Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1908-11-24
FIFTEEN YEARS GIVEN.
Pathetic Scenes Attend the Sen.
fencing os Morse.

\ NeW 1oTh, NOV. 4 -CnarleS w.
Morse was sentenced to fifteen years
Imprisonment by Judge Hough in the
United States court. Sentence on Cur.
tbs was suspended The sentence on
Morse Is based on the verdic tot guilty
OF misapplication Of funds of the Ma.
tional Bank of North America and
making false entries in the books OF
that bank 1t is understood that II
| Morse goes to prison he will be con.
fined In the government prison at At.
lanta.
Charles W. Morse, at one time an
ice king. steamship king and CONTROL.
ing force In a long string of banks in
this city, whose personal fortune was
little more than year ago estimated
at $22,000,000, and Alfred H. Curtis,
former president of the National Bank
of North America, spent Thursday
night in cell in the tombs prison.
When they arose simultaneously
with hundreds of others in the grim
city prison they faced a possibility
of many years behind iron grated
doors. Sentence had been deferred
to Friday when the jury returned the
verdict, but it was only a few hours
away when they tumbled out OF the
rude hunks I'm their narrow cells at
the call of command from the guard
who patrolled the corridor on the Fed
eral tier" Both Morse and Curtis
passed a fairly restful night, accord
ing TO prison guards.
Anticipating an unusually large
number of spectators when cour'
opened Marshal Henkel took Morse
and Curtis to the building nearly two
hours before sentence was to be pro-
nounced. Both men appeared to be in
much better spirits than when thew
left the court room Thursday night
Mrs. Morse reached the court room
soon after her husband and took her
place at his side. Mrs. Curtis came
about an hour later.
Ten days stay of execution of SEN
tence on Morse was granted by Judge
Hough. 1t is understood that notice
of appeal will be filed Immediately.
Morse was parolled in the custody OF
Marshal Henkel pending any action
that may be taken during the ten days
stay granted by the court.
The scene in the court room when |
sentence was pronounced by. Judge |
Hough was most dramatic one The |
wives of the two prisoners, who had |
been constant attendants at court !.
during the entire trial, were present
early as IL anxious to cheer their hus.
bands by their presence In the trying
ordeal which confronted them. When
the real test came, however, 1t was
the husbands and not the wives who
proved the comforters. Morse sat like
4 stole when he heard the words that
him to prison. There was
scarcely a tremor of an eyelid. Curtis,
90, accepted the news which came to
1im-good news in his case-with the
same lack of emotion that character.
zed his former chief.
AS the truth of what Judge Hough's
words meant flashed through her mind
Mrs. Morse, who through all the trying
lays of the trial, preserved an unruf.
led demeanor, collapsed in. her seat
,uried her face in her hands and be.
ian to sob convulsively. Still weep.
ng she was led away to an ante-room,
where a moment later her husband
leld her in his arms and sought to
onsole her.
Nor was Mrs. Curtis any more pre-.
jared for the nervous strain than Mrs.
iorse. When the judgment of the
curt was pronounced she tainted and
you'd have fallen had not kindly hands
Imported her.