Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-04
MORSE IN CELL,
DECLARES FIGHT
HAS Just BEGUN
AS Convict No. zSl4 Former
Banker Undergoes Ordeal OF
Admission to Prison.

Cd, jail fs-0ildIleS W
Morse. the convicted ice king and mil
lionaire that was, convict 2si4 that Is,
has passed the first night of his fifteen
year sentence in the p~enitentiary here.
Clad in prison garb. he left his tenn
porary cell today at h same time the
other convicts were turned out, and
went through exactly the same routine.
What he experienced was nothing,
however, compared to the ordeal he
faced today.
After breakfast he was turned over
to L. j. Fletcher, the Bertillon expert.
His Bertillon measurements were taken,
as we'll as his picture. and then inn
pressions made of his finger prints.
After that DR.. Fowler, the prison
physician. took him in hand to ex-
anime and vaccinate him. Then he
became a full-fiedged inmate OF the
prison.
Then will come his assignment to
work. Just what he viii be put to
doing Warden Meyer has not decided,
but it will either be in the tailor shop
or the construction gang.
Morse bore. up well under the ordeal
of his arrival in Atlanta n his trip
to the prison, but he almost collapsed
when the massive gates were opened
to ALLOW him to enter. He seemed to
realize that he was entering a place
where even hope would be useless, and
tottered as he passed through the gates.
He would AVE fallen but for the aid
of a guard.
The former banker was ushered inn
mediately into Warden Meyers private
office. His commitment papers were TX
amined and found to be correct. After
that he turned owe to the warden, who
in turn turned over to the clerk, s21S in
bills, some private papers, a small pearl
handled knife, a nail file and a pair of
scissors.
Morse accompanied Warden Meyer
ous in the big corridor. They stood talk
ing in an undertone for a brief moment.
As the former ice. king looked around
him at the slowly pacing guards he APP
peared nervous The full realization
seemed to hit him like the. sting of a
whip. and he WINGED. He was con
Quoted to the basement, his clothes were
removed, and he was given a bath. His
head was not shaved and he retained
his mustache. This will not be cut off
until after he is "mugged." and not
then. If he cares to wear it in prison.
He then donncd the regulation prison
uniform and was shown to a temporary
cell.
According to the rules of the i~nstitu-
ton, Morse enters as a class l convict.
He will retain this grade until he does
something to forfeit it. He will not be
allowed to buy food. He cannot even
buy fruit. No one can bring him delis
cacies. All he will be allowed to buy
are newspapers, handkerchiefs, books,
| tooth paste, brushes, hand mirrors and
black neckties.
When Morse reached Atlanta he was
in good spirits apparently. While at
the depot he said to the newspaper
men: I'm sorry myfshare of Southern
welcome must be like this" He was
asked when his wife would come down
to Atlanta. MOI a shadow crossed his
face. Tomorrow he replied.
The remark was made that he would
probably find life as pleasant at the
Atlanta federal penitentiary as any
where else under the circumstances. II
hope so, at any rate" he said, this
can't be worse than where I've been
for the past fourteen months. They
had me in the Tombs. you know, and
that's calculated to test any man pretty
| severely. l had a good constitution
when l went in there or l never could
have withstood it.
but this is not the end" he con-
cluded, Sin fact, it is but the begin
ming. The fight has just started.
II am an innocent man; I am the vic
tim largely of circumstances n I'M
s%crupulous methods. but the battle is
not yet over, although I have suffered
a heavy defeat.
II shall protest against Imprisonment
on the ground that my commitment Is
Illegal. But this Is more or less a for
NAL notion: there are other steps to
be taken. and on these ] am raising
high hopes. Martin Littleton, my coun-
sci, will be here in a day or two, and
then we shall discuss in detail the plans
to be pursued.
IT detest whining, but in Justice to
myself. I must say, what every man
who Is conversant with affairs in New
York must know, that ! was the victim
OF a clique who feared me. / incurred
their enmity and they set about to
encompass my destruction. How they
did it is d matter of history. But I
have suffered reverses before and have
ksurvived them. l shall, l hope. sur
vive this, too"