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Show TAFT CHUlfS THE SENTENCE OF CHARLES AHORSE t ' WASHINGTON, Jan. IS. 4 President Taft commuted to- f night to cxplro at once tho 15- year sontence for violation of -f f- the national banking law6, un- f der which Charles "W. Morse, tho NTew York banker and "ice -f king" has served two jears In the federal penitentiary at At- lanta, Ga. The commutation of sentence, which gives Morse his complete freedom free-dom but which-, unlike a pardon, doos not restore his civil rights was granted upon recommondatlou of Attorney At-torney General Wickorsham and Surgeon Sur-geon General Tornoy, U S A. According to tho surgeon's report, Morse could not live one month longer long-er ln confinement and oven nt liberty probablj would not live six months. Whlte Hou6o Statement. The Whlto House statement granting grant-ing freedom to Morse follows- "The President this afternoon commuted com-muted the sentence of Charles W Morse to expire at once. This action was taken upon the recommendation of the attorney general, based upon the following report of Surgeon General Gen-eral Torno . " 'A careful review of those ro-ports ro-ports mnkes it cler to my mind that he is suffering fr5m a combination or diseases, due to degenerative changes, which are incurable and progressive. The reports showr that both the condition con-dition of tho kidneys and tho heart are growing worse I regard the attack at-tack of cardiac dyspnoea, or heart block, from which be suffered on tho morning of tho 15th Instant, as an ominous occurrence. In my opinion, the prisoner's duration of llfo will be In all probability less than ono month If kept in confinement, and Jn the oent of his release under commutation commuta-tion of sentence. It is not probable that he will live as long as six months.' " Mrs. Morae En Route to Husband. Mrs. Morse left tonight for Atlan-tn Atlan-tn to join her husband. As she boarded the train she was radiant, but declined to discuss the action of President Taft The attorney general telegraphed Wardon Moyer of the Atlanta penitentiary, peni-tentiary, who technically was in charge of Morse evon though ho had been removed to tho Fort McPhcrson hospital to release the prisoner. Tho army surgeons at Fort McPherson were similarly instructed Morse will be freed by the tclecraphlc orders, or-ders, It being unnecessary for the Atlanta At-lanta authorities to wait tho formal warrant of commutation, whlnh will be sent by mall. Will Go Abroad at Once. Efforts for a completo pardon were unavailing and under the law Morse could not he paroled until ho had served flvo years. Under the commutation commu-tation ho will bo allowed to leave the array hospital at Fort 'McPherson at once. Recent efforts ln his behalf developed that his friends wished to take him to Carlsbad for treatment and tonight it was deemed probable here that ho would be taken abroad at once The commutation of Morse's sentence sen-tence camo at tho end of months of unremitting offorts on the part of Mrs. Morse and of the banker's friends Almost slnco tho day the doors of his coll closed on him, Mrs. Morse and Influential friends havo besieged the department of justice and through it the White House for mitigation of the sontence. Mrs. Morse in person conducted a campaign cam-paign among senators and mombers of tho house of representatives, and obtained ob-tained scores of signature of prominent promi-nent men to a petition In her husband's hus-band's behalf. DcsIgnatoJ as a special messenger by tho attorney general's office, Mrs. Morao left Washington tonight fo? Atlanta, bearing her husband's commutation com-mutation papers. "I thank God," sho said, just boforo sho boarded the train "I could not have lived-longer under tho strain. My heart was breaking Mr Morse's llfo is almost ended No human being can know the suffering 1 havo endured en-dured since my husband's imprisonment. imprison-ment. I tried every means to bring about his release. President Taft's act was one of: simple justice. If my husband did wrong he ban more than paid tho penalty. His life has been forfeited. I always have believed and always will believe that he was an Innocent man tho Bcapcgoat of others. oth-ers. "I ha-ve no ,hopo that my husband will live more than two months, even though we can get him Io Carlsbad, where ho will have tho benefit of tho baths. T have no criticism to mako against any one. I know all tho officers offi-cers acted according to a sense of duty, but It -Is hard, bard lo think that my husband's life has been taken ' from him and Ctbatho la paying tho i' 'forfeit with his life. Tho judgo nevor 1 intended to sentence him to death." May Not Leave Georgia Allve.V ATLANTA, Ga,. Jan. IS. "I am glad to hear the news," wos tho only comr ment made by Charles W. Morse, when informed by the post surgeon at Fort McPherson that Presldont Taft had commuted his sentence. It was uttered in a weak voice, which carried llttlo or no elation, for tho bed-ridden banker realized that no mortal authority could release him from tho clutches of lncurablo diseases. dis-eases. Warden Moyer, who has been Morse's jailer at tho federal prison slnco January 3, 1910, hurried to the poBt hospital as soon as ho received official notification of tho President's action and formally released Morse. It wns after dusk when Morso heard tho good news, with no member mem-ber of his family present but his sister, sis-ter, Miss Jennie Morso. From Washington Wash-ington came two joyous tolcgrnms from Mrs. Morse and the sick financier finan-cier brightened perceptibly. Morse will be removed from tho post hospital as soon as he is ablo to stand an ambulanco Journey to an Infirmary within the city. He had another an-other bad night with his heart and was not so well today, but his physician phy-sician was hopoful tonight that his parole might have a favorable effect on his condition Should ho gain strength, Morse probably will bo removed re-moved to a sanitarium ln Florida and he hopes oventually to go to Germany, where the baths may rolleve his heart troublo to some extent It is doubtful doubt-ful whether Morso will ever leave Georgia alive. Ho is suffering from three diseases regarded as incurable and tho end might como nt any time. On tho other hand, it is said, ho might live ten years. |
