Evening star., 1941-05-22
By w. H. SHIPPEN, Jr.,
Star Staff Correxpnrfent

WASHINGTON. Va. May o.
Yes, sir, I'm pretty good shot
I got 80 squirrels last year"
The small tow-head. held for a
triple Staying, grinned and showed
his snaggle teeth. He was seated on
a table. and he waved his brogans
about 6 inches above the floor.
Thomas Dewey Cameron. jr.,
seemed to be enjoying all the sudden
attention. 1t was as if he had won
a shooting match. Il got the
squirrels with a shotgun" he ex-
planned.
But the revolver?"
We'll I won a shootin' match"
The boy indicated by his silence
he didn't want to go into the subject
further - he wasn't proud of his
revolver score, or so it seemed to
reporters who talked to him yester-
day afternoon.
How about school?"
Born on Christmas.
Il quit Christmas Day"
Why"
II was born on Christmas"
Did you quit on that account?"
The boy glanced at Sergt. Charles
w. Blue of the Virginia State police
as much as to say. Should I an
swer silly questions?" The sergeant
said. These people are here for only
t1l IL 20
if they embarrass you"
But the diminutive tow-head
wanted to talk. He rather liked the
flare of f1ash-bulbs in his face, and
somebody promised to send him a
picture. When he got down off the
table and stood beside Sergt. Blue.
the boy looked very small The
sergeant Cor so a father said) might
have reached around to take him
over his knee for a sound whipping.
The boy, who will be Is next Christ
mas. stands only feet 10, and
weighs 96 pounds.
Young Cameron. born and reared
in the Blue Ridge Mountains, be-
gan using firearms, his neighbors
said, at least five years ago. Cam
eron himself told reporters he rarely
missed racoon, 'possum or rabbit.
The size and responses of the boy
scarcely prepared investigators for
the fact, police said, that he had
murdered family of three in their
post Office home at Huntly Tuesday
night by shooting each precisely
through the head.
The triple murder, confessed quite
frankly by the boy, police said, was
accomplished in less than IS minutes.
Edward johnson, AZ, was reading a
mail order catalogue Tuesday night
while his wife, Sadie. 40, postmis-
treSs at Huntly. sat in chair across
the counter. Ethel, their 15-year-old
daughter, a high school freshman.
was seated in the adjoining living
room listening to the radio.
The indications were that Mr..
Johnson was shot first. A bullet en-
tered his forehead and another his
left side. Blood on the catalogue and
counter showed how he slumped to
the floor. Mrs. johnson apparently
had no time to rise from the chair
in which she was seated. A bullet
struck her in the forehead and
there was another through her chest.
The radio from the rear room was
turned on full blast. Circumstances
indicated that the Johnsons' daugh-
ter, Ethel, had been sitting beside
the radio. She was found in an op-
posite corner of the room The girl
had been shot through the head, and
the bullet took a downward course,
indicating she must have fed and
tried to dodge the gunman.
The boy, known as Buck" in the
mountains, was accused recently by
his grandfather, Herbert Williams,
of having stolen money from him.
Mr.. Williams, police said, took
Bucks bicycle and told the youth
he would have to repay the money
before he could recover his bike"
Sheriff Willard, Sergt. Blue and
other State policemen found the
youth in bed at his home. The in
vestigators said the boy led them to
hiding place in the bushes where
he produced a 38 caliber revolver.
The gun, it was said, had been re-
loaded with five cartridges.
The boy, who was to have a pre-
liminary hearing Saturday at Wash
ington in Rappahanock County, was
charged with murder and moved by
Virginia State police to Culpeper,
Va. He was kept in Jail a few hours
before being taken to Virginia
State police station nearby Officers,
wishing to avoid complications,
asked neEspanernen not To seek nSlt