The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-15

commissioned by God as an ambassador to save humanity and show them the | true way to worship the Almighty. Thero is no admission in the case or +ba nrosecution that Johnson was irresponsible and insane Ihat ne ! was a violent crank they admit, but that his mind was so disordered that he was not responsible for ms ac'S ! they deny.
 Line of PrOsecuttOD. The line the prosecution will tollow Is summed up in the words or one oI the prosecuting attorneys. Johnsoh is a wild crank. sane when he wants to be and insane when 1t serves his Durpose." Colonel Claude Hamilton is assisting the solicitor in prosecut- ing Johnson. but not his two daugh- ters.
 He was a man of means in his com munIty, this man Johnson who IS to answer the charge of murder, put ne was a violent man, particularly upon the subject of religion and so feared by his neighbors. He built the Mt. Olivet Church and gave 1t for the use of the Baptists Of his community. In the meanwhile ne was declared to be insane by the au- thorities of Butler County and sent 10 | the asylum at Tuscaloosa After re- maintng there for nearly two years l he was permitted to return home for a probationary period of six months. Some member of his family had had | trouble with the congregation of Mt. Olivet Church and 1t is said church membership had been withdrawn from | this member of the Johnson family.
 The church was burned to heap
 of ashes one day last June. The neighbors who hurried tO the burning church found pinned to tree sheet
 of foolscap paper on which was "flt-
 ten:
 T am directed by God Almighty to
 burn this church. I gave and l have
 burned away am responsible for the
 sins of the wold. Done this day by
 "John Henry Johnson. 'I Are God \ warrant was sworn out charging
 Johnson with arson. It was known
 that he was a dangerous man and that care was necessary to effect his arrest The warrant was placed in the hands
 of Deputy Sheriff Oliver Bryan. He summoned to help him his brother. | George Bryan, who was street over seer of Greenville and who was known as cautious, courageous man. one who was highly esteemed in his town and his county.
 Invited to House. The Bryan brothers with the demand 1 of the law for the person of John Henry Johnson, charged with arson met Johnson in the road as .he rode a horse from q field where he had been | blowing.
 To the officers demand that he stop Johnson replied:
 If you want to see me, come down | to the house."
 They followed him to his home. As i to what happened there 1t may be the | subject of conflicting testimony when
 Katie and Maggie Johnson are nr- l raigned for murder tomorrow. The | general story is that Johnson snatched ] out a long and murderous knife. q | knife which he had himself made. and | slashed unsuccessfully at the officers | Whereupon they seized his wrists. As
 the two officers struggled with John
 son, one of his daughters ran up and knocked George Bryan away with a | heavy piece of scantling.
 Partly freed, Johnson snatched pis- | tol from his shirt and shot George
 Bryan through tho stomach. It was a | fatal wound. a wound from wnich T the deputy died the following day
 The case of Katie and Maggie John | son has already been to the Supreme Court of Alabama. It went there to
 secure their release on bail through a
 writ of habeas corpus. The applica-
 tion for the writ was based upon the
 claim that Johnson being Insane was
 not responsible for the means he took
 to defend himself and that for that
 reason his daughters. who had the
 right to defend him even as he should
 defend himself could not be held fol murder
 The Supreme Court. however se
 aside this contention and dismissed thu
 application for a writ.