The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
MURDER AND MAYHEM: In 1871 a serious difficulty arose between Joseph B. Johnson and a Mr. Ewing near Terre Haute, which resulted in the killing of Ewing by a shot from a revolver. Johnson was arrested and bailed out paying $3,000. A few nights afterward, an officer with a posse and a warrant for the arrest of Joseph B. Johnson, John T. Johnson (his brother), and Thomas Johnson (their father) proceed to the elder Johnson home . Being night, the officer and the posse approached the house in a boisterous and tumultuous manner and demanded entrance.
The Johnson feared it was a mob and refused to open their doors. After much parley and noisy demonstration shots were fired from both sides. Thomas Johnson was dangerously wounded by a bullet through his breast; one of the posse was killed and another badly wounded.
The officer and posse retreated and waited until daylight when they returned with a larger crowd and arrested those in the house except from Thomas Johnson and the women who were put under guard. In 1871 March term of circuit court Thomas and Joseph Johnson were indicted by the Grand Jury for the murder of Mr. Ewing. A change of venue to Warren County resulted in charges dismissed on Joseph Johnson.
Thomas was put on trial and after 10 days of examination of witnesses, a juror took seriously sick and the jury was discharged. The case was sent to another change of venue to McDonough County and in 1873 after a protracted trial Mr. Johnson was acquitted.
1911 History of Henderson County