Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-12-18

Was Party to the Awful Trag.
edy-Full Text Of the Last Con-
fession Made by Morgan the Day
Before He Was Executed.
Special to the Register.
Ravenswood, w. Va, December IL
A report was brought here tonight
that Ben Anderson, the man whom
Murderer John Morgan implicated in
the killing of Mrs Chloe Green and her
son and daughter, had died at his home
near Ripley, and that upon his death
bed, within an hour of his souls de-
parture, he confessed that what Nor
gan had said was true.
The report cannot be verified tonight,
but it is given considerable credence,
and is surrounded by many circum-
stances that tend to bear it out.
A few days before Morgan's eXecu-
ton he gave the first intimation that
he had an accomplice in his devilish
crime. Careful questioning led to a
statement by Morgan that Ben Ander-
son, hired man employed on the Green
farm, had killed CID Mrs. Green and
had been the instigator of the crime
from the first. Little credence was
given to this statement, but Sheriff
Shinn deemed it worth while to make
an investigation. This revealed suffi-
cient evidence to lead the sheriff to de-
mand a further statement from Morgan.
Finally the sheriff decided to place
Anderson under arrest, and he went to
his home, with deputy, to serve war
rant, sworn out by the prosecuting at
torney.
Anderson was sick in bed, and the ar
rival of the sheriff caused him to dis
play great fear and to become so agi-
tated that he could not speak his vo-
cal organs apparently becoming par
alyzed. The sheriff served the war
rant and left man to guard the house
to make sure Anderson did not escape
So impressed with the Importance OF
Morgan's statement was Sheriff Shinn.
that he would have Joined in an appeal
to the Governor to respite Morgan but
for fear the condemned man would be
lynched if not hanged on the day set.
The last confession of Murderer John
Morgan, which was made Monday, De-
cember IS, is given below.
1t was made in the presence of airs
Morgan, his wife: Sheriff Shinn, and
the stenographer, Mrs. Anna McVey.
The confession. word for word, as it
came from Morgan's Inns. is given in
Il am going to tell it; it is Just this
way now. I put it off and never in
tended to tell at ALL but | saw that I
could not afford to die this way. and |
have put it off until the last mo-
ment.
THE whole instigation of this thing
was that girl Alice Pfost. She has
done everything in her power to sep
arate me and my wife; she throwed
herself in my way and offered every
lnducement for me to leave my wife,
ever since we have been married. The
DAY before we were married, | went
back TO their place for some of my
clothes. and she followed me up stairs
and got down on her knees to me and
begged me to burn up the license that
l had got to marry Becca and get one
to marry her. l told her that it was
nonsense, that her mother would not
permit her to wed me, but she said
she would ask her mother, so she did,
her mother said that the other girls
had had their choice and there was no
reason why she should not marry ner
choice. l told her there was no use
of fooling: | told her that time and
again. l left their house six months
before | was married to get rid of her
and after | got married then she tor
mented me to leave Becca and go with
her She proposed to put the family
out of the way, and that she would
have enough to keep us both, after
affairs were settled up, if would go
away with her. | told her i would
not do any such thing; she said then
if she would have it done, would
promise to leave with her after the
matter was settled up.
Il made her no promise whatever.
I never had any intention Of leaving
my wife, but she got this other man
Dob Anderson that is living there
now, right there in their 10use, as
was planned upon and agreed to do
this thing, and l went there that
night.
HE was to come in the night, but
he did not come till 4 o'clock and when
he come it was after they got up. He
whistled a low soft whistle. They had
at that time been to the smokehouse
for milk, and he come right in there
and killed that old woman and Tillie
Pfcst, the daughter, with the axe.
never struck but one lick, that was
what | struck with the rock.
"Alice Pfost was never touched Or
struck at all She run out TO where
there was a pile of boards. | met her
and after it was all over, she turned
to me and said:
"'What are you going to DO. now
I said, I am going home; going to do
nothing at all She says: You are
not going to treat me that way, ase
you?' I said: 4 am going home
''She screamed and started 10 run to-
wards John Chauncey's. and Anderson
came up then and says: Where has
she gone I said: Il don't know, but
guess she has gone to Chauncey's, she
has gone in that direction He says:
g - her soul TO Of her. l will kill
her. and he started after her as fast
as he could go. How far he followed
l Go not knew. as l went the other di-
rection towards home. And that is the
way it was. It has proved out on me,
vet I die not do the killing. The court
shin between r7vse'f a1d Alice Pfnst
existed ever since three weeks after
going there to live until six months be-
bore l was marrieG. When l first went
there. | went 70 halp finish shucking