The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-11
TRIED TO END BOTH LIVES.
MORRIS KILLED HIMSELF, AND HIS
WIFE Is LIKELY TO DIE.


sho REFUSED to Live with Him Longer.
William J. Morris, who was formerly a trusted
employee Of Henry Clews and who was released
from Sing Sing prison on Aug. 2 after serving q
sentence for forgery, shot his vito Margaret yes
terday afternoon and then sent two bullets into
his own brain. He was killed instantly. His wife
is in q precarious condition In the Homeopathic
Hospital. Brooklyn. The 3s-calibro bullet struck
her right arm, near the shoulder, shattering the
bone, then went through the right lung. and,
coming out OF the back, still had sufficient force
to bury itself in the wall.
Tho Morrises lived at lat Greene avenue,
Brooklyn. Mrs. Morris has lived there for four
years and has supported herself by taking
boarders. This fact was the cause Of the at
tempted murder and suicide. For over four
years sho had succeeded in taking care of
herself and her children. and she had
decided that in tho future she would
do the Same, oven after her husband
was released from prison, and although times
had been very hard lately and boarders had been
few, 30 that most Of the furniture had to be
pawned or sold, she told her husband that
she would not live with him. She had told him
this long ago and many times since, but
when he was released from Sing Sing on
Aug. 2 he returned to the house. and the two
lived there together, she allowing him to stay
until no hhu jill . ~. Ahoy
had the FINAL quarrel about 1t yesterday. and 1t
ended in the shooting. Tho three younger chill.
dren are on q farm in Divine Corners, Sullivan
county, and the Oldest. William J. Morris. Jr., a
boy Of 10. is in Rio Janeiro.
DR.. J. +. Atwood, who lives next door. was
standing on his stoop yesterday afternoon when
he heard two revolver shots, quickly followed
by two more. Before he could mako up his
mind just where the sounds came from, two
--- -
to him and pointed to the door OF the
Morris house. DR.. Atwood hurried to the
house, and saw Mrs. Morris leaning against the
inner front door. which she had pulled open.
with streams Of blood flowing down her dress
from q wound in her right shoulder.
my husband has killed me-" she gasped.
land l think he has killed himself"
Then she tainted. With tho aid Of the two
men who had run across the street DR.. Atwood
carried her into the parlor. There was no sofa.
80 he laid her on the floor and made a hasty ex-
animation of the wound. He found that q ball
had entered the right arm, and another. as he
thought. the right breast. These wounds, II
was found later. were made by the same bullet;
One 81 Morris.s four shots went wild and buried
Mrs. Morris's wounds were serious. and DR..
and an ambulance. After stopping the flow OF
blood as well as he could. he went upstairs TO
f door rH Of M the 'front.' mt r 'S%nf in nt the 81 second e9e h story. Oh the
The man lay partly on his right side in a pool
q blood; Near his Sigh, hand lay a reSoiver;
was dead. the nature Of the wound showing that
he he. must ct. have died instantly. One bullet en-,
'f PoiIcsm ans i RfIey e and Bicycle Policeman Finn
lance from the Hcmeopathig Hospital arrived
Captain White Of the Fourth precinct turned out
all his reserves and ordered Roundsnan Martin
aud rArt1n TAt - IRal- aud t.tA.
to take charge OF the case. The reserves went
back to the station when no riot was found and
that might throw some light on the case.
The upper part OF the house was bare and
carpets and a couple OF beds having been taken
AWAY. Eye Erdsryythin Z t tended to g, show tina, Mrs.
from ,duns of all kinds, from persons who
had lent her money and from persons
had evidently furnished her house on the install.
ment plan. for there were a number of dunning
ness; A letter. sealed and ready to mail, written
ssy Mrs MI, Norris No to her .v, sGn, PHILIP I was also
ambitions, for there were a number OF
letters from . novg various PueIish d F houses;
Der of fragments of letters from Assistant Dis
, TaPs i6 aaaG' al III II them Il; B" 4ein,i Gf k to some sO IeaSi
business he had done for her. Clippings from
1Isswspapsrs were also found one Of May 10,
suicide Of a Mrs. lie Champion in London. The
DE- M,e'T: received a letter from you
always provided for them to the best of my
this not only in your letters to me but in
your statement to, Gov. Flower, and I
bfe been no eafit'h9 OF the 10 d GATE II I shall ieaye h nGt BUT BUT
1t Will probably be a day or two earlier than l
stated 70 you, and shall come almost directly
to the house, and. as l am not an unreasonable
deserted me in 1903; that is. il the Joy OF get.
ting out OF this place does not drive me crazy in
The references to her desertion of him in 1893.
taken out in favor OF her children BY Mrs. Nor.
rs In that year. tended to show that she was
return, and these. coupled with a statement
made by the woman. to Coroner CooInbs last
in yesterday tragedy. When Coroner COMBS
arrived later in the afternoon. he found on the
trides. the, following memorandum on a slip Of
paper In his pocketbook;
Lord Conyers-born Maya. 1854; married Sack.
regt.,, col Col Ms saGe'i ABOUT i 1gE7i! iSMHTjSr!' H fSl; Fl
Aldershot, lssG-Harlington Hall. Harrington,
Bbedfordshire, EngldmFirst vent under name OF
Lincoln lnns-Don'tknow whether this is true
S."as Hpl hhtil ihsL evening mat MIS-, Motifs,
having been operated upon, was able to make a
statement. and Coroner C0ombs particularly
asked her about the memoranda; that is. about
the first part. for he forgot about the alleged
Howell elopemcnt. She said In substance:
Both my husband and ! are English. He
came to this country when a child, and twenty
years ago he was an expert accountant for
Henry Clews & Co. i am the daughter of Lord
Conycrs OF England. not the present lord. who Is
q cousin, but the preceding one. When Mr..
Morris came to England twenty years ago ho
} met me and we elopcd and came to this country.
For doing this i was cast off by my family. /
have always tried TO conceal this part Of my
life, but he was, always proud of it and used to
tell every one about It.
1--WE lived together happily until I've years
ago, when he was implicated in forgeriea
amounting to $l3 600. His employer nj that
time was n jeweler named Goldsmith, in Nassau
street. When he was tried he pleaded guilty,
and on Nov. 2, 1892. was sentenced 10 seven
went to Sing, Sing went to Gov,
Flower to ask for his pardon. The
Governor refused to pardon him or Ia
commute his sentence. Since then / have re
, ceived a number OF abusive letters from him be
On mae / did not try aVuiu IN aRpnra hia m lon