The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-01-30
Johnson confesses.

Rufus johnson, held In Baltimore as IL
4 murderer of Miss Atkinson, has confesse
!. his crime. He puts at rest all rumors {
D more than one man being connected wit
the crime by acknowledging he did til
deed alone. His story carries out the ides
advanced by the detectives. He tells {
crossing the ferry at Kaighn's point fc
Philadelphia. evidence that was bein
, worked yesterday. The only discrepanc
in that statement is that it is known tina
two colored men got off the trolley q
Seventh and Market streets, Camden. an
took south bound car. 1t was suppose
they were together. but Johnson's stor.
sets that theory aside. He covers ever
point in the case with the exception o
striking the woman on her head and frac
turing her skull. The story he told lis a
follows:
My name is Rufus johnson. 1 an
sometimes called Rufus Jones' 1 am 81
years of age. My father and mother Hv,
at or near Raleigh, N. c., at place called
Mcfarland
lett Baltimore Monday evening, Janu
airy Is. 1905. at P. M, on the Philadel
phia boat. arrived In Chester, Pa, In
the morning about7. l had my grip with
me. ! left it at restaurant. called the
Railroad Restaurant, kept by q stout
colored man, where the Media Car runs
under the railroad.
Then went to Philadelphia by trolley
car and crossed at South street ferry to
Camden. N. ]. then went out Kaighn's
avenue on the trolley to Haddon avenue,
then went up Haddon avenue to Haddon-
field; then came back to Kaighns ave-
nue.; met man with wagon and went
to Marlton pike; then went up Marlton
pike to the new cemetery, then went across
Church road to Cove road, then up Cove
road to Fellowship, about two miles from
Moorestown.
Then went to George Small's house.
Stayed there until Thursday morning and
then left his house early. Thought
would catch the trolley for Camden and it
got too light and was afraid to go by
trolley for fear of being identified for rob
bing MIR. Charles Goodenough's house,
near Moorestown, and being arrested for
same
I then went to the barn on rawbridge's
place, where Miss Atkinson lived. The
barn is right near her house. / started to
come out, but saw so many wagons haul
ing fertilizer was afraid of being recog-
nized. went back In the barn and laid
down on the straw. While / was there
some person came into the barn. 1t was
the woman. saw her through the cracks
In the barn.
She then went out and came around On
the other side, or entrance way, and gave
the COW some hay. do not know whether
1t was Miss Atkinson or not. l could not
distinctly see her. This was about or z
o'clock in the morning. After she went
back in the house again l laid down, this
time in the entryway where she had been
to feed the COW.
l went to sleep while was laying down.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of II
O'Clock Miss Atkinson came In and saw me
and asked me what l was doing there.
l said Nothing, lady," and / started to
run away and she commenced to boiler.
l knew it would draw some of the drivers
from the wagons that were at that time
passing and 1t would cause excitement
and have me identified.
When she hollered grabbed her to stop
her from hollering and set there quite
while and held her by the throat to keep
her from hollering. She was then on the
ground. Then got up, started to come
out and she got up and l thought she
would holler and ran and grabbed her
again and threw her down. After that
she laid there and was afraid she would
come to and boiler.
then cut strap from horse blanket
that was hanging up or lying on manger
and tied 1t around her neck to keep her
from hollering. then went on to the
house of Miss Atkinson. There was little
white girl in the house, and she opened
the door and said: Come in, mamma will
be in SOON"
went in and she said: Come In this
ROOM" which is the dining room. We
both went upstairs together and she said,
This is Aunt Annie's room" and the
room on the left side she said was
mammals room.
The trunk in Aunt Annie's room" was
locked and opened it with the ak which
went down and got. 1t was sitting in
side the door downstairs. There was
nothing in that trunk that took. l then
went In the room she called mammals
room and lying on top of the bureau l
found one $1.00 bill. one silver quarter
and one ten. cent piece. which was wrapped
in piece of white paper.
l then started to look in the bureau
drawer and saw the watch and took it and
put 1t In my vest pocket. then went up
In the garnet as she told me some things
were up there. l saw trunk on the left
hand side, and broke it open with an az
There was nothing In it but clothes. 4
ransacked it and found nothing. Then
came back downstairs to the second floor
and she came with me.
There was little money bank In the
shape of pig. The little girl showed it
to me, and broke 1t open, and there was
about six pennies and an old 25-cent coin.
Then picked up the comb and mirror
and brush and put them in my pocket.
This was as was coming out of the house
On the cupboard near the dishes was a
silver dollar. took 1t and put it In my
pocket. This is all got or took from the
house.
then went to the barn, where l left
Miss Atkinson. When l got there / start
ed to take the strap from her neck and
found her neck was all swollen, and she
was dead.
then ran back of the barn across the
orchard and up to the road and then took
a trolley car at PleasantivalleytoCam Camden
This was about 12 o'clock. The car had
a great many people ON it. l gave the
conductor pennies for my fare. rode as
far as Third Street in Camden. He, the
conductor, gave me transfer to Kaighn's
Point ferry.
crossed the ferry for Philadelphia at
the foot of South street. After got into
Philadelphia I went to the pawnbroker
corner Third street and South, and pawned
the watch got from Miss Allinson's house
for 3d. do not know what l did with