New Britain herald., 1925-03-28
INTEREST IN CHAPMAN TRIAL TURNS
 TO NEW BRITAIN POLICE TESTIMONY:
 CRUCIAL PERIOD BEGINS ON MONDAY
CHAPMAN CALLS JOHNSON AS
 WITNESS IN MURDER TRIAL
Subpoena to Be Served on Livery Stable Hostler Who Saw Slayer of Skely Before Crime.

Gerald Chapman, fighting for his life before Judge Jennings and jury in superior court, will have as one of his witnesses the man who was scheduled to play the role Of star witness" for the state when the search for the escaped convict and alleged murderer of Patrolman James Skely in the Davidson & Leyenthal store was being waged. Attorney Harold Evans, one of the associate counsel for Chapman, was in New Britain this morning with subpoena for Edward L. Johnson, hostler at Doyles livery stable, to appear as witness for the gentleman yegg."
 On several occasions yesterday afternoon during the cross examina- tion of Lillian Knell and Louis Ku- pek of the Old Colony Inn on the Meriden turnpike, Judge Frederick J. Groehl, chief defense counsel, made references to George Stuyves- ant, the man who was arrested ia New York city on November Is of last year and was identified by John son as the man who accompanied Walter E. Shean down the alleyway near the department store on the morning of the murder of Patrolman Skelly.
 Johnson's identification of stuy- vesant at the time of the mans cap ture in New York was positive, the hostler picking him out of a line of several prisoners. The stable man was the only one who saw the mur- derer In New Britain who was taken to New York to identify Stuycesant when he was held there as suspect, and in spite of the insistence of the police that he was not the murderer of Sklly, Johnson stuck to bis identi- fication.
 Stuyvesant was held at that time for about 10 days before being re- leased after other witnesses who are alleged to have seen the murderer failed to identify pictures of the suepect as the murderer. It was brought out at the time of Stuy- vesant's capture that he was ac- quainted with shean, 1t being shown that Shean had been indicted in- connection with bank robbery at Wyomissing, Pa, for which the sus- pect served time in prison.
 The stable man was the one who met the murderer and Shean in the alleyway adjoining the Davidson & Leventhal store on the morning of the murder, and to whom the mur- derer said "We want you to keep this alleyway picked up and. don't let 1t look like a dumping ground for pa pers and other rubbish" After speaking to Johnson, the men started to look about the alley and Johnson walked into the office of the stable, only to notice a few minutes later that the men had disappeared. Co., ing out he heard a noise in the de-
 
 ward telephoned to Samuel NJ. Dav- idson, one. of the owners, and asked him If he had any men working at the store. When Davidson replied ed in the negative. Johnson told him that two men had appeared in the alleyway and were in the store. Davidson Immediately notified the police.
 In the meantime, Johnson had walked up the alleyway to Main street and was standing there when Shean came out with a brief case in his hand and started towards Church street. As the automobile with Pa trolman Skelly and his companions drew up in front of the store, John son was standing near the doorway and he pointed out Shean, who was just turning into Church street, and told them that he was one of the men.
 He stayed near the door and was there a few minutes later when the murderer emerged, gun in hand, and ordered him to stand back, an houncing "A man has been shot in side there I guess"
 The purpose of calling Johnson to testify for the defense is another move in the attack on the identif- cation of Chapman as the murderer, it being understood that Judge Groehl will argue that the state has as much of case against Stuyvesant as it has against Chapman as both men are known to he acquainted with Shean and both have been identified as the murderer of Patrol man Skelly.