Barton County democrat., 1914-09-18
TRIPLE MURDER
CONTINUED from Page u

W[CU dllu ILLS was tuO oAOe WhtNA
killed Morgan. The entire load of
shot struck him in the left side of
the throat and ranged downward,
severing the jugular vein and
causing almost instant death.
Judging from the looks Of the Ia
bic and the position of his body;
he. had probably fallen with his
face on the table on being shot and
later had attempted to push his
chair back and rise and had fallen
backwards on the floor.
il is the general opinion that
whoever committed the murder
had at first only intended to kill
Morgan, and after completing this
deed had started to leave the
premises, going southeast toward
the road, and after getting some
distance from the house had fired
several shots in that direction in
order to intimidate Miss McQuil-
len and McGugin and keep them
from pursuing him or going for
help, but that after he had gone
some little distance from the
house. McGugin had left and start
ed toward the barn with the idea
in view, probably, of getting a
horse and starting for help, and
that the murderer, then fearing
detection, had returned and had
again fired at the hired man at
closer quarters, wOunding him in
the back when he was about half
way between the house and the
barn and getting still closer, again
shot at short range. When the last
shot was fired the gun must have
been almost at McGugin'S head,
and the indications are that he had
his right arm up to ward off the
shot, for the shirt and arm were
badly powder burned, and his
head was blown almost complete
ly off, and the brains and pieces
Of skull were scattered in the
grass where he fell, close by the
corral gate, for distance of sew
eral feet.
During the time which inter
vened between the time Morgan
was shot and this time, Miss Nc
Quihen had secured a pan of wa
ter and a cloth and, kneeling on
the floor beside Morgan, was en-
gagged in washing his face when
the murderer returned to the
) house. In the meantime she had
probably shut the door and had
Fastened it with a chair, as it was
in this position when discovered
by the officers, and bloody finger
. marks on the, door indicate that
it must have been closed by the
woman after she had been work
ing with Morgan. The murderer
again came to the window, and
placing the muzzle of the gun
on the bottom sill, fired at Miss
McQuillen, the load of shot Strik-
.ing her in the right side of the
face and tearing over half the side
of her face and head away. After.
wards, from all indications, the
man had torn away the window
screen from the bottom and south
side and going into the house haC
partially ranSacked the place
When the bodies were discovered
MOrgan'S pocketbook was lyinI
on the floor beside him, open ant
with the money gone, and one O
the bureau drawers where he hat
kept some papers also shove,
signs of being hurriedly ranSack
ed, but all indications Ooint t
the fact that robbery itself wa
not the real motive for the crime
and although the officers hav
been working on the case aSSiC
uouSly since the discovery, not
single clue has so far been founC
Morgan and his wife separate
about five years ago and since th
tiRae Miss McQuillen, a sister {
his wife, has lived with him {
hOuSekeeper. He was a big fa
mer. owning a farm in Ford coul
ty, and farming several hundrt
acres northeast of Heller whel
he lived, His mode of life W,
anything but a moral enc al
much Of his time and most of h
money was spent with women al
in fast company. He was e
eeedingly quick tempered and
this account often had troub
with his companions. In a bu.
ness way he was absolutely S0ua