The San Francisco call., 1910-06-22
Confession SOLVES
TRUNK MYSTERY
Printer Admits Killing Johnson
After a Quarrel Over
Mrs. Kersch
Claims Self-Defense and Says
Murder Was Committed
With Blackjack

| PORTLAND, June 21.-Within Is
hours of the discovery in the baggage
room of'the Union depot in this city
of a trunk from which human blood
was oozing, the city detectives have
run to earth a man and woman whom
| they charge with the killing of w. A
johnson. whose body the opening of the
trunk disclosed, and have secured q
statement from the man acknowledging
that he was responsible. The woman
/ still denies all knowledge of the
crime. In the presence of District
Attorney j. j. Fitzgerald and several
| detectives and newspapermen Jesse b
| Webb. the man under arrest, made a
sworn statement which was taken
down In shorthand This examination
occupied something more than two
hours and in brief was as follows:
KILLED In ROW
Webb said he killed Johnson yester-
day afternoon in self-defense during
row which originated, from Johnson S
! quarrelsome disposition, which had be-
come intensified through use of liquor
/ Z He said after a walk about Port
land. in which he. Johnson and Mrs
Kersh, their companion, visited a num-
! ber of saloons, they went back tc
1
O'clock. They sent out for more liquor
and later Webb went to his own room
! Johnson, he says, followed him and
/ persisted in quarreling, ending up by
striking Webb with his fist. Johnson
then drew a blackjack, Webb says
and after a scuffie, Webb. took it away
| and struck johnson over the head with
| it. 1t required two or three blows te
/ fell Johnson, after which, Webb said
| he put him on the bed. Webb stated
/ that he left the room for half hour
or so and on his return found that
Johnson was dead.
While the quarrel was in progress
Webb said, Mrs. Kersh was absent
having gone on an errand. On her re-
turn he says he told her what had
| happened and after they had talked II
over they decided that it was best to
conceal the body in Johnsons trunk
] Webb said that he emptied this trunk
! out on the bed and took 1T to his ROOM
| Mrs. Kersh meanwhile going to store
| to buy a new trunk.
| BY the time she had returned, Webb
said he had sent Johnsons body to
| the depot. where it was found.
| Webb said that he was printer by
| trade He was born in Iowa. was 45
years old and was married to Caroline
| Samuelson at Axtell, Neb.
ELoPED WITH WOMAN
l
Webb said that Mrs. Webb lived at
PIP Eleventh avenue, Seattle, Wash,
with her two daughters, aged % and
| II years. He claimed to have met Mrs.
| Kersh about six years ago in Seattle
and went with her to Vancouver, b. G.,
| November last, where he worked at his
trade From Vancouver Mrs. Kersh
went to San Francisco, while Webb
went to Nelson, B. c., where he worked
as foreman on the Nelson News. From
| Nelson he went to Spokane, where he
was joined by Mrs. Kersh, the couple
! occupying rooms at as Wall street
until Sunday, when they left for Port
| land. While in Spokane he worked in
| the composing room of the Spokesman
| Review.
Webb said that he knew little or
| nothing of Johnson, but understood
| from Mrs. Kersh that he had recently
come to Spokane from Minnesota. Webb
] said that he never saw Johnson before
| Sunday last though he had heard of
| him from Mrs. Kersh during the last
three weeks of the stay in Spokane.
During the latter part of last week
/ Webb and Mrs. Kersh notified him that
| she was going to leave him (Webb) for
Johnson. and that Sunday Johnson and
the woman. accompanied by her little
| boy. started for Portland. Webb came
| to Portland on the same train, 10th
to give up Mrs. Kersh to Johnson.
| On the train, he said. he struck ur
an acquaintance with Johnson and pre-
| tended to do SO with Mrs. Kersh They
travelled together from then on, going
! to the same hotel together on their ar