I lived in Aklavik for four years at the end of the sixties. Karl Gardlund and Lazarus Sitichinli were two locals who had been on the original manhunt. Their stories got better with each telling. I have several pictures of his grave site, and many, many stories of his exploits. I also have the song, but for some reason, I have never written out the words. I suppose it's time I did.

I think it was one of the first recordings Wilf Carter made.
And Wop May was called in to make it the first air search in the North. It's all been very well documented in several good books.

Up in that far North country
Lived a trapper thought insane
He robbed his Redskinned neighbours
To the police they sent a complaint.

... but the trapper with his six gun
he laid a Mountie low

... he back tracked on his trailers
and laid another Mountie low

The death pictures of Johnson are indeed grizzly. He was hung in a freezer in Aklavik. The constable who was sent in to take his finger prints was naturally a bit spooked and got them backwards. There is a movement afoot to dig him up and try to get better prints because there is a theory that he was once connected with the Hole in the Wall Gang. Fascinating stuff!