Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-25
JOHNSON ADMITS GUILT
Confesses in Court to Criminal Assault
Upon Mrs. Hardy.
Prisoner Held for Action of the
Grand Jury Bond Fixed
at $1,000.


| with committing rape upon Mrs Ada
| Hardy May % last, arraigned in the
| Police Court this morning before Judge
| Mills. Without hesitation the man entered
| a plea of guilty. He was sent to jail to
| await the action of the grand jury. Bail
| was placed at $1,000.
johnson was brought into the upstairs
| court room shortly after IL o'clock. He is
| heavy-set and very black, with a good
| growth of whiskers. and lowered above the
other prisoners in the dock. He was at
| tired in black trousers and yellow canvas
coat. He seemed not the least bit per-
| turbed Clerk Harper read the United
States warrant upon which he was ar
| rested.
| Mrs. Hardy. who the victim of the
| assault, was also in court. She is frail
| woman, and nervousy, but in a fairly loud
| voice, began to tell her story to the court.
| She did not finish, for the hearing ended
abruptly when Johnson. who was not rep
resented by counsel. entered his plea. The
man had previously confessed to the police
and to Prosecuting Attorney Mullowny.
Let the prisoner be held for the grand
jury said Judge Mills Bond will be
fixed at $3.50
| that such bond was insufficient in a case
of so serious nature. Judge Mills said he
thought 5000 the usual and sufficient bond
in a case of rape.
s1G0,' suggested Mr.. Mullowny.
Judge Mills consented to this.
Identified by His Victim.
Mrs. Hardy identified the prisoner as the
man who assaulted her, and said she was
positive this time. She had previously iden-
titled another suspect.
Il was going from the spring to the
house" Mrs. Hardy told the court, land
had two buckets of water. When 1 got to
the front porch that man., pointing to the
prisoner was sitting in the front door. l
picked up sickle that was lying near and
asked him what he wanted. He said he
wanted something to eat, and pulled a pis-
tol from his pocket He told me to go into
the house and get some food. I did so.
When | came out he grabbed me by the
throat. threw me down and tore my under
clothing. After this he told me 1 had some
money for he knew it. 1 told him all I
had was in the bureau drawer. When he
went to search there 1 took up my child
and went to neighbours house,
Just here the proceedings were inter-
rupted, and johnson was led away to a
cell in the Police Court building basement
from where he was afterward transferred
to the District Jail.
Mrs. Hardy lived in the county back of
Georgetown and near the Methodist Uni
versity.
Johnson's Statement.
Referring to the assault on Mrs. Hardy.
Johnson, the accused man, said to Detec-
tive Muller:
Il will tell you that 1 did this work and
1 am sorry for it. But about this money
business, l can't exactly tell you whether
she gave me the money afterward or be-
fore; but 1 know she gave it to me. I
did this work. and l am sorry for it,
know very well if l had it to do over
again, you would never catch me at any
such work.
Johnson went on to say that he left the
N q N1r I.irpht y1-ha he bod
stopped on the way to Mrs Hardys about
o'clock. He said he guessed it was about
s o'clock, because they hadn't had any
breakfast then. Mr.. Lightfoot told me, -
Johnson said, that he could give me work
but he had no place for me to stay. Then
he told me- he could not board two of US;
he didn't have place for two of US to stay,
but / could get work there. Then he told
me If could get place in town to stay
| ne would give me work all the time, and
WREN he was through he could get me an
other place
From Lghtfoots went to the house of
Mrs Hardy. After entering the house l
sat down on the sofa, where l was when
the lady came in with the two buckets of
water In moment or SO l asked the lady
for something to eat. She told me she
didn't have much of anything cooked. l
think she told me she always bought bread
and did not make any / think she said
would give me some bread and preserves.
Then she said she would give me some
money. l think the lady went upstairs to
| get this bread and preserves. At any rate
| she left the room, and when she came
| back she had bread and molasses. When
| she came back she sat down on the sofa
| She did not seem to be afraid Of me at all
| She was talking to me.
| Il took about two bites of the bread, and
| then made the proposal to her. She re-
| fused and then l grabbed her. l suppose
| the thing just jumped in my mind and ran
| on before | knew how the business was
| did not know anything about any money
| l never said anything to her about any
| money That's honest. I just said | didn't
| have no money to get anything with and
| would be very thankful II somebody would
| give me something to eat, and l said
| would be very thankful If somebody would
| give me some money, and she gave me q
| cents, l think it was.
| From there went over the Chain bridge
| / went up to the house of a colored woman
| the daughter, was home She gave me
something to eat. Then 1 fooled AROUND
| there a little while. After that l went Il
| Mr.. Mutersbaughs place"
| In reply to a question from Mr. Muller as
| to what he did with the pistol, he replied:
Indeed. l amt had no pistol. l had a
| spring match box and a pipe like that
! mans, with kind of tin top around it
| 1t was only a match box / had l never
| had any pistol. Yes, sir, that is all had
| this match box. If had pistol 1 wouG
| tell you SO. 1t won't be any harder with
| me to tell the truth. 1 didn't have any
! pistol When went up to the ladys house
| l didn't go up there with any intention OF
| any harm. I wasn't thinking about it al