Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-16
HELD FOR MURDER
Negro is Ordered Imprisoned by Yer
dict Of COrOner's Jury.
FOR KILLING OF FRANKLAND
Evidence at Inquest Leads Jury 60
Conclusion that the Police Have
Arrested the Real
Murderer.

Thomas Johnson, the negro arrested by
the police, believing him to be the murderer
OF Henry r. FARMLAND Of Chicago, who
was found in the yards at Union station
with his throat cut and his pockets rified
Wednesday night, will be tried for the
crime.
A coroner's jury, after an inquest held
Friday afternoon, recommended that John
son be held for the killing. A warrant
charging Johnson with the murder will be
filed at once, but the date Of the prisoners
arraignment has not been set.
Johnson stands obdurate against the eff
forts of the detective department to draw
q confession from him. He adheres to his
original story and in the face Of over
whelming circumstantial evidence adduced
at the inquest sat unmoved and calm.
The testimony Of witnesses at the inquest
established the fact that Johnson was in
company with FARMLAND, the murdered
man. within a quarter Of an hour Of the
time that the crime was committed, and
that the negro less than two hours after
the killing was in the Humboldt hotel, 1919
Dodge street, securing stains from his
clothes and carrying the watch and chain
which Frankland had worn. This watch
has been positively identified by the police
as belonging to FARMLAND.
Moatyn Saw Blood stains.
Captain Mostyn Of the police department
testified that on searching Johnson he had
found that his prisoners left shirt cuff
and coat sleeve were stained with blood.
Detective Donahue took from Johnson the
knife which is supposed to have been the
instrument of murder. The detective told
at the inquest Of the finding Of the knife
in the prisoners pocket. The blood-stained
wicked blade was displayed to the jury.
johnson leaned forward and looked at It,
but his face remained placid. He faced the
witnesses with the same apparent indif-
ference.
The testimony Of witnesses from the
Humboldt hotel had no small share in
weaving the mesh which entangles John
son. Bernice without, a negro girl with
whom Johnson spent the night after the
killing, identified Frankland's watch and
chain as that which Johnson had taken
off in her room. Mabel and Georgia Hick-
man, sisters, negro women, who live at the
same place, told Of seeing Johnson in the
cafe of the hotel scrubbinE stains from his
clothes with a handker .ief.
said Il Was Soup.
HE said that he had spilled some soup
on his Clothes" both the witnesses de-
clared.
They said he had spent the night at
the place, but no one was found who
saw him leave'the place the next morn
ing. The suspect had appeared at the
hotel between $3.50 and 10 o'clock, an hour
or more after the murder was committed,
according to these witnesses.
Wesley Hill, a negro youth, employed as
a cook at the Humboldt, said that he had
seen Johnson there Wednesday night at
about $3.50 o'clock, and that he had left
a message to an employee of the place
named Lewis that he was to leave on the
following day for Chicago.
II told him there had been a killing at
Union depot when he came down next
morning" said Hill, but he only replied:
There was?'"
r. w. Chamberlain, a hackman, formerly
a member of the police force, testified that
he had spent a half hour in Woolstein's
saloon on the viaduct in company with
Frankland and johnson just before the
s o'clock closing hour. He said they had
taken two drinks together, but he did
not remember anything of the CONVERSE
ton which took place there.
That FARMLAND was expecting to leave
for Chicago on the fatal night was shown
by the statements Of Charles Parry, Pull
man conductor running east on the Chicago
Great Western. He said that shortly be-
fore his train pulled out at $50 Wednes-
day night ~Frankland, in company with
Johnson, had approached him with a
proposition to See FARMLAND through to