Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-18
FOUR OF A POTTAWAToMIE COUNTY
FAMILY SHOT.
THREE OF THEM CANNOT LIVE.
THE wOULD-BE MURDERER AFTER
WARD COMMITS SUICIDE.
Injured Persons Are MIR. and Mrs. ID.
S. johnson and Their Two Daush-
tiers. One of Whom Was the
Wife of the Suicide
News of Crime.

Wamego Kas, March 11.-(Special.)
-Four members of one family lie in their
little home among the black jack timber,
six miles west of Wamego, near st.
George, all near deaths door, as the re-
suit of wounds received at the hands of a
close neighbor, a son-in-law of the head
of the family, while the would-be murderer
is dead at his own home, just across the
road where he lived alone.
About o'clock this afternoon as D. S.
Johnson, a small farmer, and his family,
consisting of wife and two daughters. were
planting peas. VIII Fees, a son-in-law,
sprang from the brush that skirted the
garden. and. asking them if they wanted
to see the stars fall. began shooting. All
were struck and three may die.
johnson is shot in the right shoulder, and
the ball is supposed to have lodged in the
back. infiicting not necessarily danger
Gus wound His wife, Jennie, was struck
on the right side of the spine. in the lower
part of the back. and the ball Is supposed
to have lodged in the abdominal cavity.
The wound is probably fatal Alice. a sin
and the bullet was turned by corset stay,
being taken out of her right side. She may
recover. Nellie. who was the murderers
wife. was struck in the right arm. near the
shoulder. shattering the bone. The bullet
could not be found. If she lives. the arm
must he amputated. She carried her
S-months-old child in her arms and, to
save it, she turned. when another bullet en-
tered her left side. This wound is perhaps
fatal. The ball could not be found
After the shooting, which was heard by
William Barry, a nearby neighbor. Fees
ran down the road to his house. which he
ertered, locking the doors. The Johusons
ran to their home. and. when Barry
entered, terrible sight met his gaze. Ly-
ing about the room We're the members of
the family, all bleeding profusely. He dis
patched another neighbor for Drs. Eyman,
of Wamego and Wilhoit. of St. George,
who responded Immediately, and they were
engaged in probing for the death dealing
missiles and caring for the wounds. An
other went for the officers. who, upon their
arrival, tried Fees doors and called to him
to surrender. but there was no response.
Using n post as battering ram, the back
door was forced open. There lay Fees, in
a pool of his own blood. He was uncon-
scious and died a few minutes later. Fear
ing the officers, he had waited until they
were in sight. when he sent a ball clear
through his head, having reloaded his re-
voIver when he returned to his house.
But one of the five chambers was empty.
There had been trouble between young
Fees and his wife for 4 year past. She had
gone to her home. He had often impor-
tuned her to return to him. He became
quarrelsome, began drinking quite freely
and his father-in-law had him arrested for
assault last year. While he has often made
threats, 1t was not believed that he was
dangerous, his neighbors thinking the
trouble would subside in time. This tragic
end shows how completely they were
thrown off their guard.
At 80 Thursday morning DR.. Eyman has
just returned from the johnson home and
reports that Mrs. Johnson and her two
daughters are not expected to recover.