Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND002 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 02059
Title: Martin G. Johnson
Date:
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 1/22/1884
Summary: Martin Johnson Ray September 8th, 1930 Police Chief Martin Johnson died in a Minot hospital on September 8th, 1930, from injuries sustained on September 4th. Williams County officials believe Johnson was shot down by the men who robbed the First National Bank at Kramer, ND, on September 3rd. Earl Gordon, Williams County Deputy Sheriff, said that there were three men in the party, according to the story Johnson told from his hospital bed. Two of them answer the descriptions of the Kramer bandits. According to Johnson, the trio arrived in Ray at 2:00 a.m., on September 4th, and drove their car up and down the main street several times. Johnson secreted himself in an alley to watch their movements. Finally, the men stopped their car near the hotel and got out. As Johnson stepped from his hiding place, one of the men asked, "Do you think we can get a room there?" "Yes, I guess so", Johnson answered, and then queried the men about their business in the village at that hour. As Johnson finished his question, one of the men wheeled and uttering an oath, said, "Now we've got you." Two shots blazed from a.38 automatic in answer to the demand. One of the bullets struck Johnson below the shoulder blade and lodged near his spine. Residents of Ray, alarmed by the shots, came to Johnson's assistance. Williams County officials were notified and roads throughout the section were watched. One of the suspects was apprehended in Crookston, MN, on September 25th, 1930. William Birney, alias Tex O'Connor, signed a confession stating that he was with two men who shot down Martin Johnson. He also confessed that he took part in a robbery of a jewelry store at Devils Lake on September 2nd; a pool hall robbery at Mandan on August 24th; and the holdup of a grocery store in Crookston on August 30th. He also admitted kidnapping J. L. Kelley, Superintendent of the Mandan Northern Pacific roundhouse, driving the victim's automobile five miles north of Mandan, and leaving Kelley with his hands and feet tied. He then named the two other accomplices. They are Frank Doulin, alias George Phillips, alias George Stubblefield, and Edward Logan, a former inmate at the North Dakota State Penitentiary and the Stillwater Correctional facility in Minnesota. The other two suspects were later apprehended in Reno, NV. Chief Martin Johnson was 52 years old at the time of his death. He left behind his wife and a brother, Nels, from White Earth, ND.
Red ID: FND_I_77309 Image ID: 509129 Image Notes: 10950 00002 02059

Collection: FND002 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial Program
Date:

Summary: The North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial Program honors fallen officers with highlights of their lives and careers.

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