The Topeka state journal., 1911-08-23
Fred Johnson Persists in ViOlat-
ing Quarantine.
Officer DuttOm Warns Him,
Then Shoots.
CONDITION NOT SERIOUS
Victims Chances for Recovering
Are Coed.
Commissioner StOtts Says Off
Ger Did His Duty.


bullet in his body He was shot
in the back by w. Fl. Dutton about .
O'Clock las- evening, a smallpox guard.
DEtton was arrested and held in
the city prison. Formal complaint OF
assault with intent to kill may be made
However Mrs. II. NJ. Barstow living
near Lake and Sixth streets w. T.
L4auds q baker and Frank NeWlallu
eye-witnesses to the shooting, tell the
same story as DuttCu.
The guard SAYS that Johnson had
been drunk and bothered him all day,
several times trying to enter a house
at 1908 East Sixth avenue which was
uuarantiled for smallpox At one time
he was prevented by Commissioner
Stotts. Finally about 6 o'clock the
drunk man, so Dutton says, did go INTO
the house. slipping past tire suaru.
When he came out Duton told hlm
to stay in as the house was under
quareltne. johnson refused to do So
swearing at the officer and starting 10
walk away. DuttOu walked beside hlm
until they reached Sixth and Lake
streets The special policeman told
Johnson that ne was under arrest, put
with a burst of profanity the quaran-
tine violator replied that ne would
scatter smallpox all over Topeka II
he wished to. and started to cross the
street He told Dutton to draw his
gun and sec If ne cared. The oiilcer
drew his gun and held it in his hand,
luIN Johnson L-lfet tunes TO sup DhA
as nc paid no attention. after the third
demand. DCtton fred. The bullet en-
tered the victim at the small Of the back
at the right of the spinal column. The
bullet did not pass through the body
1t was a .3S calibre from cheap re-
vOlver.
DIR. w. S Hunter. called to the spot,
gave the man temporary attention amt
had him hurried to ST. Francis nos
pital The doctor says that the wound
ed man is not seriously hurt
After the shooting a crowd gathered
Some advised Dutton to leave the
scene for fear of a possible lynchlng-
The officer did SO and walked a lew
blocks away and waited for the police
to take him. Johnson says ne did not
go into the house at all.
Dutton lives at S22 Chestnut street.
Last fan he was candidate l-r county
assessor against S H Haynes. He has
been night watchman at the smith au-
tomobile factory for several years IN
til appointed smallpox guard by Com
missioner Stotts.
Dutton's story.
johnson. who was drunk had
been bothering me all afternoon, -
said Dutton this morning. about 6
o'clock he went into the yard at 1909
East Sixth street. / am not positive
that he went into the house.
HE came out on the street and L
ordered him back, saying that the
place was quarantined, and he was
under quarantine since he went in
However he kept on going, swearing
at me. and saying that he would
scatter smallpox germs all over To-
peka if he wished. I followed and
told him three times to halt. At Lake
and Sixth streets he started to cross
the street I thought l was doing my
duty to shoot at him then.
when DR. Hunter asked me my
reason for shooting him. didn' t
answer, as [ didn't think that was the
to IA
Did you have orders to arrest any
one entering "A yard of house which
was quarantined ?" was asked
Yes" replied Dutton. especially
when the house is so near the street
as this one is. Mr.. Stotts had asked
me to watch that house and to do
nothing else. just on account of the
trouble we had been having with
Johnson.
johnson had threatened me sever
al times this week I had told Mr.
stotts the first of the week that Jonn-
son and his gang were threatening
me and had asked for police protec-
ton-'
Johnson's Version Of Shooting.
Johnson this morning. lying on a
table at DIR. Storr's office, waiting fol-
an X-ray photograph to be made OF
his wound. made statement
II had been up town in the after
noon and had not been near the house
Or yard at 1909 East Sixth street, anc
never made any threats against Mr.
Dutton." he said. Il was Walkins
down Chandler and crossed over tC
Lake on Seventh when Dutton called
to me: You're under arrest
"I turned kind Of sideways an6
asked What are you arresting M
for? Then he shot me.
"Roy Johnson. James Carruthers
Harry Simpson and Henry Sawyer
who live in the neighborhood saw
the shooting and win bear me ou
In this statement. NO, I never sai'
would scatter smallpox all over To
peka if I wanted to-
StOtt's Statement.
''While the shooting of this man is
eegrettable affair" said Commissions
Btot in written interview, ''i
serves to call the attention of the pub
lie to state of affairs which has eSS
listed since the smallpox epidemi
started and indicates some of the trou
bles which the health department ha
encountered. A week or so agO John
sons pal. while drunk attempted t
break quarantine and was arrested b
Special Officer Dutton and thrown int
fail. Prior to that time and since, tn
quarantine officers have had troub
with Johnson, who was out of jail Q
parole at the time he was shot. Il
had promised to leave the city and ha
insisted that he would break the quar-
antine regulations whenever he please
and would like to see smallpox sea-
tered over the entire city
while at dinner I was called ov'
the telephone by half a dozen parti'
and informed of the boasts of a DRUM
en- man, who proved to be Johns D.
that he would go into the house b.
tween ten and eleven hundred bloc
on East Sixth avenue. 1 went dow
there about ? O'Clock and found Joh'
son IN drunken condition and warns
him to keep away from the house al
p little later when the patrol wagon a
rived in that section of the city IL T.
sponse to telephone call he had iii
appeared. I hunted UP Guard Duttr
.-A .ste.- c,-rla irine- the nasa aaL..