Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-27
MRS. JOHNSTON
IS NOT IMPROVED
WEAK FROM ATTACK SHE PASSES
BAD NIGHT-TRAlNED NURSE
IN ATTENDANCE.
NO NEW EVIDENCE
Early Viciousness of John Junkin
Strengthens the Suspicion
That He Murdered
Clara Rosen.

Mrs Charles M. Johnston is not
so we'll this afternoon, the patient
having suffered considerably last
evening and this morning. A
trained nurse is in attendance at
all hours, and all that medical at
tention can do is being done by
corps of physicians The physi-
clans have requested that no one
be permitted to see Mrs. Johnston.
o
No additional information relative
pointing to the identity of the brutal
assailant of Mrs. Charles M. Johnston
has reached the police department, but
in striking contrast to this is the evil
dence being received daily relative
to John Junkin, now incarcerated in
the Abba Jail, with a strong suspicion
connecting him with the murder of
Miss Clara Rosen. Junkin, according
to all reports. has always been bad
negro, even from the days of his young
manhood. Persons who knew him well
when he had not yet reached his teens
say that he had vicious tendencies.
One story is related of him cutting off
lowing this torture to continue for
some time, severing the hind feet.
While he was an inmate of the state
reformatory at Eldora, according to
State Agent J. H. Harnett of Des
Moines, he became so angry that he
threw fine setter dog into furnace
and allowed it to burn to death. In
addition to this reputed bad disposi-
I'd was accosted by negro on the
Milwaukee tracks while en- route to
this city from Rutledge, claims that
Junkin is the man who robbed her
The officials have not given up their
hopes of fastening the crime of muir
der upon Junl1in. although at this time
there is very little upon which to in
crease the evidence.
Mt. Pleasant Bum Town.
AS the debris following the erup-
ton of a volcano continues to fall For
days after upon the surrounding coun-
try, SO the hobos, vags and undesir-
ables from Ottumwa are INJECTING
their presence in numbers upon the
neigEboring cities IN Iowa. Yester-
} day twenty new buns mostly negroes
landed in Mt. Pleasant, supposedly
from Ottumwa; while similar reports
continue to arrive here from numer-
Gus other local cities in Iowa. 1t is
the regular outflow of suspicious char
acters that follow every new crime in
Ottumwa
Way Still Working.
D. D. Way of the Chicago Office of
the Pinkerton Detective agency, COIL
fined his labors yesterday in the
northern resident district of the city.
Thus far he has made no report 70
Chief Gallagher.
Junkin Makes Statement.
The following signed statement was
made by Junkin yesterday in Abba:
Il don't know nothin' about that
Rosen murder except what | have
read in the newspapers, and some
times you cannot believe all they have
to say This is a kangaroo as far rs
l am concerned and they are trying
to railroad me. If had known when
they took me out of a cell at Ottumwa
that they were going to bring me to
Abba they would have killed me in the
cell before 1 would have come
81 am twenty-six years of age and
was born ct Milton and raised in OF
tumwa l was sent to the penitentiary
from that place and served three years
and months and days on five
year sentence. All lost on behavior
during that time was eight days. Once
before l was in Abba. had come to
Ottumwa from FIT. Madison on Sunday
and the following Saturday night !
came to Abba to go out to Hiteman
and changed my mind and went back
home where I played coon-can with
some fellows and went broke I had
intended coming to Abba and then 60
ing to Hiteman to see Mary Priestly
but could not make the hill. Then l
was going over to Buxton and stay for
a couple of days.
Says He Found Stone.
"The night the Rosen girl was muir.
dered l was at the home of my moth
er and in bed. They say in the news
papers that I was in the vacant house,
but that is all lie. I was not there
at all The diamond which I peddled
to the pawnbroker I found. I found
it at the corner Of Main and Jefferson
streets and took it to the pawnbrol1.
ers when I went to get suit OF
ClOlueS L udu III SOAK. ne suit wis
up for $500 and I had $3.50 and was
going to stand him off If I could and
get the clothes. Then I found the
diamond and took it along and tried
to get what I could on it. He said il
was a Barrios or something like that
and was not genuine stone He lei
me have S5.75 on the stone and I left
. it with him. Do you think that if
had taken that diamond from the
Rosen girl l would have tried to gel
rid Of it in Ottumwa. A man would be
a damn fool who would try such 4
thing. And then if l knew it was q
good diamond do you suppose | would
have let that pawnbroker have it fol
$5.75? I tell you this is all put-uI
job and they are trying to kangaroo
me. | do not know anything about
the case, am innocent Of anything
they have said against me. They claim
now all they are holding me for il
larceny. Can they send a man over
the road for selling a diamond whar