Iowa
Old Press
Creston News Advertiser
Creston, Union co. Iowa
October 26, 1934
SLAIN MAN’S SON TESTIFIES - APPEARS FOR STATE IN MT.
AYR SHOOTING
Weeps as He Tells Story of Death of Herbert Johnston
Testimony that Mrs. Pearl Johnston, charged with the murder of
her husband at Mt. Ayr on June 7, had planned to kill him even
before she did, “but something always happened to prevent it”
was presented by Raymond Johnston, Mrs. Johnston’s son, in
the trial at Mt. Ayr today.
The son’s testimony brought tears to the crowd in the
courtroom. The witness himself weeped and two of the jurors
sobbed. His testimony was the most dramatic of any presented
since the trial began Tuesday. Mrs. Johnston’s son said he
was called to the home with one of the doctors who attended his
father, Herbert Johnston. His father was on the front porch
bleeding. “Your mother has shot me. I’m not going to
live,” the boy quoted his dying father. At that point the
son cried on the witness stand.
He regained control of himself and went on to tell how he entered
the house and placed cold cloths on the lips of his mother, who
had shot herself. “Mom, why did you do it?” he said he
asked her. “Had you been thinking about this the day before?”
“I had planned to other times,” the son said his mother
had replied, “but something always happened to prevent it.”
When he visited his mother in the Greater Community hospital here
later he said she told him that she and her husband had argued
over where he had been, that he laughed at her and told her to go
to bed. Then in a fit of anger she shot him, the witness said his
mother told him.
DENIES CHARGE.
In cross examination this afternoon the son of the accused woman
denied that he had wanted his mother to plead guilty to the
murder charges so that he would get half instead of one-third of
the estate of the dead man.
Previous to Raymond Johnston’s testimony, Arthur Holland,
cousin of the dead man, testified that he was in the Johnston
home before the alleged shooting and that the Johnstons had
argued over where Mr. Johnston had been during two previous days.
Later, Holland said, Johnston left the home. He added that he
went to the home after Mr. Johnston was shot and again saw Mr.
Johnston after he had died. He said he visited with Mrs. Johnston
at the hospital here later and told of the conversation with her.
PEOPLE BRING LUNCH.
He said she had related how she had been in bed, had arisen when
her husband came home, had been told to go back to bed by him.
The trial attracting sensational attention in Mt. Ayr, drew a
crowd estimated at 600 persons to the Ringgold County courtroom
today. People brought their lunches and stayed during the noon
hour in order to have a seat for the afternoon session.
Yesterday afternoon after a jury of 12 men had been named
following two days of examination, six witnesses appeared for the
State.
Their testimony in brief follows:
S. B. Stuck, county engineer—Presented a floor plan of the
Johnston home.
George Shepherd, Mt. Ayr, neighbor of the Johnston’s—Told
how he and his wife after going to bed, heard three shots and
later heard Mr. Johnston call, “I’m shot.”
Shepherd got out of bed, found Mr. Johnston sitting on the porch
steps, bleeding. “I’m shot, she shot me and I didn’t
think she’d do it. Get a doctor,” Shepherd quoted
Johnston as saying then. Later Shepherd said he heard another
shot, went into the kitchen of the Johnston home and saw Mrs.
Johnston lying on the floor.
Charles A. Hetzel, a neighbor—Testified he heard the
trouble, went to the Johnston home, saw Mr. Johnston sitting on
the step with blood on his shirt. He heard Johnston say, “She
shot me. Why did she do it? Call for a doctor. Why did I come
home? Call my sister. Call my brother.” And later, “I’m
getting weaker, it won’t be long now.”
HEARS FOURTH SHOT.
Orville Sheldon a neighbor—Testified he heard three shots,
dressed and went to the Johnston home with George Shepherd. There
he saw Johnston on the step and heard him say what the other
witnesses had already testified. He also said he heard Johnston
say, “My God, she shot herself,” when the fourth shot
was heard.
Charles Wilson, a neighbor—Testified he was sitting in his
room at 10:30 or 10:45, when he heard shots. He said Johnston
said to him, “She shot me. I never thought she would do it.
I’m done for.” Later he heard Johnston tell his son
Raymond, “I’m done for. You will have to carry on.”
