El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-07
She Killed Her Rival
Story of the Sensational Case Now IN Trial At Ell
dorado. Kansas, Wherein You Woman is Ac-
cused of Razoring to Death the Woman Who
Week Before Married the Man She Adored.

stretched upon the floor in the front
room bathed in blood The room pre-
scented a horrible appearance; blood
spattered the walls and all over the
floor.
Jessie Morrison was bending over
Mrs. Castle and had just been slashing
at her and also at herself. AS Mrs.
Mobberly entered Jessie Morrison
jumped up and ran out the front door
into my arms. l seized her by both
her arms and said, Woman what's the
matter, what have you done?' Jessie
Morrison replied: 4 have killed Mrs.
Castle. l cut her throat with a razor,
but she tried to kill me. There's a
letter in there; let me go and get it.
/ must have it-let me 60
Jessie Morrison was cut twice
across the left side of the throat, and
also on botn arms and was bleeding
freely but she struggled violently
finally overcame her and led her along
towards home. a block north. We went
into the house; she dropped on the
bed. l summoned her mother and re-
turned to Castles. l gave the alarm
and summoned help
Mrs. E. b. Mobberly says: Il heard
screams at the Castle home and started
that way, me tMrs. Spangler at the
door; broke the screen and entered. l
was the first one in the house and
said. My God. what's the matter?' 1t
was horrible. Mrs. Castle was on the
floor in a pool of blood, Jessie Morri-
son was kneeling and bending over
her. l took hold of Jessie's shoulder
and pulled her back. and she rushed
out doors. | did not see any cutting,
but saw Jessie fooling with her shoe
as though she was trying to put some
thing in it,
Those two women were the nearest
to being eyewitnesses of the affair; the
only other two who saw any part of
it were the participants. One of them
is dead. and cannot talk; the other is
in Jail, and will not. But before the
one died and the other was arrested
both made statements. The one that
the wife made was written: she was
so badly cut that she never spoke.
except for a few inarticulate whispers;
her windpipe was severed. The one
from Miss Morrison was made to the
editor of local paper. The attor-
neys guard the wife's statement close
ly. and will not permit ii to be read:
they fought sharp legal battle over
it before the state would permit the
defense even to see it. and only re-
Gently was this ordered by the court.
However. here is the outline of what
she wrote; it is statement made the
she was cut. when it was expected
that she would die. 1t is not admitted
into the case. not being really an ante
norton statement. as she lived some
days. but the ante-mortem statement
is simply ibis done over again. Mrs.
Castle wrote:
| was sitting at home in a chair
when Jessie Morrison came to the door
and knocked: l opened it and asked
her in; was not expecting her; Jessie
had a letter: asked me if / wrote it:
said no; handed me the letter; while
was sitting in the chair. starting to
read it. Jessie slashed me across the
throat with a razor; we scuffled: Jes-
sic threw me on the lounge; we rolled
off on the floor. Jessie slashing me
with the razor: Jessie brought the raZ-
or with her her; / had never tried
to harm her in any way: / screamed
and neighbors came; heard Jessie tell
Mrs. Spangler that / tried to kill her,
but God knows / did not: can't tell
whether / am going to die or not; |
make this as my dying statement
Clara Castle.