The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-11-15
7ur RrroRMER eRATTLERoRo w. NOVEMBER 49, 1895
FRED JOHNSON CONVICTED.
CONTINUED from page g.

clothing and was proceeding TO MS
purpose, when Leon opened the door
: Fred got off and fought him back
while she ran out and around the
house and Fred came out and drove
; her back in then Fred and Leon scutlied
and she ran out and started towards
, MAYS. heard the revolver fired three
times. and turned and saw Leon COM
ing with blood on his face On cross
examination she said there was another
bed room opening out OF the Kitchen
and the door was open. She denied
seeing the revolver, and said Leon had
his right hand in his pocket She said
the revolver was kept on shelf in
the kither and one had to get up on a
(! chair to reach it,
I'd. johnson testified as the two
preceding him had about meeting
/ them at Nays. He and Mr.. May
went to the house and found Fred in
the kitchen pouring liquor from pint
bottle into Jamaica ginger bottle,
with an axe by his side. They asked
him what he had been doing and he
said Nothing" May asked what
he had in his pocket and he said
"nothing, when they pulled out the
revolver. May directed Ed to get some
rome and they would bind him, but on
returning with the rope, Fred plead
SO hard, saying that his father would
kill him when he got home, that May
concluded to lot him 60, if he would
stay away from there. On cross ex
animation Ed admitted that they found
cards strewn aobut the table and that
the axe had been used to open the
trunk in which their father kept the
liquor bottle.
Silas May testified to the same effect
and said that they found some liquor
smiled, and one of the cards strewn
about torn in two. Fred asked him to
hear his side of the story and May
concluded from what the fellow said
that he ought to release him. He
had no doubt from the relations that
existed between father and son that
the former would have killed the lat
ter if, on returning, he had found him
there.
Sheriff J. @. Shumway and W. l..
Phelps testified to the circumstances
of Fred's arrest the following day near
tho house of Dwight Bourne in Mayn-
ard Hollow. When they first saw him
he ran off into the lots; he was in a
kneeling position pounding metal,
and when they overlook him he had a
revolver in his right hand and an open
jacknife in the left; but the revolver
proved to be worthless and he was
using the knife trying to take it to
pieces.
The defense first put on Lewis John
son, father of the boys, to lay
foundation for the defense, but got
! little from him.
Laura Bourne testified to the bad
telling existing between the father and
son and that the latter left home at
the age of 16 because of abusive treat
ment. She swore that on the Tuesday
following the shooting, she went to
.Johnson's, whose first wife was her
sister, and had talk with Leon who
told her that they were playing cards
and gambling for matches and had
two 2-quart pitchers of cidder. Ed
drawing one before he left. that they
played and drank until they got INTO
dispute over which had taken a trick
and he himself picked up the revolver,
which he had before got and laid by
b is side, and saying Father told me
to shoot you, and | am going to"
cooked it, when Fred grappled with
him for it's possession and in the
struggle it was discharged and he
didn't know whether he or Fred had
it in hand at the time. She swore that
Leon told her also that his father told
him before he left that morning ii
Fred came there to shoot him, and no
one could do anything to him for II.
She swore also that she had talk
with Jennie the same day, and the
latter said that Fred didn't touch her.
but her clothes were torn playing.
One day about a month after-so Mrs.
Bourne swore-Leon was at her house
and told the same story in the presence
of her daughters, Della Robbins and
Sally Smith, but cautioned them mot
to tell father or he will half kill me. "
Then Mrs. Bourne testified to still
another conversation with Lewis
johnson himself, at her house in May
where johnson was at work for her
husband doing spring WORK, in which |
he said. so she averred, that he loaded !
the revolver and put it on the shelf
and told Leon to shoot Fred if he came
there, adding Now I've got Fred |
where | wanted to and | have been /
trying to get him there for some time. -
And when she said, Perhaps you
haven't so sure as you think, he re |
piled that he had, his children would |
mind him and testify as he wanted |
them to or he would take their hearts |
out and roast them on Goals.
i Sally Smith. also testified to hearing !
the same statement from Leon the |
Tuesday after the shooting. She |
also talked with Jennie in the wagon
shed, where the latter said Fred didn't |
touch her. She also swore that she
heard the Sunday statement from Leon
who enjoined them to say nothing or
his father would kill him and who
said nothing would have happened but
for what his father told him to do. She
also heard the talk between her mother
and Lewis. Two weeks before court
she had another talk with Jennie and
asked her if she didn't hate to tes-
tify' and the latter said she was going
to testify that Fred did touch her, and
when asked why replied Father will
kill me if l DON'T"
Della Robbins also swore right up
to the scratch on all this.
Dwight Bourne, husband and father
of the preceding, swore that on the
Sunday following the shooting he was
at Johnson's shearing sheep and had a
talk with Leon who told him practi
cally what the others had asserted, and
said that he was as much to blame as
his brother. Bourne also testified the
same as his wife about the May con-
versation between the latter and Lewis
johnson.
Lewis and Ed johnson were called
in rebuttal and swore that Leon was
delirious much of the time for a few
days after the shooting, though up and