Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-12
AN AWFUL CRIME.
The Destruction of an Old Building
Recalls it
Little Girl Lursd Into it Aud
Two Years Eiapse Before the
Discovery OF the Body.

1T is a great satisfaction to me-" said
an old citizen to an ARGUS representative
the other day, ''to learn that the old frame
building back of Peter Fries building on
Eighteenth street, between First and
Second avenue, is to be removed. That
ole structure has an awful history con-
nected with it, An innocent little girl
met most terrible death there away back
in theearly COS. and never have passed it
since but have recalled that poor girls
| fate. l don't remember the names Of
those connected with it now, but the
subsequent trial E nd conviction of man
named Johnson for the crime is g matter
OF record
The reporter, accepting the suggestion
of the citizen, hunted up the facts of the
case, which will be recalled by many of
our older residents
The old building was. in those days all
luded to, occupied by A. J. Johnson as a
wagon shop. A family named Roe lived
on what is now the corner of Second
avenue and Eighteenth, and where
stands the Masonic temple and the Rock
Island National bank
On Saturday July 81. 1851, Loranis
Roe, aged about seven years, was given
permission by her widowed mother, Mrs
PeIpelia Roe, TO put on her best clothes
and 60 down to the wagon makers to ge,
some money. This happened about
O'Clock in the afternoon of the above
date. She was seen couple of hours
afterward on the door step of the wagon
makers, but was then lost sight of
Searches were instituted but to no avail
and after looking everywhere it was fin.
ally concluded that the little one had
been drowned. But on Saturday, May
%, 1868, nearly two years later, Samuel
Turner, while rumaging through the sec.
ond story of the old building above men
toned and which had been occupied By
! A. G. johnson. the wagon maker,
came upon lot of scrap sheet iron and
old material used by timer who hsd
occupied the building previous to johnson,
among which he found 4 sleet-iron ooA
and on raising the lid he discovered the
remains of q human form, nothing OF
which was left but the clothing and skele
ton. Coroner A. J Grover was i'm me-
ciately notified an d jury was impanelet
who. after hearing the evidence, returned
the following verdict:
We, the jury, find that Lorania Rot
came to her death on the 9th day o
July, 1861, by violence, and the ] ury
think that the testimony implicated A j
Johnson as the murderer.
1t was found that the skull had been
fractured in two places and other evi
dence surrounding the case pointed
strongly TO johnson as the murderer, i
also being known that he had attempted
10 entice other little girls into his hous
N the same manner. He was ARE set
and confined in the county Jail.
He was indicted at the September tern
of the circuit court and On motion Of tn
states attorney the case was continue
until the January term. 1864, when h
was convicted of murder and sentence
to hang, but technical error having bee
found in the case. new trial was granite
and the case taken on q change of venu
to Henry county, where e was afterwar
acquitted.
Great excitement prevailed at the tim
and threats of lynching were freouentl
heard. Finally. however. the public fee
ing quieted down ard the awful TRACED
was forgotten.