, 1876-06-24
History of the Crime for Which Ho
Suffered tho Extrome Penalty.
With Reference TO Other Horrible Mis-
deeds Lni,l Rt Ills Door.
johnson Protests to tho Last that Ho
Didn't Mean to Do It.
The Days Record Of Miscellaneous
Siufulners,

WILLIAM II, JOHNSON DIES BT IT At rANIs, IT..

.t---
thrnwn Into MI t'i'ss.'al excitement by the us-
aef OF ''hroh Kenhinn, n boy aEcd about Is, by
i.'s stcPtathcf, W. larry JOHNSON. The muir
acr "aa one ot TIC rioat colt.hloodcd and nm
psosoKed R'a'l' Without n Shallow OF 1ustftlea-
t'u,''
oo"''sor' tho 'ntts'eror, was woll known to
.,'e Pc"p'e OF fHsls "a q aespermlo nf
'''o "",st k'hu'-a M"' mea''' sfcakstiE
ee""'t"'o', "no Hha nccn enEagcd III
numerous sights nh't cutting ailrays. Only
lc" Sea's ago no eta'bcll james Cunningham
~ severely t'at ''ss l''o ~as ''cspa'rcd OF, and
aot1naoh had tsarf'w escape from tho gal-
"lthln flTc n''nutos alter the murder Wis
enh.'li'ltet, johnson was arrested by Cly-Afat-
shat a. W. owcile, and placed III e'argu of
nep"ty,ancf,tl VIII slcmons, who conveyed
'l'ln 70 1ail, alter searching hts person fnr tic
Seapon Win ~h'cl tho murder was committed,
.''t wlt'lol't s'1eccss. Oi1 asklllE HIN %hat he
,'a ao''c WIN ~, nc to!d tfc'li III was none Of
the'r I'd Id business; II they wanted thu
revolver to il''h It," W Joilnson'a person wcrc
tniilu hall-pint hottlu 1uIl of Wills
Iy and IL jaels-kn.1e. Tlo scarcl,
Tor tic revolver was continued by Marshal
Owens, wllo finally fnund IT. fn MI nsll-tarrei,
showed down anlong the asl,ca. It was II large
nnyy revolver of Colts putcnt, and hal ono
barrel empty.
jake Rc,non was fatplly wounded, md ill.,
gerc1 in rrrat nronv untti rr,,1nv cvcn;nrr. 1nc
"a, 1871. when In dird TIN hot1 rrinrn, In
body near the eollar-bonc, und passed down.
ward, backward. nu, ,nwnr5 c,ttIny m t,,o
third ril,. and lo,,eint, nnr t},o sninn T., ~
course, the ball ms setl thro1pI, In, unpcr ,,,n
Of tho right lung. making Il wouml ,,rnrlv n
lncus lo,,g, also cutting thu external f,p,,tar
vein ard tic lining If t|Io internal i,1punr vein
Death WIS ca,lsg by jntcrl,a] tcunorrhnpc. thc
| right lnnr being coinplutcfy brt,krn dawn md
| dccayed
TIE TRIAL.
The case Of Tho Peonlo Of tho State of Illinois
vs.. ", a. Johnson cll,lrgcd with murder, wns
called at the l,cgiunng Of tho Marct, term 1S7g>
| Of the Edgar County CItcutt Court, ,Johnsou's
atturneys-alcssrs, Hunt and NoolIey-n,,,rnr-
cd, mud prcsc,tc,l i'll affidavit from Johnsor.
stating that ,lo had bought thu reyolyer frot,'
o1s Royal Lowthcr; tint fl wns nut AZ ordrr
when lc bought IL, md waa lu,,Ir II, hc ,,ts.
of auy person.; TINT, at tho tYmp
of the shooting, sail revolver was still ont cf
order; that le ceialtl provo this by said Low
tllcr, who WIS uI,scnt; unl tlWt l,p wns, thcrc-
fore, not ready for trl'd, ulM asked for COLI
tin,Iunce Of lliA caae u thu September tern, If
the Court. Tho counsel fur tflu prosecution
stated TINT they Ttn,l" ati'''e ia truthful cVL
| nc''e7 dthasoiis a1lh'hsit, nhd asked that the
tFlal 20 oh. lnls Mlflisaloh removed tic
GROUND Tor cohtlflhanco VI Lie case, aau Judge
Da'as SGT tle uAy ot the tr1al for hloflt'ay,
March u.
Inc case Was calletl on tint uay. a1'tl the
work of securing Jury began. The regular
panel was exhausted unu only four iury,,lcn &C.
rnrci. Tho on,s.al ycutro wns th,t, c,I,ra. nu1
six moro Of lis lry secured bcfnro % It vn, ' rx.
lnustetl. Judge Davis then ordered Sheriff.
1iulcob to tall on tllosu In thu court-rool, ,lfl-
| IL, IN, t,ry xns zc.n,rrd Al 4 ,nlnu,.a ,,,ot 4
a,,,',, H., ,n.t ,,nr,n s,n ,sos 10, laas
an , ~ n ,os uu rcaIs ,iss ~ ,,n, "S o''A'e''
Tic cusc ws.s opuncl fur thu persecution by IT.
s. Tautucr, Stato's Attorney: antl the Ifon.
(;corur Hint ttnnsd fur t,,r Gn,ci,ae, T,rs,,a.
'eo.Hs tA"'e 'pe'ea ~ t''' .'u's'se' t"ceaas
morning. thu scroni tay Of tho tr'aI, was con,
sungd Ill tic examination Of witnesses for tho
| prosecution and tho dc!uusc Tho evidences of.
frred 1y thc nr,,src,,,L,, wo. NJ VI. str,,sooat