The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-07-21
LOVE BEHIND CRIME
Paris Green Poisoning Case at
OWat0nna Sensational.
Pretty School, Teacher Is One
of the Characters.
One Young Man Who Claims
He Had a Vision.
Affair Furnishes Gossip for the
Deniz ms of Town.

place today, when the orange seht to
the state chemist was returned w.th Tia
statement that it contained enough
strychnine to kill twenty five people
and a goat.
A short time ago, it will be remem-
bered, Paris green was found in the well
on the farm of John i. Johnson just
outside the city, from which the drink.
ing water for the family and some of
the neiehbors was secured. Fortunate
ly, no one had 1".';k any of tic water
and the attennt nj The alleged Grim;
was discovered before there We're any
serious results.
This discovery naturally made the
family suspicious. and wien an Grange
was received which had apparently beer
opened at oae end arl thu the sh;r
drawn together again over the opening,
they were "urt acr aroused
By another fortunate chance. this o.
ange, which All been presented To Mrs
Lundstrum, 4 daughter OF Mr.. Johnson
and a teacher III the courly sti.6, Is
had been placed on shelf, to be given
to her little Gau5hz II later.
The orange VS. then brought To toyr
and, upon til, advice nj e county al
torney, it was son: f. The state board
with the resilt 1oove mentioned
There is lttl. doubt bnt what The at
tempted poispnn in both instances Is
the work of The. same party, or parties
Back of the whole affair, it is alleged
there is a love affair, which is believed
by many to furnish the motive fol
the dastardly attempt.
A young man of this COUNT had been
paying court to a young LADY named
Vida Johnson, not a relatige OF the
other family The young lady ii seems
became desperately and ardertly i'll love
with her wooer, but the latter aid not
return the affection bestowed upon hun
and soon the young lady was made
aware of the fact that his love hal
grown cold.
Believing that his affections had been
stolen by another, sac started On a
search for the guilty De son, and soon
she made known the fact that She be-
lieved that AIRS. LuEdstrum. il Young
widow, was She one 10 whom the young
man now gave his time AM thoughts.
Here is where tho state begins its
case. 1t is ALLEGED that, possessed of 9
jealous rage, Wil.ll Johnson, 2he slight
ed young lady, began To harbor thoughts
of vengeance ana 70 br Iol over hei
troubles.
Finally, i is ALLEGED, her mind became
:: imhund Will. the idea Il at she had
been wronecl hat she determined io
Kill her rival vino h,I succeeded her il
the young mans heart.
To accomplish this she is alleged t.
have prepared an oragne, filled it with
strychnine and neatly covering up the
marks of her work. This orange, il
is alleged, she then sent to the school
house, where her supposed rival taught
accompanying it with a neat little note.
saying that it was for the teacher only
When this alleged plot failed, the
young woman, it is supposed, became
desperate and even though she knew
that she might thereby cause the death
of hundreds of people not concerned in
the case, deliberately walked over to
the j. L. johnson farm after nightfall
and there poured paris green in the we'll
This is the theory upon which the state
is working and upon which the arrest
of Vida Johnson has been made
Her preliminary hearing has been SET
for Aug H. and Fl. E. Leach has been
retained by her as counsel Leach won
fame as counsel for the Nelson boys in
their trial for the murder of Krier
The county attorney S. I. Littleton
also prosecuting attorney in that noted
case, is the counsel for the state
A feature of the case which will never
be made public in the courtroom but has
sort of romantic flavor about it, is
the assertion of a young farmer liv-
ing near the johnson farm. This young
fellow claims to have had dream on
the night when the poison was found in
the well.
He says he dreamed that he was rid.
ing his bicycle along the country roads
which were hot and dusty. Becoming
tired he alighted by the roadside and
looked about him for a place to quencl
his thirst.
Afar off be espied the well on the
johnson farm and made his way towards
it. Suddenly as he was at the brink ri
the well and was about to raise the
well and was about to raise the cul