The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-10-11

HOME OF GEORGE JOHNSON.
Frame house. near Winona- where n
murder was committed.
BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT.
E~minence. Mo. Oct l0.-That the inhu
ence Of locally powerful men protects I'll
murderer or Della Johnson. 4 child. VIII
was slain while sleeping. June I3 or thl
year. and seeks TO foist the guilt for tn,
crime upon n cousin OF the girl. IS be,
leyed by a large element in this scques.
tered county OF shannon
The situation IS tense Expression o
opinion on the case amounts TO taking
sides" which may mean Disagreement
not precisely safe.
George Johnson Is the man who. IN az
information filed by the Prosecuting At
torney and by Grand Jury Indictment,
stands charged with the crime. He Is q
laborer without influence or friends. But
many citizens. believing that h Is iun0-
cent, have embraced his cause. declaring
that there IS no evidence w~arrantinE an
assumption Of his guilt.
On the other hand. Al Cunningham. the
Prosecuting Attorney. maintains that
NAa'HN - aNHANf oEHAaAA- @"AAAeAAAH aNAaa
nothing but vague in~sinuatIons against
anybody else. and hat he purposes 10
prosecute the case. Lynn Shuck. attor-
ney for johnson. and many others thinH
Cunningham has not fully probed these
vague in]sinuations."
thus far. nothing in the nature Of d.
rect evidence has been disclosed which
would Indicate that johnson had M mo-
A.. A. -a---HW H. Al ~EaLHmHHaRH
motive exists which might have provoked
two women. one OF whom is related 70
county officials. to adopt a desperate
course not against the girl. Della John
son. but against a woman. FOR whom, &C
cording 70 this theory. the murdered girl
was mistaken
Shannon County citizens freely voice this
explanation as the most logical. but 20
far have adduced no direct evidence in
its support
II must be admitted TIA the theory
has little but the theoretical motive TO
substantiate It. Johnsou's supporters in
sist. however. that. since he had no mo-
tive. ne could not have killed his cOu-
sin. But that motive may b. attributed TO
Others does not prove a case against them,
In this unsatisfactory condition the case
rests.
Johnson lives in 4 frame shanty In Fish
ertovu. a little community adjacent to a
sEumiIl and which. in fact. IS a portion
of Winona. The latter Is en- a branch Of
tho Kansas City-NIcmphis division Of the
Frisco. and "a some twelve miles from EN-
inence. the county seat.
Upon the night OF the murder four per-
sens were in the house-Johnson. Della
johnson. Blanche Chiffon and the latteTs
baby. . years old. Johnson worked in the
sawuiM and has enjoyed a good reputa-
ton. Della johnson was a pretty mite OF
a girl. 9 years old.
At the moment OF the murder. about
lOs9 .. m. Mrs. Chiffon was in the yard
at the rear Of the house with Charles
Nesblt. an admlrsr. In the house were
only johnson. his niece IND the baby. The
latter lay in the north CT front room.
asleep. where her mother had left her
to meet Nesbit.. Della Johnson was sleep
ing in the same bed with Johnson, who
declares that he also was asleep.
Thus far. nobody has been found who
saw any other person going toward or
coming from the house near this hour.
No other IS brought 10 the scene OF the
crime.
The murderer used n double-edged ax,
the property Of Johnson. which he swung
with tremendous force. crashing il down
upon the face and neck OF his victim.
| Needless to say death was practically in
Simultaneous.
Three theories have been advanced. The
one supposcs Johnson guilty on the by
pothess OF an attempted assault and a
consequent endeavor at -coucealment. The
second supposes the blow Intended for
johnson. on the ground that he had di'
vulged information gained from his broth
or. including n list Of the names Of work.
men who had formed a union. to the sec
rotary Of the employing lumber company,
/ The third supposes that the girl in the
dim light was mistaken FOR Blanche Chill
ton and that Il was the latter whom Il
was desired to kill.
As regards the first theory: A physi-
clans examination Of the body found
nothing to confirm Il; johnson had ap-
peared very devoted 10 the child and the
girl was attached to him. He was also
known not TO possess vicious traits.
As 10 the second. Il is purely conjecture
and feeling over the labor matter was not
50 acute as To develop so bruta! a crisis.
In relation 20 the third. the Chiffon
woman had been the alleged cause 81 a
temporary separation between an lnhu-
entail man and his wife. In like manner
she had come between Nesbit and his
wife. She had just come back from Kan
sas City. and hci return was known. II
Is asserted that her whereabouts was
ascertained: that threats were uttered
against her. and after the murder the
aforementioned couples were reunited.
To support tire latter contention. other
details are but they are cal.
culated only to indirectly sustain what
has been pointed out-that Jealousy. pos.
sIbly. OF eyen probably. prompted the
deed. Neither OF the two women was al
the house 1t the time. The one was in
Emlnenc- the other at n lodge meeting
In VIM
As to ,ue commission OF the crime. this
theory il expanded TO include a paid
assassin. Yelled i~ns!nuation points to a
person In winona. He has never been
called upon 10 explain HIS movements on
the night OF June y. and up to date moth
ing direct has been uttered. and no ac-
ton publicly taken involving him.
Prosecuting Attorney Cunningham says
hat in the testimony before the Grand