Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1922-01-16
BRUTAL
MURDERS IN
FAULKNER CO.
Drinking Party Ends in
Death of Husband and
Wife - Suspected Pair
Make Their Escape.

George w. Hopkins, aged about so.
aged about 40, we're killed at their
home near Marshall. schoolhouse, IA
miles southeast of Conway, about 1
O'Clock yesterday morning.
Tom Johnson and his son, Roy
| Johnson, both we'll known court
characters, were accused in YER
dict returned by a coroner's jury
late yesterday afternoon. Neither
of the men has been arrested, and
an all day search by officers re-
vealed no trace of them
Whiskey Is Blamed.
What started as friendly drink
ing party and ended in one of the
most gruesome tragedies in the his
tory of Faulkner county was begun
at the Hopkins home about 9 o'clock
Wednesday night, according to Ma
rion Wright, neighbor, who was
near the scene of the tragedy.
Wright said he was visiting the
sons arrived, bringing a quantity of
moonshine liquor. During the eve
ming, he said, Hopkins demonstrated
with the elder Johnson for using
indecent language in the presence
of his wife, and a fight at that
time was threatened.
Toward midnight trouble between
the men seemed imminent again,
and Wright left the house, but re-
manned within hearing distance.
The disturbance grew more violent,
he said and he heard shots fired
in the house. He said Hopkins ran
from the house in one direction
and his wife in another, with the
Johnsons pursuing Hopkins and fir
ing at him. After running through
the barn, Hopkins returned to the
house and crawled under the porch
floor. While he was there one of
the Johnsons, Wright said, fired at
him again.
Woman Is Attacked.
In the meantime Mrs. Hopkins
had returned to the house and the
Johnsons turned their attention to
her, leaving her on hill near the
house.
Wright said he then rushed in
and dragged Hopkins out, and car
ried him into the house.
They've shot me and cut me,
and 1 am bleeding to death. Go get
Jim Gautney," Hopkins gasped. ac-
cording to Wright.
AS the latter ran toward the home
of Gautney. who lived a half mile
away, he said he heard Mrs, Hop
kins in the woods, several rods
from the road. pleading with the
men not to kill her, and the voices
of the Johnsons. but could not dis
tinguish what the latter said.
When Wright and Gautney arriv-
ed, Hopkins was dead and his wife
could not be found. Apparently, to
be sure Of the deadly effect of their
attack, the mon had returned to
Hopkins house while Wright was
away, and crushed the mans skull
with a stick of firewood.
1t was not until several hours
later that the body of Mrs Hopkins
was fodnd. The first reports reach
ing Conway yesterday were that
only the man had been killed, and
his wife had escaped. Shortly after
daylight, Mrs. Hopkins body was
found on the side of hill, nearly
a quarter mile from the house.
The womau's murder had been
ferociously brutal according to Dep
uty Sheriff J. l. Summers, who re
turned last night from the scene of
the tragedy. Lying a few feet from
her body was large stone, Gov
cred with blood, to which strands
of the woman's hair adhered. TheI
forepart of her skull was almost
pulyerized with blows from thisI
stone, inflicted with such yiciousl
force that the head was driven sey-l
eral inches into the soft earth. Ap-i
parently, in her dying commissions, !
she had partially raised her head
from out the depression. There
were no other marks on her body, |
however, and officers are inclined toll
disbelieve report that she was as
saulted before she was slain.
Punctured with three bullets, |
slashed with IL knife wounds, his
clothing in shreds and his skull
crushed. Hopkins met death by
means equally brutal.
Father and Son Accused.
Arriving at Marshall early yes !
terday Deputy Summers and Deputy |
Prosecuting Attorney c. a. Holland |.
Of Conway searched the Hopkins
house and found a cap, coat and
pocketbook said to belong to Tom
Johnson. The pocketbook which
was brought with the other arti-
cles by Summers to Conway last
night, contains several papers and
letters bearing Johnsons name.
They went to Johnson's house, about
l half mile from the Hopkins home,