The Tragic Death of Big Ed Morris

Big Ed Morris got into a fight one night on the bank of Little Escambia creek, and died in the hospital in Century, Fl three days later. This is his story.

            Walter Edward Morris was born in Foshee, Alabama on 7 December 1899. His mother was Ella Morris, and it is believed that his father was a sawmill operator known as Captain Fuller. The 1900 census for Owen, Escambia Co, Alabama does list a Levander Fuller, born in North Carolina in 1859. Ella, and her two children, Edward, and Stella were living with her mother, Cornelia Morris, who kept a boarding house, and her four brothers. In the 1910, and 1920 census, Ella and her children were still living in Owen. There is no more sign of Mr. Fuller.

In the 1920 census Ed is listed as a laborer but he already had a reputation as a talented up and coming pitcher on the local baseball scene. In 1919 and part of 1920 he played for the Bagdad team, and was pitching for the Century, Fla. Town club when he was signed by the Class-D Bradenton Growers of the Florida State League.

The Bagdad Baseball Club 1919, 1920

Morris toiled in the minor leagues until 1928, with only a brief call -up to the Chicago Cubs in 1922, where he got 12 innings of work.  In the spring training of 1925, he got a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds but was returned to the Nashville team with a sore arm. Ed had developed the reputation for being a hard drinker, who really made no effort at conditioning, or taking care of himself.

In 1928, Morris got his big break with the hapless Boston Red Sox. He took full advantage of his opportunity, and won his first start on May 3 with a 4-hit victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Through the 25^th of August his record was 17-11 with an era of 3.13. Steller numbers for sure, but possibly the length of the season wore him down. He finished 19-15 with a 3.53 era.  He also had pitched 257 innings. His record was still the best among rookie pitchers, and his 19 victories accounted for a third of the Red Sox wins that year.

In 1929, Morris suffered arm problems and other nagging injuries that resulted in a season record of 14 wins and 14 losses. He pitched 208 innings and had a 4.45 era. During the winter before the season, Morris had traveled to the Panama Canal region, and found a team that wanted to hire him to pitch. Morris wired Baseball Commissioner, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis for permission to pitch. Landis wired back that permission could not be granted due to rules prohibiting major league ballplayers from playing for money during the offseason. Morris pitched a couple of games anyway, defeating the Navy fleet team 4-3, and becoming a hero in the Canal Zone. In March during spring training Landis fined him $250. It was considered lucky that Morris was not also handed a suspension. There is one notable game from 1929. On 26 May, Morris pitched against the Yankees. The game ended in a 15-4 blowout for the victorious Yanks, and Morris was largely ineffective. He gave up a three-run homer to Yankee catcher Bill Dickey, and a double to Lou Gehrig, but in the fifth inning Big Ed Morris hit a home run off of Waite Hoyt to tie the game 3-3. At the conclusion of the inning Hoyt was walking toward the Yankee dugout and said something to the umpire, and got ejected from the game. It was Morris’ only major league home run.

The 1930 season started with spring training at Pensacola’s Legion Field, with the players staying at the San Carlos Hotel. Morris was a hold out for a short time demanding a raise. He settled for a $500 raise to a season salary of $8000. The Red Sox considered Morris to be the Ace of their pitching staff for the upcoming season. The New York Yankees had made a strong effort to obtain Morris during the offseason. Once again, he developed arm problems and missed the second half of the season. His record was 4-9 with a 4.13 era.

After the 1930 season, Morris had a house built in Flomaton, Alabama, and moved his family there from Mobile. He had a wife, Beryl, and two sons, Edward, and Mortimer by this time, and they lived there until his death.

1931 was, once again, a season of a sore arm. Morris also missed three weeks in May after being hit on his big toe during batting practice by a line drive hit by outfielder Tom Oliver. He was sent home from Philadelphia to Boston to get treatment. He started to improve late in the season, but finished with 5 wins and 7 losses with a 4.75 era. His dismal record was the result of “injuries, and failure to condition”. His last appearance was a complete game 4-hit victory, 9-2 over the St. Louis Browns. He and the Red Sox were looking forward to 1932 as a come back season.

