San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-11
MAN REPORTED
DEAD LOCATED
!. BY OFFICERS
L. a. Johnson Disappeared
While Fishing in Cor
pus Bay.
SWAN UNDER WATER
No Attempt Made to Col
lect Insurance He Car
ried on His Life.

h That l.. 4. Johnson OF Cleveland.
Ohio. but who was wintering in San
Antonio. reported drowned in Corpus
Christi bay OH December Is, is alive
and is now in 81. Louis, Mo, was the
discovery made Tuesday by Sheriff
Jim Stevens. johnson, TIE sheriff de-
ciared after an investigation, spent
two weeks in San Antonio. having left
here only Monday for ST. Louis
Sheriff Stevens bases his statement
on information obtained from q wo-
man who is proprietress of down
town hotel where, she claims. John
son stayed while in San Antonio. He
also is said to have communicated
with his wife while in the city.
johnson went 10 Corpus Christi
from San Antonio on a business aud
fishing trip. He was Accompanied by
his nephew. WILDER +. Cronk. H.,
Reports Were teieohonel To San An
tonic that Johnson, while out fish
ing. had fallen into the bay and be'/.
drowned. Although the bay was drag
ged thoroughly. no trace Of the body
could be found Cronk was lateS
questioned closely by the authorities
but told straight forward story and
finally officers accepted the theory
that Johnson had been drowned.
Left Monday for st. Louis.
4 tip given TO Sheriff Jim StTens
Tuesday morning led to the discovery
that johnson was still alive. Working
on the tip Sheriff Stevens detailed
Deputy Sheriff +. y. Flores, one Of his
veteran deputies, on the case.
Deputy Flores went TO the down
town hotel and posed rs man looking
for his sister whom he said he believed
had left with Sam Gray, tile name I'M
der which Sheriff Stevens was told the
man was giving. BY this ruse,
Deputy Flores asccrtained that he was
on the right trail. The proprietress
of the hotel. however, happened to see
the dcputy's badge.
why didn't you tell me you were
an officer and / would have told you
all you wanted TO know the woman
remarked.
She then proceeded TO tell the deputy
all she knew of the ease. Johnson. the
woman told Deputy Flores had been
staying at the hotel about two weeks.
He left Monday morning presumably
for st. Louis. Deputy Flores said he
confirmed this report by talking TO a
woman whom he was informed was
Jolnson's wife. over the telephone.
Searchers Drag Bay for Him.
"The proprietreSs of the hotel told
me-" Deputy Flores said. that John
son had told her all about his case.
A hn
had decided to disappear and went TO
Corpus Christi. There he procured n
set of water wings. long rubber tube
and a square of cork. He bored nos
in the cork and inserted ono end OF
the tube therein so that when the
cork was released on the water the
end of the tube would reach the AIR.
Then the man said he got out into
the bay and jumped overheard. armed
with the water wings and holding one
end of the tube in his mouth and COW
ering the other end with one hand. lie
then released the end of the tube =
which the cork was attached and II
floated. Thus enabled 10 breath he
swan. under water, 10 the shore. He
lay concealed there for some time and
watched searchers dragging the bay
for him."
According TO the story told Deputy
Flores by the woman Johnson then
made his way TO I'll Paso.
"There. the woman informed me,
Deputy Flores said. that Johnson Sc
cured some passports and papers from
a man named Sam Gray and assumed
his name. Becoming broke finally, he
returned TO San Antonio where he re.
NAMED until about two weeks ago:
After his return to San Antonio
DEPUTY Flores said he was Informed.
johnson had met his wife.
Deputy Flores declared that John
son had given the proprietress Of the
hotel a string of pearls valued at close
TO 5000.
No Effort TO Collect Insurance.
Flores said he understands johnson
had about $4,000 insurance but no Of
fort has ever been made to collect II.
No charges of any nature are pend
ing against johnson as he has violated
none of the state laws ~ far as OIL.
GERS here know. Chief Deputy Sheriff
AIphonse Newton Jr., teiegraphed
Chief of Police Monroe Fox at Cor
nus Christi Tuesday morning that he