The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-05-28

They Are Making Desperate Efforts 20
Clear themselves OF the Charge of MUIR
derlnx Johus.

They Are Making Desperate Efforts 90
Clear themselves of the Charge OF MUIR
asrsnx Johns.
EIponA, la. May 20
The Hardin county grand jury, which
has been working on the murder case Of
Henry Johns for two weeks, will not con-
clude its labors before the last of the week.
County Attorney Hun 10 conductingthe en-
animation of witnesses add 10 making most
searching investigasior, while the Rains
bargers are securing Iowa, Minnesota, Ne
braska aud the penitentiaries for witnesses.
II looks now as II the grand jury would
find the murderers, but they viii not be
members Of the vigilance committee. This
is the opinion Of o gentleman who has fol-
lowed the investigation By the grand jury
and is In position to know.
Johns WAS shot about .. m. April 30,
1884, and did not die until May y. The
shot took effect in the left arm aud was
not considered dangerous. Fin, Manch
and Tom Rainsbarger, and the Jones
family. attended him and gave out that
he was getting better and would be able
to get around In few days. They would
not, however, let anybody but their wives
and the attending physician see the
patient. On May 0 DIR. Potter the at
tending physician, told Mr.. Johns that he
might dress himself and 20 out IN the yard
the next day. That night Johns was taken
worse, and DIR. Morse, of Eldora, was called
on May to consult with DIR. Potter. The
doctors, ii is understood, testified before
the grand jury that they found the
eyes OF the patient contracted and
numistakable evidences of poisoning.
DIR. Potter had left box of opiate pills,
90 be eiven when necessary. When he
found so marked change in the patient
he began TO look for the pills and finally
found the box which had contained forty
or iifty pills almost empty. The patient
was delirious and died the next
day. While in that condition Mr.
Johns was influenced TO make an
affidavit duplicating three men rs bis as
sailants, ana TO establish case upon this
statement, made BY a man already in
comatose state from poisoning, the
Rainsbargers have since directed all
their energies TO convict members OF
the vigilance committee. The char
actsr Of the witnesses called BY them
clearly indicates put mp jon, and should
the grand jury conclude 10 find q bin
upon such evidence il will only re-
suit in a large bill Of expense 10
the county. as there IL not the ghost of
n shox to eoaEiet. The principal witness
for the state is Homer Jones, con-
Wet brought here from the penetentiary.
He tessifies that he was lying at the side
of the road, only thirty feet from the
sOene OF the shooting, and recognized all
Of Johns assailantss and names them.
One OF the men implicated was $50 miles
away al that time, while Others, II can be
clearly shown were elsewhere.
The grand jury yesterday returned an in
dicsment against Ed Johns, son of Henry
Johns, charging him with importing wolf
scaips from other counties and making
cath that he had killed them in this
county, so as 10 get the large bounty paid
here. When the present grand jury gets
through with its business the people will
have a better knowledge of the Rains
barger aud Johns families.