The Washington times., 1918-05-19
HANDKERCHIEF MAY
DECIDE THE FATE OF
RICHMOND DENTIST
CONTINUED from First Parel

tcontinued from First Pags)
veIope. and that the envelopes could
easily have been exehanEd. The
letter, he asserted, could have been
writtn In 1918 or 1915, instead OF
1917. as claimed By the Common
wealth.
PraetieallySa1l OF the Saturday sss-
sions was devoted to argument on
whether or not the letter and hand
kerchief were admissible. The jury
was out Of the room during the en-
tire discussion. and court finally ad-
journed until Monday that the court
might take the matter under advise
ment
RullnE Il Inportanf.
The Importance Of a ruling In this
case is due to the fact that many
other letters will later be opened BY
the Commonwealth as evidences.
Some OF these. they claim, were writ
ten by johnson to Miss White and
others, addressed 10 friends and rela-
tives, mentioned her name.
Mrs. George Z. knight. mother Of
the dead bride, has told the detectives,
and is prepared 70 testify that Mrs.
johnson became Jealous when she saw
johnson carrying Miss whites hand
kerchief in his pocket. She snatehed
IL out OF his pocket, the mother says,
and refused TO return Il.
while Alice lay in her easlret IN
my home, DR.. Johnson made q search
Of the bouse with a fiashlight. pick
ing up articles here and there" Mrs.
knight told The Times representative
last night. II did not object At the
time. because thought he was tax
ing only such articles as. belonged 70
him, I remember he spent eonsi,s-
cradle time going. through the draw
ers Of a bureau in Aiiee's room, and
Il was there that he got the handker-
ehief.S
To oRsr TIMES Article.
It became known today that the
Commonwealth win use a. evidences
portions OF a story appearing IN The
WASHINGTON TIMES OF January 8,
last purporting to be an interview
between Johnson ahd The TINES
representative during which the pris-
oner told how be watched himself
die after taking aconite polson in the
Wilson Hotel.
Since the beginning OF the trial
the defense has sought TO interject
hints here and there to the effeet
that Johnson was not in his right
mind when he swallowed the poison.
The Commonwealth hopes to prove by
the newspaper article in question that
he was not only rational az the time
but that he remembered the affair in
its every detail. even 20 the point OF
narrating his experiences TO q news
paper cerresbordent -
DR.. Freeman. an attendant At the
Jail. Is expected n testify that John
son told him substantiaily the sane
story as that published IN The
TIMES.
Johnaoa Reads Papers.
johnson Is following newspaper ao-
counts Of his trial with great inter
est, the papers being furnished him
BY counsel. He has complained be
cause more space has not been given
his case. and on occasions has been
bitter because his picture has MT
been, given the prominence he want
ed
Z want the papers to make my pic
ture as big as the whole front page.
for wzntuto be as big a figure as
Henri Clay Beatty Johnson told gA
attenaant at the jail here
Beatty was convicted OF wife mur-
der about six years ago. and Harry
N. Smith, Johnson's leading counsel
represented him. Beatty, Richmond
man, was charged with numbering his
wife, in Chesterfield county. about
twenty miles from Richmond.
weeps DurInE Trial.
During the tedious two and half
days required to draw a Jury, Jona-
son appeared in good spirits. bnI
since the taking OF testimony has be-
gun he has shown considerable un-
easiness During the clash between
counsel as to the admissibility Of
the love letters Of johnson to his
North Carolina sweetheart. the young
defendant wept
d, That johnson is confident he will
be acquitted was proved yesterdaS by
q statement he made TO his seventeen
yeRr-old brother. Dewey johnson. Of
Middlesex, who Is with him here
"Just stick around here until this
trial Is over the young dentist told
his brother, 'I'H be with you in a few
days. TheL we will go back home by
way OF Raleigh and viii show you
a big time"
1t was this brother that johnson
had promised to give an education out
OF his frst earnings from his profess
sion IL the brother would not smoke |
cigarettes.
IndicatiO now are that the trial
will consume all OF the ensuing week. |
Only three OF the score Of witnesses
for the Commonwealth have been !
called. detective Wiley will be re-
called Monday and will probably be
on the stand all day.