When the fourth shot was heard, Wilson quoted Johnston as saying,
“Go in and see what she is doing.” Wilson said he saw
Mrs. Johnston on the kitchen floor, clad in pajamas.
CORONER TESTIFIES.
Dr. J. W. Hill, coroner—Testified that Johnston had a wound
in the chest on the left side, two others on the right side. He
said he sat on the cot by Mr. Johnston in the ambulance and Dr.
Stanton sat at the head of the cot.
There the defense raised the question of whether Dr. Hill, as a
physician, had the right to tell the conversation he heard. The
court adjourned at that point. This question was settled by the
attorneys at 11 o’clock last night with the decision to use
the testimony.
Gen Lockwood, a nurse at the Greater Community hospital, was on
the stand late this afternoon.
The jurors hearing the case are: John Clough, Burl Calkins,
Manson Heron, W.M. Oliver, H.S. McCall, H.P. Clough, A.L. Lourie,
J.R. Miller, W.A. Johnston, Cleo Burchett, P.D. Liebig and Albert
Parmon
[transcribed by L.Z., November 2015]
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Creston News Advertiser
Creston, Union co. Iowa
October 29, 1934
Defense Begins Case At Murder Trial Of Mrs. Pearl
Johnston
JOHNSTON WITH OTHER WOMEN, WITNESSES SAY
State’s Case Closed at Saturday Morning Session
The defense for Mrs. Pearl Johnston, charged with the murder of
her husband at Mt. Ayr, June 7, began presentation of evidence at
the district court in Mt. Ayr, this morning. The defense’s
case took the form of an attempt to show that Herbert Johnston,
shot three times and fatally wounded the night of June 7, was
often seen in the company of women other than his wife.
Ramona Murray of Lamoni and Gladys Shay of Des Moines were the
first witnesses called by the defense. Both testified that they
knew Herbert Johnston and that on Aug. 10, 1931, they saw him at
the Hotel Ft. Des Moines in company with a woman whom they did
not know but who was not Mrs. Johnston.
SAW JOHNSTON, WOMAN.
They testified that they were on the mezzanine floor when
Johnston and a woman got out of an elevator on that floor, talked
together for several minutes, and then parted. Each one leaving
the hotel.
The third witness called was Hilda Hollepter of Mt. Ayr, who
testified that she saw Mrs. Johnston at a club meeting in Mt. Ayr
last winter and that Mrs. Johnston’s arm was bruised and
discolored. When asked what had caused it, she told the witness
that she had fallen down stairs.
Lester Wion of Mt. Ayr was next to take the stand. He testified
that he knew both Mr. and Mrs. Johnston and that on May 1, he saw
Johnston fixing a flat tire on his car on a road in Missouri. A
woman Wion did not know was with Johnston, the witness said.
CRESTON WOMAN TESTIFIES.
Another witness, Nora Zimmerman, Union county deputy recorder,
later was called to the stand. She testified that Johnston was in
her office in the Union county courthouse the afternoon before he
was shot and that he asked to see a mortgage copy. She said that
she thought he had been drinking.
Among other witnesses called up until 2 o’clock this
afternoon were Raleigh Shroyer, who was present when Mrs.
Johnston was placed in the ambulance to be brought to Creston
after she shot herself June 7; Dr. J.B. Stoll, Creston surgeon
who treated Mrs. Johnston here; Perry Vaughn, Ringgold county
deputy sheriff; and S.B. Stuck, Ringgold county engineer.
The State closed its case Saturday morning. Friday afternoon,
after the Johnston’s son, Raymond, had testified, Genevieve
Lockwood, nurse at the Greater Community hospital, who cared for
Mrs. Johnston here, testified that she had heard Mrs. Johnston
say that she had threatened to shoot her husband before. She said
Mrs. Johnston told how she had shot him while he was sitting at a
table after he had laughed at her.
JURY PLAYS BALL.
T. S. Rhoades, undertaker and Dr. James Stanton, also appeared
Friday afternoon for the State.
Saturday morning Vaughn, the deputy sheriff, identified the gun
said to have been used in the shooting, four empty cartridges,
and two loaded bullets. Sheriff Thompson also testified,
identifying the gun, empty cartridges and shells.
Court recessed Saturday noon and the jury of 12 men took its
first real rest since the case began. The jury is being kept
together during the trial. Sunday, the members played kittenball
to while away the time.
[transcribed by L.Z., November 2015]