Johnson was of Ho-Chunk, French and Irish ancestry. He identified as Ho-Chunk and was depicted in the media as a Native American. A 1913 feature by Ripley's Believe It or Not! reported his full name as George Washington Murphy Johnson.
Johnson was shot to death in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 11, 1922, at the age of 36. He had been in town to host a medicine show and had gotten into an argument during a dice game. The shooter, despite having confessed to police and being identified by witnesses, was eventually acquitted of first degree murder.

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