The daily banner., 1919-04-09


tasson of ToddyiiIe, And Murderer of
Harry Goifden, Cook on Captain
Johnson's Boat, Killed in BaIti-
more.
Justice may be long delayed, its
lends may be defeated for almost an
EIndefinite length of time, bat just as
Eeertain as is the rising and setting OF
lfhe sun and moon, just SO certain is
|u that the scales of justice will soon
ger or later be balanced and the gull
Ity suffer their just deserts.
Fourteen years ago the people cf
this county. particularly the lower
part, were Mortified to learn that
SCaptain Arie L. Johnson, of Todd
vile, had been assaulted and left fer
dead on the oyster punGY Annie
Francis, and that Harry Gordon,
cook on the boat, had been murder
ed. Governor Warfeld, who was
then Governor of the State. offered a
large reward for the capture Of the
murderer, but for fourteen long
years he managed to keep ont Of the
clutches of the law, but last Saturday
night he was struck by anothc: ne
gro, with a mattock, and lived only
long enough to divulge his identity.
The negro, James Burreli, had
quarrel Saturday night at the plant
of the Standard Guano Company,
with another negro, who struck him
over the head with mattock, but he
lived long enough to give his name.
He said he was James Burrell, and
South Baltimore General Hospital
where he died a short time after the
blow was struck.
To clinch the bbelief of the police
that Burrell was the negro who had
eluded them since 1905, Two men
who knew the real Burren were ta-
ken to the morgue yesterday by
Headquarters Detective Hogan. They
were James O'Donnell, of Chase,
Md, who was formerly in the pro
duce business on Curley street, near
Baltimore street, and the other was
James F. Kiggins, a former patrol
man of the Central district, Both
positively identified the body as that
of Burrell, who shot to death Hirry
Gordon, a cook aboard the AnuiG
Francis, and assaulted Capt. Arip l..
johnson and Harry J. Farber, mate
of the pungy. Police of the Southern
district, Capt. Edward Carey, of the
police boat Lannan; Detective Hogan
and Lieut.. John Carey, of Police
Headquarters, began work Oh tie
Identification as soon as they learned
the name of the negro killed at Fair
fed.
On September Is, 1905, Rurre!l
shipped aboard the Annie Francis
ira dredging trip. The neg.o. it il.
said learned that Captain johnson
carried a sum of money in one of the
lockers aboard the boat. The pun<y
"beat" down the Patapsco un Ter
light wind and shortly before mid
night negro put ashore at Spar
rows Point in the pungy's skiff. The
next day the Annie Francis was
found off Rock Creek, with one man
dead and the captain and mate help
less from blows on the head. Capt.
Johnson and Farber were Carried TO
Baltimore and placed in hospitals.
Burrell got $500 and jewelry from
the captains locker.
a general alarm was Sent ort for
NLrren. the deckhand, who was miss
ing. Headquarters Detectives Fo-
gan, Pohler and Bradley were as
signed to the case. For a year they
followed out a score of trails; thou
sands of circulars and letters were
sent and received concerning the
negro. More than a score of negroes
were under suspicion in various
cities.
The most valuable information was
obtained by De+ective Hogan. who
went to St. Peters, Chester county,
Pa, and located Burrell's home.
While there he got a picture of Bur
rell, which was enlarged, an1 proved
to be an excellent likeness. Burrsll
was born in Middlesex county Vir-
ginia, and when his foster mother
died three years ago, sheriffs atten-
ded the funeral in the hope of find