The herald., 1896-08-25
TERRIBLE DOUBLE TRAGEDY
A Murder and Suicide at
San Pedro
Shocking Details OF THE DEED
Kills His Former Wife and Then
Himself
JEALOUS AND DESPONDENT
Rasmuss c. Johnson the M urdcrer and
Suicide
Shoots His Divorced Wife IA Cold Blood
Without Warning
JEALOUS AND DESPONDENT
Rasmuss c. johnson the M urdsrer and
Suicide
Shoots His Divorced Wife In Cold BiooA
Without Warning
Desperate Struggle Of Brave Boatman to
Prevent the Tragedy-Details Of the
Circumstances Leading Up to
the Kiiiing-The Inquest

The ordinarily quiet and peaceful
seaport town of San Pedro was the
scene yesterday morning of most hor-
r1ble double tragedy, murder and sui
eide, the murderer first killing his di-
vcrced wife with revolver bullet, then
turning the smoking weapon upon him
self and sending two ball crashing into
his brain before he fell helpless and dy-
irg. Rasmuss c. Johnson, Norweg-
ian, 3S years of age, was the murderer
and suicide, his victim being Mrs. Leta
Lane, q years of age and a woman of
more than ordinary beauty. Johnson
shot her, not in moment of passion or
despair, but the deed was carefully
planned before hand and carried out in
spite of the desperate efforts of boat
man named Ed Duffy to prevent it's
consummation even at great personal
risk to himself. The tragedy was the
result of a. long series of quarrels be-
tween the mismated couple which finally
resulted in their legal separation, since
which time Johnson has brooded over
the matter until he nerved himself for
his desperate deed.
STORY OF THE CRIME
crime is as follows:
Some eighteen months ago Johnson
! and his wife Leta came to San
| Pedro from San Francisco and together
| they started the Lindskow restaurant.
| Business was dull and the venture did
not pay, so after three months trial
it was abandoned and the couple moved
over to Terminal island, Johnson secur-
| ing a position as cook on board the
Southern California Fishing company's
boat Alpha, while his wife went to work
| in the cannery. Johnson held his posi-
| ton for about a year and during this
| time is alleged to have abused his wife
| shamefully, often beating and striking
| her
Then he went to sea as steward on the
schooner Meteor but on his return lived
| with the woman for only a short time
before she began divorce proceedings
| on the grounds of cruelty, the decree
| being finally granted during the absence
| on one of his trips on the vessel. Mrs
Johnson had been divorced but a short
time until she married Henry Stanton
Lane, a well-lknown resident of East
San Pedro who is employed as foreman
! of the Southern Califonia Lumber COM
pany's yard on Terminal island. They
had been married. only about month.
| but seemed to be devoted to each other
and to have been very happy.
About three weeks ago Johnson ac-
/ costed Lane whom he met out walking
with his wife at San Pedro and seemed
! disposed to make trouble. Lane told
Johnson that he did not want any diff
! Guilty with him and to go away about his
business; to leave both him and his wife
alone as they had nothing in common
with him. This appeared to cut Johnson
to the quick and he has been morbid and
brooded over it ever since, having made
remarks to several people that there
would be trouble before long.
A MATTER OF MONEY.
When Mrs. Johnson secured her di-
vorce it appears that the couple owned
some little community property, which
the decree provided should be divided.
Johnson never received his share.
amounting to some 5000, and he several
times asked the woman to pay him, as
he desired to so away, never to come
back because he could not bear to see
her the wife of another man. Johnson
also sought the advice of Attorney Steig-
litz on the matter, and was told that if
Mrs. Lane refused or failed to give him
his share of the property awarded him
by the courts his only remedy was Z
civil suit to recover it. When Johnson
was told this he undoubtedly made up
| his mind as to what course to pursue
and acted accordingly.
Sunday morning he entered the store
of j. A. Weldt and asked to look at soma
| revolver cartridges, saying he wished to
| buy some for his gun. He was shown
some, and, taking one out of box, he
! departed, saying that he would take it
home and see if it fitted his gun-if so.
he would come back and purchase the
| box. He did not return, and upon OPEN
ing the box after he had heard of the
tragedy, Mr.. Weldt found that there
were five cartridges missing, having un-
doubtedly been distracted by Johnson
! with which to accomplish his deadly
mission.
THE SHOOTING
Yesterday morning at about $3.50 Mrs.
Lane came over to San Pedro from her
! home on Terminal Island to do some
| shopping, carrying her market basket
on her arm. She was rowed across the
channel in a skiff belonging to man
named Duffy, who. with the assistance
| of his three sons, run ferry to accom-
modate persons wishing to cross to or
from San Pedro and the island The
boatman. Donald Cormack, landed his
! passenger at the floating barge or dock