Claude Hankins 14, and the Murder of George Morse

January 04, 2019

Claude Hankins 14, and the Murder of George Morse

In the summer of 1904, life would change forever for 14-year-old Claude Frederick Hankins. His mother had passed away some time before and he was living with his sister. He had begun to hang around a rough crowd of boys in Marysville, a small town in northern California.

His sister, A. C. Webb, sent him to the Bolles Ranch, in hopes of reforming him before he got too out of control.

Hankins was described as an average-sized lad who spoke with a lisp.

Whatever got him to murder the son of a famous detective would be a story that would unravel slowly. Was Claude a cold-blooded murderer or was he the victim of an abusive man who saw the killing as the only way out?

These would be questions that would be hard to answer.

George Morse (sometimes Mosse, depending on what publication you read), was known to be a violent man. This came contrary to many eye-witness accounts of Hankins being treated very well while at the ranch. It's easy to speculate that these accounts could have been biased, being that they came from ranch staff and friends of Morse.

The famous detective, George's father Harry Morse, became estranged from his son many years prior due to his violent behaviors. These acts included setting fire to the military school his parents sent him to after being a troubled young man.
(as a side note, Harry Morse was known as the "Bloodhound of the West", and had partial credit in capturing Black Bart)

In 1904, Morse had drifted to Yuba County where he found work at the Bolle Ranch. Known to be erratic and unstable, he was known to carry a .38 Smith & Wesson.

Marysville's courts had warned Morse on many occasions that his violent actions would land him in hot water had he not learned to curb his emotions.

Around 1880 George's wife died and he remarried. The second wife divorced him on grounds of abuse.

In 1889 George fired shots at a neighbor in a land dispute.

Long before the murder, Claude had confided in his sister Lugenia, that he had grown afraid of Morse who ran the ranch with an iron fist.

When Claude was found by Marysville's beloved Sheriff Voss at the Golden Eagle Hotel fast asleep, he found him with the buttons to his trousers ripped off in what the papers called, "An act against nature".

Claude claimed that Morse attempted to rape him and he took the man's gun and shot him in the back of the head. He also took $68 dollars the man and boy had retrieved from the bank earlier in a withdrawal. This led people to speculate that he had killed the man to rob him.

The young man that Claude had replaced at the ranch, Charles Dray, testified that George had threatened him on numerous occasions. He said that George had threatened to cut his head off and his heart out.

This matched Hankin's claim that Morse had threatened he would, "just as soon cut his head off as he would whittle a piece of wood."

George Morse - Photo Credit Shayne Davidson

Dray retracted his statement after a visit from the ranch manager, George Thompson. Thompson has also gained the reputation of being a slave driver at the Ranch. Boys were forced to sleep in chicken coops and were uncompensated for hard labor.

Is it possible the young man had decided he would no longer be abused by George Morse and took matters into his own hands?

Despite the claims of abuse and Morse's history, on November 1, 1904, Claude was found guilty of 1st-degree murder and sent to San Quentin Penitentiary for a 16-year sentence. Because his crimes were deemed too violent, he did not qualify to be located at The Preston School Of Industry where most boys of his age would have been sent at that time.

San Francisco Call, Oct. 26, 1904. - “Hankins is only 14 years old but took his sentence like a man. He said he expected to fare worse. … He said he preferred to go to San Quentin because it was nearer to his relatives in Alameda.”

It's possible that Hankins is the youngest inmate to have been documented at San Quentin. Also, 14-year-old Barney Lee was an inmate, who was incarcerated in 1941to a life sentence for murder.

While I feel in my heart that Claude was served a great injustice, his story has a silver lining.

In 1909, he was paroled at the age of 19. He moved in Seattle Washington and married Etta Collier. They had two little girls and he lived to be 75 years old when he passed away.

I hope he lived the rest of his life happy.

Claude's image as a prisoner was made well known as a glass slide (as well as others) was found by photographer Arne Svenson, in a California Antique store. The glass slide was one of many from Marysville photographer, Clara Sheldon Smith. Smith owned a photo studio in Marysville, California. From 1900 - 1908, Marysville and county jails, utilized Smith's studio to photograph prisoners.

Since then Svenson has unearther some 500 mugshots. He has included Hankin's mugshot, as well as his story in his book "Prisoners".

Ahead are some articles and info regarding this case.

