The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-14
Or. ] .HASOa'S CASE
BEFORE GRAND JURY
Hearing of Famous Poison
Mystery. =.
EXPECT PLEA OF INSANITY
Student OF Criminology Sees Work of
Amateur In Writing of Letters BY
Accused Murderer.

II was intimated by Common
weaith's Attorney Wise Saturday that
10 far as he was concerned, there
would be no delay in3 disposing of the
case of DR.. Lemuei J. Johnson,
charged with the murder of his wife,
on December 18th.
While the case was originally set
for presentation to the grand jury to-
day, 1t will not be handed that body
until the regular February term,
which begins on the first Monday in
next month. This change was made
yesterday by Commemorative Attor-
ney Wise. because OF the multiplicity
of matters before the court this week.
Then no time will be lost In Its dis
position II may be set for hearing
the day following the return of tho
Indictment.
A long list of commonwealth wit
nesses were. heard at the preliminary
trial before Justice Crutchfield Fri
day. As had been anticipated, the
prisoner offered no defense. 1t was
said the prosecution had withheld it's
trump card. which would be intro
duced at the trial. Stenographic re-
ports of the evidence taken by the
DEFENSE will be used in every effort to
clear the accused.
Circumsfansial Evidence.
Students of criminoloEy. who have
followed the Johnson case. express
themselves AS satisfied the defense viii
present the plea of insanity. This
however. will hardly he brought out
unless the evidence as 10 the guilt ot
the dentist Is overwhelming. All the
evidence SO far presented is circum-
stantiai and cumulative. No one has
been produced 10 show that the young
husband gave his wife the poison
which caused her death. He was not
in the city when the tranedv occurred,
nor had he been for several DAYS The
druggist from whom he In thought to
have purchased the cyanide Of no
tassium, on the witness stand was I'M
willing 10 swear that Johnson was
the man to whom he sold such poison
ono night, tust rs ne was about TO
close hts store, and half the lights
we're out
But the cumulative evidence gath
cred from the rsany letters he had
written. and the language they con-
tai1ed show that the man II he be p
criminal. il m amateur al the bust
ntsss. an a'nateur with the dUulfcitv
and the moral sense Of a professional.
Thus 4~oral'ged student OF cr'ml-
nofogy. yesterday. as he discussed tho
Johnson ease. and pointed to all It's
phases. lie pointed to the hvpocrisy
of the mon. ia his pretense ~ con-
stancy to his wife while W.T. z let
tiers of eudearmout and affection %
another. And he showed the ma nj
sense Of deception IN pretending to he
a man oc means while everything
yoints 20 this fact that he IN practical
ly without means.
Defective Wind?
THE mans mini was defective
when he wrote all those letters iust
before taking the poison I'm the wilson
hotel" said this student mo sane
mar, If he had committed capital
crime, would have written such let
ters. unless ne had made sure Of his
own taking of. You remember the
efforts OF the counsel for Johnson in
trying 10 bring out the point that
their clients mind was out OF joint
and that both Sergeant VILE and
the hotel proprietor had so remarked.
"And then on the ether hand con-
tinueti the sage the fact that John
son had go established himself into
the good grrcS-- Of the women with
whom he came in contact-~young
women and the landiadics with whom
he boarded while at the Medical col
lege shows that he may not havFhe
so weak minded as some ere inclined
tsr1ke us believe"
The night DIR Johnson was brought
back from North Carolina by petec-
tive WILEY. he told the men gathered
in the Office at police headquarters
that his grandmother used 10 have
epiieptic fits" hut that SO far as he
knew there was no insanity in his
family.
May Not Deny Authorship.
That the defense will not deny the
authorship OF the letters written by
Or. Johnson and offered as evidence
! mt the preliminary hearing. was evil
deneed. much to the surprise OF all
including the judge and the common
wealth.s ATTORNEY. when Lawyer Har"
nv NJ Smith. asked JOHNSON to help
In tieciphertHg the letters.
When the case comes up for trial.
The prosecution will introduce ether
letters written to his wife by the doc
tor. and the evidence 10 he offered by
Miss Ollie White the old sweetheart,
VIII, 1t Is expected hv the common
wealth, cinch their case
The defense mev ask for an acquit-
tai on the grounds that the common
wca this case lis not conclusive. but
II Is believed by all who heard the
cross examinations at the preliminary
trial. that plea OF insanity will be
s.nade