The New Orleans Daily Democrat

A Story About Morrissey

[Chicago Times]

Anecdotes of Morrissey are numerous, most of them highly complimentary to the manliness and good fellowship of the dead gambler. Simon Cameron narrates one, his authority being undoubtedly Senator Conkling, whom he seeks to disguise under the phrase, "One of the best known Republican leaders in New York." A young man of promise, a clerk in a metropolitan dry goods house, left $12,000 of his employers' money in Morrissey's hell. Realizing the awful position in which his dishonesty placed him, the young man told his mother, who, half crazed with grief, informed his father. The Republican leader aforesaid was called into counsel. He went to the gambler, told him the whole story, and assured him that disgrace and ruin would be brought upon an estimable family if the money lost by the young man was not returned. Morrissey listened quietly to all that was told him, and then said: "Well, that's all very well, but the young fellow lost his money fair; and as for him bein' a poor innocent young dove that didn't know nothing of the world, that's all stuff; he's been in our place often, and won many a pile, but for the old woman's sake I'll see what I can do. Come to my house tomorrow morning, and like as not I can make the thing all right." The next morning the gentleman came as he was directed and with the simple words, "Tell the old woman to keep her boy away from sportin' houses," Morrissey handed him the exact sum that the young clerk had lost. "If such an action," said Mr. Cameron, in conclusion, "does not cover a multitude of sins, my seventy-nine years of life have taught me no lessons and brought me no knowledge."