The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-06-22
TRUNK MURDER
AFFINITY DEAL
Two Men Were infatuated With
the Same Woman and Webb
Killed Johnson
MAKES STATEMENT TO
PORTLAND DETECTIVES
Man and Woman Arrested Within
Few Hours After Crime Was
Communicable Motive Other
Than Jealousy is Advanced

PORTLAND. Ore, June 21.-Within
eighteen hours of the discovery of the
body of w. A. Johnson concealed in a
trunk in the Union depot in this city,
city detectives have run to earth the
man and woman whom they charge
with his killing. From the man, who
is Jesse p. Webb, a printer, they Sc
cured a statement acknowledging re-
sponsibility for his death. The woman
denies all knowledge of the commits
sion of the crime.
In Il statement before the deputy
district attorney, Webb said that John
son was slain in a quarrel which was
caused by Johnson's quarrelsomeness.
The men had been drinking and after
the quarrel Webb went to his own
room in the hotel. He claims John
son followed him there and renewed
the quarrel, finally striking Webb
Johnson drew a blackjack which.
after the scuffle, Webb secured.
Put Him to Sleep
He states that he struck johnson
over the head with the blackjack. IT
requiring two or three blows to fell
him., Then Webb placed him on the
bed. Half an hour afterwards he
found Johnson dead. While the quar-
rel was in progress, Webb says, Mrs.
B. w. Kersh, their companion, was
away from the hotel on some errand.
When she returned, according to
Webb's story. he told her what had
happened and. after talking it over,
they decided the best thing to do was
to put the body in Johnson's trunk.
While Webb was occupied in doing
this. he says Mrs. Kersh went out
to buy new trunk. When she re-
turned Webb asserts the body had
been sent to the depot. Webb says
he has a wife and two daughters. aged
% and II, living at PIP Eleventh ave-
nue. Seattle.
Was HIS Affinity
He claims he met Mrs. Kersh in
Seattle about six years ago. Last No
vember, he states, they went to Van
couver, B. &, and from there Mrs.
Kersh went , San Francisco, and he
to Nelson, 3. c.. where he worked as
foreman of the Nelson News. He
went from there to Spokane. where
Mrs. Kersh Joined him. Webb says
he worked in the composing room Of
the Spokesman Review while in Spo-
kane. He claims to know little of
johnson. He understood from Mrs.
Kersh that Johnson came from Min
nesota.
He says he never saw Johnson I'M
til he met him on the train coming
% oIt he no 4
heard of him for three weeks past.
The latter part of last week, he says,
Mrs. Kersh told him she was going
to leave him and go with Johnson.
Unwilling to give the woman up,
Webb says he came to Portland on
the same train with them.
Ignorant of Identity
Webb says he said nothing to John
son which would have caused him to
surmise any previous acquaintance
existed between Webb and Mrs,
Kersh, and did not know the cause
of Johnson's enmity toward him. Mrs.
Kersh who, he says, is the wife of a
city employee of Seattle. after pro-
longed questioning, said she had been
travelling around the country with
Webb for about a year,
Regarding her affair with Johnson,
she told very conflicting stories. One
was that they were married eight
years ago in Helena and that she lived
six years on. a fruit farm with him
between Seattle and Tacoma. Not
withstanding her long residence there,
she could not remember the name OF
the place where they lived. She also
said Johnson had sold the farm Tor
S25.000 and stated that the $1,000
found on her had been given her by
Johnson to buy a lodging house in
Portland.