# Mr. Francis Johnson — The Man in Lower Ten character guide

> Mr. Francis Johnson in The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Johnson, Mr. Johnson

**First appearance:** 0003-iv-numbers-seven-and-nine

## Snapshot

A detective as unhurried as he is unshakable, Johnson escorts his suspect north while discoursing cheerfully on gallows improvements and the condemned man's final meal.

## Who they are

Johnson works the Sullivan murder case with a professional's calm, arranging Blakeley's voluntary surrender with the same matter-of-factness he brings to any errand. His placid exterior and grisly small talk unsettle his companion, yet he proves reliable, even companionable, under the influence of good tobacco. He matters because his quiet custody moves the narrator back toward Washington and the reckoning waiting there.

## In the story

### [Numbers Seven and Nine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/iv-numbers-seven-and-nine)

Irritated by the chaos, takes down the victim's details, and dismisses the narrator's loss as not the railroad's problem.

### [XIII: Faded Roses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xiii-faded-roses)

Detective watching Blakeley from across the street; lifts his hat to Blakeley at the end of the chapter.

### [XIV: The Trapdoor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xiv-the-trapdoor)

Detective watching the narrator; arrives at the door to investigate a light in the empty house; searches the building but finds no intruder.

### [The Cinematograph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xv-the-cinematograph)

Surveils the narrator and McKnight, but is exhausted and outmaneuvered during their country walk.

### [In the Dining-Room](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxix-in-the-dining-room)

Travels with the narrator to Washington, discusses gallows, and agrees to the narrator's surrender at two the next afternoon.

### [XXX: Finer Details](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxx-finer-details)

Mentioned as having promised to produce Sullivan.

### [And Only One Arm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/chapters/xxxi-and-only-one-arm)

Reveals scratches on Mrs. Conway's hand, solving the intruder mystery, and shows contempt for Blakeley.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/characters/johnson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_man_in_lower_ten_se/characters