Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-05-15
JESSE JOHNSON PICTURES HIS
BRITISH MURDER OF AN OLD
MAN AT RENSSELAER,.
|CoNFESsES 10 THE CRIME.
Tells of His Actions Before, During
and After the Crime = Small
Amount Of Money Was Sc
cured-Hurried to Paris
to Escape l~ynching.

i Neoiio COUNTY, Mo- Dy q
negro, Jesse johnson.
n NEGRo's STORY OF MURDER.
my name is Jesse johnson. l am
} "A years old. l was born in Hannibal,
, Mo. | worked on the farm near
Rensselaer,, Mo-, from October, 1901,
; until about two weeks after Christ.
J mas, for Captain West. While work.
ing for Mr.. West | did all my trading
with Mr.. M. d. McRae, who kept a
store at Rensselaer,. l live in Monroe
City, Mo. / left that city on or about
, April "A, 1902. l went from there to
Rensselaer, on said date and stayed
all night with with Uncle Jno. Wood
son at Rensselaer,. l left Uncle John
Woodson's on the afternoon Of April
20 and went to Jim Henderson's and
stayed all night.
1.-THE next morning l left Hender-
sons and went up to Ellen Carter's,
who lives on Weston Finley's place. /
stayed at Ellen Carter's all day Satur-
day until about $50 o'clock in the af-
ternoon. l then went to Bear Creek,
to where Charley Della used to live.
He had moved away, and l stayed in
the house all night. l went on down
to Hannibal then, around Sodom.
This was Sunday morning, April q,
1902. left Hannibal about 4 O'Clock
that afternoon and went out the Tad
pole road and stayed all night Sunday
night in j. +, Davidson's hay shed.
Monday morning, April %, about 8
O'Clock | left the hay shed and went
up the road toward Rensselaer, and
stayed in Captain Vests woods all
day Monday.
Il left the woods when 1t began to.
get dark and went up the road to Rens-
selear. / got to Rensselaer, after dark.
When | first got to Rensselaer, / step
ped to one side OF the road and sat
down, about 100 yards from the store.
Just as | got to the Christian church,
east Of Rensselaer,, some one passed me
on a bicycle. He spoke to me. /
don't know who he was, only it sound
ed like Marshal Robinson's voice.
81 saw some one closing the front
shutters, j knew that Mr.. McRae al.
ways closed the shutters just before
he left the store and passed out Of the
back part OF the store and locked the
back door last. l started In the side
gate just after he got the shutters
closed, and just inside the gate l step.
ped on a stick and 1t rolled with me.
81 then picked the stick up and
went and squatted down behind some
salt barrels IN the east side OF the
store and Just south Of the door that
opens out in the yard on the east side
OF the store. / only waited four or five
minutes. Mr.. McRae came out the
door, and while he was locking the
door | raised up and struck him with
the stick l picked up inside the gate.
He had his back to me when l struck
him. He did not say anything before
or after struck him. He fell back
ward and groaned. | left the stick
laying where it fell.
BOUGHT sARDINEs AND CIGARS.
II then tooka chamois skin sack out
Of his pocket on the right side. There
was money in the sack-all silver
money. l then went from there to
Fred Minors barn and stayed all
night. l counted the money in Fred
Minors barn. l made the amount
of money, after two or three counts,
about s24.S0. l left Fred Minors
barn about 4 O'Clock Tuesday morning.
/ went from there to Wither's mill. III
then bought me apair Of pants. l paid
so cents for them, | fooled around
there until the local came. / bought
me while at Wither's Mill a box Of
sardines and three cigars.
81 got on the local when it came.
Joe Mitchell was conductor. 1 rode
the local into Brookield. After l got
to Brookield | was arrested for riding
on the local in the yards. l was fined
IS and costs, amounting to Gil. | paid
my fine and costs, and then went to
Milan, looking for work. l got into
Milan on Wednesday, and the next
day | was arrested and searched. From
the time l left Ellen Carter's, on Sat
urday, April 20, 1902, till the morning
Of April 20, 1902, when 1 got into
Withers' Mill and bought a box Of
sardines, l had nothing to eat. l
threw the chamois skin sack into Bear
Creek, just before | got into Withers'
Mill, on Tuesday morning, April 20,
1902"
The above confession was written by
Prosecuting Attorney Hays in the ne
gro's own language, which was sworn
to and subscribed in the presence Of
witnesses and Of the County Clerk Of
Rails county.
The club now in possession Of the
sheriff wa identified by the negro as
the one with which he struck McRae.
The 25-cent-piece marked sc. c.
Bloss, " which vas found in the pocket
OF the murderer when arrested at
Milan, No., is the same piece OF money
carried and owned by NJ. D.. McRae on
the night Of the murder, and is now in
the possession Of Mr.. Hays. ,
MOB THREATENED THE JAIL. +,
Friday evening, after the shadows ,
OF the night had fallen, Sheriff White !
more and NJ. H.. Wilson took Jesse :
johnson, the murderer, from the jail /,
at New London in a buggy and drove
away. Rumors Of a midnight raid on
the jall had been ahoat all day. About !
Il:3O O'Clock a pistol shot was heard. !
Then a murmur Of voices was heard ,
around the jail. The jail was in the /.
hands OF visitors. They searched It !
from cellar 10 cell, but found no Jesse :
johnson. Then guards we're put out :
ard the town surrounded.
Rubber-tlred rigs filed the streets,
loaded with people bent on hanging s
the negro, The cry was, ''more rope" $
"Hang him." Some were on mischief a
bent: Others 10 see the fun. The I
crowd was orderly and seemed In a
GOOD humor, hence no violence was /
done, but II johnson had been there
be would no doubt be hanging, stiff 5
and stark, 10 a tree. There we're