The San Francisco call., 1895-11-05
Discovery Of the Mutilated Body
of the Victim in a Va.
cant House.
THREE MEN WERE ARRESTED
One Of Them, an Ex.Convict Named
Morgan, Undoubtedly Committed
the Crime.

OMAHA, NEBR., Nov. Ada Gaskill, the
11-year-old and pretty daughter of a poor
widow living at 1814% Howard street, was
criminally assaulted and murdered last
evening in an old vacant ten-room house
in the rear of 1907 Howard street, near
the old Battle of Gettysburg Cyelorama
The corpse was discovered at / AS this
morning by detective. Immediately af-
ter the finding Martin Booker, coal
hauler; George Morgan, a collar maker,
and Ed Sanford, machinist, were ar
rested on suspicion of having committed
the crime, but the burden of suspicion rests
upon Morgan, who was found with blood
upon his clothes.
Ida went at 80 o'clock in the afternoon
to call Martin Booker to his supper.
Booker boarded with the Gaskills. Mrs.
Gaskill, the child's mother, became anx-
ious when the child did not return during
the evening, and reported the matter to
the police, and Captain Haze Immediately
dispatched officers to search for the miss
ing girl. When discovered at IL AS the lit
tie body was lying in small closet in the
vacant house, with disarranged clothing.
swollen throat and features, and unmis-
taxable evidence OF having been the victim
of a murderer. 1t was lying on the left
side. The closet was about the middle of
the house, and was reeking with stenches.
Immediately upon the discovery of the
body the Coroner was notified and the
police began vigorous search of the To-
cality. Martin Booker was Immediately
apprehended in his room at 1906 st. Mary's
avenue and taken to the City Jail. He
disowned all knowledge of having seen
the girl after 4 80 o'clock in the afternoon,
and although he was the last man reported
as having been seen with her alive there
was nothing further to connect him with
the crime. On the first floor of the Gas
kill cottage George Morgan and Ed San
ford were found asleep in adjoining rooms.
The most startling discoveries made
were the bloody garments of Morgan. His
trousers were smeared with blood on the
front, his lower shirt front was spotted
with blood, there were traces of blood on
his left hand and his coat was completely
filled with dust on the back. Morgan and
Sanford were quickly marched to Jail,
where the former was completely stripped
and furnished with other clothing while
his own apparel will be held as evidence
against him. In an interview Morgan at
tempted to account for his doings Sunday.
When the body of the little girl was taken
to the morgue it was found that death was
caused by choking. Deep scars made bv
finger nails were on either side of the
throat Willie Gaskill, a 10-year-old
brother of the dead child, says he saw
Morgan about o'clock yesterday after
noon enter the vacant building where the
body OF Ida was found, and asked Morgan,
What are you hiding there for2" Nor
gan made no reply to the question. He
appeared anxious TO have the boy leave.
and said to him: willie, where is Ida?
Go tell her 1 want to see her; want to
send her on an errand.'
Mrs. L. f. Agnew, who lives across the
alley from the house where the murder
was committed, has two little girls, aged
9 and 4 years, who claim that about 4
o'clock yesterday afternoon Morgan called
to them from the vacant house and beck
oned them to come to him. They say he
was drunk. They were afraid of him and
ran into their own house.
Morgan was placed in the sweat box this
morning by Captain King. He said he
had been drinking Sunday and asserts he
saw the Gaskill girl but once during the
afternoon, and then only for moment.
when she asked him to tell Booker to come
to her house. He says he can account for
the blood stains on his clothes. He claims
to have worked for a butcher last Saturday
and to have carried from a wagon quar-
ter OF beef into the shop. A careful exam
ination OF Morgan clothes discloses bloody
finger marks on his vest and blood stains
on his shirt front. His handkerchief was
completely saturated with blood.
During the course of Captain Kings
questioning Morgan admitted that he was
an ex-convict, having served eighteen
months in the Nebraska peniten tiary for
burglary and grand larceny committed at
Blair. He also admitted that he had been
arrested and held in Jail for an attempted
criminal assault upon little girl at Blair
about four years ago.
A complaint was sworn to by Sergeant
Corey charging Morgan with murder
Upon being arraigned he pleaded not
guilty. The preliminary examination was
set for Wednesday afternoon at 2 O'Clock.
The police say they had no fears of a
possible lynching. but were glad to have
Morgan relieved from their charge and
placed in the custody of the Sheriff. Sc
curely handcuffed Morgan was moved to
the County Jail this afternoon, and later
was removed to the State prison at Lin
coin.
Mrs. Gaskill, the mother of the dead girl.
is employed at the Model Steam Laundry.
Her husband, James Gaskill, has been
dead eight years. He was prominent
Grand Army OF the Republic man and
worked at the Government corral. An in
quest will be held tomorrow morning st
O'Clock. post-mortem examination was
held this afternoon. The police say there
is no evidence to implicate either Martin
Booker or Edward Stanford. arrested under
suspicion in the murder.
Every circumstance points directly to-
ward George Morgan.
Morgan is 3S years old. A crowd gath
cred around the County Jail this after
noon, but were assured that the prisoner
had been taken to Lincoln.
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ON EASTERN TRACKS.