John William Johnson
Kentucky Post, Saturday, 26 July 1941, page 1
Efforts were being made Saturday to locate relatives of J W Johnson, 50, a shirt salesman, of Hamilton O. who died from heat prostration as he attempted to enter his room at the Newport Hotel, 17 W Sixth street, Newport, by climbing through the transom. Chief Leo Livingston learned Mr. Johnson registered at the hotel a week ago and gave a Hamilton O. hotel as his home address. Officers of James Wallace Costigan Post, Newport are to contact the legion post at Wadsworth Kansas. The victim, a World War veteran carried a membership card from the Wadsworth Post.
Coroner Sauter learned Mr. Johnson, while engaged as a shirt salesman, was a race horse bettor. Among his belongings were cards and addresses of various handbook establishments in Campbell county, Cincinnati and southern Ohio. Coroner Sauter learned the victim had been drinking heavily during the last week.
While no money was found among the victim's possessions, Coroner Sauter said his purse contained passes to all of the nation's leading race tracks. A membership card in the Elks Lodge of Jacksonville Fla. also was found among his belongings. Johnson's death was due to heat and suffocation.