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Continued: Ford died of Tertiary Syphilis, untreated, at 1:30 PM in St. Joseph'sHospital in Minot, ND. Vivian Morgan, his companion, was listed asthe informant. Ford was listed as a single person living at 318 ThirdStreet in Minot and working as a janitor at the Weslie Motel. He wasburied in the Black Section of Rosehill Cemetery in Minot. FrankMorton of Missouri and Palace Bergen (Burton-Campbell) of Tennesseewere listed as his parents*. Leo M. Finnegan was listed as theundertaker. (*According to the 1880 Federal Census, Rebecca StanleyMorton was Ford's mother. So the immediate family did not know whoFord's mother actually was.) (St. Joseph's Hospital became UnimedMedical Center, 407 3rd St. NE, Minot, ND 58701). In a Memorandumdated 31 May 2000, received 3 Jun 2000 from Health InformationServices on the release of medical records on Ford Morton, I wasinformed: "I am sorry but we are unable to obtain records from theyear 1937. By law the state of ND only requires recordretention/reproduction for 10 years from the last date of service".The letter was unsigned.
"On Friday, 14 August 1896, the trial of Joe Wiley and Ford Morton,Colored, for assault with intent to kill passenger conductor Donohueof the Cotton Belt and Jeff Stone, a carpenter of Cairo and Samos,this county (MS), last Sunday, 9 August 1896, was to have come upbefore Judge S.W. Rouse but owing to the condition of Stone...(newsarticle not legible)".
"Yesterday evening as the Cotton Belt northbound passenger train wasnear Samos Crossing, 6 miles south of this city, Joe Wiley, a Negro,became offended at Conductor Donohue for some cause unknown, pulledhis revolver and fired 3 shots at Mr. Donohue. The shots missed himand one shot struck Jeff Stone, a passenger, inflicting probably afatal wound. The Negro left the train at Samos and made his escape.Sheriff Martin is upon his trail and will probably capture the Negrosoon".
(Two things here are ironic: Edgar Moton/ Morton was eventuallyarrested, tried and released for this crime and not Joe Wiley (wasEdgar using an alias); and a Martha A. Rouse paid the funeral bill forEdgar Moton/Morton when he died in Cairo, IL, December 1915).
"Police Happenings: The case of State vs Ed and Ford Morton, Colored,was set for Thursday, 17 Sep 1896".
"Ed and Ford Morton, charged with assault with intent to kill, came upfor trial before Judge Rouse yesterday (24 Sep 1896), but owing to theabsence of the State's witnesses, the case was continued till the 7thand bond placed at $500 and $ ? respectively".
According to The Charleston Weekly Enterprise Newspaper, dated 9 Oct1896, " on 7 Oct 1896, the grand jury returned the following truebills of indictment: State against Edward (Edgar) Morton, carryingconcealed weapons. State against Ford Morton, carrying concealedweapons. State against Ford Morton and Edward Morton, assault andwounding with intent to kill; and having further business retire againto consult thereof. Court takes recess until tomorrow at 8:30o'clock".
According to The Charleston Weekly Enterprise Newspaper, dated 18 Dec1896 " Conductor Donohue, of the Cotton Belt and Jeff Stone, acarpenter of Cairo, who were assaulted by Ed and 'Frank' Morton,colored boys of this county, several months ago with pistols while thetrain was at Samos, are in the city attending circuit court asprosecuting witnesses. Stone was dangerously wounded being shot threetimes" (see previous 'wounding' above).
On 7 Oct 1896, Ford was charged with carrying a concealed weapon andassault and wounding with intent to kill in the Circuit Court,Charleston, Mississippi County, MO. The victim was not identified inthe court records. On 16 Dec 1896, Ford, aged 17 years, was sentencedto two years in a Missouri State Reform School for Boys. According tothe Charleston Weekly Enterprise, "Sheriff Martin left today (18 Dec1896) for Boonville with Ed. Motten (Ford Morton), a 17 year oldColored boy, who was sentenced to two years in the reform school forshooting Jeff Stone at Samos a short time since". Ford later settledin Minot, ND. There is no record of military service for him. Thecharge of carrying a concealed weapon was dismissed. His brotherEdgar was also charged and tried on the same charges but Edgar wasfound not guilty of either crime.
According to the Boy's Commitment Book No. 2, Missouri Reform School,Ford was admitted to Boonville State Reform School as prisoner #737 on17 Dec 1896. His commitment record read as follows: "Now on this16th day of Dec 1896, in the Circuit Court of Mississippi County,accused Ford Morton charged with assault with intent to kill, through?a trial by a jury he was found guilty as charged and sentenced toimprisonment in the State Reform School for a period of two (2)years". Expense of Mississippi County. Signed, T.? Jacob? Ford'sfather's name was listed as Ford Morton (Frank Robert Morton) and hismother's name was listed as Ohusil? Morton (Rebecca Stanley Morton).Ford was released on 28 Jun 1897, after serving seven months, elevendays of his two year sentence in addition to being incarcerated frommid-August 1896 in the Charleston County Jail. Sometime after Ford'srelease, he migrated to Minot, Ward County, ND which was part of theNorthwest Territory at the time. Ford is believed to be the Mortonwho left Southeast Missouri after his release and never returned as aresult of threats on his life for this crime. Ford died and is buriedin Minot, ND.
An article which appeared on the front page of the Charleston WeeklyEnterprise dated 1 Jan 1897, Volume 23, No. 29 read as follows: "TheCairo Telegram observes that it is a very peculiar fact that almostevery (N)egro arrested and taken to police headquarters is found tohave either a pistol, or a razor or a murderous knife on him, and inmost cases it is a pistol. The police say that fully four-fifths ofthe (N)egroes here go armed constantly, and that a large number ofthem are ready to shoot or cut on the sligh(t)est provocation. When'one' is arrested with dangerous weapons on him he should be punishedto the full extent of the law. It is true that some white personscarry pistols, which is of course a violation of the law, but specialmention is made of the (N)egro, for both city and county jails beingcrowded with the 'latter' constantly, shows that they break the lawsmore frequently than the other 'class', and the practice they have ofgoing armed leads to the commission of many offenses".
Another article in the Charleston Weekly Enterprise dated 25 Sep1896, Volume 23, No. 15 read as follows: "A big black (N)egropresided over the Cape Girardeau county Republican convention theother day, at the Cape. Still we have (a) lot of white Republicans inthis county that will stay with them. We wonder if some of ourRepublican friends would('nt) blush a little red, bolt the ticket, ifsuch state of affairs existed in this county".
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