Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-31
BOY MURDERER
PRAYED NIGHT
BEFORECRIME
'May God Save My Soul" He
Said During Revival at Tiny
Home of Parents.
MINISTER HEARTBROKEN

grocer.
May God remove me from tempta-
/ ton and preserve my SOUL" he mut-
tered as Mrs. Z. W. Johnson, wife Of Q
Methodist Home Mission minister, led
/ prayer in the carpetless little home of
the Whites at 2239 wilkins street.
1 Rev. Johnson sobbed piteOusly as he
visited the home late yesterday upon
! hearing of the 16-year-old boys confess
I sion to the gruesome slaughter of the
/ old shopkeeper
! II can't understand that poor boy"
/ he said as he wept
PRAYs WITH HIS
MOTHER AND BROTHERS.
/ 1t was s o'clock Tuesday night. nine
/ hours before the crime, that Francis
knelt with his mother and two younger
| brothers as Mrs. Johnson led the prayer.
MY wife told me he appeared so de-
vout in his prayers" said the minister.
And to think he could commit such
crime-its too horrible to imagine"
When the minister's wife called at the
White home that night she was doing
as she had often done before in the com
munity. Mrs. Rosie White, the accused
slayer's mother, had just Joined Rev.
Johnson's church. She had come to 'give
counsel" to other members Of the fam
I ily dS missionary OF WHO
was out of the city.
| Francis was not home when she got
there. He was at his victims little store
His brother ran to the corner and called
him
The minister's wife is here and ma
wants you to come home" the younger
boy told him.
LEAVES "GANG"
AND HURRIES HOME.
He broke away from the "gang" and
walked home. greeting Mrs. Johnson as
he entered.
Wen now have prayer" she said
Francis threw off his cap, and, placing
his hands together, knelt in the frons
room of the tiny cottage. The services
were short and the boy assured the min~
ister's wife he would go to church.
Mrs. White did not know her boy had
confessed to the crime until the minister
told her.
"Oh. that poor boy she sobbed. How
did he ever do it can't stand It."
Mrs White had often befriended Aug
inbaugh. She was known to cook food
for him ard send it to him at his store.
The father, ]. H. White, arose tense
with emotion from his sick bed as he
heard the news. He is confined with a
serious attack of influenza.
TRIED TO BRING
HIM Up RIGHT.
.I tried to bring him up right he
said
The other two boys, Ii and Z, re-
spectively, did not quite understand what
1t was all about
/ The White home shows the inroad Of
/ poverty. The few small rooms are poorly
furnished and there are almost signs OF
destitution.
Behind the iron bars today young
White did not seem to realize the horror
Of the crime.
Tears did not rush to his eyes as he
related to newspapermen and officers the
story Of the tragedy. Neither does he
appear TO fear punishment
Clad in an old army uniform, which
he claims he bought from a military
store, White cody related the details Of
the murder Of the aged and respected
store keeper.
Emotionless, the lad retold to Times
reporter. just as he is said to have con-
fessed TO the detectives.
White admitted while he played with
the buttons on his ill-ftting army uni
form that he had been in jail once be-
fore in Danville, Ill, on a charge Of
forgery.
He claims that he has been in Indian
apolis about two years.
DOESN'T THINK
HE'D DO 1T AGAIN.
Surprised at the calm composure Of
the youthful murderer, the reporter
asked:
"Are you glad that you killed the
old storekeeper?"
After a pause the lad answereds
"No. 1 guess not. No, am sorry"
When he showed no emotion the re-
porter asked
Would you do the deed over sgain
under similar circumstances ?"
Again White paused and said:
'No, never would"
Then his thoughts ran to hts uniform
and where he bought it.
Guess you would call it a soldiers
uniform" he said. ~ got it at an army
store"
He then held out his hands, the hands
that clutched the iron bar which so bru-
tally pounded the old man to his death
did you fold the arms of Auginbaugh
over his breast before you left the scene
of the murder?" White was asked.
DIDN'T FOLD ARMS
OF VICTIM, HE SAYS.
mo, I did not" he answered calmly,
as he looked straight into the eye OF the
reporter.
The confession Of the lad has brought
the local authorities face TO face with
the ever preplexing problem Of youth
ful criminals.
"Great goodness" said a policeman
looking at White, 'is that the mur-
derer7"
Ralph Spaan, city court prosecutor, left
the cell after the strange exhibition Of
calmneSs on the part Of the confessed
murderer.
Whites confession is signed in the big.
free hand writing of a school boy.
Does the boy understand the terrible
deed to which he confessedT Does he
realize that he is a self-confessed mur-
dererI
Those are the questions uppermost Ga
the minds of local authorities.
GRAND JURY SOON
TO ACT IN CASE.
The Marion county grand Jury is pre-
pairing to consider the case at once.
There is no doubt, Mr.. Span said, that
White viii be indicted for murder.
The lads confession win probably play
an important part In the trial
The statutes define murder In the first
degree as the killing OF any human '.pur~
posely and with premeditated mahce.'
Mr.. Spaan doubts that there was any
premeditated malice in the murder as
expressed In the confession. This offenss
on conviction carries with 1t death
or life imprisonment
The statute defines murder IN tie sea-
ond degree al purposely and mAlieanxHh
but without premed3k0tton." That %
what Mr.. spaAn thinks the eontesston
/ implies This carries with II life ina