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

MUCK BRUSH
White House Methods in tho
Barnes-Morris Affair.
RECORD OF UNDERTAKING.
Efforts to Blacken the Character Off
Woman.
STAR CHAMBER PROCEEDING
The Way the Drag-Net Search Wa
Engineered From the White
Efforts to Blacken the Character Of 4
Woman.
STAR CHAMBER PROCEEDING


In View OF the Indignation aroused by tire
appointment OF Mr. B. +. Barnes. assistant
secretary to the President. as postmaster at
| washington. and a probability OF a
thorough investigation of the Morris incf-
dent. the facts in that affair and Mr..
Barnes connection with It, are of general
ana aosorbing interest. Following is the
account or the Morris incident as published
IN lhe Evening Star of January 4, 1904 sup
plemented by the official statement on the
SUBJECT made public by Mr.. Barnes. tbo
STORY OF an eyewitness of the affair and the
PRESIDENTS final word In the matter.
The First News Account.
From The Evening Star. January 4 1905.
Mrs. Minor Morris of 2a34 Massach,,-
setts avenue. wife OF DIR. Minor Morris n
pracuclhg physician OF this city WIN
Iormeriy was connected with the ARMY
1eoicai Museum, was thrown out of the
Whlte House executive Offices this after.
noon noon ABOUT l o'clock. dragged for block
over the wet asphalt pavement bar goyr,.
torn and draggled with mud her hat
shocked on. and finally forced into a cab
and taken to the house of detention.
,ran. me nneident was sensational in the ex.
irene. not only because of the well-dressed
ana weii-bred appearance of Mrs Morris
but also because .of the manner q, n,hts,
Ihe order OF Assistant Secretary 10 the
PRESIDENT Barnes for the ejectment Of ths
woman was carried out ~
MRS Morris called at the White House
some time before noon today and asked
10 see the President. She was reSnsad
She insisted that she must see the pres,dsrt
ABOUT matter concerning her hushand
VINO was formerly connected with the Armv
nnsi,,a Museum. but who had lost his
position as the result OF an affair. the exact
nature OF which is not known in which he
became involved. MRS. Morris pressed Scc
sesary Barnes to induce the President to
the fact that an audience was iunossib,e
sne declared, in apparent momenfary
anger. that she would remain in the exec,;.
executive 'e 'he chiel
1t was then that Mr. Barnes replied thar
sne must leave the executive ofiices 81
force would be used
MRS. Morris did not evidently take this
statement seriously, for she reneata5 h.r
intention of remaining until the President
raised his hand. and a moment later Mrs
MOTIFS screaming Historically was being
oorne outside by two of the policemen on
duty at the executive Offices.
Mrs Morris, apparently beside herse,r
ehdeaVored to resist. and she was dragged
from the door of the executive office TO fbe
entrance to the lower hall OF the White
House proper and thence to the east car
rage entrance. During the entire trim
Mrs Morris begged piteously that She be
aiowed to depart and called on the by
standers to step forward in her behalf
At the east entrance, after another
struggle, Mrs. Morris was bundled Into a
cab and taken to the house of detention
lapsed.
For the past month or six weeks Mrs.
Morris has been a guest at the New Will
lard Hotel, her husband being now in Ohio
at the bedside of his mother. who is crit
ically III. A friend of the family who
heard OF the unfortunate occurrence and
who called at the house Of detention to
leave IS for Mrs. Morris release told a
Star reporter that Mrs. Morris was ex-
ceedingly well connected in Washington.
This friend. who is himself well-known
resident Of Washington. was exceedingly
grfeved over the occurrence.
Mrs Norris, he said, is exceedingly
high strung. She is an accomplished mu-
sician and gifted pianist. woman who
is widely Travelled and even more widely
read, woman of remarkable intellectual
ity and grasp OF affairs.
II do not know what actuated her visit
to the White House, but have no doubt
II was In regard, to her husbands affairs.
DIR. Morris comes from exceedingly
prominent Ohio family. and should think
there would be regret all around as a re-
suit OF this unfortunate occurrence"
Mrs. Morris looks less like the conven-
tional White House crank than 1t is possi-
BILE to imagine. She was fashionably
gowned. booted gloved and hated and her
manner did not indicate that she is the
unfortunate possessor of any mental af-
Fiction. No statement concerning the
matter was made at the White House.
This afternoon Mr.. Barnes could not be
located.
Statement Of Mr.. Barnes.
The next day statement was issued
from the White House, giving Mr. Barnes
version of the affair, as follows:
Mrs. Morris called at the executive Of
fee yesterday about 1 o'clock and asked to
be allowed TO see the President. At the
time Secretary Loeb was engaged with the
President and Secretary Barnes saw her.
Upon inquiry as to the nature of her busi-
ness, she stated with considerable reluct-
ance that her husband has been unjustly
dismissed from branch of the War De-
partment; that she did not propose to have
anything TO do with the Secretary of War
concerning 1t, but that she wanted the
President to take IL up and see that justice
was done. She was informed that the
President could not give personal attention
to such matter, and that the decision or
the Secretary of War would be final. She
insisted that she must see the President.
and when told that that was out OF the
question, she asserted In q boisterous man
ner that she would not be prevented from
seeing him. ana that che would remain
where she was for a month. II need be.
unless she saw him sooner. She was al
lowed to remain for some moments.
when Mr.. Barnes returned to the re-
ception room shortly after he found her
pacing excitedly up ana down the rOoms
and informed her as quietly possible that
she could not see the President and that It
would be useless for her to remain longer.
She replied in loud voice that she would
see him and that she would remain there
until she did. She was then advised to drop
the matter and go away quietly This. in
still louder tones. she refused to do. She
was then told that she must either leave the
office at once voluntarily. or It would be
necessary to put Ner out of the building
AZ this she shrieked ct the top OF her voice:
I will not be put OUT rushed to chair.
threw herself In 1t and shouted: Don't you
have any hands laid on me. am going 70
stay here until see the president.'
Mrs. Morris piercing shrie1B were hoard
throughout the building. ana It becAne