The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-01-19
President Taft Commuted Senteue>
and Former Financier viii be
Able to Die Outside
81 Prison.
WIFE WORKED LONG
Had Been TireIess In Her Efforts to
Secure Freedom nd Had New
er Given UP Her
Hope.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19. Speeding
toward Atlanta today and impatiently
counting off the hours, 10 Mrs. Chas. ".
Morse, wife Of the banker whose SEN
tence was conmuted yesterday by
President Taft and whose tireless
fight to secure her husbands freedom
gained the admiration and pity Of
even those who maintained that
Morse's fifteen year sentence should
be fulfilled.
But ironically enough, her campaign
not only was unsuccessful, but IT.
even had the effect of keeping Morse
a federal prisoner for perhaps two
months longer than otherwise would
have been the case. This was admit
ted by federal officials here today.
The moment Morse was taken to the
penitenitary, Mrs. Morse began her
campaign to secure his release. She
had interviews with federal authori-
ties, the pardon attorney. the attorney
general. the president himself and to
them she urged her strongest argu-
ment-that Morses sentence was ex-5
cessiye by ten years. Some officials
here admitted that they agreed with
her. She secured over 10000 names
to a petition Tor his pardon. She ap-
realed to former depositors In the
wrecked Morse bank, to whom the
broken financier had paid $7.000,O00
ar 6~Hv ;s,I iv<&s
lost penny by his failure, and they
replied by bulky petitions to Presi-
dent Taft. Most of all, the bending
form, the aging face Of this woman,
whose eyes never lost the light OF
hope, stimulated flow OF favorable
newspaper publicity such as no bu-
reau of press agents could have Sc
cured. -
The result was to arouse and main.
tain national attention in the prisoner
and Taft feared he might make mis-
take. Had Morse been an obscure
convict, his sentence would have been
commu,ed two months ago when prls-
on doctors pronounced his illness past
cure, gay department OF justice Of
ficials. But Taft feared criticism that
might arise should he release Morse.
Department officials today asserted
that Morse's removal from the At
lanta pcnitentiary to the army hospi.
tai, the latter order transferring him
to Hot Springs. were not special fay-
ors to rich prisoner but reflection
Of Taft's determination not to release
Morse until he believed such action
would be beyond criticism.
May Die In Georgia.
ATLANTA, Ca, jan 19--Charles w
Morse, banker, ice king. convict, and
now, through President Taft's elem
ency, commuted prisoner. may never
be able to leave Georgia, and un
doubtedly will die away from the
home to which he longed to return ac
cording to the opinion of physicians
here who examined the former finan
cier today.
This was reflected in the issuance
OF orders from the war department al
Washington, permitting Morse to re
main at Fort Mcpherson hospital, al
Atlanta, until his condition makes il
safe to remove him to a private san
itarium."
Though his pulse was today far be
low normal and his physical condition
SO weak that physicians refused to SCI
date for his leaving Fort Mcpherson
Morse was so cheered by the knowl
edge he was free again that he insist
ed to his friends at his beside tha
he would recover.
For fear that he might not stant
the shock, the news that Presiden
Taft had commuted his sentence wa,
broken to the sick man very gently b.
MS sister, Miss Jennie Morse At thu
hospital today Miss Morse said tina
as soon as her brother could be re
moved he would be taken to the hom,
OF F. L. Seeley, an Atlanta newspape
publisher, who has been his closes
friend and next to Mrs. Morse, th,
most earnest worker for presidential
clemency for the former banker. !
Morse's condition permits he will sal
ior Bad Nauheim soon to take th
paths, in the hope that they will re
store normal heart action.
Morse sent word out OF his sick roon
tnat he wants to avoid seeing an
one but his intimate friends, an
wnen he goes to north" he hopes t
pe able to leave the train at Jerse,