Morning journal and courier., 1884-09-15
THE wALLINGFORD MURDER.

The>BIoody Deed of William Johnson
 Killing Ills Wife With an Axe-HIs
 MurderOus Attack Upon Jackson
 The Latter Improving = JOhnson's
 Escape and Arrest-COnhnemen In
 the County Jail.
 Wa1lingford was aroused by the news of another deed of blood Saturday morning. William Johnson, fugitive from justice, came back to Wallingford Friday night and murdered his wife, who was at William Smiths, about a mile north of the center of the town About two o'clock Saturday Johnson broke into the house and taking an axe went up stairs where his wife and two children were sleeping Another eolored man, named Jackson, was sleeping in the front room. Johnson first struck hin, ,and then turned for his wife, who started down stairs. At the bottom she fell and Johnson then struck her in the head with the axe Another colored man named Wormsley was sleeping in the front room down stairs and William Smith and his wife were sleeping in another down stairs room Smith and Wormsley were awakened by the noise. The latter saw Johnson coming toward him and fled through a window with Johnson following him. Smith secured a gun and started after John son. who, however, made good his escape. Jackson came down stairs, rushed out of doors and was not seen again until o'clock Saturday morning, when he returned to the house a horrible sight. The right side of his head was pounded to jelly, his right ear was nearly gone, he was covered with blood, his right eye was entirely closed, his jaw was fractured and his head was swollen to double it's size. Smith and Wormsley went to inform the authorities and while they were gone, Mrs. Smith says, John son returned and again struck his wife to make sure of killing her. Smiths wife was frightened and ran out of the house and af- terward Johnson came out and ran across the lots toward the railroad
 Dr. McGaughey, the medical examiner, or dered the body removed to the Town Hall to await the action of the coroner. Smith says that the whole transaction did not occupy more than five minutes. All the adjoining towns were asked by telegraph to look out for the murderer.
 Johnson was arrested at North Haven by Constables~ Austin and Boyden, of Walling- ford, and brought to the jail in this city. He will have hearing on Tuesday.
 When the constable took Johnson into the courtroom, manacled though he was, the prisoner made & desperate resistance and threw the constable over two seats. Half a dozen lawyers and officers jumped on the negro and held him while he was searched. Before the justice took his seat Johnson made full confession to his lawyer. He said he had been informed that somebody was cohab- iting with his wife at Smiths house. He reached the place at 2 o'clock, procured an axe from a shed, climbed in at window of the bedroom on the floor where his wife was and found Jackson there. He declared that he was glad he killed his wife and that his was to kill both. Medical Examin- CT McGaughey began an investigation Satur- day morning, which was followed up by Dep uty Coroner Russell of New Haven.
 Johnson lay in his cell at the county jail yesterday, disinclined to talk with his keep ers All visitors were excluded according to the jail rules for Sunday. The prisoner is hard, degraded-1ooking man. He manifests no contrition for the bloody deed.
 Jackson, the mutilated colored man, was as dying Saturday night. This was an exaggerated rumor. Yesterday he was doing we'll and Dr. Russell, who attended, expresses no doubt of his recovery.
 Johnson and his wife have lived apart for some time, and there have been bitter re- criminations between them on account of Johnson's jealousy of Jackson. The walls and floor of the room where the dead wife lay were spattered with her blood and brains. Jackson in his flight from the house ran until he was so weak ened by loss of blood that he could go no further, when he lay down in a field, where he was found by Officer Austin. He former ly worked in this city for Mir. Marcus Schwed.
 Johnson has been before the courts num- Der of times charged with assaulting some of his colored neighbors. He in turn charged them with improper intimacy with his wife.
 Johnson when arrested was under the in fiuence of liquor. He made but little show of resistance. Only seventy -fve.cents were found upon his person. He says that in at lacking Jackson his wife woke up and rushed for the stairs; that he aimed a terrible blow at her, which fell short; that she reached the bottom of the stairs and attempted to enter the room of William Smith, the proprietor of the house. Smith had been reused by his wife, and not knowing the cause of the dis turbance he jumped up in great alarm and rushed toward the door and closed it. Smith, by the way, says that as he closed it he saw some steel instrument, probably the axe, flash before him, and heard the woman cry and fall on the floor. Johnson struck her several times on the head and then rushed out.