dow in the lead. i * . ' BIDS FOR THIRD TERM 4. >' i? ^ TEDDY'S MESSAGE SO OON\ STRl'KD BY MB. HENRY. ' i ? j Texas Congressman Predicts That On Such a Platform Roosevelt Will Be Beaten in His Own Party. Declaring that Theodore Roosevelt makes Alexander Hamilton look like a novice as an advocate of absolutism, q t i t/n Mnnrv Tnvoo nhnix i VV I vwuil VUVi ? C A A^Ul J \Jg A CAOO) V/Iiail man of the Houso committee cn rules, issued a formal statement Saturday in answer to the former President's views on the trust question in his recent editorial in The Outlook. Mr. Henry asserts that Mr. Roosevelt, through his "message, ' is feeling the pulse of the American people for a third term, that he is trying to discreet Mr. Taft and Mr. Wickersham, and predicts that he will "find the road to the presidency 'rocky' while, he is running for a third term with the steel trust snugly and congenially sitting astride his shoulders." The Democratic Congressman, who recently made public proposed amendments to the Sherman law providing that trust criminals be forced o wear "felon's stripes," assails Mr. Roosevelt chiefly for what he terms his advocacy of "legislative courts" and "legislative executives." He quotes lrom the former President's editorial the following reference to the Standard Oil and Tobacco trust decisions of the Supreme Court: "It is contended that in these recent decisions the Supreme Court legislated; so it did; and it had to; because Congress had signally failed to do its duty by legislating, but where the legislative body persistently leaves open a field which i6 abso*lutely imperative, from the public standpoint, to fill, then no possible blame attaches to the official of officials who step in because they have to and who then do the needed work in the interest of the people. "This is absolutism run mad," Mr. Henry declares, "Never in the history of Amercia did any man, living or dead, advocate such rank, miseix able and rotten doctrine. The adherents of Alexander Hamilton should tenderly take up his ashes, make due apology for his being a novice in the doctrine of absolutism and remove his sacred urn to some quiet and sequestered spot and give way to the real thing, to one who has views." Mr. Henry attacks the proposed Federal trust commission, asserting that it robs the States of their power to deal with corporations. This proposal is vicious beyond description," he says. "Corporations would immediately raise a hundred thousand issuable questions and points and rush to the bosom of the commission for their settlement. They would pile ill) treir onntrnvorsios tlmrn ?nd tVi? comission would not be able to sebtle them in a hundred years. Charging that the trust commission is Mr. Roosevelt's issue, the Texas Congressman says in conclusion: "This will make him the candidate for the Steel trust which he defended and the advance agent of the reactionaries, not the progressives. In my opinion he is harnessing himself up with the wrong crowd and on a mighty bad issue, and even Mr. Taft and Mr. Wickersham can whip him in his party." THE MAIN 10 WILL FLOAT. * Bulkhead is Being Built in the After Part of the Ship. The exploration of the portions of the battleship Maine affected by the explosion which sank her, probably will be completed by the end of November, when results of the investigation will be ready for submission to the board of officers. The work of building a woo en bulkhead amid* ships was begun this week, and there is no doubt now of the feasibility of floating the afterpart of the ship. Up to the present, it is said, all indications strongly confirm the find- 1 ings of the Sampson board of inquiry that the ship was destroyed by an exterior explosion, supplemented by ex- 1 plosions in the forward magazines. Oflicers in charge of the work, however are silent as to their conclusions. 