The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-06-28
THE CRIME AND THE CONDEMNED.

THE CRIME AND THE CONDEMNED.
THE MURDER OF sTEP-soN AND THE LAW s
STERN DEMAND-THE CONVERSION OF
THE CRIMINAL AND BAPTISM IN GRAINS
HIS LAST NIGHT AND FINAL FAREWELL
TO HIS FAMILY.
Especial Correspondence OF the Sentinel.l
PARIS, ILL, June 23.-It was on the
night of December IL, 1875, that Jacob
RedmoD, a step-son OF Harry Johnson of
this city, was seated by the fire in a little,
old, dilspidsted building. in the south part
of the city, after the termination OF his
days labor as a teamster. Soon the door
opened and Johnson came in, his face red
with the cold and with bad whisky, and in
q husky voice ordered his step-son to go
and get some wood. This the boy refused
TO do until he could get himself warmed
johnson drew his revolver and with the
exclamation, "I'Il shoot the id heart out
of youw pulled the trigger, and
the boy fell weltering in his
blood. "Twas all an accident, Jskel"
exclsimed the fiend, and the dying boy
pose; don't deny l. ~ Mrs. Phipps, living
In the house, cried out also, ayes, you
villain, you shot him on purposew Within
the hour the boy was dead and Johnson
was in jail. The lad thus foully murdered
was Is years old; honest, respectable and
industrious, and was the main support o.
the family by driving a team. 1t is said
that he even furnished his murderous STEP
father ten cents day with which to buy
whisky to steady his nerves. At the
March term of the Circuit Court the grand
jury found true bill against him for
murder, TO which he entered plea of not
guilty.
THE TRIAL.
On Monday, March q, 1876, Johnson was
arrsigned for trial before the Circuit
Court, then In session-Judge o. L. Davis.
presiding. Johnson having neither money
nor friends, the court assigned Captain
George Hunt ard John G. Woolley to de-
fend him, and ably, earnestly and elo-
quently did they work for their unfortu-
nate and criminal client from first to last.
States Attorney Tanner, in behalf of the
prosecution, was assisted by Colonel 81.
Van Sellar and Hon. r. N Bishop, the
leading members of the bar in this sectioL.
It was not until panel of seventy jurors
was exhausted that jury wa obtained
and the entire day was consumed.
The line of defense was that Johnson only
drew the pistol to frighten the boy; that
it was liable TO go off Unexpectedly, and
that its murderous explosion vas acci'
dental, and that be was crazy from the ei-
fects of whisky and thresbiDg be had
received some time previously at the hands
of one Chris Johnson. His counsel made
the most OF these tiImsy pleas, but the evil
dence against him was
IRRESISTIBLE AND OVERWHELMING.
The sight of his little crippled eight-year
old boy testifying against him was most
pitisble sight, and his evidence directly
fastened the guilt upon the wretched man.
After able arguments by the counsel tor
the prosecution and the defense, the case
with fair and impartial instructions IRON
Judge Davis, was given to tne jury on
Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning,
at hskpast ten o'clock, the jury re-
turned
VERDICT OF GUILTY.
"we, the jury, find the defendant
guilty, in the manner as charged In
the Indictment, and find that ht
shall suffer the penalty of DEATH
The jury was polled by Captain
Hunt, aud each member responded that
the above was his true verdict. Johnson
displayed little or no emotion, and seemed
to be dszsd or stupefied as he was led back
to the Jail by the officers. On the Friday
following he was arraigned before Judge
Davis once more, who asked him If be hsC
anything to say why sentence of death
should not be pronounced upon him. To
sir, only that IL was an accident" The
Judge, then, in the usual manner, sen.
teuced him Co be hanged on Friday, June
23, 1876.
BEARING OF THE PRISONER.
Since the sentence of Johnson he has
been as solid as man could we'll be un
ever, the past few davs have developed
something OF change in him, the eonsols
ton of religion offered by the Christian
Church through Elder Hart seeming to be
acceptable to him. On Wednesday even.
ing the elder took him out of his cell
Chief of Police Owens and Sheriff Holcomt
guarding him, and administered the rite ot
baptism according to the rites of his church
The scene was an impressive one, and the
few switnesses will never forget it.
The chain which bound the prisoner to the
70 be baptized, while there was nc
shadow OF a chance to escape
While In the water, the elder
exhorted him to repent, warning him that
II 1t was simply a method TO get sympathy
and for no other purpose, he would only
seemed to be honest in the matter, and b g.
been much-more thoughtful and psniteni
since.
THE PREPARATIoNs-THE GALLows.
The preparations were most thoroughly
made, Sheriff Holcomb paying the closest
attention to every particular. Last night
the Paris guards, q militia company,
organized by Jonn T. r zslle, deputy
sheriff, drilled for about an uour In toe
court house square, and &C an early hour
this morning were upon duty, lining the
sidewalk In front OF the Jail and srrsying