The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-28
KANSAS NEWS.
Jury Finds Jessie Morrison
Guilty at EIDoradO.
Second Degree Of Manslaughter
Was the Decision.
NOT SEVERE PENALTY.
Not More Than Five Nor Less
Than Three Prison Years.
Locked Up in a Cell in Butler
County Jail.
NOT SEVERE PENALTY.

Fl Dorado. Kas.. June 2S-Jessie Nor
rison was found guilty Of manslaughter
in the second degree late Thursday at
ternoon. for tne murder Of Mrs. Olin
Castle. The penalty is not N ore than
I'VE years or less than three years in
the penitentiary. One Of Miss Morri-
sons lawyers Immediately filed a no
tice of appeal Jessie Morrison was
taken to her old cell in the county jail
ard locked up. There her father. who
had been with ner. left her.
The verdict in the Morrison case was
q compromise. When the jury hrsL
went out Wednesday morning, Henry
Spencer was elected foreman, and then
a ballot was taken to see whether or
not the defendant was guilty or not
guilty The vote was IL to Tor conRlc-
ton Frederick Sproul, the Seventh
Day Adventist preacher. voted Tor as
ouittal Then the argument ana the
vrangling began Five of the jurors
wanted TO return a verdict Of murder
in the first degree The others were
for murder in the second degree ana
manslaughter in the second degree
Fourteen ballots were taken, and stiil
they disagreed. During nearly all OF
the thirty hours that they were out the
jurors argued The case Finally thurs
day morning soon after breakfast the
five who had stood for murder in the
first degree agreed TO com promise If
Sproul would forsake his position for
acQuittaL This ne finally decided to DO.
and then one by one the jurors told
what sentences they would give. until
at o'clock i'm the afternoon, when ali
agreed on manslaughter in the second
degree Judge Altman said that ne
would not sentence Miss Morrison until
a motion for q new trial had been acted
upon
II expect he viii give her the full FIVE
years" said Hayward Morrison. brother
Of Jessie after she had been locked in
her prison room The court the law
yers and everything else was against
sShe's feeling pretty bad" he said in
a reply to an inquiry about his sister
No one was admitted TO her cell Her
father old Judge Morrison his eyes
filled with tears, was walking about
nerv0usly- He had nothing to say Of
the verdict. Henry Spencer, loren an of
the jury. said that the jurymen had
agreed not to talk Of the case. and he
had nothing 10 say. but nearly all OF
the other jurors We're willing to tell
how the jury proceeded
u thought she was guilty" said F.
N. Rowland. but wanted to give her
murder in the second degree. 7 gave
her statement on the stand just about
the same weight as the dying declara-
tion of Clara Castle. just let one or
set the other
Frederick Sproul. the Adventist. said
he thought if the jurors knew how low
the sentence for manslaughter in the
second degree was they would not have
consented to compromise on that SEN
tence.
Some of them said it was only three
to five years, said Sproul, but most of
US thought the second degree of man
slaughter was about ten years.
STORY OF THE KILLING.
Miss Morrison was tried twice for the
murder Of Mrs Clara Wiley Castle.
The story Of the killing in brief. Jessie
Morrison and Clara Wiley loved young
Oiin Castle. Mr- Castle and Miss Wiley
were married June IS. 1900. Eight days
later the bride was cut with a razor by
Miss Morrison. The Wileys. the Nor
risons and the Castles are all leading
families in Butler county The bride of
eight days lived eighteen days after.
Although she could not speak she had
strength to write statement accusing
Jessie Morrison and afterward a note
Of forgiveness to Jessie Morrison. Miss
Morrison was wounded. She was cut
on the. arms and breast. and the ques-
ton was. Did she inf1ict these WOUNDS
upon herself or were they the work of
Clara Wiley Castle The theory of the
prosecution was that the wounds were
self-fnhicted and the defense took the
position that Miss Morrison fought in
sell-defenSe and that the cuts on her
arms and breast We're made by Mrs
Castle Miss MorrisOn's story was that
she was passing the home Of Mr.. and
Mrs Castle when Mrs. Castle called to
her 10 come in She did so. There were
witnesses who saw her go in and wit
nesses who saw her come out What
happened in the house is only known by
the results Mrs. Castle was found
fatally wounded. Miss Morrison swora
Mrs. Castle tried to kill her: that she
took the razor from her and used it in
self-defense.
IN both trials ii was found almost
impossible to get q jury. Every man
In Butler county had read and dis
cussed the killing. Many had formed
opinions The sheriff sent his deputies
out AT night to bring in farmers to be
examined for their fitness to serve as
Jurors
The first trial began November 81
1Suc. December II IL was sent to the
jury room After four days the Judge
cfsc merged the Jurors. as il was inn
possible 70 reach a verdict The vote
at the end stood nine for acuuiftaI AL
though the FIRST jury did not agree on
e verdict for Miss Morrison. If came
near being an acquittal There y,-as ons
man who stood out firmly against II
oSeph Nichols. and he thourhr 4baf
Jessfe Morrison should be sentenra7 80
InauSl laughter in the fourth degree ia I
punishment for which is q term OF from
six months in jail TO two years in the !
penirentiary- NJ. l. Simpson and ] NJ
Jlms, two other Jurors. voted every
time with Nichols. The last trial Of
Miss Morrison began June Il
Miss Morrison did not spend much
time IN Jail She had many friends and