The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-10-08
DEPUTY SHERIFF JOHNSON shot,
CONTINUED from Page l,

court house, and this seemed agree
able to Warn. Johnson and Waite
stood on the running board OF the
Warn car while the son drove uptown
When they reached West Broadway at
Bruce Rogers implement house, in
stead of going straight west the youth
turned the car north, signifying the
intention of driving down towards the
]. C. station. johnson took hold of the
steering wheel and brought the car
back to the pavement and it was then
that the trouble commenced.
Warn Fires Point Blank at johnson.
The son resented the officer having
changed the course of the machine
and resisted somewhat. Warn, who
was riding in the back seat Of the car
rosB up and Ed Waite threw his arms
around him and pinned him down to
the seat The son then reached down
on the floor of the car and picked up
a piece Of heavy steel about four feet
iii length and threatened to throw this
at the officer and Waite. Waite let
70 OF Warn and the insane man reach
ed into his pocket and pulled out a
.38 caliber revolver and fred two shots
point blank at Johnson. The. son
then started up the car and at ter
rife rate speeded down the hin to,
wards the l. G. depot. s@
The deputy sheriff went into the
court house to learn the extent Of his
injuries and physicians were summon
ed. The first bullet pierced the lapel
on the right hand side of his coat and
came out through the collar, causing
q slight flesh wound on the shoulder
The other bullet penetrated his back
on the RICH hand side and passed just
below the skin for a distance of six
or eight inches, lodging in the flesh
on the left hand side. It was fortu
nate indeed that the bullet did not hit
the spine and the attending physician
states that had the course of the bul
let been quarter of an inch deeper
this would have happened.
Son Calls Sheriff's Office
While the physicians were dressing
Johnson's wounds the phone rang and
the deputy answered. 1T was young
Warn and he asked who was answer
ing the phone. When the deputy
learned it was the boy he ordered hin
to bring his father to town and give
themselves up, but the boy hung ur
the phone.
Sheriff and Posse Give Chase
It was not fifteen minutes after the
shooting before Sheriff Greene and {
posse of ten or twelve men started II
pursuit of the insane man, well armed
with rifles, shotguns and revolyers.
Upon arrival at the Warn farm the
posse surrounded the buildings to pre-
vent escape to the fields. Sher
i'll Greene approached the house ant
saw Mrs. Warns father. who stated
the family were over at the Meggers
place nearby. Sheriff Greene happen
ed to look in the direction Of the barn
and saw the son with gun and order
ed him to halt, but the boys only re
ply to the officer was to fire two
rounds at him and run to cattle shed
a short distance from the barn. The
sheriff fired at him at distance oil
100 yards with shot gun, aiming al
his legs, but this failed to stop the
hoy. This shed was at once surround
ed, members of the posse seeking pro
lection behind trees, sheds and piles
OF lumber. Mrs. Warn was seen to be
standing in the doorway of the shed
while her husband and son were fir
ing through the doorway and cracks
in the shed at the men on the outside
Sheriff Greene called to Mrs. Warn
to have her husband come out with
his hands up and he would promise
him every protection. She asked who
he was and upon being told he was
the sheriff, asked to see his star. The
sheriff stepped out from behind the
tree and threw back his coat that she
might see his star and he was greeted
with two shots from the 50 calibeI
revolver fired by Warn.
Warn and his son were making il
exceedingly warm for the sheriff and
the posse and it was dangerous fol
any of them to make an appearance
Warn would stand behind his wife in
the doorway and fire over her Shout
der at members Of the posse, while
the son would fire from cracks in the
shed. This cannonading kept up for
some time and the sheriff estimates
that about forty rounds were fired by
the insane man and his son.