The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-02-18

AkIavik, Northwest Territory Feb 18-(UP)-The sharp cracl of bullets in the unearthly cold ant dusk of the Arctic winter hal ended the superhuman flight of Al. bert Johnson. the mad trapper ol Rat River, driven mad by the deso' late north country.
 He ended his fight against cap- ture by the royal Canadian Mount ed police as he began it-pumpine bullets at his pursuers-until hi, body lay lifeless in the snow, cut to ribbons by rife fire.
 | Johnson's last bitter stand fol freedom added Staff Sergeant E. F Hersey, seriously wounded. to the list of casualties that already in cluded Constable E. Newt Millen slain, officer A. w. King, wounded and half dozen troopers crippled by exposure since the one-man wal began December 31.
 | The end was dramatic. Overhead droned Captain w. k. "Wop" May war ace, in his scouting plane. Be low hurried Hersey and Noel Yer. vile, trapper, shouting encourage. ment to their hardy team of hus. kies. Behind were Indians and trappers of the posse which had tracked Johnson 160 miles from the Rat River barrens.
 The trail had led west into the mountainous divide that separates the waterfiow of the Mackenzie river into the Arctic ocean and the Yukon into Boring Sea. Across the border from Northwest Territory into Yukon - graveyard of the north-the pursuers had mushed in 50-below-Zero weather. His flight was toward Alaska, an incredible Journey in midwinter The pursuers guessed that cold and bliz5ards would claim their quarry if they did not.
 Suddenly Herseys dogs uttered a frantic cry. Ahead in the lonely trail that wound about the frozen Agle river, the officer saw a man Johnson. The maniac who had resisted eight men in a 15-hour battle, wht had laughed at dynamite bombs hurled at his cabin, who had slain Mi1len by a madman's trick ol feigning death. faced the paci. Apparently realizing he could not fight his way ITO miles further across the Alaskan boundary, John son had doubled back on his tracks. When he saw his pursuers he plunged from the trail, conceal. Ing himself behind a hummock of earth and hard frozen snow.
 Hersey and Verville with cold numb fingers took their rifles from the loaded toboggans. They dashed toward the maniac across frozen creek. .+t.
 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 cau- tiously, they surrounded Johnson.
 As Johnson's last shots echoed from his rife, they poured a fus- ilade into his body. He collapsed, lifeless.
 From the air, May watched the battle. His plane load of dyna- mite and tear gas bombs were useless. He could not drop them in fear of injurins the possemen. !. When he saw Johnson had been killed, he landed swiftly on an open ice field.
 In few minutes they took off and raced here with the injured Hersey and news of Johnson's death. Then May stood by to-day while physicians examined the ser- geant's wounds to see If it was ad- visable to fly Hersey 1.700 miles to an Edmonton hospital.
 Never in the long history of the red coated mounted force had q man resisted arrest as had John son. The trapper entered the wild- erness last fall with little equip ment. He announced he was go- ing to prospect for gold.
 Johnson was known then as a