Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-12
DR. JOHNSON IS HELD
FOR THE GRAND JURY
Dentist Must Face Trial on Charge
..7$ of Murder OF Young
$50 Wife.
DIR. WILLIAMS TEsTITIEs
Wilson Physician Says Young Man
Attempted Suicide With Same
Sort, of Drug That Had Just
Caused Death of His Wife.

~ DR. Iemuel J. Johnson was sent on 10
The grand jury last night on thc
charge, of numbering his wife. Mrs.
Alice Knight Johnson. hy administer
ing cyanide % potassium. aftcr pre-
,liminary hearing before Justice crutch-
field in the Police Court lHStinS
through the afternoon session ana IN
til nearly midnight. Dr. y +. NIL.
liams, OF the Wilson Sanatorium. in
telling of finding Or Johnson at the
Briggs Hotcl, TN Wilson. y. G, said
that when he entered tho room where
the dentist had attempted SUI
eide, he detected me od%r 2i
prussic acid the dcr;vativc Of cya-
niGc of potassium. the identical poison
which pr. Whitfield testified he found
by analyzjnc the contents OF the stom-
acli of tho young wife. The symptoms
which the North Carolina physician
noted. he said, were those arising from
cyanide poisoning ana conceded with
those which were described by Miss
Mildred Taylor and other witnesses.
who witnessed the death of DR.. John
sons wife. DR. Williams's testimony
throughout proved of great value t.
the case of the Commonwealth.
Elevcn-year-old Brandon knight. the
brother of the dead girl. told OF how
the young dentist had slept with linn
in the room which Mrs. johnson oc-
cupied during her lifetime and Of now
during that night, which was the Tues
day following her death on December
22.' the accused mad taken a flash
light and looked through all the draw
ers in the dresser and through the
closets OF his wifes room. The little
fellow answered Attorney Harry NJ.
Smith, who, with Attorney John T..
Woodward of Wilson, y. G.. is con.
Quoting the defense with an easy calm
ness. when stcrnly ss-cxamincd. The
crowd which thronced the court Of
Justice Crutchfield listened with no
ticeabie interest as the lad told his
simple story
Mrs. STUFF TELLS
OF WIIE'S CONDOLENCES
The last witness which the State
called was Mrs. i. +. Stutz, OF 522 North
Twenty Street and the court
room was cleared OF the throng of lis
tenerS while she told OF the personal
condolences which she had exchanged
with the late wife Of Or. Johnson. Her
testimony was that five weeks before
her death Mrs. johnson had told her
that she was taking medicine which
the, young doctor had given her. She
had cautioned her about running her
health by taking medicine of this ma
turc. but the young wife added that
She Was not afraid because the doctor
hai nXcd II himself
THIS witness also told OF n CONVEX
sat,"n which she had with the young
de.-,iat on the Sunday previous to the
nigh. on which the death occurred.
NJ that time the subject OF prcdcsti-
nat on was discussed. and came to Il
potr: where he asked Mrs. Stutz: why
Should n murderer be held responsible.
&c th2 Lord intended them TO die By
the hanGS of 4 murderer" This was
wi.1 Mrs. Stutz had remarked that
she believed everyone was predcstincd
10 Dc in n certain way. This was only
eve, had with the husband % her girl
friend.
il was shortly after Mrs. Stutz left
the court room that the case was sub
United without argument. Mr. Smith
asked for "A dismissal Of the prisoner,
and Justice Crutchticld responded:
THAT this court will not grant YOU"
CORONER WHITFIELD TELLS
OF FINDING pRiSSIt ACID
The hearing filed the time from II
O'Clock yesterday morning untn /! at
night. The Commonwealth. wnos"
case WAS conducted by CnNmoV''a'lth
Attorney George T.. Wise and ~ H.
Hopkins Commemorative ttorncy for
Franklin County, was rropght uu; by
n long list %. Witnesses
DIR J. NJ. Whitfield City Coroner. re-
lated that he had found rwo-,cntha OF
81. grain of pru"sic acid in the sto,u-
ach of Mrs. Johnson, and explained
that this WAC ~>-'iv"tivc "t cvanid"
OF potassium. He said tha, njnc-tcnchs
OF a grain il " f0;al dos. bUt cIsarc,
this UP by stating that lie had analyzcd
only two-birds Of tho stomach and
mat much OF the acid would lie alb
sofned by FOOD in the stomach. H..
t,so 'Gstlnca that Or Johnson said
NIL ne was 'o'h what caused his
."'' 'nat II" Wa unfamiliar
80 M, uiuE' Fh''l'' IS not "a
st,,,,,, e,,, us '.fh' Tor mCn'n ~
u.'ehts' ne a,So Sta'"d' IN" t"sii-
,nst ,, "a dr. Whitfield also showed
produoe dan ,.t, PN'tNiF ~
ta.ns >ood hac.,,. ''oi''>'.' con
tation ca,,ses ,.1,,, 49, WV 'rl-
is discharged This i.,, ,'r l"'S"h
lowed up h.. shnwi,c ,i,, wa ~
son had taken crns,,,1 ~ W, 'ohi'-
preceding Tho Sr,.,ra,, ''i! Ivy
she took the fo.al doen 49,
i'll the next day.
rrRIED IN M,
Ar W., ''ini'
'"t" STORE
-. avn patterson Of Wilson, y. c..
s'et' 'u!f "I INC accused having