BRIDE AND GROOM END THEIR LIVES YOUNG

GROOM AND BRIDE IN SUICIDE PACT
The Bar Harbor Record
August 3, 1918

The bodies of a man and woman, lashed together, were found floating in the water just outside the breakwater at Bar Harbor at about ten o'clock last Saturday morning and were picked up and brought to shore by scout patrol boat Sea Hawk.
County Medical Examiner J.D. Phillips of Southwest Harbor was called immediately and made an examination of the bodies with the assistance of Frank E. Sherman, undertaker, and Fred H. Gerry, Chief of police.  County attorney Fred L. Mason was afterward called and it was decided that the deaths were due to suicide by drowning.
The bodies were judged to have been in the water from two to three weeks.  All flesh had been eaten by sea fleas, from the skulls, hands and other exposed parts of both the man and woman.  There was no marks upon the bodies except black and blue marks upon the woman's right shoulder, which might have been caused by the man's hand clutching the woman's shoulder in the death struggle.
The bodies were tied together with cotton cord line.  All knots were common hitch knots and could have easily been tied by the drowned persons.  The man's right ankle was tied to the woman's left ankle and the cord brought up inside man's pants leg and tied again above calf of leg.  The man's left ankle and woman's right ankle were tied in the same manner.  They were also tied together at the waists, the cord running around womans body three times and around man's body and tied at the side between the bodies.
The man's pockets were filled with large beach rocks and contained among other things a 32 calire revolver with every chamber filled and a coil of rope about ten feet in length like that used in tying the bodies together.
Marks of identification found upon the bodies were an envelope postmarked Lynn, Mass., July 2, 1918, 3 a.m., addressed to Private H.H. Morse, 1673650, F. Battery, 303rd, Heavy Artillery, Camp Devens, Mass;  a handkerchief with the initial H., a gold knife and pencil combined attached to a watch chain with the initials H.H. M. and a B. and M.R.R. timetable, compliments of the Security Trust Co., of Lynn, Mass., and what is believed to have been a death note written on Hotel Louisburg stationary, the only words which were not washed away being "Habit links us yet" and "Gift is love."
It was learned that the couple had registered at the Hotel Louisburg at 8;30 a.m. Monday, July 8, under the name of Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Morse, Portland, Maine.  The manager of the hotel, David E. Ushkow was called and identified the woman's coat which was light green in color and had peculiar large light colored buttons and stating that the size of the man and woman corresponded to that of the couple which had registered at the Louisburg, the woman being stout and the man over six feet in height.  Manager Ushkow also stated that the man had a large amount of money on his person while at the hotel amounting to two or three thousand dollars and about which he remarked at the time.  Upon the body was found only 38 cents.
Chief of police Gerry got in communication with the chief of police in Lynn, Mass, whose investigation proved that the bodies were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Havelock Morse of that city.  Camp Devens was also notified and advice received from them that Morse was a deserter from the camp, his regiment having gone overseas.
It developed that the couple were secertly married last Christmas Eve.  He was a member of the well to do family of Nova Socita, but had lived in the family of his brother;  Rev. William Ingalls Morse, pastor of the church of the Incarnation at Lynn, Mas. until his marriage.  The bride was a servant in his brother's home, and the marriage caused an estrangement from the groom's family.
Two days before the suicide, the bride wrote to her only sister telling of her desire to die rather than be separated by war from her husband, who, at her request, had deserted from Camp Devens.  She expressed fear of his being captured and forced into a guard house, or taken from her and sent at once into the activities at the western front.  She could not stand the separation, she added, so she had begged and pleaded with her husband until he had consented to her final plans.
Instructions were received from the brother to give  to give the bodies an excellent burial at Bar Harbor, which was done at Ledgelawn Cemetery on Monday.  The brother was unable to be present on account of being in attendance at the bedside of the dying mother.
The mystery of the disappearance of the money is believed to have been cleared up from it being found that on July 8th two registered letters were sent by Morse from Bar Harbor, one to Mrs. Harold Wahl, 5 Rockingham Street, Lynn, Mass., a sister of Mrs. Morse, and one to Mr. Fesenden, Janitor, presumably in charge of their apartments in Lynn.
The whole case was untangled most efficiently by the local officers and to them is due much credit.

LEDGELAWN CEMETERY - Bar Harbor Maine