The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-17
FRIEND OF DUMB ANIMALS
Death Of a Famous Lover of Home
less Cats and Dogs.
Mrs. Elizabeth Morris Was Founder
OF the First Association for Re
lief of Suffering Brutes.

Miss Elizabeth Morris, the dumb ami
mails friend. whose fame as the founder
Of the first association In the world for
the relief Of homeless and suffering ami
mals-the MOTIFS Refuge, in Philadelphia
has spread through two continents. is
dead at her home in the Quaker City.
She was eighty years old.
Miss Morris imbibed a love for four
footed creatures in the old Morris home
stead on Third street, where she was
born. She was daughter Of Warder
Morris, a descendant of Anthony Morris,
"a figure in colonial times. Her mother
was Matilda Ellington. Her solicitude
for stray cats began early in life. when
she was warned that severe punishment
was more certain TO follow the inflictien
OF harm upon the dumb creatures than
for any other offense she might commit
The idea of a place where homeless
animals could De kept until homes could
be found for them or they could be pain
iessly killed was early carried out in a
limited degree by the sympathetic wom-
an in her Pine street home. She pur-
sued her work alone. undaunted by the
ridicule OF persons who scohed at her as
she wandered through the streets pick
ing up stray animals. She found homes
for many animals. but the ajority.
mostly cats, were chloroformcd and
buried in the yard in the rear Of her
home
When the work Of Miss Morris became
known among the women of the city. nu-
merous inquiries reached her from persons
about % close their houses in the summer
for safe places to board their pets. This
suggested the need of boarding homes
for cats and dogs, a need which was sat
istactoriiy filed by the opening of the
refuge in 1874
From the beginning Miss Morris was the
guiding spirit Of the association. In the
words Of a resolution adopted at the last
meeting. January IS. which Miss Morris
was unable 10 attend. Neither the win
teTs snow nor the summers heat ever
stopped her in her care Of neglected and
injured animals As president. she di-
TeCted the affairs of the refuge, even
during her last Illness. Among the many
improvements which she introduced into
the work was the employment Of carbonic
oxide gas instead of chlorofOrm for the
asphyXiation of the cats and dogs. The
animals were placed in an air-tight cham
Der filled with the fumes Of burning char
coal, which had been cooled by a long
passage through winding pipes. This
caused quicker and more painless death
than that produced by chloroform.
Last year 81. 737 animals were asphyxi-
ated.
In the early SOS complimentary notices
in foreign newspapers and letters from
animal lovers abroad indicated that the
efforts of Miss Norris to better the con-
ditions of the domestic animals were rec
ognized abroad. In fact. they were the
incentives TO the Establishment of institu-
tions similar to hers in England. Ireland.
France. and other countries Requests for
suggestions SO frequently accompanied
commendatory notices of the work that
Miss Morris was obliged 10 publish a
pamphlet entitled AN Account in Detail
Of the Methods Pursued in the Work of
the Morris Refuge Association for Home
less and Suffering Animals