1 The forward section for a distance of 70 feet from the bow is lying on its starboard .side and twisted sharply to port. Exploration within this < section has now been completed for j -tO feet, eaving only HO feet to the cx- t tremity of the bow, which it is cx- * pected will be reached within two t weeks. ^ Removal of the four forward boil- i ers has been delayed owing to the in- ( sulliceint strength of the derricks. * ^ A \ May IiO.se His liCg. i While on a hunting expedition Fri- i day, Mr. n. C. ITough, a prominent i men u it m nnu ousiness man or Lan- \ caster, was accidentally shot in the t left leg just above the knee, cutting > the leaders and artei ies and injuring f the knee cap. , Many Are Killed Ily Storm. Fifteen of the crew of eighteen f men lost their lives Friday when the < Norwegian bark Antigua was driven I ashore at Martin River. The Antigua 1 was loading at Martin river below 1 Quebec. < RUIN HIS WORK Miaistcr D dares" Life l;de Miserable by Wife's Jeaiaasly. WIFE IS A CHILD HATER Cruelty, Neglect and Fear of Bodily Harm to lliniHclf and Children also Alleged in Rev. Graham's Petition for Absolute IMvorce from Former School Teacher. The Rev. Benjamin Graham, recently pastor of St. James Methodist Church of Atlanta, Friday filed suit for absolute divorce from Mrs. Lorah Harris Graham. He alleges "cruelty, neglect, fear of bodily harm to himself and children, unwarranted jealousy of his own children and all the women of his church," which, often, it is declared, "culminates in wild tantrums of rage," embarrassing to himself and his church. In a statement issued shortly after the filing of his divorce petition, Mr. Graham goes into details regarding his marital troubles. . He states that before their marriage his wife was for eleven years a school teacher at Covington, Cordele and Athens, Ga., and that this, he believes, is the cause of her unusual feeling towards his children. "My wife is a child hater" he said, "and although, I have not believed in divorce, 1 now find that it is the only thing possible for the sake of my children." Mr. Graham states that they have been married twenty-nino months and in that time he has been compelled to spend one-fourth of his entire time attempting to calm his wife in her jealous rages and restoring peace in his household. His two children a boy of 1 1, and a girl of 5, are by a former marriage. "Any attention that I might show either of the children brought on a jealous rage on the part of my wife," he states. "In the morning if I kissed my little girl my wife would fly into a tantrum. Sometimes it would be days before she would speak to me. She declared that when I kissed my own child she felt exactly as if I were rvisHiiiK iiiiuiu?r woman. i nave known her to fly into these tantrums simply because I would pass a dish to one of the children at a meal. Sometimes she would rush into the yard of the parsonage screaming, drawing a crowd of idly curious to the gate." The minister states that for a year he has been unable to take his children out even for a car ride on account of his wife, and that once she bought an automobile, but soon sold it because he asked her to let the children ride in it occasionally on the hack seat. His work for the church ba\ been ruined Mr. Graham aserts because his wife has been jealous of the women of his congregation. He could hardly speak to one of them, he said, without spending the next twentyfour hours pacifying his jealous wife, and often when he went to meet male members of the church she won hi think he had seen some of their wives, and a rage would follow. Mr. Graham's resignation was presented and accepted by the Georgia Conference, by Presiding Rider J. T. Daves. It was accompanied by <a letter form the official board of St. James ' Church, commending Mr. Graham's work in Atlanta during the past year. Mr. Graham stated that he probably would adopt the stage as a career. He said: "In moral plays which exert a tendency to uplift, I believe 1 could follow an ocupation that is a parallel with that of preaching the gospel. I will still retain my moral attitude, but seeing no other course, the footlights, promise me a means of livelihood for myself and my two children, and 1 probably will adopt it." Mr. Graham is 4 0 years of age, , while Mrs. Graham, from whom he seeks divorce, is 35. llOY'S FOOT SHOT OFF. ? He Hosted (inn on Foot and Pulled , the Trigger. At Clinton Master Henry Yeager i diot an entire load of shot, powder ind wads through his foot Friday af- 1 ernoon. He and some boys had just I started out hunting, under bis moth- j ir's protest, and were talking of the i ;reat game that would be brought >ack, when Henry rested the barrel >n his foot, and .forgetting that the tun was loaded pulled the trigger, 1 vlth the very painful result of shoot- i ng a hole through his foot. It was 1 iccessary to take off part of his foot tVilliam Neville helped him to his >orch, where many of his friends gathered around him . From there he f vas taken to his own home, and is ( jetting along very well. t . t Led Break form Prison. i At Quincy, 111., John "Jack Frost," 1 i Civil war veteran, 82 years old, is s lea>d>, having been stricken