Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-15
MORRIS HAAS
SHOOTS BULLET
THROUGH HEAD
DRAMATIC SUICIDE STARTLES
SAN FRANCISCO
SURGEONS CONFIDENT PROSE-
cUToR WILL RECOVER
Missile Fired by Ex-convIct Is Los
Gated In Left Neutrality-suspicious.
Not characterization
sympathIzes
Especial to The 1Ierald.l

lEpeclhl TO- Lis AASAaANl
N AN FRANCISCO, Nov. IA.
N-The dramatic suicide in
~ the city Jail tonight of Morris
Haas, the ex-convict who yester-
day attempted to murder Francis
]. Heney, and a monster mass
meeting of indignant citizens,
who almost at the moment Haas
ended his life were denouncing
the assassin's dastardly crime,
were features of the days devel-
opments in San Francisco.
The news of Haas suicide came
within ten minutes Of the an
nouncement from the FIVE sur
geons at the Lane hospital that
they had located the bullet in the
lower maxilary and that Mr..
Heney was believed to have
bright prospects Of recovering.
This good news, with the con-
firmation of the previous bulletin
to the effect that Mr.. Heney's in
Jury was not as serious as at first
supposed, inasmuch as none of
the bones had been shattered by
Hass' missile, was received with
great satisfaction, but the. Joy it
created gave way to excitement
and startled discussion when the
news of Haas suicide came from
the jail.
The question asked by the pub
lie is: How did Haas obtain the
pistol? Was it hidden in his shoe,
as one report has it, or was it
passed in to him by some ennis
sary of the graft defendants, who
may, as claimed by several MEM
bers Of. the prosecution, have
egged Haas on to attempt the life
of the famous prosecutor, Francis
Heney?
Found Dead on Floor
Haas shot himself through the mid
die of his forehead with a pistol. He
went to bed at o'clock at the county
Jail and covered up his race Win d
blanket.
AT $40 D. m. a shot was heard from
his cell and when the guards entered
IT was found that he had rolled out OF
bed and was lying dead on the hoor
with bullethole in his forehead.
"A 41-caliber fsingle-shot Deringer
was grasped in his hand. His left
trouser leg was pulled up and exam
ination showed a mark on his leg
where the weapon had rested while
concealed in his left shoe.
Haas wore CATERS with elastic sides
which made this possible.
After he had shot Heney yesterday
Haas was searched by Police Capt.
Duke, Detective Burns and police-
man.
After he had been taken to the
county Jail he was searched again, but
at neither time were his shoes exam
ined. lt
Haas went to bed last night with
his shoes on and again tonight, and
when he was asked why he did this,
said that he would rather sleep with
them on.
His wife called on him today. Two
officers We're present during the inter-
view and they say she could not pos
sibly have slipped the weapon to him.
Had Long Planned Deed
The police are today convinced that
Haas had planned carefully his at
tempt upon Heney's life. In the base
ment Of his home are the marks OF
numerous bulletholes, indicating that
some person had been firing at a tar
get and neighbors have been found
who recall having heard the reports OF
revolver shots at various times during
the past fortnight.
Added to this are the statements OF
the witnesses in the court rooH' ol
whom there are dozens. Attorneys and
newspapermen, policemen and detec-
tives all appear to nave noliceo [idas ,Aa
Nvhen he was within a few feet or MS
,,na,rsnecting victim. Two private de-
tartives assigned to Heney as body
guards were within ten feet OF niHa
ana while both observed the mans in
tention in time to spring for his ex-
tended arm they We're too late'
Haas held the weapon Wltnln a lew
inches of Heneys head When ne is's',, nlsu
and It is the danger OF Dlooo poison
resulting from burned powder or otnei
matter in the wound that Is mos'
Record Is Traced
yPYior to his committal to San Quen-
tin prison in 1888 Haas was given EN-
ployment as a travelling salesman ps
Schlesinger & Green, wholesale clgal
dealers of this city. On ms nrst ul uil
he was given accounts Csc .7sr $
$4,000 for collection, and the testimonS
showed that he turned in two flcutlous
orders The collection of $215 IN Sal
Bernardino, for which no accounting
was ever made. led to a warrant lol
his arrest on a charge of embezzlement
Haas had disappeared before the em-
bezzlement became known and was
arrested nearly a year later IN Phii-
adelphia. While he at first contendeo
that he was entitled to the use Of his
collections in order TO cover expenses
tconlinued on Page rwo)