Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-16
DERRICK B. MORRIS
KILLED BY HIS SON
WHO HAD PLANNED
DELIBERATE MURDER
Ollie Morris, the Slayer, Was Cap
tured Yesterday Afternoon
Near Millsboro.
MADE CONFESSION
TO THE AUTHORITIES
SAYS There Was Trouble Over a
Young Woman to Whom His
Father Objected.
PRISONER NOW IN
GEORGETOWN JAIL
MADE CONFESSION
TO THE AUTHORITIES
PRISONER NOW IN
GEORGETOWN JAIL
Special Dispatch to Every Evening

Because his father tried to break him OF
his infatuation for a woman living near
Cross Keys. Ollie Morris 10 years old,
of Martins Old Mill. about miles from
here. killed his father, Derrick b. Morris,
after the old man had put up strenuous
fight
The young patricide was captured at
$50 Yesterday afternoon and confessed
The murder both TO his captors and to
Coroner Joseph Warrington His face was
badly battered. showing the sort of fight
his father had put up before the boy ended
the struggle by nearly severing the old
mans head from his body with large
well-sharpened hunting knife.
Posses had been out all day securing
cypress Swamp and other parts OF that
district for the murderer. They were
allc,i in rs soon as news OF the capture
,prea.l The inquest was quickly over,
,ecause of the boys full confession, and
,e wa~ taken 10 the Sussex county jail
4 Georgetown later last night.
The. murder WAS the most cold-blooded
md brutal in the annals Of the county.
The boy had planned it, carefully as he
thought. He had come home from the
lorIse ot the woman in the case. who is
only Is wears old but is marred-though
aer husband desertd her after a law suit
some time ago He had told his father that
he had played the prodigal and had seen
he error of his ways and wanted his
father to 90 with him tn the girls homeso
that together they could denounce her to
her face.
Following is the substance of the sons
confession:
The whole ''prodigal stunt" had been
only for the purpose of Turing the old man
from his home to his death. The boy said
that he had planned TO knock his father
on the head when they got TO the crossing
,t the Delaware. Maryland and Nir-
yina railroad track on the road from Mar
tins Old Mill to the girl home hear Cross
kcvs Then he intended TO place his
Isthers body on the railroad track just
west o. a curve to the north OF the crossing
and have the evidence Of his crime OBJ
iterated by the next passing train.
FATHER PUT UP FIGHT.
This plan first went awry when the
father put UP strong fight when he
learned of his son S true purpose IN taking
him TO the girls home. Both men were
badly bruised in the fight which took place
IN the buggy in which they were making
he trip. Finally, fin desperation, the son
pulled out his hunting knife and cut his
'ather's throat, severing the head half
way from the body.
The actual murder took place about a
mile from the crossing. just about I
o'clock Wednesday night The son knew
that the express was due soon, so he
whipped up the horse and drove full
speed toward the railroad. his fathers
5lood dripping through the bottom OF the
buggy 10 the roadbed, leaving q tram
EASILY followed yesterday morning. After
-eaching the railroad, the horse was turned
1or'h on the track and driven some distance
10 the nearest curve Ollie heard the ap-
preaching train. got out to hold the horse
steady and when the train swung around
the curve, he leaped into the woods.
But Engineer A. <. Mills. who was at
the throttle of the engine, had his eye on
the track and saw the buggy IN time to
apply the brakes and come to stop with
the cow catcher almost at the buggy wheel
He had seen a man dodge into the wood
as be stopped.
Engineer Mills and the train crew
went to the buggy the horse apparently
too frightened to run, and found the body
of Derrick Morris huddled In the bottom
of the buggy, half wrapped in q horse
blanket. They gave the alarm and the
news spread to his city and Millsboro
and Georgetown, Mr. Morris being well
known throughout this section OF the
State. Posses were organized to search
for the murderer. who was supposed to
have headed toward Cypress Swamp.
FATHER HAD $500
AT first il was believed that possibly
the old man had bee murdered by a
robber, rs he had gone to Georgetown
that afternoon and collected $500. 1t was
known that bis son had left with him, but
both had left in such joyful mood at the
sou supposed repentance. So 1t was be-
lieved that the boy had been frightened
away or was perhaps murdered also and
his body taken into the swamp by the
murderer.
The search had been in vain up TO late
Yesterday afternoon. State Detective
Elijah Lynch, Deputy Sheriff Lee Mitchell
and Deputy Attorney General Howard j.
Cooke had taken up the search actively
and plan of sending for blood hounds !
70 take up the trail from the railroad
tracks had been considered.
CAUGHT BY j. E. MESSICE.
At $50 clock j. William Messick, a
and farmer of Cross KEYS. /
sho had been searching all day, found /
Ollie Morris quarter OF the mile of the !
Morris home. The boy gave up without a
struggle.
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