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News from the Past: An Old Crime Recalled The following article appeared in the May 18, 1904, Adair County News. The name of the accused appeared in the original article both as Johnson and Johnston and was transcribed accordingly. by Jim About the time of the ending of the Civil War, Green Johnson, who was a Federal soldier, at the time, was indicted in the Adair Circuit Court for the murder of John Miller, and was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged. Thereafter, he was hanged under the judgment of the court by Young E. Hurt, who was then the sheriff of the county. John Miller had been a soldier himself, and had only a short time, previous to his death, returned from the army, and was residing with his father, on the farm, where Dr. "Tink" [Samuel P.] Miller now lives. A body of Federal soldiers were encamped at Columbia, and on one night two of them, Green Johnson and Pack Motley, went out on a chicken stealing raid. They went to the house of Gaither Miller and while engaged in raiding the coops, made some disturbance, when John Miller went out of the house to what was the matter, and when he approached the coops he was shot and after lingering some hours, died. An alarm was immediately given, and when, in the night, the officer in command of the troops had them all aroused and the roll called, it was found that the only one absent was Green Johnson. On the next day an investigation was had before the courts and when Pack Motley was called as a witness, he told the story of the crime, and charged the murder on upon Johnston. Johnston was afterward arrested in Fentress County, Tennessee, by the famous mountain detective, Jo Taylor, and returned to the jail, in this county, and tried for the crime, which resulted as stated above. Under the gallows, and in the presence of the crowd gathered to witness the hanging, Johnston called Pack Motley to him and charged upon him the killing of Miller. Johnston, at the same time, declared his innocence of the crime, and stated that he was going to die for the crime of Motley. This scene, of course, under the circumstances, made a profound sensation. Shortly after the hanging of Johnston, a story was told by some one to the effect that Pack Motley had sickened and died, and that on his death bed he made a confession that he, instead of Johnston, shot and killed Miller and that Johnston was an innocent man. This story gained in circulation until it was told all over this county and other counties adjoining, and is to the present time almost universally believed, and has doubtless saved a great many murderers from the death penalty. It is not known whether Pack Motley is yet alive or not, but it is certainly known that Motley was still alive and well for more than twenty years after this story of his death and confession had been circulated all over this county. The fact of Johnston's guilt was most conclusively shown upon the trial, and that he was most certainly guilty beyond all cavil, in spite of his declaration of innocence at the time he was hanged. John Miller made his dying declaration in which he stated that when approached the chicken coop a very little man--a mere boy in stature--ran away and as he ran discharged his pistol straight up into the air, and that a tall, dark faced man remained at the coop and shot him. The mother of John Miller, who was standing looking on from the door of the dwelling house, made the same statement. Motley was a very small man--a mere boy in stature, while Johnson was a tall, dark faced man. Motley stated that when he saw John Miller approaching, he ran and discharged his pistol in the air, and the Johnston remained and shot Miller. Motley returned to the camp and to his company, while Johnston fled at once, adding the crime of desertion from the army, to his crime of murder. Why this story of the death and confession of Motley ever made such a profound impression upon the public is one of those unaccountable things with which we meet now and then. It could not be believed by any one knowing the facts in the case, even if he had made such a confession. It would be apparent that he had told as great a falsehood as Johnston did on the gallows. A few weeks later, an article headlined "Some Old Juries" gave this additional information: In 1865 Green Johnson was hung for killing John Miller, who resided three miles from Columbia. Johnson was a Federal soldier and Miller had just been discharged from the union army. The following jurors rendered the death verdict: N..B. Dohoney, Cary Brockman, Wm. Grant. Cluff S. Thomas, J.N. Davis, John F. Dohoney, Geo. W. Nell, A.W. Thomas, John G. Sublett, J.J. Hubbard, Wm. N. Breeding, Stephen Cave.N.B. Dohoney and Cluff Thomas we know to be living. Gaither Miller married Dorothy Owens in the late spring of 1841. John S., their eldest, born in 1842 or 1843, was about 22 years old when killed by Pvt. Johnson. In Volume I of An Adair County, Kentucky History, Mike Watson notes that the date of execution was set for August 25, 1865 and duly carried out on Oak Hill. He also states that Johnson was a member Co. L of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry, commanded by Capt. John R. Curry. (Curry himself was shot and killed in Columbia in September 1864 by ex-Confederate W.S. Long, but that's a tale for another day.)-- This story was posted on 2011-07-20 08:22:31
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