The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-22
CUPID IN MURDER CASE
Miss Jessie Morrison Is Placed
on Trial.
SHE SLEW HER RIVAL
KILLED THE WOMAN WHO WE'D
DED MAN SHE LOVED.

Eldorado. Kan, Nov. 21.-Miss Jes-
sic Morrison, charged with killing Mrs
Onn Castle last June by cutting her
throat with a razor, was placed on trial
here today. The case is one of the
most remarkable in the history of
Kansas ls8hes. Miss Morrison's al
legged notive for the murder was
jealousy. She had been d former
sweetheart of Castle, who is a clerk in
local racket" store.
Miss Morrison, who is &c years old, is
the daughter of Former Probate Judge
H. H Morrison, and the family mas
been prominent in EldCrado society
for years. Mrs. Castle, who was Miss
Mary Wiley. was the same age as her
alleged murderer, and her family was
also weIl-to-do
A short time before Castles marriage
to Miss Wiley. Miss Morrison, VINO had
formerly cIerked in the same store
with him. is said to have threatened
Castle One afternoon a few weeks af-
ter the wedding neighbors, attracted
by Mrs. Castles screams, broke INTO
her house. They found her lying IN a
pool of blood from several gashes in
ner throat and with Miss Morrison,
razor in hand, standing over the pros
trate woman. Miss Morrison too was
bleeding from several cuts
Forgives on Her Deathbed.
Mrs. Castle lived for eighteen days.
Before she died she made a statement
declaring that Miss Morrison had at
tackled her without prOvOcatiOn, AMI
sent word fOrgiving her, The prOsecu-
ton will contend that the defendant
deliberately planned the murder. going
to the Castle home armed with a razor
purchased for the purpose and that
q %
turned the blade upon herself.
Miss Morrison will plead self-defense,
claiming that Mrs. Castle called her
into the house and after starting a
quarrel, attacked her with razor,
which she took from bureau drawer
in the room. In the struggle that FOL
lowed Miss Morrison declared. she
wrenched the weapon from her adver-
sary after receiving several cuts and
in defending herself inflicted several
slashes in the victims throat.
At the preliminary hearing last sum-
mer, Miss Morrison was held without
| bail Much of her time in Jail since
then has been spent in reading the
Bible.
The trial will doubtless become a
| fiery legal battle as eminent attorneys
/ have been engaged on both sides The
/ defense won a point recently when it
| secured a copy of Mrs, Castles dying
7
/ the preliminary hearing DIN Cas-
! tie, the man in the case is younger
1 than either of the women concerned.
Castle Crouches Low.
When Judge c. w. Shinn announced
| the case the court room was crowded
/ with spectators. Among them were a
/ dozen women, clerks in the store where
! Castle and Miss Morrison had worked,
| or neighbOrs of the dead woman and
| her husband. On a front seat sat
! Judge Morrison, the aged father of the
! alleged murderer, and back of him,
/ the curious. young Castle. for love of
! whom, the state will contend, Miss
J Morrison killed his wife.
| Presently Judge Morrison left the
] room accompanied by the sheriff. A
/ few minutes later the two men escort
! ed Miss Morrison, slender and fTail-
| looking to a seat beside the judges
| desk, The prisoner was dressed plain
| ~ and bore detected appearance. She
! sat quietly through the proceedings
/ making no comment and hardly speak
| ing a word. Her five months cOnfine-
ment in the county Jail had apparent
( " changed her completely. Miss Nor
Tison and Olin Castle sat a few feet
/ from each other during the Afternoon
/ session, but neither even glanced al
/ the other.
A motion for continuance was filed
/ on the ground that one of the principa
/ witnesses for the defense is absent
! from the state and cannot be here al
| this term Of court.
/ Judge Shinn Overruled the motion fOl
| a continuance and set the case for TO-
/ morrow