Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-09

Bank.
Inability to secure employment, accord
| ing to his own story. caused the down
| fall of John W. Morgan, seventeen years
| old, who today sits in a solitary cell at
| the Marlboro Jail. awaiting the action OF
the grand jury on a charge of attempting
| to hold up the Citizens National Bank of
Laurel, Md, yesterday.
Morgan, Who when first arrested. said
he was Henry Jackson of Yuma, Ariz.,
broke down at a preliminary hearing be-
| fore Justice OF the Peace George p Nc
Ceney. and declared he had given an as
sumed name He said he was John w
| Morgan. and that his father is employed
] in California, where he went two years
ago for the benefit of his health. His
sister. Miss Gertrude Morgan, is nurse
| in ST. Joseph's Hospital. Baltimore. The
prisoner also stated that for a time he
resided in Washington. on E street north
| west.
| Morgan was born at Ffncastle. Va,
1 near Roanoke. He said his mother is
! dead. According to his confession. his
father took him to California with him.
| Leaving that state three weeks ago, the
boy says he wanted to get back to Vir-
ginia and started east He reached
Washington Thursday
Driven to Robbery, He Says.
j When I arrived in Washington" he
said. II stayed at a lodging house on
F street. I don't know the location or
the number. ! was without friends or
money and was ready for anything.
wanted money SO badly thai the idea OF
robbing came to me. 1t chung to me until
at last I resolved to do it without re-
gard for the consequences. I knew what
the result would be if | got caught In
the attempt. But / didn't want to Kill
) anybody.
when I found l could not escape
, let Smith arrest me. because ] had heard
there was a reward of 500 for my ar
rest"
When asked II he had no relatives o,
friends to whom an appeal could be made
In his behalf, the boy with deep emo
ton bowed his head on a table and said
his sister Is a nurse in a Baltimore hos
pital.
At the hearing Cashier George w.
Waters, who fred two shots at Morgan
as he was fleeing from the bank and
gave the only testimony. He said he
recognized Morgan as the person who
attempted to hold up Teller A. r. Bivans
! Morgan was taken to Hyattsvtlle las
night in an automobile by Constable Val
entine Keyser and from there to Marl
boro by train. His case will be taker
: up by the grand jury of Prince George:
3 county next month.
News Attracts Whole Town.
4 The news Of the attempted hold-up oil
!, the bank spread throughout the town OF
Z Laurel like wildfire. and within shor
time every resident knew of It, and was
f1ocking to the scene. Persons on the ont
skirts OF the city and others from dis
tant points also heard of the news.
Many Of the male residents. who were
searching the woodsheds and wood:
about the place in an effort to find Nor
gan had pistols with them. When hi
was captured and returned to the banl
to be identified by Cashier Waters tn,
, scene about the place resembled a west
ern town trial. with men standing abou
holding guns and others with large re
volvers protruding from their pockets.
: AS a reward of 500 is offered by tn.
Maryland Casualty Company for the ar
rest OF any person attempting to hold w
any bank under Its control, Il is expected
that Howard Smith, jr., to whom Morgan
gave himself up, will secure the money
, Justice of the Peace McCeney stating to
/ day that Smith seems to be the only on
who ought to get it, as he captured TIL
, prisoner.
Sister Nearly Overcome.
When Miss Morgan was located in TIL
|, Baltimore hospital last night and in
formed of her brothers trouble she wa
nearly overcome She told of the dealt
o | of their mother. and the trip west of TIL
. boy and father. She said she did no
, know that John had come east. and sh
] thought he was still In California a
| when she had last heard from him he wa
Q working out there.
Owing to the condition OF her father
=
e him OF her brothers predicament. Sh
Y declared she believed her brothers down
$ fall was brought about by reading novels
I 1t is expected that Miss Morgan will &
. TO Marlboro jail as soon as possible to sc
her brothN.