John Johnston, The Crow Killer

John Johnston is the subject of the book "Crow Killer, The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson," written by Raymond W. Thorp and Robert Bunker. It is is the true story of John Johnston (last name is alternately spelled "Johnston" and "Johnson"). The introduction of Johnston is quick and stark. In the very first paragraph of the story, we learn that in May 1847, Crow Indians killed and scalped Johnston's young, pregnant wife. Johnston had been away for months on a fur trapping expedition and finds the skeletal remains of his wife and child when he returns. For many years after, Johnston kills and scalps Crow Indians, each time extracting and eating their livers raw. This explanation thus explaining the title of the book. In 1972, the story was made into a major motion picture starring Robert Redford. The movie's title, "Jeremiah Johnson" uses the middle name of...