Sep 1911 - Madison, WI
At different times two men were convicted of killing Annie Lemberger, "Dogskin" Johnson and her father, Martin. Today it is officially considered unsolved, but Johnson is the likely killer.
Some say that only the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby had more nationwide press coverage than the Annie Lemberger case.
Annie disappeared sometime overnight on September 5-6 from her home in the "Bush". Three days later her body was found naked floating in Lake Monona Bay by Brittingham park. "Bruised about
the head," but no water was in her lungs, she did not drown.
1921 - Madison, WI
Johnson confessed to the killing but then recanted. He spent more than ten years in prison pleading his innocence before he got a pardon hearing and was set free in 1921.
At that time suspicion switched to her father Martin. He was convicted of manslaughter but, because the statute of limitations had expired, spent no time in jail.
Johnson was granted clemency and paid $5,000 as compensation for his sentence.
1933 The case still wasn't over. It was later discovered that the key winess at the Johnson pardon hearing, Mae Sorenson, was paid to lie by Ole Stolen.
Anna Marie “Annie” Lemberger (7)
Martin Lemberger - Father
Magdeline ()
John A. "Dogskin" Johnson
Mae Sorenson
Ole Stolen
Emerson Ela - Judge in the Annie Lemberger murder case
Decades later, Mark Lemberger, Annie's nephew, became intrigued with the case and spent years trying to piece the evidence together.
In a book
"Crime of Magnitude:
The Murder of Little Annie" Mark concludes that the neighbor, John Johnson, was the killer.