with apo- t )lexy while walking the street. Frost i ed the famous attempt to escape 1 !rom Andersonville prison during the i Sivil War. I ABUSE THE tOUTH > ' t * ? * a *,' ' FOR LYNCHING THT FIENDS WHO ATTACK OUR WOMEN. ? > "i But Ham Not a Word of Oeri?ure for the North for Burning Negroes for Murder. The New York World says a mass meeting to protest against lynching was held in Ethical Culture Hall, Sixty-Fourth street and Central Park West, Thursday night under the auspices of the National Association for \ the Advancement of Colored People. Resolutions were adopted expressing Regret that President Taft "has not seen fit to voice a single public protest." These resolutions also asked for a Congressional inquiry into the entire question of lawlessness. Hutchins C. Bishop, a negro cleryg-man attacked the President for doing nothing to prevent trie lynching of negroes in the South. Every uncomplimentary reference to the President was applauded by the small audience, which consisted almost entirely of negroes. Mrs. Florence Kelly said the women of this country should hang their heads in shame, for they had the upbringing of the men who did the lynchings. "The personal honor of every woman in her own affair," she exclaimed, "which no one can attack but herself. The burning of a man's body is no worse than the sacrifice of the lives of our young girls on the streets, to which we acquiesce." W. E. Du Bois said many negroes were lynched for assaults on white women which never took place. Oswald Garrison Villiard, who presided, said officials North, South, East and West bow in obeisance to Judge Lynch. He called attention m the steady Increase in the number of lynchings and declared that if Lynch law was not checked it would undermine the foundation of American civ ilazation. Tho Rev. John Haynes Holmes, a Unitarian minister, exhorted tho North to fight over the battle of fifty years ago and lead the poor, benighted South back to the paths of right and full equality of every description. Appeals were made for contributions for a fund of $1,000 to send a man to watch the doings in the South. MYSTEItlOyS TRAGEDY. + Farmer's Mules Hring Their Master Home in Dying Condition. A mysterious tragedy, in which (Mr. James Irvin is dead, occurred near his home at Polkvilie Tuesday. Mr. Irvin was a progressive farmer and was in the woods with his wagon, hauling leaves for the stable. He came home riding on the wagon in an unconscious condition, his skull being crushed. For some time it was thought that he had been brutally attacked and murdered, but after an examination of the wagon tracks, it is now trought that the hub of the wheel lodged against a tree and he got down to press the small tree out. When he did the mules jerked and caught his head between the sapling and the wheel. His skull was crushed and his ear was torn off. Somehow he managed to crawl back on the load of leaves and his mules hauled him home in an unconscious condif \ r\ Mr. Irvin was ono of (he leading farmers of the county and the tragedy is most 'deplorable. The exact manner in which he met. the fatal stroke is not known hut ttie above is the accepted theory of the neighbors. He was buried at Big Springs church Wednesday and a great crowd attended the funeral. He was a brother of Rev. A. C. Irvin, the venerable Confederate pastor who is so well known throughout the State. MADK A QUICK MATCH. * Couples Marries After About Five Minutes Courtship. If speed is essential to success th matrimony, then Alpha Davis, 19, Indianapolis, and George H. nisei, 40, farmer, have qualified. "I'm glad to meet you, Miss Davis," said nisei, as they were introduced it the home of a friend. Disel talked about three minutes Mloo I. . ... ... - -.1.1 oiiii ic.-i i >a> is ut'iurv i v in <11 rv I lift hat he thought she was just about ill right, and- at least another three minutes before ho "popped." "Let's get married," he suggested. "Well. I'm game," said the girl. Together they walked to the court louse to get the license. Thirty minutes after the first meeting they were married. Killed by Train llnndiis. Kxpress Messenger Irving G. Barker was killed and the safe in hit car, in the Delaware, Lackawanna and A'estern Road, looted of a sum said o bo $1,500 or $2,000 on Friday light. Rarger was seen by train lands at work in his car as the train (topped a minute at Taylor. Four minutes later, when It arrived at 3cranton, Pa., Barger's body waa round lying on the floor of the ear with his head battered and a bullet n his brain.