The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-02-20

The Day Draws Near.
Before three more days have passed.
Rufus johnson, murderer Of Miss Florence
Atkinson, will have paid the penalty of his
crime. He is attended by ministers Of his
color, but their labors do not seem to have
much beneficial effect upon the prisoner,
as he insists upon telling stories which
have every impress Of falsehood.
The first he sprung was to the effect
that Small, another colored man who was
arrested and is In jail on suspicion of be-
ing connected with the crime. was really
the perpetrator of the deed. After he was
convicted and sentenced johnson began
his stories in which he tried to connect
Small with the murder. They did not
tally, however. with those told earlier and
after Prosecutor Atkinson had investigat-
ed them he arrived at the conclusion that
johnson was lying Every clue was
carefully Investigated and the best that
could be done was to get some evidence
that may possibly send Small to Trenton
on charges of burglary.
In one instance Detective Parker found
lady who tells of being awakened one
night by seeing man in her room. There
was light burning and she was able to
r recognize the fellow who she says was
Small. A Chinese laundryman at Moores-
town was robbed and he claims to have
had close look at the robber who
he says was Small. 1t Is to be hoped the
two stories are correct
Johnson's latest yarn was that of find
ing knife in the barn, which he knew
was the property of Small When asked
why he did not tell all these stories in his
confession, he said he was told by the
Baltimore detectives not to speak of any
thing but his own connection with the
crime. He says his story was fixed up by
one of the detectives and he was com
PEELED to sign 1t, and was assured that If
he admitted the killing he would get off
with imprisonment. He said he started to
tell Detective Parker the entire facts but
was stopped by the Baltimore man. who
said the New jersey detectives were after
the reward. While there may not be any
truth In this statement, it is well known
how some detectives get so-called "con-
fessions" If the truth has been told one
OF the Baltimore officers went into a cell
with johnson In that city and beat him
with policeman's club and threatened to
kill the negro If he did not confess. There
are many people around here who believe
Small to have been the brains of the
crime, with sufficient shrewdness to keep
clear of implication.
But the present status of the affair and
the stories told by johnson will not post
pone the execution. He has proved himself
so unworthy of belief that his testimony
would not have any weight with jury.
If Small Is convicted it must be with evil
dence entirely apart from Johnson's own
words. The scaffold is all ready and the
rope arrived yesterday, and the law will
be obeyed on Friday morning.
Small was taken before johnson yester-
day and the latter again repeated his as
sertions of Small's guilt. He went into
details with great minuteness. Small list.
ened to what was said, and when the story
was ended he remarked "You know that
is not true. Rufus" johnson, however,
insists that he is telling the truth, and is
determined to die with the satisfaction
that he has given the authorities the exact
truth, and that it will be to his spiritual
benefit. 1t Is said he will make state
ment from the scaffold, in which he will
declare that Small is guilty.
When the murder was discovered and
the watch found, Detective Parker sent a
letter to the Chief of Police in Liverpool,
making inquiry about Miss Atkinson and
the timepiece. The answer explains it.
self. Here it 10:
LIVERPOOL CITY POLICE.
DETECTIVES A.
d. r. B. -, A. MATTHEWS LIST February, 1905.
bet. Chief Inspector A
Florence w. Allinson, murdered at Moores-
town, New Jersey, u s. A.
Head COnsta ble's Office, Liverpool England.
beg to report that the above named was
the daughter of the late William Atkinson,
formerly in the Detective Department of the
On the 9Th Sept, 1891, her brother, Albert
Atkinson, now attached to the Church Mis-
q watch from Messrs. j. Riley and Co, 81
Victoria street, Liverpool, by whom he was
then employed, for f3:l50, that being the
wholesale price.
1t was of the following description, viz: q
lady's 10 carat gold American Waltham watch,
open face, white dial, No. 4404ll9, on move
ment, chased outer case, had Waltham Watch
Company on movement, and may have had
same dial Messrs. Riley are unable to say
whether there was any inscription inside the
watch. because their salesman who had the
transaction with Atkinson Is dead, but their
books show that watch OF the foregoing des-
criptlon was sold to him. They do not know
what was done with it.