Title:
Murder in Chisago County : the unsolved Johnson family mystery
ISBN:
9781467142335
Physical Description:
127 pages : illustrations, portraits, facsimiles ; 23 cm.
Contents:
The fire, the search, and a town divided -- The Johnson clan and the professional boxer -- Flames in the night, smoldering ruins and a massive manhunt -- "A hotel, a livery and several stores" -- The Lundeens and the Lindstroms -- A town in mourning and a posse of farmers -- What did Mr. Peers know? -- Albin Johnson's biggest defender -- Gangsters and hoodlums -- Boozer Hank, ghost stories and urban legends -- Did the brothers do it? -- What really happened? -- Epilogue.
Genre:
Added Corporate Author:
Summary:
At 3:30 a.m. on April 11, 1933, neighbors and firefighters arrived at the farmhouse of Albin and Alvira Johnson to find a smoldering heap where a seemingly happy home once stood. Beneath the ruins, investigators found the bodies of Alvira and her seven children, but Albin's remains were nowhere to be seen. The authorities determined that Alvira and the children were dead before the fire, and fingers immediately pointed to Albin. Hundreds of searchers, including the illustrious Pinkerton Agency, combed the area and even crossed into Canada in pursuit of Johnson, who was indicted in absentia for murder. But he was never found, dead or alive. What happened to the Johnson family and what part, if any, Albin played in the tragedy remain a mystery. Twin Cities journalist Brian Johnson tells the story that has beguiled the community for generations.
