The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-09-13
"a oI,InIIotliu,tLll1l1Iull:S,;,o.... I,III q \. n
johnson, Whose Crimes Caused tho Clncin'
Isn lltEl nnu lllOt, Hung YeatcrtlnY, ~ .--L-

v " johnson, Whose Crimes Caused tho Clnci,
! '&f natl Riot, Hung Yesterday. ,II
ClSciSSArl, o., September l2.-Bcl
!, jamln johnson, colored, was hanged tn
: morning for completely with Allen Ii
gals in the murder Of Beverly Taylor an
: wiie and little girl, near Avondale las
February. Tho atrocity of their crlmt
,, together with tho action Of the jury
+, fixing the grade OF Wm. Berner's crime q
!, mans!aughter when 1t was n clear case c
! murder In tho first degree were tho potcn
, cases leading to the riot. Z 4.
I. THE STORY OF TIE CRIME y
! The triple murder occurred on tho nigh
, Of Friday, February 10. Tho small cabil
, Of Beverly Taylor, un aged negro n. Avon
. dale, was occupied by himself, his wifi
, and an adopted daughter, Eli2a Jane Lam
bert, aged eleven. On Saturday mornin,
the charrcd ruins OF the old hut suggest,
to people in the vicinity tho death by Grt
OF tho three inmates during tho night
Mr.. Mills, the owner Of the hut, made (,
search among the ashes for the bodies OF
bones, yet found nothing. No trace coulc
be found OF the missing people,. Marsha
lIrown,Ho OF AXDndTle, took tho caSc il
hand sol. SERIOUS investigation. A small
'Thoticcof mysterious tire at Avontlale Wls
all that appeared In public prints. a week
later Marshal Brown, following IN intui.
tive clue, found the bodies OF the missing
people in the dissecting room OF tho Ohio
Medical College, on Sixth near Vine.
The bodies were found US brought to
the college. The skull OF each was frac.
tured. There was unmistakuble evidence
that each person had been murdered.
Subsequent investigation showed that
they lnd been brought to the college on
the night OF the fire by two negroes, who
Ind been paid Tor the bodies by Dr.. Cilley.
the dcmonstrator in anatomy. Marshal
Brown ut once arrested Allen ingalls, and
Ben. johnson, in Avondale, charging
them with numbering the Taylor lalllly.
Then the story came out that on the nigh,
Of the murder ingalls, and johnson went
together to the Taylor hut. They were
well acquainted with tho family. Both
were armed with clubs and carried with
them gunny sacks in which to put the
bodies. Going into the hut they found
tho three people sitting about the fire.
place. They all jumped up at the intru.
sion. ingalls, struck the old man terri.
bic blow with a locust club. johnson
knocked in the skull OF the Young rr and
both soon killed the old lady. Then the
three dead bodies were put into the sacks
and carried outside. The hut was set on
Tire and the ghouls left with their bodies
R. u. Dixon, mn eNpressman, was in wait
ing near by. The bodies. were put into the
wagon. anu all went into the city. Ingalls,
sat upon one OF the bodies and smoked his
pipe during the journey At the College
the bodies were taken out and carried in
by Ingalls, and johnson. ingalls, received
$50 from DR.. Cilley, aud was promised S25
more atanother time. B 9TH negroes then
went to their homes on Crescent avenue,
in Avondalc. The arrest Of the two men
made a great sensation. f"The burk ,rs"
became the most noted criminals of tic
age. In three days johnson confessed
first, and ingalls, followed when he found
that his game was discovered and that
nothing could save him from conviction
5E5, THE EXECUTION.
DR.. Cilley, Of the medical college, cane
in ior great share OF the blame for tie
crime. Terrible suspicious OF similar
deeds were suggested when memory re.
called the many mysterious disappear
ances in, Cincinnati for years past. Both
criminals were speedily indicted A month
later came the baptism. OF fire and riot
upon the Jail and court house. Later,
Ingalls, was found dead in lis cell. He
had hanged himself with rope made
from his bed.clothcs. Johnson was tried
and sentenced to be hanged, and to-day
the law was carried out. as Il f,s t;;fi :.
johnson was attended the last fifteen
minutes in his cell by DR.. joyce alone,
Tho Sheriff read the warrant few min
utes before 10 o'clock. johnson listened
with wild look, but said nothing. lie
knelt on the scaiTold during a very briei
prayer, and then made II short speech de-
ciaring his innocence, and saying lie was.
prepared to die. Death was almost in
staneous, and without any peculiar feature.
The execution took place III the iail ward,
the scattold being screened by canvas, ,35
itJohnson's career has been concealed by
his cuteness, or rather stubbornncss, since
his life in Jail. Y Hc stated when on tria!he
was about thirty years old that he had
been born n slave inTrunbull county,
Kentucky, and had served year in the
army. For some years he had been living
in Cincinnati and vicinity. When the
murder occurred he was living in the
same house with Allen ingalls,, in Avon
dale. From confessions which both men
made during their stay in jail, it is certain
that Johnson, Ingalls, an others were
making "stiirraising" "theirbusincss They
both we're professional resurrcctionists
and many graves in the country ceme-
terics are empty because Of these ghouls.
Still Climbing Up. it ! faa5l'i
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