Show bandit shot in church by cop elector rector held up holds golds minister as hostage under threat cf of death As police close in FINDLAY OHIO A rookie state patrol rifleman shot down a tive gunman in trinity episco pal church after he had held the ector as hostage tor for an hour the gunman pressing a pistol 11 gamst the minister ministers s head had varned lamed police who closed in about he church I 1 U kill him il if you try and cap ure me patrolman R C crept into the church in his stock ng feet while the rev john evans enox knox argued with the cunnian gunman at he baptismal font in the church vestibule was chief leo J harkins preach ng the best sermon of my life nd ind pleading with the fugitive boy you haven t done anything oo 00 serious come out now and ion don t hurt this anan man of god who has been deen near death several times re bently yahl yah yahl the gunman snarled you haven t got much on me just carrying concealed weapons steal ing a car and so forth suddenly 0 nd denly the gunman s attenni attention on was distracted patrolman Vander veea fearful of hitting the minister missed with his arst shot mr knox grappled with the 61 e gunman but he broke awa away y fhe rhe patrolman fired again and the gunman dropped near the church door had criminal record he was identified as leonard johnson 29 of detroit who had served three terms in the michigan reformatory at one time while he was hold ing mr knox prisoner the gunman decided to light a you cant can t smoke in here mr knox cried we never allow any I 1 one to smoke in the church the gunman put his ci garets away the 34 year old rector who has been seriously ill since returning from duty as a naval chaplain re a black eye and hand cut while battling the intruder johnson and a companion lin dey dev brown 29 ot of granville ky had been arrested on suspicion of automobile theft earlier while they were being searched at ane station johnson drew a gun and shouted I 1 in m getting out of here he sprinted into a crowd of noon day shoppers in the downtown sec tion and entered the church police pursuers stopped suddenly when johnson appeared at the church door with a gun pressed to mr knox knobs s bead head rector not scared after shouting his threat the gun man forced the minister into the church I 1 wasn gasn t scared really I 1 wasn gasn t mr knox told newsmen after he was rescued I 1 tried to argue with the man but he wouldn t listen police chief clue f harkins talked to him too through the window the man told me he wouldn t give himself up because he was wanted in another state finally he lie told the ch ef and me he wanted us to get him a car and that I 1 would accompany him until he was out of the city after the chief said the car is ready now we left the baptismal font and walked toward the front door that was when patrolman fired the first time the man hadn haan t harmed me up to then but after the shot missed he he began brandishing that gun and saying he was going to kill me I 1 jumped him and we rolled on the floor I 1 don t know just what happened but suddenly the man gamed gained his feet and the patr patrolman fired again hitting him this time mr knox a former newspaper man has been pastor of the trinity church about seven years ing his war service |