The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-05
INTENDED TO HOLD
MORCAN'S WIFE AND
CHILDREN HOSTAGES
Would Release Them When
Given Assurance No More
Arms Would Be Shipped.
Regrets Morgan Was Hurt
by Miscarriage of Plan and
Believes Did Duty

New York, July 4.-Frank Holt.
the Cornell teacher. of German de-
scent and German sympathies. who
did his best on Saturday morning to
EkiH j. r. Morgan. confessed TO Po-
lice Commissioner Woods today in the
Nassau County Jail ut Mineola the
real plan he had formed to over
awe Mr.. Morgan to stop the shipment
| or war supplies to the Allies.
II was as hairbrained a scheme an
ever dubbed in the brain of a ia
natic. as Holt, calmly and with an
obvious desire for sympathy and
praise. revealed 1t to Mr.. Woods. This
doctor of philosophy and cultivated
scholar had believed 1t possible to
seize Mrs ]. P. Morgan and the three
Morgan children, drive them before
him until he found Mr.. Morgan, keep
them between him and Mr. Morgan
until he had made the terms he de-
sired. and then lock himself in room
with them and hold them as hostages
until Mr.. Morgan. returned with the
assurance that no more arms and mu-
nitions would be shipped to Europe.
Even Mr.. Woods. fairly keen
judge of men. could not be quite GER
tain that Holt was talking seriously
az he unwound the fantastic scheme
he had formulated TO use Mrs. Moran
and the children, Henry Sturrie
Morgan. Frances Morgan and Jane
Morgan.
Chagrined at Failure.
And yet the man seemed to be ut.
terry serious and entirely chagrined
that the plan had not been success
full
An indication that he had hoped to
carry through sgFne- such plan az he
confessed to the Police Commissioner
today was found In a letter which he
wrote to his father-in-law. the Rev.
o. e. Sensabaugh, of Dallas. Texas.
shortly before he had his talk with
Commissioner Woods. In this letter
he gave the general notions of the
plan. To Mr.. Woods he exposed il in
complete detail.
Here is the letter:
Dear Father Sensabaugh,-I heard
last night that you had telegraphed
for particulars, but as had already
written and telegraphed Leona. and
as the papers have gave your inter-
view, / did not think you needed any
more particulars. The papers must
have had plenty of them.
How. terrible 1t all looks now, and
how different from my plans. What
can say to console you and the
family 1t is too much all at once.
My heart and brain are in suca ag-
ony that words cannot express
fear you wish to come here, but
hope you will not do that l ann
we'll taken care of and the grand
jury cannot meet until September.
am held without bail on plea with
out guilty, and SO just walt, though
wish death might come to end 1t al.
at once. Life under these conditions
is unspeakably horrible.
Thinks He Did Right.
Yet I think did right. Only
my plans did not come out as I i'm
tended / went to the Morgan home
In order to force him 70 use his r. sas
influence to stop the shipment Of
explosives. That's why took some
explosives with me In order to be
able to demonstrate to him nd oeu-
los what the use OF machines or
murder means. but, of course. di0
not wish to hurt any one. wanted
him to be In the same danger (htfn
and his family) that we are impossng
upon Europe. I wanted TO send him
out to the manufacturers and man of
influence to plead with them for zeal
American neutrality. while held his
wife and his dear children as hos
tases in some upper room OF tho
house.
Il found the three children in the
parior and asked them to come up-
stairs with me. They came, No .sh-
lection. ! walked ahead. That waa
my mistake. II had been behind
them al might be different now.
When reached the top of the stairs.
Mrs. Morgan came screaming toward
me and Mr.. Morgan behind her. Nov.