St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-18
JOHNSON is CAPTURED.
SEIZED IN A MINNEAPOLIS c0L0RED
BOARDING HOUSE. IS.
OFFICERS FIND HIM I'm BED.

He Denies That He Is johnson,
but on Being Induced to Come
Out. He Admits His Identity
and GuiIt--Brought to st. Paul
and Locked Up at Central
Station.
Henry Johnson, the colored man who
shot and killed Henry Rollins last Fri
day, was arrested in Minneapolis last
evening at 316 Sixth avenue south. De-
tectives Byrnes and McGuiggan. of st.
Paul, made the arrest. They obtained a
clue yesterday, and traced Johnson to
the boarding house where he was found.
Detectives Byrnes and McGuiggan went
to the house about II p. IN. They were
accompanied by Special Officers Court
ney and Morrissey and Patrolmen Con-
roy and Johnson, all of Minneapolis.
Officer ConrOy and II of the st. Paul
detectives entered the house, while the
others watched every exit from it to
see that Johnson should not escape.
The house is that of Matte Temple, a
colOred woma who keeps a boarding
house. The woman Of the house re-
sponded TO inquiries of the officers that
Henry Johnson was not there. The
officer rs then said they would have to
search the house. The woman then
said that there was a strange nan in
the house, and conducted the officers to
an attic room in the back part of the
house. A man was found IN bed there,
but, on being asked if be was Henry
johnson, denied it, but, being induced
to get up and show himself i'll the light,
he recognized Officer McGuiggan and
Detective Byrnes. and then admitted
that he was the man wanted.
The officers brought the man over to
st. Paul ON the last i%nterurban car, and
he was locked up in the central station.
On the way over, and to a GLOBE re-
porter when III a cell on the ground
floor. he confessed to the killing OF
Henry Rollins, but claimed that it was
in self-defense. Johnson is a young
nan of nineteen years, and does not
seem 10 have a bad disposition. He wore
a broad-brimmed felt hat. and after the
Interview with the reporter filled a corn
cob pipe and began to smoke in a care
less way.
His story is substantially as follows:
He and his wife had rented a room in
the house occupied by Rollins. They
disputed about the furnishing OF the
room aud wanted a water pitcher.
johnson went down stairs and got hold
of a water pitcher. Rollins objected to
taking it and made at Johnson with a
poker and hit him. He pulled a revolver
and shot. missing him. About that
time the wife of Rollins gave her hus-
band 4 Ratchet, with which he tried to
strike Johnson, and he says that he
then fired a second shot. Rollins fell to
the floor, and his wife said that he had
been killed. Johnson said that he then
left the house. +
Asked about having the gun, johnson
said: -
II have been carrying it for two OF
three weeks. l bought it because so
M any men were being held up nUw-a-
days"
"Were you carrying the gun the day
you shot Rollins, Or did you get IL just
before the Sh0oting?"
Il had been carrying it that day, and
did not get il to shoot Rollins"
Asked how many witnesses there
were to the deed, johnson said that his
wife, Mrs. Rollins anu a white woman
saw the shooting.
johnson viii be arralgned in the mn-
nicipal court at 2 o'clock this afternoon.