[Chattanooga Times, 3/22/1906]
Ed Johnson's funeral took place yesterday afternoon without incident. It was originally intended to conduct the services from the home of his sister on Carr street, but the crowd was so great that after the service had begun it was decided that the talks should be made from the yard of the Primitive Baptist church, which is next door, so that more persons could hear what was said.
Revs. Julius Johnson and William Black, both colored ministers, conducted the services. No reference was made to the manner in which Johnson came to his death, and the funeral was devoid of all sensationalism and was conducted in a remarkably conservative manner. Over 2,000 persons were present.
The interment of Johnson took place at 4 o'clock at the Pleasant Grove cemetery, where a large crowd congregated.
QUIET DAY WITH POLICE
There was practically no disorder in the city yesterday and the police had a comparatively quiet time. Several rumors were received at police headquarters of fights but each proved to be false.
The police reserves are still on duty and will be kept on today. Last night very few arrests were made by the patrolmen and nothing out of the ordinary was reported.
In police court yesterday afternoon eight negro men were tried on charges of carrying concealed weapons. In each case the officers had arrested the negroes on the day previous and had found revolvers on them. They were all fined $50 and costs and bound over to the criminal court.
MATTER OF INQUIRY
There were no new developments yesterday in the matter of investigating the events of last Monday night, although the air was full of rumors of what was going to be done. Reports were current that the United States district attorney, Gen. Penland, had started to Chattanooga to make official inquiries. If he arrived in the city he kept himself in seclusion.
The following Associated Press dispatch was sent out from Washington last night:
"The subject of the lynching of Ed Johnson, the negro, at Chattanooga, Tenn., while he was under sentence of death, and in whose case the supreme court of the United States had issued a stay of execution, continued to engage the attention of members of the court today. A conference of the justices now in the city was held at the home of Justice Fuller today regarding the matter. It is not known what conclusion was reached."
W. G. M. THOMAS TALKS
NEW YORK, March 21. – W. G. M. Thomas of Chattanooga, Tenn., who is in town and who was of the counsel assigned by the curt to defend Ed Johnson, lynched in Chattanooga Monday night, said last night:
"The crime was a most atrocious one and there was great indignation. Three days later Johnson was arrested. The prisoner was convicted by one of the most intelligent juries I have ever known.
"At my suggestion the judge appointed three additional lawyers to go over the evidence for the purpose of determining whether an appeal should be taken. We spent an entire afternoon and until 12 o'clock at night going over the evidence. It was our unanimous opinion that no error had been committed upon which we might hope to get a reversal or a new trial. An appeal could mean nothing but delay in the execution of the prisoner. We thought that a delay might result in another assault upon the jail, with chances of possible injury to other prisoners confined in it. For these reasons we advised against an appeal. That ended my active participation in the case.
"There were times when I had doubts of the prisoner's guilt. The evidence, however, was strong against him. The young woman, when the prisoner was taken before her, would not positively swear that he was the man, but she said she believed he was the man."