The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-18
MAD TRAPPER
IS SHOT DOWN
BY MOUNT|ES
Staying in Blizzard Ends
Relentless Arctic Hunt
Lasting 49 Days.
SERGEANT IS WOUNDED
Maniac Battles to Last,
Crazed by 50-BeIow
Temperature.
BIZ United Press

81 Untted Press
AKLAVIK, Northwest Territory,
Feb. 18.-The sharp crack of bull
lets in the unearthly cold and dusk
of the arctic winter has ended the
superhuman fight of Albert john
son, trapper whom the desolate
north country drove to madness.
He ended his fight against cap
ture by the Royal Canadian mount
ed police as he began-pumping
bullets at his pursuers until his body
lay lifeless in the snow, cut to rib
bons by rifle fire.
Johnson's last bitter stand for
freedom added Staff Sergeant E. F.
Hersey, seriously wounded, to the
list of caualties that already in
cluded Constable E. Newt Millen,
slain, officer A. w. King, wounded,
and half a dozen troopers crippled
y exposure since the one-man war
/ gan Dec. 81.
The end was dramatic. overhead
droned Captain w. r. CWop) May,
war ace, in his scouting plane. Be-
low hurried Hersey and Noel YER
vile, trapper. They shouted en-
couragement to their hardy team of
/ huskies. Behind at little distance
were Indians and trappers making
up the rest Of the posse which had
tracked Johnson 100 miles from the
Rat river barrens sixty miles south
of here.
Dared 50-BeIow Mercury
The trail had led west into the
mountainous divide that separates
the waterf1ow of the Mackenzie
river into the Arctic ocean and the
Yukon into the Boring sea. Across
the border from northwest terri
tory into Yukon-graveyard of the
north-the pursuers had mushed in
50-below zero weather.
A bitter wind swept off the rim
of the world as they entered the
Eagle river trail we'll into the Yu-
kon. Snow half-coyered Jol1nsors
footsteps, but peering in the gloom,
pursuers could see them waver. He
was weakening. His flight was to-
ward Alaska. 1t was an incredible
journey in midwinter. They guessed
that cold and billiards would claim
their quarry, if they did not soon
overtake him.
Suddenly, Hersey's dogs uttered
frantic cry. Ahead in the lonely
trail that wound about the frozen
Eagle river, the officer saw a man.
It was Johnson, the maniac who
had resisted eight. men in fifteen
hour battle, who had laughed at
dynamite bombs hurled at his
cabin, who had slain Millen by a
madman's trick of feigning death.
Doubles on Tracks
Apparently realizing he could not
fight his way ITO miles farther
across the Alaskan boundary, he
had doubled back on his tracks.
When he saw his pursuers, he
plunged from the trail, concealing
himself behind hummock of earth
and hard-frozen snow.
Hersey and Verville with cold
numbed fingers grasped their rifles
from the loaded toboggans and
dashed toward the maniac across a
frozen creek.
AS Hersey kneeled to aim, John
son fired. The bullet struck the
sergeant in the knee, creased up his
body and lodged in the chest.
Another hit his elbow. Meanwhile
the main party of the posse came
up. Deploying cautiously, they sur
rounded Johnson.
AS his last shots echoed from his
rifle, they poured a fusillade into
his body and he collapsed, lifeless.
Watches, Helpless in Air
From the air, May watched the
battle. His plane load of dynamite
and tear gas bombs were useless. He
could not drop them for fear of in
juring the posSemen.
When he saw johnson had been
killed, he landed swiftly on an open
ice field. In few minutes he took
off and raced here with the injured
Hersey and news of Johnson's death.
Then he stood by today while phySi-
clans examined the Sergeant's
wounds to see if it was advisable to
fly Hersey l,700 miles to an Edmon-
ton hospital.
Never in the long history of the
relocated mounted force had a
man resisted arrest as johnson had.
The trapper entered the wilder
ness last fall with little equipment
and announced he was going to
prospect for gold. He was known
then as a jolly companion and
friends nicknamed him "Al Jolson"
for his merry sense of humor.
When Indians complained he was
robbing their trap lines, officers
went to question him. He replied
with bullets. one of which wounded
Oficer King seriously. That was