Morning journal and courier., 1883-11-24
NEW YORK.

Lawyer Johnson's Business AIethOds-An
 Unpleasant Discovery That Followed
 Ills Su1c1de-Nearly Half of His Sisters
 Fortune Squan6ered tn Speculation.
 ROCHESTER, Nov. 23.-Last evening Hen.
 Charles M. Dennison, ex-deputy attorney
 general, Charles Everett, MT. N. E. Herman and Dr. Gray of the insane asylum arrived
 here from Utica. This forenoon they appear ed before Surrogate Stuart and proved the
 last will and testament of the late James Me- Donell, brother-in-law of A. B. Johnson of Utica, who recently committed suicide. The estate valued at about three quarters of mil. lion dollars had been since the death of the testator under the management of the late Mir. Arthur B. Johnson. Mir. Johnson was a half brother of Mrs. McDonell, who resides on East avenue in this city and possessed her entire confidence. She not only placed him in complete control of the estate, but gave him power of attorney to manage 1t and sell or retain or exchange it's securities as he might elect. An examination of the affairs of Mir. Johnson since his death reveals the startling fact that he died defaultsr to the McDoIen estate to the extent of $3OO, ,O00. His books were found to be in perfect shape correct entries of debts and credits, but some $22, 1000 of United States government bonds entered as on hand and in his keeping are nowhere to be found. The same Is true of New York Central and Delaware Lacka- wanna and Western stock amounting to about $75, ,000 or $8O, ,000 more. A thorough search of MT. Johnson's safe and of the Deposit company's vaalts, wherein he had been in the habit of keeping his securities, fails to bring to light any trace of these missing securities, although all of his other bonds, stocks and mortgages were readily found. These latter include about $20O, 900 of American District Telegraph stock quoted at Governor Cornell got up the celebrated
 ''blind pool" Johnson being one of the Governors victims. There are also several shares in the Multicharge Gun company some Hudson river tunnel stock and other
 wildcat securities. A. B. Johnson was 8 heavy speculator in Wall street. and that was the maelstrom which swallowed up his money. On the day of his suicide a stock telegram lay on his table telling him of dis aster in some of his stock spsculRtions. His own will was probRted few days ago and disposed of considerable property, but those who know best believe he has left bis family poor, since his estate will not pay respectable percentage of the sum due Mfs. McDonell. | Johnson was also trustee of three or four estates of other relatives, including Judge Ward Hunt, his father -in-law, but 1t is be- 1 lieved that these are intact, having been closely watched and guarded by the parties interested. A. B. Johnson was 0t times Q 1 heavy drinksr and had been under the 1 influence of liquor for some weeks before he destroyed himself. He was not sufficiently sober on the day of the funeral of his nephew, Johnson L.Lynch, | the victim Of the Batavia tragedy, to attend l it. It was stated at the tima thot tne cause 1 of his suicide was grief at his nephsw's fate, 1 but recent events tend to show that remorss for his conduct in squandering nearly half his sister's fortune drove him to the act of self destruction. Fortunately Mrs. McDon- | elIs real estate, worth about $4oO, 900, is not l at all affected by the loss of her money and 1 securities.