The Sentinel=record., 1912-11-14
JOHNSTON IS HELD;
 BOND IS REFUSED
JUDGE KIRK IN HANDING DOWN DECISION, HOPES CASE WILL
 BE CLEARED UP.
Oscar White, Young Witness Last Introduced by the State. Very
 Doubtful About His Testimony.

George JohnSton. charged with the murder of Carol Shepman. was yes teTday morning. held without bond in a preliminary hearing before Justice w. A. Kirk, to answer to the grand jGrys
 The warrant charges murder, and if the evidence is conclusive in the case, that Johnston was the slayer of the missing Shepman, there seems little doubt but that the murder is or that first degree that precludes liberty on bond
 Judge Thurston Farmer after the decision of Judge Kirk that Johns. ton would be held to the grand jury stated to the court that Johnston was a poor man, without wealthy or in fiuential friends, and that if the court was willing to grant him re- lease under bond until the grand jury made it's investigation, the bond Of necessity must not ve large.
 Judge Kirk stated that he did not believe that it was within his author ity to permit a bond in the case, and suggested to Judge Farmer that he would have to take habeas corpus proceedings to that end for relief
 Deputy Prosecution Attorney Whit tington called the attention of the court to the fact that first degree mur- der (unbailable) was charged, and the court ordered Johnston held with out bond, but stated he would look up authorities on the subject of bond. and if Johnston was entitled, under the circumstances, to this relief, he would so order.
 Oscar White, a Spare built blond i youth, with good straight face, an insufficient memory and an uncer- tain demeanor on the stand, weaken ed the case of the state. He was called by the state, and probably was counted on for good witness. The boy was nervous, probably from a | first experience under the verbal jabs of cross examination, and he finger ed the warts on his hands neryously as he told his story.
 l Johnston had testified that this boy ! told him that his mother had said since the finding of the dead body that Shepman and Johnston were seen together at Johnston's well. The boy remembered the mother telling l him this, and remembered also him.
 self seeing a man he took to be Shep-
 man, at the well, but was the uncertainty. It might have been be
 fore the body was found. and it might have been afterward. It was at the time an niiiIiipoTtant SvTcl.i and was too long ago to be certain about.
 And the when" of tbis evidence is essential both to the state and the defense. Of course if this was previous to the disappearance ot Shepman. and the finding of the dead body, it removes doubt from the state contention, but if might have been after the body was found, it brings an element of doubt into the case Ernest Hinson was the only other witness examined at the morning session. He testified that he cut wood with Johnston the Monday and Tuesday after the body was found. and that little was said of Shepman, and also but little said of the finding dY the dead body He did testify that the path taken by Johnston the morn | ing he found the dead body on the hill side, was the short and regular pathway between HAS house and Johnston's cabin home
 The state has some interesting de tail that it has not found necessary to disclose in this preliminary in- yestigation, and the case is consid- cred decisive from the view of the prosecutor and his assistant. On the other hand Judge Farmer for the de