The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-12-02
POSTMASTER MORGAN SHOT
Attacked by Assassin in a New
York City Street
Man Believed There Was a Plot
Among Postoflce Officials to
Ruin His Business.


ward M. Morgan was shot by one Of
the many cranks who believe the
postal authorities are conspiring
against them, but who are permitted
to roam about the city In the belief
that they are harmless. This partic-
ular crank was a lunatic who had es-
capped from; an insane. asylum in Wor-.
cester, Mass, in 1904, and who In
the last two years had been spending
most of his money in having physi-
clans examine him and certifying that
he was sane.
That the Postmaster was not killed
was due to the courage of his daugh-
ter, Dorothy, sixteen years old, a
student in the Wad1eigh High School,
who pushed the would-be assassin's
hand to one side just as he fired the
shot. The bullet. entered Morgan's
abdomen on the left side and came
out of the back at the right. It made
q wound eight inches long, but, luck
lily, 1t passed between the intestines,
and there was no intestinal perfora-
ton. Morgan was operated upon
seon after the shooting, and the sur
geons announced that unless unfore-
seen complications set in he would be
able to leave his bed in about a week.
Morgan's assailant was Eric II. B.
Mackey, employed as q stenographer
by the law firm Of Hunt, Hill & Belts,
of No. 165 Broadway. After firing
the shot into the Postmaster he ran
| several yards and then fired a bullet
| into his body near the heart. The
shot did not kill him. and Mackey
fred q second shot into his head.
The bullet entered his brain, killing
him instantly. =
When Mackey'si clothing vas
searched, 1t was found that he had
armed himself with other weapons
| besides the pistol. In his hip pocket
was d dagger with a pearl handle,
and in one of the pockets of his coat
was a s%lungshot, consisting Of a heavy
chunk OF lead In a leather cover.
In his room, in No. 239 West 116th
street, the police found evidence that
Mackey had planned to kill Morgan
as far back as last July. His room
was stacked with Jars labeled
aPoison," and there also were. several
bombs in process of manufacture,
There also were many pamphlets tell
ing how to- manufacture powerful
explosives, and on q table was a let
ter, dated July IA, in which Mackey
told of his intention to kill the POST
master because he had been unable
to obtain Justice from Morgan.
For several days Mackey has lott
cred near the Morgan home. He had
inquired several times for the POST
master, but each time Morgan was
out. Evidently the assailant was de-
termined not to miss his victim, for
he stood opposite the Morgan home,
in No. 613 West 146th street, before
Ia. m. It was q, little after 8 >o'clock
when Morgan and his daughter left
the house. The two were walking
hand in hand on the north side Of
146th street, and they almost had
reached Broadway when Mackey
stepped up to Morgan.
Are you Postmaster Morgan?" he
asked.
IT am" Morgan replied.
Without another word Mackey took
q pistol from his pocket and pressed
the muzzle against his victims coat.
As he did so Dorothy tried to force
the mans hand aside. Almost at the
same instant the pistol went of, and
Morgan sank to the sidewalk. The
daughter began to cry, but she did not
lose her nerve. she knelt down by
the side Of her father and lifted his
head to her knee.
Speak to me, father; please speak
to me-" she said.
Morgan was not unconscious. He
opened his eyes and tried to say
something to the girl, but he was un-
able to do so. While the daughter
was urging her father to talk to her,
two more shots rang out and Mackey
fell to the sidewalk about twenty
yards from where Morgan was lying.