The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-01-05
JOHNSON CONFESSES
Continued from page one).

Continued from page one).
Ratchet or any other weapon but his
knife in dismembering the body.
The evidence secured by the au-
thorties in their investigation of the
murder of little Simeon wharton at
Waialua, goes to show that there was
no crime other than that of murder,
perpetrated by Johnson.
The confession made to Sheriff A.
NJ. Brown by Johnson is complete in
every particular.
The insanity plea has already been
made i'm the Waialua tragedy. After
confessing to Sheriff Brown this morn
ing, and giving horrible details of his
mutilation of the body of his infant
victim, Frank Johnson was asked why
he had done the deed. He replied that
he didn't know,-he must have been
crazy at the time
Some parts of the child's body were
only found yesterday. They had been
left above ground when Johnson spread
earth over the st. To the sheriff the
defendant told all about how he COM
mitted the crime. He claims that he
cut the body up with his knife and
denies that he us a hatchet
A coroner's jury at Waialua this
morning brought i'm verdict charging
Johnson with the murder of little ST.
neon Wharton, and Johnson is being
brought to Honolulu this afternoon,
Charged with the most atrocious murder
in the history of the islands. He is in
charge Of Deputy Sheriff McGun. 1t
was before the inquest began that ne
admitted his guilt of the terrible crime,
giving no other motive for the awful
deed than that he wanted to revenge
himself upon the mother of the child,
because she had refused to supply him
with liquor.
The inquest was held at ten o'cock
this morning. The jurors We're David
Kauualu, John Kauualu, j. *. Kaiu
nui, w. p. Kaiolohia, Joe Smith and
John Mehemia. County Sheriff Brown
acted as coroner.
Johnson made his admissions of guilt
in the presence of Sheriff Brown, De
putty Sheriff Cox and Chester Doyle.
He told the three officers that he had
killed and mutilated the little three
year old boy whose body was found SO
fearfully butchered. The defendant
was apparently weakened by the strain
of confinement and accusation and he
broke down and confessed everything.
The jury heard the evidence of the
native and the Chinese and Japanese,
who found the body, describing its
mutilation. There was also testimony
showing Johnson's movements shortly
before the crime and the blood on his
clothes when he was arrested. The
,crime was without any eyewitnesses, for
Johnson did the unspeakable atrocity
in a canefield alone, and he had buried
the little body before anyone came to
the scene. There was strong circum-
stantial evidence against him, how
ever aside from his confession and the
jury did not take long in finding a YER
dict, formally accusing him of the
murder Of the child.
After the verdict and confession
Sheriff Brown and Chester Doyle, ac-
companied by an officer, started with
the defendant for the scene of the
tragedy to learn on the spot the full
details of the occurrence. Johnson has
shown a disposition now that he has
once confessed to tell all that took
place when he took the little boy into
a canefeld and slaughtered him. At
ter telling his story on the spot n was
turned over to Deputy McGum to be
brought to Oahu Jail on this after
Moons train.
The case will be brought before the
Territorial Grand Jury at once.
. An autopsy was performed at Waia-
lua by Drs Herbert and Woods, Their
evidence is unprintable.
johnson is native Of Dublin, Ire
and He worked in Honolulu for some
time as coachman for L. X. Kentwell.
He is of small stature and generally
unkempt i'm appearance. He came to
Honolulu about 10 years ago, having
deserted a vessel at that time, john
son is illterate, understood and alto
gether a miserable specimen Of hui
mainly He has evidently been con-
firmed drunkard He went to Waia-
,ua two months ago.
The funeral Of Johnsons victim oc-
CURED yesterday afternoon at Waia-
lua from the Catholic church.
It Is stated that about two years ago
Johnson tried, while laboring under
the effect of delirium tremOns, to kill
little son of Mr.. and Mrs. Harry
Mossman He tried to kill the child
with sythe IT is tated. Mrs. Mossman
notified the police and the man was
taken into custody but later released
Harry Mossman thinks that it was
Johnson, the murderer, is the same
man who tried to kill the child two
years ago,