Unsuccessful Suitor

1891 

Dr. Maxedon of this place (Heathsville) was called to Russellville to assist at the postmortem held over the body of Duane Johnson, last Tuesday, by Coroner French. The doctor reported the evidence was strong against the man, John Graham, who did the cutting.

John Graham, whose mother resides in Montgomery Township, was languishing in the Lawrence County bastille on a charge of murder. P.G. Bradberry wass attending Circuit court at Lawrenceville this week and was assisting in the prosecution in the Graham-Johnson murder case.

The InterOcean, a newspaper in Chicago, reported on February 13, 1891: 

John Graham, who killed Duane Johnson, a merchant of Russellville, two weeks ago, and pled guilty at the Lawrence County Circuit Court today, and was sentenced to thirty years in the penitentiary. He stabbed Johnson with a knife, and ten days later the victim died. Graham was an unsuccessful suitor for the lady who became Johnson's wife, and in revenge he slew his rival.

Ed Note:  Duane Johnson was a son of Pleasant Johnson and Rachel Cullop Johnson. Duane was born about 1866 in Illinois. Duane's parents and several of his siblings are buried in the Tewalt cemetery at Russellville. Illinois marriage records indicate that Duane Johnson married Louisa Simmons in Crawford County on May 9, 1889. No further information has been found on Louisa. No record of Duane's or Louisa's burial have been found.