Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-05-02
Boone Authorities Making Dill
gent Search For Suspected
Perpetrators Of Foul Crime
ROBBERY MOTIVE FOR MURDER
It Was Proven at Inquest That the
Young Man Found Dying Last Week
With Every Bono in Hi. Skull Fract-
ured, Was Not lntoxicated--His
Companions Are Now Missing.
Special to Times-RepubIcan

Webster City, May 2.-The relatives
In this city of Ed Morse, who last
week was murdered in Boone, will see
that the crime is thoroughly investi-
gated, and hope to bring to justice the
men who are guilty of the assassina-
ton. The Boone authorities, too are
hand at work on the affair and are
making such investigation as they can
and following such .clews as can be
found. They are searching first of all
for Morses companions.
That the young man was murdered,
there is now no doubt. Further than
this, the deed must also have been
planned. Robbery was the only motive
that can be assigned and there seems
to be sufficient evidence to corroborate
this theory. At the inquest it was
proven that Mr.. Morse was not intoxi-
Gated, and that he had not been drink
ing during his stay in Boone. Two
men We're with him, tall one and a
short one. One of them professed to
be an agent getting men to work on
railroad construction and Mr.. Morse
was about to make a contract with
him. The men were staying together
at the same hotel. A fire broke out
nearby in the night time and the three
men left the hotel to see It. This is
the last ever seen Of Morse until he
was found MORALLY wounded. His bat
tered body was found the following
morning under the Sixth street bridge
lying upon the Honey creek bank. He
had evidently been struck over the
head with lead or iron pipe or some
similar blunt instrument, which prac-
tically fractured every bone in his
skull. He was still alive but uncon-
scious when found, and lived forty
eight hours, altho he never regained
consciousness. Morse had on his per-
son not to exceed $50 and it seems
incredible that anyone would have
killed him for this sum. Since his
pockets had been rif1ed, however, it
seems to be certain that robbery and
nothing else was the motive.
Morse's relatives in this city, Mrs.
Prof Gerber, wife Of the county super
intendent, and Miss Dora Morse, a
music teachei, who are sisters, and his
brother. DR.. Morse, OF Eagle Grove,
are very prominent people. Only a
few days prior to his death Morse had
left Knoxville with IS cash in his pock-
ct. His sister, Miss Dora, met him at
Ames. and as he was expecting to go
north to work for railroad company
and would need some expense money,
gave him $40 more. This was all he
had. The Boone police, after finding
that the man had been murdered, chose
to explain 1t upon the theory, that
Morse and his companions were on a
spree and that doubtless in quarrel
Morse had been killed. The inquest.
however, showed clearly that Morse
was not drunk and had not been drink
ing. 1t was expected that there would
be some important developments be-
fore this time, but the death of the
young fellow will be probed further by
the relatives and every effort made to
strike upon some clew soon. Police
everywhere have been furnished with
descriptions OF Morse's companions and
are looking for them