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Continued: Fannie May Morton was a housekeeper and the second wife of RobertLeslie Morton. The
cause of death was listed as a self-inflicted gunshot wound in thestomach. Fannie is buried in an un-marked grave in the ColoredSection of the cemetery. Funeral costs for Fannie were $238.00.
"Colored Woman Kills Self And Young Daughter" "Bodies of Mrs. FannyMay Morton and daughter Connie found by neighbors 3:00 o'clockyesterday".
"The bodies of Mrs. Fanny May Morton, Colored, and her young daughterConnie, victims of gunshot wounds evidently inflicted by Mrs. Morton,were found at their home on South 9th St. by neighbors about 3:00o'clock yesterday afternoon".
"In the inquest held last night, the coroner's jury found the twodeaths were the result of murder and suicide. Added to the tragedy isthe fact that the husband and father of the victims, Robert Morton, isa patient in Mt. Vernon Hospital having undergone an appendicitisoperation recently. Rigor mortis had set in on the bodies at the timeof the discovery and Coroner, Dr. G. L. Taylor said they had been deadabout 12 hours when found. A lamp was burning in the bedroom in whichthe tragedy occurred bearing on the theory that both had died beforeyesterday morning. Both bodies were found in the north front bedroomand their home is located on South 9th Street (1415) near thenorthwest corner of the fairground. Officials summoned soon after thediscovery of the bodies said the evidence pointed to the following:"
"That Mrs. Morton had shot the little girl with the gun, a 12 gaugedouble-barrel shotgun, while the child was lying on the bed and whenit failed to kill her outright, had stabbed her 21 times with an icepick found near the girl's body. She then evidently turned the gun onherself. When found, the little girl was found lying on her back withher head toward the door and her mother was lying between the bed anda trunk with her feet facing the east in the northwest corner of theroom. The shots took effect in the abdomen of each victim. The gunwas found strapped to the bedpost at the foot of the bed with abuckskin strap which was wound through the trigger guard of the gun.A police officer who investigated the case said Mrs. Morton hadevidently sat on the floor and had merely pulled the barrel nearerherself, the strap over the trigger discharging the gun".
"The body was discovered by neighbors. The house was locked and Mrs.Virdie (Birdie/Bertie) Swift, who had been to the hospital to see thehusband of Mrs. Morton could not get in the house. She summonedneighbors and a boy, Milton Bigsby, gained entrance to the housethrough a window and unlocked the backdoor. Rev. H.M. Carter was oneof the first to answer the call for help. City police were called andthe coroner was summoned. The little girl had been stabbed 11 timesnear the heart and the other wounds made by the ice pick were on otherparts of the body. Blood on the bed and shot from the gun was afurther indication that the girl had been shot while lying on the bedand had got to her feet before being stabbed with the ice pick".
"It was said by those present shortly after the bodies were found thatthere were indications that the family was impoverished. Funeralarrangements had not been made up to a late hour today".
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