The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-25
ALL CLEARED UP.
Mystery of Cecilia Johnson No
Longer a Mytsery.
Mother a White WOman-Father
an OctOreon.
asia q
sF---itz 4-.7f
SHE WAS adopted.
WAS ADOPTED.
Really a Cousin CT Notorious
MuShmOuth johnson.
Will Visit Her Real Mother in
st. Louis.

! Chicago, July 25.-Mystery, which for
a time surrounded the parentage of
Cecilia johnson, the Chicago university
post graduate student, college society
| leader and favorite, remains an enigma
no longer
That through the veins of the beauti-
full college girl flows the blood of one OF
| ST. Louis oldest families. was made
known last night by Mrs. Ellen Johnson,
! mother of Mushmouth johnson, negI o
| gambling king, and foster mother of the
| girl, and the lineage. with all it's touches
| of romance, traced back to the birth of
Cecella's mother.
Girl to See Mother This Week
For the first time since she was a
baby of 4 years Cecilia will see her aged
when years old by Mrs. Johnson, who
| left st. Louis for Chicago a short time
| later, and although the girl has written
| to her mother regularly throughout the
nineteen years which have elapsed, It
has been deemed best that she did not
visit her parent.
After the story was told at the John
son residence, $3.50 wabash avenue, last
| night, the girl said:
Il am going to ST. Louis to see my
real mother. 1 am going as soon as can.
1 have never felt homesick for her be-
fore"
Throughout the long recital she had
not said word, but eagerly listened and
absorbed the story as it fell from the
lips of her foster mother
The mother of the girl is Cecilia Nor
rison. aged 81 years, 1904 Gay street, st.
Louis.
The story of "Cissie" Johnson's life,
clearing the mystery that baffled Chi
cago university sorority girls, follows:
Mother Was Maid Before War.
Her mother was born on Locust street
between Third and Fourth, and when
quite n girl became the maid and trav
cling companion of Mrs. Teresa Dosse-
rond, who resided at the southwest cor
ner of Eleventh and Olive streets, then
a fashionable residence quarter of st.
Louis. While the mother was in the
service of Mrs. Dosserond two free rnu-
lattoes, William and Ellen Morrison,
formerly servants in the family of Con-
gresham William Morrison of Galena,
ILL.,, were taken to the Dosserond home
is said to have married a daughter of
Mrs. Dosserond- Although free, these
two children were treated as slaves for
several years, until finally. at the solicit
tation of Judge N1iltenberger, they were
given free papers. .ae
William Morrison and his sister. Ellen,
were both octoroons of such fair COM
pleXion that they were frequently mis-
taken for white. Cecelia's mother was
married to William Morrison on Easter
Monday, 1866. -ar., r-s,-5 - -
Ellen MOr1lSOn, MS sister, WdS mar
ried to a negro man named Elijah John
son, and moved to Chicago several years
before the Civil war broke out, by the
underground railroad route.
Girl Is Youngest of Five.
William Morrison and his young wife
remained permanently in St. Louis af-
ter their marriage. and five children
were born to them, of whom Cecilia is
the youngest They are: Alex, 40;
William, SO; Henry. "a; Theodore, 26;
Ion Trfc
handsome, and for that reason was used
by his mistress, Mrs. Posserond. as her
coachman during his service with her.
When the war broke out he went with
the army as valet to DR.. Edmund Pow
ers, who was an army surgeon of great
prominence in the federal service. At
ter the war he became a janitor. He
died in 1858, leaving his wife without
port, and when his sister offered to
adopt Cecilia the offer was accepted,
and she came to Chicago to live. She
has never returned to ST. Louis, and
therefore has not seen her mother for
nineteen years.
Mother Has No Regrets.
II have had no reason" said Mrs.
Morrison, when interviewed in st.
Louis last night, "to regret my act in
allowing my sister-in-law to take my
child, for she has been a good mother
to her all these years. She and her
son were able to do more for her than |
could do. and, although I have felt |
the loss of my child deeply, 1 knew |
she was better off where she was and |
copsoled myself with that knowledge |
in order to secure her advancement.
Her brothers have visited her in
her Chicago home, and many friends |
going to and from Chicago have kept |
me posted as to how well she was do
ing. 1 have never heard a single dis |
couraging report about her at any |
time, and I knew she was good girl, |
and I am proud of her as a mother |
can be. My heart has yearned for her |
many times, but I have suppressed my |
feelings because I realized that she |
owes so much to her adopted mother |
and her son. who have provided fer |
her so lavishly."
The Tribune Apologies.
The Chicago Tribune, which first
printed the Johnson story. has a first |
page editorial apology in the paper
of Wednesday morning 1t follows:
MEA CULPA.
The Tribune published Monday |
m morning, together with all the other |
of Chicago. a story con- |
corning Miss Cecilia Johnson, color |
ed coed at the University of Chicago. |
The details came to the Tribune in |
the ordinary course of business. and |
there seemed no reason to suspect |
their accuracy. Subsequent fnvest.ga- !
ton leads the Tribune to believe most |
OF the statements of alleged facts |
this young woman were un- !
true. and every inference from. those |
misleading and grossly un-
Just.
The Tribune accordingly desires this |
morning to offer this public apology to /
Miss Johnson and its readers. and re-
zrets additionally that this apology |
makes it necessary to revive even by |
suggestion further publicity into the |
vo11nQ womaQ'S affairs