A Going Away Fish Fry

The 1932 spring training for the Red Sox was to be in Savanah, Georgia. To celebrate the new season, and a new contract for Morris there was to be a fish fry/peanut boil to be held in his honor. This was held on Little Escambia Creek between Flomaton, and Brewton, Alabama on 29 Feb 1932.  At some point during the evening there was an altercation between Morris and a Brewton filling station operator named Joe White. Morris knocked White down, and then he tripped and fell on top of him. White stabbed him twice in the chest with his pocket knife. An L&N railroad employee named Dixon was cut when he was attempting to break up the fight. Morris staggered across the creek and collapsed on the opposite bank. Until then, it was unclear how bad he was hurt. He was taken to the hospital in Century, FL. The knife wounds were very close to his heart, but the doctor felt he would survive. He was concerned however, that infection would set in due to Morris going in the water after he was stabbed. Sure enough, infection set in, and then pneumonia resulting in his death on 3 March.

Ed Morris was buried at the Halls Creek Church cemetery. The Red Sox sent outfielder, and friend Tommy Oliver to the funeral to represent the team. Big Ed’s mother Ella died in 1940, and she was buried next to him.

Thirty-Six-year-old, Joe White was arrested, tried, and found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to three years, but the conviction was reversed by the Alabama Court of Appeals. There was a retrial in August 1934, in Brewton, Alabama and White was found not guilty.

Ed’s Family

Ed married Beryl Tompkins of Bullock Co., Alabama in 1924. She was born on 10 March 1905, and died 5 June 1985. She is buried at the Pine Crest Cemetery, in Mobile, Alabama.

He had two sons:

 Edward Morris, b. 29 Jun 1925, d. 2 Feb 1991, also buried at the Pine Crest Cem. In Mobile.

Mortimer T. Morris, b. 10 July 1927, d. 30 Mar 2000. He is buried at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Theodore, Mobile Co., Alabama.

Interesting post script about Ed’s wife Beryl.  She got remarried a few months after Ed’s death to Dr. Joseph E. Rose, who was 25 years older than her and had recently divorced his wife, Ida, who he had been married to since 1909. There is a marriage record of a wedding in Desha County, Arkansas on 30 Nov 1932, and a second record in Walton Co., Florida on 15 Dec 1932. Beryl divorced her second husband in Bradford Co., Florida in 1950. He then remarried his first wife Ida. He died in 1958, and is buried at Bayview cemetery in Pensacola.

The Ed Morris Baseball Progression

 1920- Bradenton- Florida State League

1921- Chattanooga- Class A- Southern Association.  Record of 9-21 with 4.48 era.

1922- Chattanooga- 5-19, 4.85 era

            1922- briefly called up to the Chicago Cubs. Pitched 12 innings in relief with an era of 8.25.

1923- Chattanooga, and the Nashville Volunteers. 9-11 with 5.58 era

1925- Spring- Tryout with Cincinnati Reds. Sore arm and sent back to Nashville.

At Nashville he was 17-11 with 4.52 era.

1926- Nashville- 16-13 4.53 era

1927-Mobile Bay Bears- Southern Association- 298 innings pitched. 15-17 3.96 era.

1928- Boston Red Sox- May 3, first victory against the Phil. Athletics. 4-hitter. Through 8/25 his record was 17-11, with 3.13 era. Downhill from there; finished season 19-15 3.53 era, 257 IP. Still good enough to be the best rookie pitcher in the league. Boston was the worst team in the American League.

1929- Arm Problems. 14-14 with 4.45 era. 208 IP, 73K, 95BB.

1930- Salary hold out. Red Sox spring training in Pensacola. Finally signed for $500 raise to $8,000. More arm problems he finished 4-9, 4.13 era.

1931- Pensacola spring training again. Season record 5-7 4.75 era. Though he improved toward the end of the season, and was anticipating a better performance in 1932, his dismal record was the result of “injuries, and failure to condition.”  His last pitching performance was a complete game 4-hit 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns. It was his last appearance.

Four Years of Ed’s Salary

            1928 $3500.                In 2023 dollars- $62,248

            1929 $7500                   “     “     “     “  - $133,389

            1930 $8000                                          - $145,689

            1931 $4000                                            -$80,033