The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-01-30
is what got and you recovered it on
Pratt street, in Baltimore, where sold it,
(Signed), RUFAs JOHNSON.

|, Pratt street, In Baltimore, where sold |
(Signed), RUFAs JoHNso
Witnesses
Detective John II. Kratz,
Detective Herman Pohler,
Detective Frank ]. Lore.
The confession was not unexpected,
the man had been wavering for day
two. Yesterday Detective Parker had
warrant issued for the arrest of Johnso
on the charge of murder and took steps [
get requisition papers from Governc
| Stokes.
Prosecutor Atkinson is very much re
lieved at the outcome. He has been worB
ing hard over the case, and while he ha
every reason to believe he had the RICH
man there was just sufficient doubt +
cause him anxiety and spur him on to in
vestigate all clues that might point to
solution. All cause for worriment is nov
removed.
The man will be brought to Noun
Holly as soon as the necessary arrange
ments can be made. He will be in charg,
of officers of the law who will be amply
able to protect him and land him in tn,
Jail here. All stories of intense feeling t.
the extent of lynching are the fevered i'm
agination of those who desire to create {
sensation. As sample of this one city
paper drew vivid picture of troops being
called out and being in waiting at Camden
The reporterlwho got up this great scoop
told resident of Mount Holly that BIZ
''had to get something new in" The negro
will not be lynched. He will be given &
legal and fair trial.
In the jail there is man named Small
He is thought to know something about
the affair. He was arrested at the instance
of Justice Jamison. While in Baltimore
the latter found that johnson was dis
posed to talk a great deal about Small,
and with The idea that the latter might be
In some way connected with the crime,
Jamison telephoned the Prosecutor to
have him arrested. The only missing
link in the case was the whereabouts OF
johnson during the IS hours preceding
the murder. Clue after clue had been
run out and 1t was impossible to locate the
man in Philadelphia, Moorestown or the
of the murder. That
bothered the authorities. johnson talked
about Small considerably and his con-
fession shows the wisdom of having the
latter arrested as 1t completely fills the
gap, johnson admitting that he stayed at
Small's home. He has also connected
Small with the Goodenough robbery.
Below is statement of the facts OBJ
tanned prior to the above confession.
The first information received by Pros
ecutor Atkinson that Rufus johnson was
implicated in the murder came from Bal
timore, and resulted In his arrest.
Mary Jones keeps boarding house in
that city and johnson went there early
last week. He was very restless and con-
tinuallY talked about the Moorestown case
and told of being arrested in connection
with it and being under bail for the Of
fence. Mrs. Jones grew suspicious and
at once notified the Baltimore police, VINO
put johnson under arrest Mrs. Jones
then took train at 8 o'clock in the morn
ing and came to Moorestown, where she
saw Mrs. Strawbridge and from the in
she impaired the wheels of JUS
tiee were put in rapid motion.
The Philadelphia detectives discovered
. house in that city where the man was in
the habit of stopping, and they found he
had been there on the afternoon of the
murder. When he entered the place the
who lived there said to him,
why man, where have you been? you
got hayseeds in your hair" Johnson
pulled from his pocket hand mirror and
then replied he must have got them when
he slept on the boat coming up from Bal
timore. He went to the spigot and washed
his face and head and then took from
another pocket brush with back SINH
lar to that of the mirror and after brush
Ing his hair said he was all right now.
He appeared to be in good spirits, but
said he was very hungry. The woman
told him to go buy something and she
would cook it. johnson had money on
him. There was $40 taken from
the Atkinson house. He went out and
came back with dozen eggs and pound
Of cheese. He ate seven of the eggs, all
the cheese and two large slices of bread
In the evening he went out and soon re-
turned with colored woman. The next
he left.
When the detectives tried to discover
The whereabouts of the brush and mirror
TO ascertain if they were articles taken
from the scene of the murder, they could
not find them. The woman who was with
Johnson was hunted up and the missing
brush was found in her possession.
They tally with brush ;owned
by Miss Atkinson and 1t is said there is
hair in the brush which compares with
that Of the dead woman.
While this search was being conducted
IN Philadelphia the Prosecutor was work.
ng the Baltimore end of the case. JUS
ice James L. Jamison was sent to that
place to listen to the stories of witnesses
and get their evidence in shape to be
handled when needed. He found John
ION In prison, but the colored man denied
Ill connection with the murder and said
he had not been In the neighborhood on
hat day. He claimed to have been in
Baltimore and Chester all the time De-
,ective Parker, who was with Mr.. Jami-
son, had suspicious that johnson was con-
nected with the robbery of the Good
enough farm near Moorestown, and to this
The colored man confessed. With the
dea that this was the only charge on
which the fellow could be held Parker
but Justice Jamison remained. The latter
had in his possession letter written by
Johnson from Philadelphia on the day of
the murder and sent to Baltimore. This
proved conclusively that he was in the
former city. The time he was there was
fixed by the woman at whose house she
stopped. She said 1t was about half past
three when he got there. She said she
had large wash that day and when he
finished it she looked at the clock and
It was three o'clock. Something else
called her attention to the time between
quarter and twenty minutes past and it
was soon after this that johnson arrived
Mrs. Jones. of Baltimore, is a respecta-
BILE woman and keeps boarding house for
colored people, all Of whom have good
hence when she heard john
son talking In the manner he did she de-