Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-06-29
JOHNSON'S HEARING
BEFORE JUSTICE EDWARDS. AT MOUNDS
WILLIE, YESTERDAY.
The Examination Not Concluded, and an Ad-
iOurnmsnt Taken Until This Morn
ing-0utins Of the Tssi-
mOny Taken.

The preliminary hearing Of Eugene
Johnson, the murderer of Marshal j. 7.
Thatcher, and of Alexander johnson, his
father, and Minnie Johnson, his wife, held
AS accessories to the crime, was COM
commenced in the Court House at Mounds
vile, at 1Oo'elock yesterday morning. The
hour offs o'clock had been originally set,
but owing to evetns of one sort and another
a delay was unavoidable. As might be
expected. the interest OF the people ofthe
town in the hearing vas intense, and long
before the time set for the opening
the street about the Court
House and the Mound City Hotel
WAS filed with groups Of citizens discuss
ing the phases of the recent crime, and
waiting for the opening Of the Court House
doors that eligible seats might be obtained.
Notwithstanding the farmers IN the region
of country contiguous to MOundSyille are
Darticularly busy ut this season., a
large number of them had laid aside their
usual a~vOcatiOns and drilted into town to
be spectators ut the examination, hear the
evidence for and against the accused, and
gratify that morbid curiosity whichusually
obtain sin all such serious criminal matters.
Quite a number OF people from this city,
attorneys and others interested more or
less in the case, went down upon the early
morning trains, and when access to the
/ Court House had first been made possible,
through the rear stair cases, there were
umte a number of legal lights from the two
| e~,unties congrcgated inside the bar rail
inc Conspicuous in this grOupe were
Prosecuting Attorney Meighen, Mr.. j. \.
. Ewing and T., NJ. Garvin, assistant counsel
for the State, Capt. i. y. Dovener and MIR.
Hanson CriswelI, counsel for the defense,
Col W. W. Arnett, Oscar Soeley, Esq,
ATTORNEYS Charles \. Showacrc, j. Z. simp-
son- Jr., J. R. Mcclure, j. II. Holt, W. NJ.
Meighsn. Clerk of the County Court
Thomas Finn; Clerk +. W. Brown, Of the
Pepitentiary; Nh. J. W. Gallaher, Col. W.
+. Wilson, Assistant Superintendent OF the
Penitentiary, Attorney q. l.. Holiday, De
tective J. W. HaSgerty, and other proml-
nent citizens OF the town and neighbor-
hood. On the left of the bench were seated
Melissa and Irene, the two sisters OF john
SON. and Mrs. Kate Murphy, Of Brooke
county, a sister of Mrs. Johnson, with one
or two other relatives of the accused.
At 9l5 o'clock the court room was
thrown open To the general public, special
deputy SheriffS being stationed about the
apartment. and in a few minutes about 300
citizens filed quietly and orderly in and
took their seats. There was no perccptiblc
excitement, but all evinced the liveliest in
terest in the hearing about To take place.
At ten minues of 1OO'clOck Sheriff Show
acre brought in the prisoners, leading the
way with the murderer, while Alex.
and Eugene's wife followed immediately
in the rear. The prisoners took their
seats, Immediately facing tho Judges
seat, and near their counsel, where Eugene
and his wife spoke for the first time since
the shooting. His sisters came up anu
spoke To him, one of them, who had Just
arrived from the West, kissing him atiec-
~tionately. The prisoner seemed 9 trltie
pale, but entirely self-pOSSeSsed, and
looked around the crowded court room
with ~liStleSs eyes, rs though he were the
least interested i'm the proceedings OF all
who were present. The printed deScrip-
ton of the murderer must have been drawn
ND by persons not very familiar with his
personal appearance, for it took a rather
vivid stretch OF the imagination to recon-
Gle the accused with the popular idea
drawn from the published description. He
was dressed in a neat suit Of dark clothes,
and his face presented an intelligent APP
~pearance, nothing o. the vicious or de
PRAYED being observable.
Mrs. Johnson sat during the pre-
liminary proceedings with bowed head,
her features being generally entirely con-
cealed by . bingham sunbOnnet, while
Alex. Johnson, father of the murderer,
took in the entire proceedings with as
much gustO rs any spectator in the house.
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