The Sentinel=record., 1912-11-01
MAN FOUND WITH HALF OF HIS FACE SHOT AWAY MOST LIKE
 " CARROLL STEPHAN.
GEORGE JOHNSTON ARRESTED
Detective LaushIin Working on Chain of Circumstances that He Believ. es VIII Clear Up Murder Mys-
 tery of Two Weeks Ago.

George Johnston, farmer living alone in cabin about three miles south of .he city was late yesterday afternoon arrested under a warrant charging him with murder. under the police theory that the vulture eaten body found near the garbage plant on Odt. IA was the body of Carroll Shepman, and that Johnston had slain Saep;aan.
 Johnson denies that Shepman Is dead and of course that he had any part in any murder, and he indicates thas wherever Shepman is when the publication is made of the arrest in the case, will come to his relief by showing up and disproying the charge.
 carroll Shepman was a man about 52 years of age, who had become, like Johnston, alisnated from his fam? fly. Johnston had home and Shep- man lived about from one place and another. SAepman missing now. and the fact of his disappearance is what led to the arrest of Johnston.
 Circumstances as gathered by De teetiye Laughlin for the past few days Justified the issuance of warrant for murder that would hold Johnston safe until more investigation was made.
 Johnston admits that he was about five years ago convicted of manslaugh. ter for killing a man in Yell county, and that he served eigat months of a five year sentence in the state Den- iten.iarx and was. aardnned out by Governor Pindall when it became known that the man he killed was a dangerous horse trader and had threatened Johnston's' life. Johnston has the pardon in his possession.
 Joanston Is the man who found the dead body which the police theory now charges is the body of the man he is accused of murdering. On Mon day, Oct. IA, Johnston claimed 10 be wandering through the woods on pine clump near the garbage plant. when he spied the badly decomposed body of man He went to a tele- phone and called Coroner Randolph, who conducted the inquest.
 The body was so badly decomposed from exposure to the elements and to carrion birds, that it was a. first believed there was nothing that could be done but view the body and order it buried Nothing was found in the pockets of t3e clothing of the body but a five cent piece. a cheap ruby ring and a leather string.
 The clothing of the man bore no marks to aid in identification unless if was the "Stateman" name in the hat band and this same hat band, while being examined for the name of the maker. showed plainly the sign of a powder burn. Then a hole ill the hat brim was connected up as hay ing bee ntorn with load of shot.
 Coroner Randolph ordered large vessel filled with liquid disinfectant, which was poured over the blackened and vermin infested face of the corpse, and this revealed that half the bones of the left side of the face had been shot away by some heavy load of shot. There was neither pistol or rifle or shot gun about the body.
 With no identification of the body possible, and no manner of connecting up any names, the jury decided that the dead man had been murdered by uaknown persons, and the coroner or dered the body buried.
 F me ulSdppedrance Ol oheplidn IS what led to the investigation. This old man had not been seen for some weeks, and when Detective Laughlin went to work on the case he found that when last seen Shepman, the Thursday before the Monday the body was found, was seen in company with Johnston. and they appeared to be go ing hunting together, Johnston was carrying single barrel shot gun. They were in the woods not a great distance from where the body was found
 When arrested, Johnston made the statement to Detective Laughlin taat a Mrs. White in the vicinity would tell him that she had seen Shepman and himself out together the Monday