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Jefferson Circuit Court
Commonwealth
vs Statement of Lee Chambers
A K Johnson
I am deputy clerk of this Court and was in attendance on the Court during the trial of A K Johnson
Merwin, the owner of the pistols, stated that he knew the accused, that he had occupied a room above his store for some time with his consent but that for three or four months prior to the alledged robbery, he had not so occupied it, he could not swear positively that the pistols exhibited in Court were the ones that he had lost, but he had lost similar ones.
A clotheir and his clerk testified that the accused had pawned similar pistols with him for clothing, that he had at one time taken away the pistols first left and deposited others in the place of them. they were similar to those exhibited him those lost left he had given to a police officer who called for them Wisotsky (another witness I think in the employ of Merwyn) stated that articles such as were exhibited had been missed at various times from the store of Merwyn, that Merwyn and he had set up all night to watch for the persons taking them, that the night had nearly passed,
it was about daylight when Merwyn remarked that he would go to bed and left him alone in the store with that intention. That shortly after he heard a key inserted into the door, turned and the door pushed open, a man entered and closed the door gently after him. He (Wisotsky) was sitting on the end of a bench a short distance back in the store -- the man possibly seeing him, again opened the door and went out, he immediately ran forward and caught him just outside the door. It was Johnson he knew him well and held him and talked to him for some time. The door had been opened by a key of the store which was usually left on the room formerly occupied by Johnson
Lee Chambers