Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-09-01
MURDERED Wife
BURNED HER BODY
Had Been Buried, Was Disin-
TERED, then Dismembered and
Finally Cremated.
coNFEssEs ALL BUT MURDER
Lcc II. johnson insists That Ills Lie
Partner Committed Suicide and
Requested Secret Burial

seat,,4 wash, Aug 81. --cnarged
With the murder OF his young wife'
whosa BODY he buried in the basement
or MS cabin at Nome. disinteirlng IT
ii the spring, when he cut 1t III three
parts. Grated and later ciSnated II, Lee
n Johnston, a wcll-to-do mining man
Of Nome. Alaska, was arrested IN seat
tie today Johnston adinlts laNans
sdislnen,bered the body and later haVing
burned 1t. but steadfastly persists that
Ills wife committed SuiclGe ana IN
note requested Il secret burial and gave
him all her property.
The facts directly leading III 10 anu
suggesting the alleged crime date pack
over a space or three years, when Joili'-
ston married Belle Gilchris.. q Sou''s
society woman of Butte. Mont.
In the spring OF 1905 he took her 70
None. on Oct. G Of the same year she
rniys.eriously disappeared from Nome.
Johnston said she had left for Seattle.
Relatives IN Butte and y Mrs A. NJ.
Hedges. q sister living AT Fort E5taheleg.5
wash. received letters recently from
Nome purportins to be dictated by MIS-.
Johnston to n cousin, Fred. Johnston
came out from Nome on three different
occasions, and each time told relatives
in Butte, it Is charged, that his Wife
was well and happy in Nome, and that
having her power of attorney he had
come to Butte to dispose OF the property
and get the money. The suspicious OF
the relatives We're aroused Il year ago,
ana last June Joseph Warren, special
agent for the department Of Justice Tor
the district of Nome, was detained On
the case. together with George B.GriSs-
hy. district attorney of Nome. warren
came ia Seattle and had all mail from
Johnston to his wife's relatives inter
sccpted
later Warren learned that Johnston
was in Seattle living a 1902 Fonrth
avenue. with q woman named cora
3Tascli who declared today that she
married Johnston N Omaha in 1902 1T
Is alleged that she, Il few months ago,
went before notary and swore that
she was Belle Gilchrist, the wife of John
ston and signed d revocation of a pow
e, of attorney issued by Johnston's wife
to him shortly after their marriage,
III order that a rev power Of attorney
might be given him investing him with
absolute control Of all her property.
T. G. Smith, Il broker OF Butte, who
had been Investing money Tor Mrs
Johnston while the latter was III Nome
was apprised of the latest move of
Johnston by Warren and was told to
hold off Today, after It warrant had
ls.en issued for Johnston's arrest and
teuuisltiou papers had been served on
the governor Of Washington. detectives
who had been working on the case with
Warren went to the Johnston house
~ ,,stah =, ia, hIs Wa .ron,n,jtted sut-
eide. He viii be taken back to Nome
III a few days
In II stetenlnnt Johnston said:
sit was just about dusk on cold
evening in October, 1905, I was going
down 10 an old well near our cabin for
some water MY wife was standing in
tile doorway and smiled at me. telling
me to hurry back as supper was about
due. | told her / would, and arrived
on my return trim In about five minutes.
What met my gaze when ! returned
was my wife's PROSTATE form stretched
across the doorway, her bosom heav-
ing, ana great look of pain on her
face. Nv he, side was a half-giass of
.cyaulde of potassium. Sh, died about
FIVE minutes after nv arrival Near
hcr side was a note / lost the note. but
/ guess could write ii from memory
IL i had SOM. papar.',
Johuston then wrote the following:
"Darlinr Ie,,.-I realize that | am
Nolhinr but death Will relieve nv suf-
r,rinrs want Won To have MI nv
rcai anu norsonnI prouertN and M ono
else The powa,. Of attorney viii he all
yn,I need. pispose of nv remains So
rrctly and lot no ono know that 7 have.
sought snlf-tlestruction Forgive nc.
ana cod bless Won !"
{ BELLE Gll.CHRlST, TILE NlC,FlA
Butte, Sent. belle Gilchrist, the
victim OF the Nome murder. was
resident of this city up to three years
ago when she was the well known ma
.trnn Of The mess of the engineers, fore
men and bosses of the Anaconda Min
ing company. She was about 30 years
of age. and possessed small fortune,
which was all in personality a consid-
cradle portion being left in the care Of
Il. G. smith. Il bookkeeper of this city.
The Ciilchrst woman was prominent
In church circles during her residence
hern. Shortly after her marriage to
Johnston. a miner of prepossessing APP
pearance, they left for Alaska.
The last letter Smith received in Mrs.
IcI,,,p,,,, ,,,,,,, ban,lrritipc was :, iplIt