Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-10-25
ON TAsAL FOR HIS LIFE.
The case of Charles IoiiusOp. Charged
WIth eating fsis NiCe-s Throat
with tsaHGF.

The Ease of Charles Johnson. Charged
with Cattins Eis MiCe's Ihroat
with ~ Eazer.
Yesterday, in the Criminal Court. Judge
Humphreys, after our report in the case OF
Charlie johnson, COlOred, indicted for the muir
der Of his wife, Jane T.. johnson, on the 18th of
September, by cutting her throat, closed, DIR.
a. Peter and DIR. A. Il. SheckelIs, corroborated
the testimony of DR.. Hartigan as to the wounds
Ms. Francis Blair. colored, testified that de-
ceased came home On the night of the homicide
the back yard witt her two children: heard
johnson ask her where she was going and she
repleq she was going to put the children to
beC;' he said. No you amt" then heard de-
ceased $50 ualling;' witness was scared and shut
her door: never heard them qlarreiing before.
Henry Kelly, colOred, testified that he heard
the prisoner tell his wife that she had taken his
FURNITURE and he would have her put in the
Penitentiary; did not hear her reply; went off
and when he came back saw the WON An fall
IRON Johnson's arms to the ground in the back
yard; saw no weapon in J0hnsons hand at the
time; the deceased cried "murder" several
times before she fell. On cross-examination
witness said after the homicide johnson came
towards witress with a razor in his hand, and
lie went after policeman and the prisoner
walked on down the street; some OF the chairs
from the house OF prisoner were brought to wit
hess' house by the deceased on the evening of
the murder; saw deceased give a bundle TO a
mai that evening also, and saw him 90 down
The street with ii; the tone of voice in which the
accused aud deceased spoke at the time of the
Sergeant SirindeH testified that he found this
raZCr there razor was eNhibited) in a ward
about forty five feet from j Ohnson's; heard that
Mrs johnson lad been killed; went in and saw
the 9ocy lying on the ground, and then looked
for the razor.
O.!Tcer W. II. TruaneU testified that on the
night In question colored man told him that
Jane johnson had had her throat cut by her
husband; went towards the prisoners house and
met him midway of the square, and asked him
he had hurt his wife; he said, Yes, he believed
he had killed her." asked him what he did it
with; he said "with a razor, which he had
thrown away" carried him to the statiOn-house
and locked him up; arrested johnson once
before for an assault upon his wife Cross
exaIlined:-The arrest tor assault was five DAYS
before the homicide; when arrested, johnson
said be had no bad feeling towards his wife; the
accused, when arrested for the homicide, was
walling slowly down the street towards the
statiOn-h house, and made no resistance; witness
took charge of JOhnson's house next morning;
there was no furniture in the house but stove
and trunk; on the shelf behind the door there
was shaving-bOx. but nothing else.
The prosecution rested.
MIR. MelOy opened for the defence. He said
that the prisoner and his wife were slaves be-
lore the war, and were married in 1859; they
came to Georgetown after the war began, and
the accused enlisted in the United States army;
when he came back he found that his wife had
been uniathful to him. although he had left
her in comfortable circumstances, and had fire.
quently sent sums OF money to her; in 1859 he
went to Texas, and stayed there until the sum-
her well; when he returned he found her living
as the paramour Of Moses SnOwden, and he
torgave her the second time, furnished house
Tor her, and lived with her in apparent good
feeling up to the night of the homicide, he doing
everything in his power to render her comforts
Die and happy; on the night of the homicide he
came home from his work and found all dark;
he CROPPED around for his furniture, and could
hnd neither furniture, wife, nor children; he
went out and asked the neighbors il they knew
where his wife had gone. they answered in the
negative; he started back for his house. and met
Ms wife coming out OF the back yard of a house
where she had been to meet her paramount;
when questioned, she met him with a downright
ne on her lips, and they became engaged in
Iuarrei, during which, remembering his kind
ness and her i'll treatment, he became ffenzied
and killed her. Upon this statement of racts
he claimed that a verdict of acquittal should be
rendered.
Krs. Elisd A9sr, for the defence, testified that
she knew that johnson was absent in Texas in
1859; he returned in 1872; had made clothing for
his wife at his request; he was a kind husband,
as far as witness knew; johnson paid for his
wfe's clothing
Hezskiah Turner, co,ored, testified that he had
known prisoner and deceased since 1885, the
accused, when he returned from Texas last
summer, furnished a house for his wife, and
gave her all her clothing; he was q kind hus-
band; accused came to the house Of witness on
the evening Of the hemicide, before il occurred,
and told witness that his wife had stripped the
house; went to the house in company with the
prisoner, heard him and his wife quarreling,
OF the homicide shortly afterwards.
Mrs. Ann Turner, colOred, testified that when
accused went away to Texas his wife had chill
Ciren during his absence; he went to live with
her after he came back each time; he furnished
a house for her and gave her all her clothing;
Mrs. Cole brought certain things belonging to
johnson to her house the Sunday following the
homicide; the dece ased had also brought certain
articles to her house before her death.
SECOND DAYS PROCEEDINGS.
To-day, Hezet1dh Turner was called for the
md faSt Ead 20 Gy.Atn AhA r.
of the accused in his (deceased's) trunk.
Noses SnOrcden testified to having often been
with the deceased; had had criminal intercourse
with her; some of the children were his.
Mary smith and Sarah Cole testified to the de-
ceased brn ging things from her house.
This closed the testimony with the exception
OF that OF Mr.. Swink, and the court said the de-
PENDANT should have the benefit Ut his evidence
when be arrives.
Mr. Harrington said that he would ask the
court 10 instruct the jury that II they found that
accused took the razor and inflicted the wounds
Tor the purpose of taking life, he was guilty OF
murder. He claimed that the testimony did not
show that he killed the deceased because OF her
want of virtue, Tor he had known her to be a
loose woman for several years; but that the
cause of the onslaught was attributed to the de-
ceased having taken away the furniture. And
he claimed ii the accused had meditated
long on these wrongs, the crime was a most
wanton one, committed at the very worst time
of all others, when he should have been kind
and cOnsiderate to her.
Judge Paschal, for the prisoner, alluded to
the fact that his client was without friends; to
his life as a slave, his marriage to a slave on
another plantation, which marriage was not re-
gsrded OF as solemn nature rs the marriage of
free people; and he read from q number Of
authorities to show that such marriages were
not regarded in the same light. He knew
nothing Of this man except what was brought
out by the evidence. He was drafted as q mill
tiaman at the beginning Of the war, and served
two or three years. He was ignorant, and did
not comprehend the effect Of his discharge from
the army. He did not slay her because she was
adulterous, but under the weight OF immediate
provoeation. The judge briefly discussed the
cause Of proyocation, and appealed to the Jury
to look back to the time when virtue was not
protected from the lust Of men, IS 1t wa among
the slaves during slavery. The 6rst inquiry the
prisoner made when he returned from his hard
days labor on the night OF the homicide, was
" Where is my wffe?" He went. from
one neighbor to another, and found that
she had been out 70 meet her paramour.
Judge p. quoted from the Bible Numbers, 25th
chapter, 10th to Data verses, Deuteromony, 22d
chapter, I'D veree.) The world has attempted
to define murder, but IL cannot be done better
than it is here defined. The Judge cited
Mccoy vs.. State, 18th Tex. Rep, and said that
il was the best authority he was able to lay his
hands upon. The law Of the District Of Colum.
bis has not advanced with the civilization else
where. Congress has not seen fit to embrace In
the code OF this district the degrees of murder
that almost universally prevail throughout tho
United States All doubts in regard to the In