Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-03-06
MRS. JOHNSTON
IN STATEMENT
PARK. AVENUE RESIDENT SAYS
IN SWORN AFFIDAVIT, SHE
WAS ASSAULTED.
GIVES THE DETAILS
Says Reports to the Contrary are False.
-Rehearses Her Experiences Of
the Morning of February 21-
Doctors are Reticent.

| Maintaing that she was the victim
! of an assault and that the statements
} to the contrary are false Mrs. Charles
M. johnson has made an affidavit IN
Which she reviews her experiences OF
early Sunday morning February Il.
| The scheduled conference between the
| physicians who attended Mrs. John-
| ston and the representatives of the cit
IiZens committee was not held yeSler-
| day DR. w. a. Trueblood when asked
this afternoon if Mrs. Johnston was
assaulted said II do not know Dr.
E. Anthony, who was the first phys.
ician on the scene after the reported
assault, refused to commit hln,sei
when asked the same question. When
queried his only answer was y VIII
not make any statement" Detective
B. ID. Way left last evening for Chi
cago.
The Johnston Statement.
Il, Mrs. Ida A. Johnston OF rs
West Park Avenue, city of Ottumwa,
depose and state: That I was assault
ed at my home on the night of Febru-
ary 81 1909, and it is not true that
admitted to Detective Way, or to any
other person, that there was not a
man in the house and that I was not
assaulted, and that I was hysterical
and a morphine fiend.
1 luTll!eE -StdtS, I'LL "dS itoe 49,
th:,t day and had Doctor Trueblood
| call that evening; that my brother-in--
law and his wife STAYED with me until
about eleven o'clock that night. l was
feeling able to stay alone and they
went home. I had felt just as bad
many night and had stayed alone.
told them there was no use of their
staying up until my husband came. as
| expected him in about two O'Clock.
He had called me up by telephone ana
said he would be home Saturday night
on the late train, and that in place OF
staying down town he would take
cab and come out home. Sometimes
when he came in late he stayed at the
hotel until morning, rather than wake
said IF you get sick in the night and
want us. you call from the up stairs
window They lived next door to me,
and she said that they would leave
their window open This was nothing
out of the ordinary, as we had done
this hundreds of times before. The gas
was turned so low it kept pickering. I
it off for fear it would go out, but l
dropped to sleep and left it on. It was
very low.
Il don't know what woke me- 1 turn
ID over in bed and saw shadow and
II thought it was Mr.. Johnston. but in
an instant I saw it wasn't and ! said
| What do YOU Want?' He answered,
syaing I want you and just then
turned the cover down and jumped
over on the other side of the bed, and
he started around the bed. He came at
me and grabbed me by the top of the
head. and pulled me around to the
foot of the bed and struegled with
him I screamed and he said Scream
again, - YOU, and will brain you
| lypn
bottle and glass off the stand on the
floor and then the rug slipped and he
stumbled and stepped on my foot
that's how l know he had on no shoes
at the tirle--then when we struggled
until we got out into the hall, where
there was just runner of carpet. IT
slipped and he put his foot up, under
mine and throwed me down in sit
ting position l said In the name of
God, haven't you got mother or sis
ter or somebody that you wouldn't
want treated this way He said Lady
l don't want to hurt you but l want
1 you
Then he grabbed me by the throat
and checked me and said I will shut
the - breath out of YOU ! did the
best I could to keep him away from,
. me and then he struck me across the
head--that's how he broke NV comb
and then he said '- you you give ir
to me- He then commenced to torture
me with piece of window pole and
tainted. don't know how long I lac
there before I came to. Ny night gowr
was torn and bloody I was bleeding
and had blood all over my hands anc
nv face.
Where he choked me, there were
blue marks. There was black and blue
, marks on my shoulder and back, anC
on my hips, and on NV legs where hi
put his knees. These marks have beer
seen by numerous of my friends, anc
, if any one doubts what I say they arr
still visible on me.
Il didn't want to have to make tn,
whole story public. as what had to b.
Y told was bad enough I don't know
: when he left. When I was coming tt
I, I heard the baby screaming. I got vi
! up as soon as I could and crawled t.
] the bed where the baby was, and h
: said to me Mamma, where did TIL
man go?' I went to the window ant
screamed to my brother -in-law wit
S all the strength l had. Baby wa
: screaming al the time l again stream
3 ed twice and they heard me and an
swered Yes Lii, we are coming an
they said when they came in I was OF
M knees trying to console the baby.
: He was a man much taller thai
q myself AS to his weight, he was no
0 BIZ ,i-.and fat had bad on dark clothes, an