The San Francisco call., 1909-07-09
Such Is Plea of Rich Widow,
One of Christian c. john
sons Victims
Mrs. Josephine Henninger Says
Other Women Were Also
Under Strange Spell
Loans Bold SwindIer $500 and
Is Thankful She Did Not
Marry Him
Man of Many COurtships and
Marriages Declares He Will
Plead Guilty

ITHAT Christian c. Johnson.
bigamist and man of many love
affairs, has held hypnotic sway
over the various women whom he has
made his victims is the claim of Mrs.
Josephine Henninger, a wealthy
widow of $40 Thirty-eighth street.
Oakland, who yesterday visited John
son in his cell at the city prison and
identified him as a man to whom she
had promised her hand in marriage.
When in Johnson's presence, de-
clared Mrs Henninger, Il was COM
pletely in his power and complied
readily with his every wish and sug-
gestion. l can not explain the strange
influence he exerted over me in any
other way than that he exerted
hypnotic control over my actions. AL
together / let him have 500 of nv
money, but l am thankful that affairs
did not reach the point where might
have married him"
Won Through Child
To the police Mrs. Henningcr adj
mitted that she met Johnson in Feb
ruary OF this year through the medium
OF a matrimonial advertisement. AS in
the cases of Mrs. Leopold and Mrs
Tretheway it was through a child that
Johnson sought and won the affections
of the mother. He visited her coy
home in Oakland several times and
completely won the heart OF her baby
Prior to the first meeting he wrote
several letters and she sent him her
photograph. Then his calls began, and
finally he proposed marriage.
During the short courtship which
followed the first meeting johnson
estate in Germany and that he ex-
pected to receive large legacy from
an uncle. This was the same story he
had told Mrs. Leopold. whom he mar
ried in San Francisco. In all the let
ters which Johnson wrote to Mrs. Hen
ninger after the first two or three he
addressed her as My dear little wife,
ployed toward Mrs. Leopold and Mrs.
Tretheway and toward Miss Minnie NJ
Gather and Mrs. Ida Mitchell. to whom
he was not married
Borrows i'm Small Sums
After securing Mrs. Henninger's
promise to marry him, Johnson de-
cIared that he was going TO Los An
geIes to purchase stations. and sue
ceeded in borrowing about $500 in small
sums to complete alleged payments.
After securing two loans, he announced
his intention of returning for more. but
in the meantime Mrs. Henninger learned
of another woman TO whom he was
writing. She complained to the Oak
land police and planned to bring about
his capture. but he did not return again
as he had promised.
Last night Mrs. Henninger discussed
her relations with Johnson. but was not
as frank in her statements as she had
been to the police earlier in the day
she knew Johnson as Frank c. Ander-
son and their acquain tanceship began
several months ago. She admitted that
she had on at least two occasions
loaned him money. She says that he
told her that he owned a large stock
farm in New York and soon after their
acquaintanceship began he borrowed
SEQ from her to take trip to stockton,
where. he said. he had engaged to buy
a thoroughbred stallion to send back to
his New York farm. Mrs. Henninger
reluctantly acknowledged that she be-
lieved he used this money to pay a
flying visit to his stockton wife. Mrs.
Tretheway-
Plans Trip to Germany
Later Anderson told Mrs. Henninger
that in his youth he was engaged to
the daughter of a wealthy family in
Germany On the eve of his nuptials
he said that his promised bride had
died The girls father. he said had
become so attached to him that when
he died he left him his entire estate.
and about month ago Anderson told
Mrs Henninger that he would be
obliged to cross the ocean in order to
attend to his interests in Germany. He
then borrowed $50 more in order 10 90
to Los Angeles. where he said he had
to attend to some business prior to