Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-05-14
TRIAL OF JOHNSON
Young Dentist Charged With Causing
Death of Wife.

Death of VIE.
Richmond, Va, Mag 14.-Dr. Lem
uel j. johnson, the young M1ddleseS,
N. C., dentist, charged with giving
his secret bride the capsule Of cyanide
poisoning that caused her death on De-
cember last, will go on trial mere
tomorrow in Illus ings court charged
with murder.
On the theory that Johnson did away
with Alice Knight Johnson, MS flch-
mond bride, because he loved MISS
Ollie White, his sweetheart since
youth, more, Miss White has been
summoned from Middlesex to face the
Young defendant and tell OF her past
relations with him.
Johnson and Miss White were to
have been married last Christmas. she
wore a diamond engagement ring ne
gave her nearly two years ago. She
will testify that she was in ignorance
of his marriage on September 10 last
to Alice Knight, of Richmond. she
will tell the jury that she was pre-
pared to carry out her part OF the
marriage contract.
Up to and even after his arrest at
Wilson, N. c., where he attempted
suicide by swallowing aconlntlne pols-
oning one week after his brides death,
Johnson denied he had been married
to Alice Knight. Nearly a score OF
witnesses arrived today from Wilson
and Middlesex to testify that Johnson
swore to them that he was not mar
ried.
johnson, incarcerated in the Rich
mond city Jail since his arrest in De-
cember, has fully recovered from the
effects of the poison and appears to be
in good spirits in the fact OF the
charges against him.
Harry NJ. Smith, local counsel. and
John w. Woodward, Wilson attor-
ney, representing Johnson, have given
no intmation of their line of defense.
1t is stated, however, that straight
plea Of not guilty will be made.
Commonwealth Attorney George
Wise will be assisted in the prosecu~
ton by Attorney A. H. Hopkins, of
Franklin county.
The commonwealth will produce
witnesses to prove that shortly be-
fore his brides death, Johnson pur-
chased twenty grains of cyanide pois-
oning from Gordon Blair, a local drug
eist; that he had made repeated eff
forts to purchase the poison at other
places.
Witnesses will testify that Alice
Knight Johnson on the day of her
death told them that CDR. Johnson
gave me some medicine the other day
that is the worse l have ever taken.
I don't have to take the other capsule
until tonight"
1t was while spending the night
with friend whose mother had died
only few days previously that the
bride swallowed the capsule taht caused
her DEATH A post mortem eXamina-
ton revealed that it was cyanide pois-
oning.
A silver coffin plate, on which is en-
graved the words, "At rest" and
faded floral wreath bearing a card
with the legend, "My wife, written
on it, will be introduced as evidence.
These articles were taken from John
sons room at the hotel in Wilson
where he attempted suicide. The Com
monwealth will insist that Johnson
was seeking to hide or destroy these
articles, because the card, particu-
larly, was an admission that he was
married.
a series of letters written just be-
fore he swallowed poison and when
he believed he would soon follow his
wife also will be used as evidence.
Johnson was formerly student Of
the Medical College of Virginia here.
1t was while in that institution that
he met Alice Knight, then stcnog-
rapher there.
Odd Fellows Eject Officers.