Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-10
A New Story Of the Ice
Kings Domestic Tang|e'
An Uncle Thought He Was Do
ing a Great Favor
In Keeping Dodge Away. but Il Only Com.
pIicated the Trouble.

New York. July 9.-The World, today
prints the following:
The man who supplied with such
prodigal hand the money that kept
Charles f. Dodge on luxurious reve
for more than year. while he was a
fugitive from New York Justice, Is
Capt. James T. Morse of Bath and Bos-
ton. He paid to Abraham Hummel So
900 to be devoted to the keeping of
Dodge. the first husband of the pres
ent wife of Charles w. Morse the ice
king, out of the clutches of the New
York authorities. 1t was his money
that surrounded Dodge with a swarm
of lawyers and detectives while he was
fighting extradition in Houston, Tex,
and which made the lavish outlay when
Dodge tried to escape to Mexico under
the guidance of Abraham Kaffenburg
of the firm of Howe & Hummel.
Capt. James T. Morse instituted the
proceedings by which Charles w.
Morse, his nephew. was confronted
with the alleged illegality of his mar
riage with Mrs. Dodge and by reason of
which the ice king felt compelled to d.
vorce his wife, in order that the cloud
might be lifted by "a marriage of UNI
doubted legality.
What may be called the confession Of
Capt. Morse was made on June q. be-
fore the New York grand jury, follow
i'll Il complete statement of his parti-
cipation in the affair to Dist Atty. Je-
rome.
The story told by Capt. Morse is no
doubt unique il, all history and reveals
a curious conspiracy for the undoing
of Il mans marital relation against his
will and even against his knowledge.
If correct it absolves Charles w. Morse
from any but the highest motives in at
tempting to free himself and his wife
from each other. Effort is made to
shCw that Charles w. Morse is and al
ways has been deply devoted to his
wife: that there is the greatest affec-
ton between the two. and there is not
the slightest foundation for the belief
one time prevailing that Mr.. Morse de-
sired a divorce in order that he might
marry Mrs. William B. Gelshenen, or
any other woman.
While at first. in the unraveling of
the tangled Skeins of mystery, Capt.
Morse appears as chief conspirator. and
that only for him there would never
have been any Dodge Morse middle.
never was there plotter. it is declared,
more innocent of evil intent. 1t was his
great love for his nephew that caused
him TO take this initial step out of
which came the famous scandle: the
other moves We're made. he declares.
by Ab, Hummel. the veteran criminal
and divorce lawyer. to whom he paid a
retaining fee of $4,000 and who had to
do something to justify the retention of
this sum.
"Uncle James" was told by the law
yer, he asserts, that the marriage of c.
w. Morse and Mrs. Dodge was illegal.
as the latter had not been properly di-
vorced from Dodge. Believing that
Morse had fallen into the hands of a
designing woman, Capt. James gave to
the lawyer a free hand in an effort to
break up the supposed unholy alliance.
The result was one of the most absorb
ing and mystifying domestic scandals
New York has ever known. and which
puzzled no one more than Charles w.
Morse and his wife.