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Benny Johnson murder crime scene near Moorhead, Minn.
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| Title | Benny Johnson murder crime scene near Moorhead, Minn. |
| Date of Original | 1954-12-25 |
| Creator | Olson, Cal, 1924-2009
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| Creator Role | Photographer
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| Description | View of burned automobile parked on snow covered field. A hearse and two men are visible in the background. |
| Ordering Information | Consult: http://library.ndsu.edu/ndsuarchives/duplication-services |
| General Subject | Law
Transportation
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| Subject (LCTGM) | Automobiles
Fires
Hearses
Forensic photographs
Homicides
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| Personal Name | Johnson, Benjamin Gregory, d. 1954
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| Location | Moorhead (Minn.)
Clay County (Minn.)
Minnesota
United States
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| Decade | 1950-1959
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| Item Number | 2098.231 |
| Negative Number | 2098.231 |
| Format of Original | Acetate negatives
Safety film negatives
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| Dimensions of Original | 10 x 13 cm. |
| Transcription | "Death car: The body of Benny Johnson, an Indian from Sisseton, S. D., was found in this scorched car which stalled in a plowed field on a farm about 10 miles northwest of Moorhead, Friday afternoon. Cause of the blaze, which reduced Johnson's body to a charred skeleton, has not been determined." - caption with similar photograph published in the Fargo Forum, Dec. 25, 1954, p. 16. |
| Notes | Title supplied by staff. |
| Biography/History | On the evening of Dec. 24, 1954, the body of Benny Johnson was discovered in a burning automobile on the farm of Swan Nelson, 7 miles north and 3 ½ miles west of Moorhead, Minn. According to reports, Benny Johnson and three other men, Joseph Johnson, Sam DeMarce, and Calvin Friniere from Sisseton, S.D. drove a Ford sedan through the Nelson farmyard and into a plowed field where it got stuck. After freeing themselves; Morris Nelson, son of the farm owner, told the intruders to get off the property. The men were all extremely intoxicated and appeared to have been fighting. One of the men was unconscious in the front seat. After being asked to leave the property, the men then drove back onto the plowed field where it once again became stuck. Meanwhile, another Nelson son went to a neighboring house to call the police. When he got back, the automobile was on fire. Two of the intoxicated men, Friniere and DeMarce were still standing outside the burning automobile, and Joseph Johnson had fled the scene on foot. He was later located on the C.C. Koltes farm, where he was taken into custody. |
| Repository Institution | North Dakota State University Libraries, Institute for Regional Studies
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| Repository Collection | Cal Olson Photograph Collection 2098
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| Collection Finding Aid | Consult: http://hdl.handle.net/10365/12634 |
| Credit Line | Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo (2098.231) |
| Rights Management | Copyright held by Institute for Regional Studies. |
| Language | eng; |
| Digital ID | co000063 |
| Original Source | Negative |
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