The Sentinel=record., 1912-11-13
JOHNSTON CLAIMS
 STEPHAN IS ALIVE
MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF ANOTHER TAKES STAND
 IN PRELIMINARY HEARING.
HisStory Is Given Rigid Cross Exam ination by Deputy Wilmington and Many Features of it
 Are RiddIed.


 whose death had not been es.akish- ed until the body of a buried un- known had been exhumed, went on the stand yesterday and told Justice w. A. Kirk his version of the cir cumstances upon wlich the charge is based.
 His direct story, after being in. structed by his counsel, Judge Thurs ton F. Farmer, to relate the whole of the story, was recited without leading or interruption, but at its conclusion he was given rigid cross examina- ton which at least evidenced that hard facts in connection with the case as testified to by aim were contro. verted by innumerable witnesses for the state.
 Johnston is not bright, neither is he dull. He did not talk fast, and he snapped his dark eyes meditatively as he was being pressed for answers to quick and probably unexpected in terrogatories from Deputy Prosecut- s1g Attorney Wilmington. who in this first important case for the state. proved most capable and persistent prosecutor
 The doubt that existed at the outset of the case that the body, vulture eat en and face all gone through exposure to the elements. was the body of Carrol Shepman, is evidently still clung to by Johnston, who as a wit ness yesterday, stated that he still believed Shepman was alive, and that the body he himself found is not the body of the man he is charged with killing.
 Johnston told first of the finding of the decomposed body on the hillside near the garbage plant He said that on that Monday morning he was go ing to the house of Mrs. Jackson 70 get her son to come to his house and cut some wood with him. He said that at Mrs. Jackson's house he found the boy had oremain awhile until his mother returned, and that he started on back to his own home and saw the body of a man lying on the hillside, and that he smelled an odor, and he made an investiga- tion, which revealed that it was the body of dead man he had found.
 He told of having then gone to the home of Mir. Crane to report the find ing. and that Mrs. Crane was there, and when ne told of finding a dead body, that Mrs. Crane was worried. stating Mir Crane had been away not to worry" said Johnston, that it was the obdy of negro" The face blackened with the clements had probably suggested this. Then John ston told of the gathering of the coro- ner and his jury. and how Coroner Dr. Randolph had held the inquest, and how it was impossible to iden- tify the body, but that the jury agreed that the body of the unknown man found had been murdered.
 Johnston said that he saw nothing about the clothing to suggest to him that the dead body was the body of Shepman. and that he still did. not believe it was Shepman's body.
 He said that the last time he. saw Shepman was on the Wednesday night before he was believed to be missing. He said Shepman. who had been staying at his house. left that evening late, going down the road to- wards the city, with new shoes on, blue shirt, and gave a description of his other apparel. Johnston said that he and Shepman had settled their financial affairs that afternoon. Shepman was going away but was to come back either Saturday night or Sunday night and take up work for him again. He said that he bought all Shepman's things. whicl. were found in his house when ar rested, on that afternoon, and that he had paid him sS in casa, which the day before he had been paid by Mr Hickman, 0n whose place Johnson worked.
 Johnston said that on that after noon he also gave lShepman $6, whicl Shepman was to pay to a lady for him, a sum that he owed the lady previously He said that while at the evening meal he and Shepman had talked about :1is and Shepmau had consented to take the money to the lady. He said that the amount due was really s6l25, but that Shep- man said he would pay the extra quarter of dollar for Johnston.
 That made $14 that Shepman cer- ,tainly mad on his person when last seen, and it is presumed that Shep- man had some funds of his own. Johnston accounted for having this money by saying that Hickman had paid him the $S for work. and that he already had $6 of his own. In ac- counting for an extra 50 cents that he said he had given Shepman earl fer to pay for some groceries, John ston said he had that day been paid this 30 cents on an account by boy whom he had sold a watch.
 Johuson referred to the new shoes he himself wore in court, and which had been testified to by states wit nesses as being very like new pair of shoes Shepman had, by saying that he had bought heth on Benton street. He did not give the name of the deal CT
 City Detective Laughlin had sworn previously to finding a No. 10 guage shot gun shell, the kind Johnston uses, near where the body was found, and Johnston testified that he had but 32 of these shells, 31 in cart ridge belt and one in the single bar relied shot gun which Is supposed to have been the agency of Shepman's