Colusa Daily Sun, Volume XXVI, Number 17, 21 July 1904

"GEORGE MOSSE MURDERED NEAR MARYSVILLE Claude F. Hankins, a 14-Year Old Boy, Confesses to Having Committed the Deed.

One of the most remarkable murders In the history of crime was committed on the Bolles ranch, six miles east of Marysville on Tuesday night.

The Marysville Appeal of Thursday morning says:

“Claude F. Hankins, the fourteen-year-old orphan boy, who was arrested at an early hour yesterday morning on suspicion of having murdered George Mosse at the Holies orchard, six miles east of Marysville, has confessed that he fired the fatal shot. He also states that be bad' made ui> his mind two days previous to kill Mosse in order to secure his money, and that while engaged in milking the cow on Tuesday evening he took advantage of his position,- slipped up behind him and fired a bullet into his brain. This confession was made in the presence- of District Attorney Brittan, Sheriff Voss and Court Reporter Cutter, who took down the statement.

Yesterday morning District Attorney Brittan had a talk with the boy. He stated that he was born in Stockton, Kansas, on March 19, 1890, and that be came to California when 4 months old with his parents, who are both now dead. His mother had died In Alameda on March 23, 1904, at 858 Oak street, since which time be bad been living with bis sister, Mrs. Alice C. Webb, at 1723 Park’ street, Alkmeda. Recently his sister bad read an advertisement in a San Francisco paper to’the effect that a boy was wanted at the Holies ranch. She secured the position for him and be arrived In Marysville on July 9th, meeting George C. Thompson, manager of the ranch, at the Western hotel.

Mosse was at work on the ranch when be arrived there, and had acted rather crusty toward him, calling him bad names and otherwise bossing him about."

The boy first told that two men came along, and that one of them shot Mosse while he was milking the cows, and that he became frightened and went to Marysville. He made a long story of the fictitious murderers, showing a very vivid imagination. He told about meeting some dredger men with whom be went to Marysville.

The Appeal's account continues:

“Visiting the merry-go-iound and later going to the telephone office, called up bis brother-in-law, Mr. Webb, at Alameda, and told him what bad happened pnd said that he wanted logo home as he was afraid to, remain at the orchard. Called at the depot to purchase a ticket for Alameda and was told to call at 5 o’clock in the morning. Came down town, had supper at a Japanese restaurant and went to the Golden Eagle hotel, where he retired.

It developed during the examination that Hankins' father, who was divorced from bis mother, had been killed while attempting a burglary in the east two years ago, according to the boy’s statement.

In the afternoon Court Reporter Cutter was sent for, and at 2 o’clock District Attorney Hrittan bad the boy brought into the sheitff’s office, and the whole mattei was gone over again.

It was then that be broke down and confessed that he bad killed Mosse, and that he had lied in his first statement concerning the two mysterious men whom be bad accused of committing the crime.

Charles Taylor, who resides in Linda, informed the district attorney that the boy bad called at bis place on Tuesday evening and had asked him to bring him to town, stating that be bad been working at the Holies ranch. He offered him a dollar for the service, whereupon Taylor brought him to the Golden Eagle hotel at 9 o'clock, charging him but 50 cents for his trouble."

His sister, Mrs. Webb, of Alameda, had heard of a boy wanted at the Holies ranch and had secured the plate for the young murderer. She was Interviewed by a Bulletin reporter, and she said that Claude >had always been troublesome, and *that since his mother’s death in March lust the lad bad caused her much uneasiness, In Alameda be was an associate of the Gates boys, who are being bunted fur holding up a Southern Pacific train near Redding, and for killing the express messenger.

She had sent him to Yuba county to get him away from the evil associates he had made.

The Appeal gathers some particulars as to the dead man:

He was married twice, his second wife being Miss Kitty flicks of Watsonville, from whom he' was divorced. He intended to marry in a short time May A. Jakle, who was coming out from Cleveland, Gtiio, where she resided at 21 Congress Street. He was known to the flicks family as George s. Morse, not Mosse.

The' Kitty Hicks above referred to, once -lived' in Colusa and was the. daughter of Barber John Hicks."

The photo above, shows the stark constant of Hankins to other inmated at San Quentin Prison. Because his crimes were deemed too violent, he did not qualify to be located at The Preston School Of Industry. - California State Archives.