The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-27
Rev. G. E. Morrison Hanged To.
day In Texas.
Killed Wife That He Might
Marry a Topeka Girl.
WAS CAPTURED HERE.
After Being Held Several Days
Given His Liberty.
Afterwards Apprehended In
California and Tried.

Vernon, Tex, Oct. 27.-Rev. G. E.
Morrison, convicted of numbering his
wife because he wished to marry a To-
peka girl Miss Annie Whittlesey, was
hanged here today at II o'clock.
He met his death resignedly. On the
scaffold he said to the select party of
twenty witnesses permitted at the ex-
ecution:
Il am innocent. Circumstances over
which I had no control have placed me
in this position.
Il have taken my trouble in private
to my God. admit that 1 have acted
indiscreetly. 1 have done no worse,
however, than hundreds of men who
stand high in the religious, social, bus
mess and official circles of your state.
1 have done nothing to confess. am
in the hands of my Maker. He knows
1 am innocent"
Morrison's neck was broken by the
fall and his death appeared to be pain
less
Rev. G. E. Morrison's crime was
committed at Canadian, Tex, Gin the
Panhandle), on the night of October 10,
1897, by the administration of stryeh-
nine. The poison was given about 10
o'clock at night and Mrs. Morrison
lived in terrible agony until the next
morning. Mr.. and Mrs. Morrison had
on the night mentioned been to the
church of which her husband was pas
tor and he had preached a short ser
mon. She was attacked with SpaSmS
soon aIIer reaching nome, and when
her nelghbOrS called, Rev. Morrison in.
formed them that his wife was subject
to such attacks; that she had taken
capsule of quinine and that the medi-
cine seemed to have operated badly on
her. Their neighbors had no thought
at the time that Mrs. Morrison was the
victim of a crime at the hands of her
husband, and when the funeral was
over the matter was soon dismissed as
an unusual death incident in the COM
munity. The Rev. Morrison soon dis
at first productive of comments of sur
prise, then of suspicious of something
being wrong and finally by open dec
laratiOn by many persons that their be-
lief was that he had committed wife
murder.
The train of thought and talk result
ed in an official investigation. 1t was
soon developed that for several months
previous to the murder of Mrs. Morri-
son her husband had written letters to
a former sweetheart, Miss Annie Whit
tlesey, then living at Topeka, Kan
These letters contained strong protes-
tatiOnS of love.
He represented himself as being still
widower and engaged in the cattle
ranching business at Higgins Tex. He
desired Miss Whittlesey to marry him
The part the Rev. Morrison played
toward Miss Whittlesey is best told in
her own language, given on the witness
stand on September %, 1898 when she
appeared as a witness for the state in
the trial of the Rev. Morrison, on change
that on the 29th day of July 1897 G. E
Morrison visited her for the first time
at her home at Topeka, Kan. He in
troduced himself to her as an old
schoOlmate and sweetheart at Lebanon
Ill He stated that he had been mar
ried and his wife had been dead about
eleven years; that he was in the stock
business at Higgins, Tex: the next
day he wrote her note asking her to
go buggy riding with him and during
the drive he proposed marriage to her
and was accepted He told her at that
time he could not marry in less than
one year, and possibly two years He
visited her the next day and again
made expressions of love to her He
then returned to his home in the PAN
handle of Texas.
On August he wrote her a letter call
ing her dearest, darling baby grille.
stating that he was lonely without her.
and would return as soon as possible
This letter was addressed at Higgins
Tex, and mailed on the train, but was
evidently written at Panhandle, Tex
his home. Morrison again wrote Miss
Whittlesey on the 9Th day of Septenn-
Der, 1897. using the same endearing
terms as in the former letter In the
letter he referred to something that had
! been written to him by her, and said
that Mrs. Norris, sister of Miss Annie
WhittleSey, and her brother were op-
posed to him when they We're sweet
| hearts in Illinois, and that he believed
that they would do everything possible
to separate them again, but protested
his love for her and said that he would
prove himself to be what he represent
ed himself. About ten days later he
visited Miss Whittlesey at her home at
Topeka and remained in Topeka during
the carnival which was held at that
time, and remained till the latter part
of September. During his visit he ac-
companied her to the carnival and took
frequent buggy rides with her. He told
her that his cousin, Guy E. Morrison,
a married man and minister, was re-
| siding at Panhandle, Tex; that he was
/ quit regular preaching by reason of
| trouble with his throat; that he was
now in the stock business. He return
| ed to his home at Panhandle about the
| 1st of October and on October mailed
| her a letter. He again called her his
| darling baby wife, and frequently re-
ferred to her as his darling baby grille.
The facts recited above were in the
| possession of the Texas authorities be-
| fore the Rev. Mr.. Morrison was arrest
ed They were learned while he was
| being searched for all over the United
| States as a fugitive from Texas Justice
| Miss Whittlesey's exposures, after she
had discovered his duplicity and vii
lainly did much to bring about his cap
| ture and sealed his conviction.
Morrison was traced to Los Angeles,
| cal. and thence to San Francisco where
| he was arrested on April 1, 1898 He
| had, however, been taken into custody
| on November 20, 1897 and detained sew
| eraI days before by Chief of Police
| Steele of Topeka, Kan. His release
| was brought about by a telegram from
I persons in Panhandle City Tex who
| represented that Morrison's arrest was
the result of mistake He Immediate
| " disappeared from Topeka, and Miss
1 VVbfffIeseV'S statements soon mt the