New-York tribune., 1910-06-22
OREGON trunk MYSTERY
Alaskan Said to Have Confessed
to the Staying.
FOUND. WITH VICTIMS WIFE
Body, Misrouted, Found in Bag
gage by Officials at Rail
way Station,
FOUND, WITH VICTIM'S WIFI
CLASS OF 'o4 AS E Nc

Portland. Ore, June 2f--Jesse p. Webb
is said to have contested to the police to-
day that ghe killed William A. johnson,
whose body was found in a trunk at the
Union station last night. -.
The biunder of the murderer in wrongly
routing the trunk was the means of dis
closing the murder. Johnson who. with his
wife and seven-year-old son, arrived here
Monday morning. in company with Webb,
who went by the name of a. c. Powers.
The'party registered at a cheap North End
hotel, Powers as coming from Nome,
Alaska. THE Johnsons did not give their
RESIDENCE
WEBB ana Mrs. Johnson were arrested at
an uptown lodging house early To-Day
They were apprehended as they were re-
turning from an automobile trip to a SUD-
urban resort Both the man and woman
then denied all knowledge of the crime
Webb declared he, saw Johnson at the
Union station yesterday afternoon waiting
for train TO go to Seattle. He asserted
Johnson was intoxicated at the time
On Webb's person was found two watc i
es. one of which Mrs. Johnson identlf1ed as
her husbands, and two womans hardker-
chiefs. both bloodstained. One of Weobs 5
hands was injured and bandaged- ne
carried an International Typographical
Union card, issued at Vancouver B. G
Webb is believed TO have operated in real
estate in Seattle within the last few months.
An ordinary looking trunk was received
at the station late in the day, and ofoereo
checked over the oregon & washington
Railroad to North Fayallup, station not
on that road. Shortly before 10 oclocN
last night the trunk was taken to the plat
II was sent back TO the baggage room A
little later one of the baggagemen nouced
a pool of blood, which had trickled from
the trunk, broke it open, and discovered
the body of a man.
Investigation by the. detectives developed
that the mans name was w A Johnson
and a visit to the rooms occupied py MN
and his family resulted in the discovery
that the mattress was saturated with blood
and also that blood was spattered over
MANY personal belongings of Johnson.
The detectives believe Johnson was
druggea with alcohol, the nstruck over the
temple with blackjack as he lay on the
he'd. next shot through the temple, and
finally, to make death certain, Johnson's S
negligee shirt had been twisted and tightly
knotted about his neck
In ~Webbs room a suit case was found,
containing a blackjack clotted with blood
According to the clerk of the hotel. the
trunk left the hotel about the middle OF
the afternoon The clerk said he remem-
bered the incident, because the porter COM
nented on its weight after having carried
it to the express wagon
A few minutes later. the clerk said. Mrs
Johnson and her child left the hotel and
did not return About o'clock Webb
came down, and after saying he was going
out for a little while, mentioned that the
Johnsons would probably go to Seattle on
a night train
The sum of $1,000 in currency was found
on Mrs. Johnson. The woman said her
husband had recently sold a farm near
Seattle and had entrusted the money to
her for safe keeping.