The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-02-08
ASPnfxlATeO
HREE
Young Men of Johnston ,oun
ty Found Dead Monday Night
in Local Hotel

IN Local motel
Alton II. johnson, Hugh Porter and
Fred 4. Jernigan, OF Benson, Came
10 Raleigh Sunday and Their Life
less Bodies Were Found in n Room
Monday Night
The llfelesa bodies Of Alton r
Johnson, aged %; Hugh Porter,
aged IS. and Fred A. JernIgan. aged
%, Of Benson, Johnston County. y.
c., were found in room In Wilson's
apartment house In Raleigh Monday
night at $3.50 o'clock. The three
Young men and Misses Eda Weeks.
u Benson, and Mary Haswell. whose
home is In this city came 10 Raleigh
from Bens0n Sunday afternoon in an
automobile. Miss Weeks went to the
home OF Miss Haswell in Raleigh and
the three young men secured a room
.. Visions apartments on Fayette-
Vile Street. They went to their
room tina, night and were not seen
.aatu until Monday night, when they
were found dead in their room with
gas escaping from a small gas stove.
When the door vas forced open a
deadly odor Of escaping gas filled the
hall; the young men were lying
across the bed and on the floor. Fred
A. Jernigan was lying propped
AGAINST the wall next to the double
bed occupied by Hugh Porter and AL
ton r. Johnson.
one theory is that Jernigan small
ed the deadly gas and was trying to
awake his companions when he was
overcome by the fumes. The bodies,
after being viewed by the coroner,
were taken to a local undertaking es-
tabIishment and were later taken to
Benson for interment.
Had Planned a Wedding.
II vas learned Monday that Mr..
Alton r. Johnson and Miss Weeks
had planned to be married in Raj
eigh Monday morning at 10 o'clock.
When Johnson and his two compan-
home for the wedding they tried to
telephone to Mr.. Johnson but could
not reach him. They then went to
the garage to see if his automobile
was there, and found that it was Not
knowing what had become Of the
young men, one of the ladies tele-
phoned to Benson to know if they had
returned home, and upon learning
they had not, they requested Mr.. Jer-
nigan, father of one of the young men
and owner Of the automobile, to come
TO Raleigh to get his machine. Miss
Weeks and Miss Haswell went to the
theatre Monday night and did not
know the young men were dead I'M
til the show was over. Messrs. Johr
G. Jernigan, father of Fred A. Jerni
gan; N. w. Porter, father Of Hugh
Porter, and Tom E. Johnson, fathe
of Alton r. Johnson, arrived in Ra
leigh Tuesday morning and carried
the dead bodies home.
Miss Haswell is quoted as stating
that Mr.. Johnson had 500 in hi
pockets when he left Benson Sunday
but only $7.65 was found in his peck
cts Monday night.
One Arrest Made.
A post norton examination o
the three bodies was held at the un
dertaking establishment Wednesda.
evening The livers, lungs and heart
OF the three young men were takel
from their bodies and turned over t.
Professor Withers at the A. & M
College for examination. This wa
done for the purpose of seeing IL the.
contained any poison. Professo
Withers has not yet made a report.
William Hunter, a colored porte
at Wilson's, was arrested tn1
(Thursdayl morning on the charg'
of larceny. 1t was thought that b
had a watch and some money tina
belonged to one or the dead men. /
reporter of The Raleigh Times tele
phoned to Benson to find out wha
kind of a watch Hugh Porter car
ried, but found out the watch fount
in Hunters possession did not CORE
spond with description given of Por
4oI1