Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-29


ment made by many of this mornings
papers that a negro laid hold of Mrs. Nor
ris and assisted in carrying her out one
of the colored messengers of the office fol-
lowed the policemen and gathered up such
small articles as were dropped In the wo-
mans struggles. but there was no other
foundation whatever for the statements"
Statement Of Eyewitness.
In the same issue of The Star with Mr..
Barnes statement was printed the follow
ing article:
IAN eyewitness of the distressing scene
at the White House yesterday afternoon,
when Mrs Mino Morris of this city was
thrown out of the executive offices, dragged
block over the asphalt and taken to the
house of detention. where charge Of In
sanity made against her was unsusta1ned
by a medical examination, has described
the incident as he saw 1t. This is his state
ment:
81 was sitting in the small room to the
right of the main lobby in the executive
offices of the White House yesterday after
noon when i heard an exclamation In an
excited tone. followed by scream. inn
mediately stepped through the doorway.
which was only a few feet from where
was sitting, into the main lobby, and that
moment saw two of the police officers on
duty at the White House struggling with
Mrs. Morris and endeavoring to force her
toward the door. / had been sitting in the
small room adjacent for some time pre-
viously and had heard no loud or boisterous
talking. nor any indication of boisterous
conduct had casually noticed, on passing
through the executive office main lobby
some moments before, the woman whom
in a chair along the west wall of the lobby
took no especial notice of her. She looked
no different in dress or demeanor from any
other well dressed woman who might call
TO see the President business
50 AS to her loud and boiSterous conduct
previous to her ejectment, with which Mrs.
Morris is credited in Mr. Barnes statement,
know nothing. / was hardly dozen feet
from the scene and heard nothing to indi-
cate a disturbance until the exclamation
and scream which led me to rush to the
threshold of the door leading into the lobby.
Mrs. Morris is a large woman, and as
she apparently became extremely hysterical
when the police officers grabbed her, they
had considerable trouble In forcing her to
the door. Mrs. Morris continued the strug-
gle and to plead with the bystanders to
interfere in her behalf She was finally
forced through the door of the executive
offices and half carried half dragged, was
forced down the asphalt walk that runs
along the extension from the White House.
west to the executive offices. Several times
Mrs. Morris was prone on the ground
whether because of the officers carrying her
stepped on her dress and tripped her. or
whether she deliberately threw herself
down, 1 do not know. At these times the
officers continued to force her along, and
Mrs. Morris, being large and well-built
woman. was dragged at time by her arms,
her feet trailing and her dress sweeping the
wet asphalt.
Just as the officers had succeeded in
dragging Mrs. Morris to a point near the
steps which lead into the main building or
the White House a negro hurried out. The
officers at that time had Mrs. Morris by the
arms and were dragging her along. The
negro stopped, clutched Mrs Morris just
above the ankles with both hands, and thus
assisted the officers picked Mrs. Morris up
Tod hay into ha
sight of those who had been witnesses or
the scene.
II am very much astonished that Mr..
Barnes makes the declaration that there is
no truth in the statement that a negro la1d
hold of Mrs. Morris and assisted in carry
ing her He explains that this report is
based the fact that one of the coiored
messengers of the office followed the police
men and gathered up such small articles as
were dropped in the womans struggles.
say l am very much surprised at this state
ment. because l witnessed the incident from
the moment j have indicated until Mrs
Morris was carried out of sight l saw the
negro run up and grab her feet and assist
the two officers in carrying her into the
building.
What happened on the journey down the
passageway to the east carriage entrance L
do not know. / do not know what was
said or done by Mrs. Morris or by the Off
GERS. But when she was FORCED INTO the
cab at the east entrance to &c taken 10 the
witness of this portion of the Incident
Mrs Morris was by this time apparently
entirely historical. For Gods sake don't
send me to the house of detention she
cried as the officers tried to force her into
the cab She struggled as hard as she
could and the officers had considerable
difficulty with her, 1t finally becoming
necessary for two of them to get in the cab
with her.
I'm the struggle, her garments, torn and
bedraggled by the journey down the as
phalt walk from the door of the executive
office, became still more disarraned. Just
as the cab was about to drive off Mrs.
Morris ceased struggling for a moment,
and turning toward the few eye-witnesses
OF this portion of the scene, said
Please remember this all of you.
Please remember il well. l am excited by
the wrong; the wrong that has been done
me, but that is ALL
officers with Mrs. Morris instructing the
driver to go TO No l police station"
From The Star of February 81, 1906.
An echo of the recent incident at the
White House, when Mrs. Morris. who had
called on behalf of her husband, was
thrown out of the building, has just been
made public in the shape of correspondence
that has passed between DIR. Morris and
the White House. DR.. Morris wrote to the
President on the 10th instant, calling his at
tention to the affair and asking that a
public investigation and apology be made.
To this was returned reply from MIR.
Loeb, the Presidents secretary, stating
that the matter had been fully investigated
at the time and the President declined to
take any further action in the matter. The
two letters follow:
NEW WILLARD HOTEL.
February 49, 1905.
ITO the President of the United States.
'.Sir: Having waited a number of weeks
that you might have ample time to as
certain all the circumstances connected
with the insult recently offered my wife
at the White House, and that you might
make some expression which would nat
urally be expected 1t Is now incumbent
u ,ftf 10, a n