Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 196, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1910 — INOFFENSIVE ITEM IRATES CREAM MAN MORRISON. [ARTICLE]

INOFFENSIVE ITEM IRATES CREAM MAN MORRISON.

Fighting Cream Buyer Enraged at Paragraph About One Fight and Tries to Lick the Editor. The following paragraph, which looks inoffensive enough, so infuriated W. H. Morrison, the cream man, that he looked up the writer, George H. Healey, called him a liar and waded into him like a wild bull. The outcome was not serious to either party, but the scrappy cream buyer is probably coming to a point of knowledge that he has no right to assail with his fists and a foul mouth, every person that does not do things just as he thinks they should be done. Wednesday morning Morrison and William Dixey, who is about 70 years of age, had some trouble which Will be discussed later. The Republican, without interviewing either party, published the following paragraph in the Evening Republican of that day: “W. H. Morrison, the cream man, and William Dixey, as agent for A. Leopold, had a little mix-up this morning, which may possibly get into the justice’s court. Mr. Dixey is quite an old man.”

It has never been the policy of the Republican to give the details of personal troubles, and the scrap between Morrison, who is a small man and crippled in one leg, and Mr. Dixey, who is an old man and highly respected in Rensselaer, wis no exception and the above little paragraph was all that was printed. Mr. Morrison took umbrage to it, probably believing that there was an implication that he had assaulted an “old man.”

Morrison started out to find the editor and made a visit to the Republican office shortly before 6 o’clock but found the office closed. He then went to Haskell’s barbershop and while there saw the writer walking r-cross the courthouse yard with Dr. ashburn, in whose automobile the writer was going to tide home. While the doctor was cranking up the machine Morrison cut across the street to the northeast corner of the courthouse and as soon as he was within hearing distance he waved a copy of the Republican in his hand and said excitedly: “Is this some of your work?” It was plain that he was very angry, and when reply was made that the writer was responsible for it, Morrison asked why he had not been seen to get the particulars of the affair. He was told that the particulars were not wanted, that we did not aggravate personal scraps by relating them in the paper. He said, “Well; you say Dixey is an old man—” He was evidently going to say something more, but we interrupted by suggesting that it certainly was indisputable that Mr. Dixey was an old man. Morrison, who was standing very close, said: “You’re a damned liar,” and struck at the same time. He did not land, but the writer with his open hand struck him a sharp blow on the cheek. At the same moment Morrison grabbed his opponent about the waist with a football tackle and in a second had him on his back, off the walk and on a brick street. The writer struck him on the head several times as he was going down and pushed his head down to prevent him from biting, which he was trying to do. While binding his antagonist firmly with his left arm and watching for an opportunity to roll him over, Constable Oliver Robinson, who was close at hand, waded in to separate the combatants. Robinson showed all his old time vigor and had the editor’s left arm pinioned beneath bls knees, while he was tugging at Morrison with his hands. As Morrison was being pulled up, it looked as though he had a good opening to smash the writer in the face, and the yrriter beat him to it by smashing him.

The editor was not injured in the least, and Morrison was not, aside from a few bruises about the head and a slightly discolored eye. The affair was unpleasant but from the writer’s standpoint entirely unavoidable. Morrison came to Rensselaer about two years ago as a cream agent for W. A. McPherson, of Monon. They soon had trouble and McPherson made charges to several against Morrison, claiming that he had not been dealt

with fairly. The papers refrained from comment about this, however, and Morrison engaged in business for himself and has built up an extensive cream buying business, paying a high price and being regarded as a good thing for the business interests of Rensselaer. He has been extremely jealous of competition, however, and when C. E. Prior started in against him about a year ago, he went to Mr. Prior’s place of business and called him all the foul names he could lay tongue to. Mr. Prior, gentleman that he is, passed up the remarks.

When the Parr creamery was being started Morrison engaged in a mixup with one of the solicitors, who was an old man also, and knocked him down several times. The Republican was more than fair to Morrison on that occasion and rather gave him the best of it, according to many. The Republican has repeatedly heard of scrap talk eminating from Morrison and he has been regarded by those who have seen much of him as a “hot head” and inclined’ to make trouble. When the little paragraph was written at which he took so great offense, no thought occurred of doing him an injury and we have so far failed to find any one who considered it offensive or harmful.

Since the trouble we have inquired about the mix-up he had with William Dixey. Mr. Dixey works for A. Leopold. Mr. Morrison lived in one of Mr. Leopold’s houses. He had rented a house of Frank Foltz and it was not ready for occupancy the first of August and Mr. Leopold demanded a full month’s rent, saying that if he rented the house after Morrison moved out and before the month was up, he would reimburse Morrison for the part of a month so rented. Mr. Leopold’s terms may have been more severe than are usually meted out by landlords in small towns, but any way, Morrison determined to hold the premises after his removal and until

the month was up and he defied Mr. Leopold coining on the premises. Tuesday Mr. Dlxey, who works for Mr. Leopold, went to the house without consulting Mr. Leopold or Mr. Morrison and cut down the weeds, with which the yard seemed to be well supplied. Morrison charged that in cutting down the weeds he had also cut down some flowers. The next morning about 8 o’clock, Mr. Dixey was working in a shed in the rear of Mr. Leopold’s house and, Morrison went to the house he had vacated and called' across to Dixey and asked if he had cut the weeds down and when told that he had, he told Dixey not to come on -the premises again. They became involved In an argument and Morrison, is alleged to have told Dixey that if he would come over there on the premises he would lick him. Mr. Dixey was quite angry by this time and is said to have told Morrison that he would meet him half way and they went to the center of the street, Dixey carrying a piece of a board. Testimony is said to conflict, by those to whom the principals talked, about the preliminaries, but in a little bit Dixey hit Morrison with the board, grazing his-arm and bruisifig It. Morrison either knocked him down or threw him down and choked him. W. H. Brenner saw the trouble at a distance and says that the first he saw was Mr. Dixey retreating and Morrison following and throwing his arms threateningly. Finally Dixey made a stand and used the board. When he saw Morrison have Dixey down he ran toward them as fast as he could but before he got there they had separated and the trouble ended.

The particulars of this affair may be wrong in some cases, and the testimony as we have gathered it is con fileting, but it shows the pugnacious disposition of Morrison and we are inclined to believe that the little paragraph that seemed to ruflle him so, was, indeed, very moderate.

Morrison came here from Marion, unheralded and unknown. He had but little means and lived for a time, in two rooms over the Republican office. He has proven a diligent worker and a hustler for business and the Republican has never lost an opportunity to say a good word for the business he was building up. The fact that his capital has been limited and that farmers and merchants have been compelled to hold up bis checks until he could get returns from the shipments of cream has never been mentioned. i . Now, however, that he has selected to .show his teeth, and wishes to untertake the role of bully, we shall deem it our duty to inquire into his past life and try to find out who Morrison was at Marion and what qualities he has that deserve confidence. Favorable or unfavorable we shall let the people of Jasper county know the previous status of Morrison thq “fighting cream man.*’