Hurley, Wisconsin, a tough iron mining town, was the
scene of many brutal crimes, but none more startling than the 1890 murder of
Lottie Morgan. She was an actress who performed in variety theaters in Hurley and the
surrounding area. Though she lived with Johnny Sullivan, a Hurley politician, she was known to have many lovers who kept her supplied with money and jewelry. Her arrangement with Sullivan may have been more about business than
romance.
Lottie Morgan was well-known, well-liked, and
reportedly one of the prettiest women on the range. Lottie was a prostitute,
but newspapers used euphemisms to soften her notoriety—she was a courtesan, a
sporting woman, one of the demimondes, of more than doubtful reputation. The
Montreal River Mine and Iron County Republican said, “She carried herself
with all the propriety possible for her class, was vivacious, sprightly, well
informed, and was universally known here and at Ironwood and Bessemer.”
On the morning of April 12, 1890, the mutilated body
of Lottie Morgan was found in the filthy alley between two low dives on
Hurley’s main drag. She lay in a pool of coagulated blood with a deep gash in
the side of her head, about 4 inches long, from the temple back. At her feet
was her own 32 caliber revolver. A reporter found a bloodstained axe in a
nearby shed, believed to be the murder weapon.
None could find a motive for the murder. Lottie was
fully clothed when found and had not been molested. The police ruled out
robbery because Lottie was still wearing her diamond earrings and other
jewelry, valued at more than $5,000.
One of Lottie’s lovers was an ex-policeman, and some
speculated that she was working as a police spy. The criminals
who discovered her secret took their revenge.
The police and public favored another, more specific, theory. A
recent nighttime robbery at the Hurley Iron Exchange Bank netted the thieves $39,000.
Lottie had been subpoenaed to testify at the trial because the bank’s interior
could be seen from the window of Lottie’s apartment. The court found Ed Baker
and Phelps Perrin guilty of the robbery even without Lottie’s testimony, but
they became the prime suspects in her murder.
Lottie Morgan’s elaborate funeral included a beautiful
display of flowers and a procession featuring a brass band. The town raised
nearly $200 to investigate the crime. A grand jury was convened to uncover the
mysterious plot that led to Lottie’s murder.
But nothing was uncovered. In May, the County Board of
Supervisors offered a $500 reward for the apprehension of the murders, but
nothing came of this either. As time went on, the police and people of Hurley faced newer crimes and Lottie's case went cold. Lottie Morgan’s name disappeared from the newspapers and her unsolved murder was eventually forgotten.
Sources:
“Brained with an Ax,” St Paul daily globe, April 12, 1890.
“Brevities by Wire,” Aberdeen Daily News, April 12, 1890.
“Domestic,” Daily Inter Ocean, April 12, 1890.
“Found Murdered,” Erie Morning Dispatch, April 12, 1890.
“The Hurley Murder,” Bay City Times, April 12, 1890.
“A Hurley Murder,” Duluth News-Tribune, April 12, 1890.
“Lottie Morgan Murdered,” Montreal River Miner and Iron County Republican, April 10, 1890.
“Lottie Morgan's Murder,” Portage Daily Democrat, April 14, 1892.
“Murdering a Woman,” Milwaukee Journal, April 11, 1890.
“News of Wisconsin,” Boscobel Dial, May 26, 1892.
“To Cover a Crime,” Argus-Leader, May 17, 1890.
“Was She an Important Witness?,” Milwaukee Journal, May 14, 1890.
“Who Killed Lottie Morgan?,” Illustrated Police News, April 26, 1890.
“Who Killed Lottie Morgan?,” Detroit Free Press, April 12, 1890.
“Why Lottie was Murdered,” Wisconsin State Journal, May 14, 1890.
