Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1903-08-21
SOBER WHEN HE CONFESSED.
Desperate Story Comes Out as the
Result of Baldwin's Detectives.

| L. F. Johnson, arrested in Norfolk
a few days ago, charged with placing
dynamite ON the line of the Oakwood
branch of the Passenger and Power
and taken to Richmond, stoutly main
| tains his innocence. He declares that
G. M. Fisher, detective of the Bald
win agency, kept him under the influ-
ence of loquor for several days and that
he was absolutely without any recollec-
ton whatever of the confession alleged
| to have been made in the Gladstone
hotel in Norfolk. in the presence of
| witnesses.
| The prisoner shutters and is some
what deaf, but judging from the stories
that come from Norfolk direct he made
a statement sufficiently clear to secure
his own conviction. He was taken to
a room in the hotel Gladstone by the
| detective, known as Fisher" who had
| been his close associate, and the men
proceeded to undress there for the pur-
pose of going to bed. A door opening
to another room had been left slightly
ajar and high bureau placed against
| it SO as to conceal it. and evidently
| Johnson had no idea that it was there.
He was thrown off his guard com
| pletely, and in course of a conversation
with Fisher" proceeded to tell the
| whole story of the dynamite. In the
| adjoining room and against the open
door, listening to the conversation,
were NJ D. Perry, of Norfolk, an en-
ployee Of the Gladstone hotel; Police
! Sergeant E. L. Quinn, of the Norflk
| force, and two special agents Of the
Baldwin Detective agency.
The witnesses unite in saying that
Johnson was not drunk. They heard
| him describe to Fisher how the
dynamite was placed on the track with
three torpedoes on each side, so as to
insure it's explosion. When asked why
/ he had not put it between Twenty fifth
and Twenty-sixth streets, where he
received it, he said that he did not
want to blow up the houses in that
neighborhood, and, therefore, had gone
out to Thirty-second street. He added
that he did not want to hurt anything
except the "G-d-scabs and niggers.
Asked if he knew anything of the
Broadway street explosion the same
night, he said that he did not
He added however, that he had an
ranged a crowd to go out to Manager
Huffs house, at Barton Heights, ant
lynch Mr.. Huff and burn his house, bu
that they heard the guards were there
and concluded they would not go.
'eIf it had not been for the guards
!. Johnson said, according to the wit
nesses, Huff would be in hell now
where he" ought to be.
After the end of the conversation
Sergeant Quinn went around through
the hall, entered the room suddenly
a and asked Fisher and Johnson wha'
they were talking about. Johnson sale
they were discussing some matters con
nected with their clearinghouse il
(, Richmond, and called on 'Fisher' to
corroborate him. Evidently at that
time he had no suspicion that Fisher
instead of being a hobo painter and
good fellow and sympathizer with
dynamite work, was detective. When
he was informed of the facts he was
not violent, but told Fisher in a
voice of concentrated anger, IF | had
you by yourself I'd fix you"
He was very stubborn and even when
confronted with four men who had
overheard him persisted in denying
any recollection of the conversation
and finally said that he would die be
fore he would give anybody away. AS
matter of fact, he had already given
| information which the detectives re
garded as extremely valuable and thu
results of which are likely to be Sc
rious.
he DdluWlH Lueu Wtle uoeu III liiie
case at the suggestion of Chief How
ard of Richmond, because the local de-
tectives are so well known that they
would have been hampered in doing
the kind Of work needed. The Rich
mond force, however, both detective
and police, have co-operated with tn.
Baldwin men and given them much
valuable assistance.
CHARGED WITH CONTEMPLATING
Two Young Men Uunder Arrest at