THE GREAT CAT CASE - The Gazette, 14th July, 1887

Mrs Morley, the Proprietor of Several Score of Cats, Before the Recorder.
There was a much more respectable audience than usual in the Recorder’s court yesterday afternoon, the bar being specially represented. From this it may be assumed that something unusual was going on, and in fact this was so, for the much talked of “cat” case was down for hearing. The defendant, Mrs. Stephen Morley, attended by her lawyer, was a little late, and as she swept past the reporters' table, resplendent in a beautiful lavender silk dress and bonnet, a black lace shawl and yellow gloves, a peculiar feline odour was perceptible in the court room. The learned Clerk of the Crown was there, pale with suppressed anxiety, while a notary, a longer sufferer, was more collected and had an anticipating look on his face. The charge was that the defendant, residing at No. 200 St. Hubert street, keeping cats, caused a public nuisance. Mr. Germain, clerk of the court, prosecuted, while Mr. Lafortune was for the defence.

Sergeant Moran testified that from orders received on the 4th instant he visited the house of the defendant in company with another officer, when he was shown through the rooms. There were about seventy cats of all sizes and kinds running about. The stench was horrible. There were double windows on, all of which were shut, which the defendant explained was to keep the smell in. The other officer, with his stick, raked filth from off the carpet, with which it was littered. The smell could be felt from the sidewalk.

Cross-examined: The smell was intolerable. Did not know if any of the neighbors had cats. The smell was very bad in the adjoining houses. There had been complaints of this nuisance for two years. Had visited the place several times before, but had not been admitted. He did not object to the quantity of cats but strongly did to the smell.

Constable A. Millette, of the Sanitary police, deposed that he accompanied the sergeant on the 4th of July, and found the house in the condition already described, he counted up to thirty cats and then lost count. The carpets were very dirty with filth and the smell was abominable, he was frightened by the cats as they ran between his legs in all directions. (Laughter.) The defendant exclaimed to him, “You need not be afraid of them, though they know you are their natural enemies." Witness could feel the smell out on the sidewalk.

Cross-examined: Witness could swear that it was not the smell of attar of roses. (Laughter.)

Dr. Laberge, medical health officer of the city, testified that on the 5th instant, the day after his officers had been at the place, he paid a visit in person. He was shown into the parlor, where he saw no cats, but felt the smell of them. He went upstairs but all the doors were locked. There was a horrible odor all over the house. He considered that any place where they had to have double windows to keep in a smell must be injurious to health.

Cross examined: He had been there before but could not get in. The smells were not only odious but injurious to public health. He would have taken action before, but the defendant had promised him to leave the city.

Constable Sivigny deposed to having visited the house on the 20th of May, when it was in the condition as already described by former witnesses.
Cross-examined: The cats were of all sizes; were plump and well fed, but the stench was awful.

Mr. L. W. Sicotte, Clerk of the Crown, who resides at No. 202, next door, deposed to having suffered from the stench since the middle of May. It was unbearable. He notified the Board of Health, and it was at his instance that proceedings were taken. The cats used to make a great noise, but, by some means or other, had lately been calmed down. He would have taken proceedings sooner, but Madame Morley had promised to vacate the premises. There were at present more cats than ever; they were rapidly increasing. (Laughter.) The smell was worse than that of the skunks.

Mr. L. S. Sicotte, jr., advocate, who lives with his father, gave similar evidence.

Mr. T. Cote, of the Journal de Quebec had been on a visit to Mr. Sicotte and had been sickened by the smell.

Mr. Louis Bedard, notary, who lives at No. 198, gave evidence to the nuisance having existed for the past six years. The stench pervaded his house, and was intolerable. It was worse at present than it had ever been, as the cats seemed to breed rapidly.

At this point, as it was past 6 o’clock, the case was adjourned until this afternoon. During the hearing of the evidence the defendant frequently got excited and interrupted the witnesses, but was at once stopped by her counsel.

MEAOW! MEAOW!! MEAOW!!!! Mrs. Morley, of Montreal, and Her Seventy Cats. - The Ottawa Journal, 14th July, 1884

Extraordinary Casa Before the Recorder's Court in the Metropolis.
Montreal, July 14.— Mrs. Stephen Morley, a well-to-do widow residing at 200 St. Hubert Street, was brought before the Recorder yesterday by the Board of Health for keeping cats. As Mrs. Morley, attended by her lawyer, came in resplendent in a beautiful lavender silk dress and bonnet, a black lace shawl and yellow gloves, a peculiar feline odor was perceptible in the court room.

Sergeant Moran, of the Health department, testified that from orders received on the 4th instant he visited the house of the defendant in company with another officer, when be was shown through the rooms. There were about seventy cats of all sizes and kinds running about. There were cats in the yard, cats in the beds, cats in the cellar, cats in the attic, in short, cats everywhere.

The stench was horrible. There were double windows on, all of which were shut, which the defendant explained was to keep the smell in. The other officer, with his stick, raked filth from off the carpet, with which it was littered. The smell could be felt from the sidewalk. Cross-examined:— The smell was intolerable. He could not stand it, and no-one else could unless absolutely compelled to remain in the house.

Madame Morley dented this instanter, saying it could not be, for she could not bear any bad smell. (Laughter.)

Witness — The cats were darting around in crowds in a terrible way.

Madame Morley (with affecting earnestness)— They knew that the officers were present and they were wild and excited. (Roars of laughter.)

Health Officer Millette said he went into the house on the 4th and essayed to count the cats. He counted up to thirty cats and then lost count. The carpets were very dirty with filth and the smell was abominable. He was frightened by the cats as they ran between his legs in all directions.

Health Officer Sevigny corroborated this testimony, and said the cats were plump and well-fed, but the stench was awful.

Dr. Laberge, medical health officer of the city, testified that on the 5th instant, the day after his officers had been at the place, he paid a visit in person. He was shown into the parlor, where he saw no cats, but felt the smell of them. He went up stairs but all the doors were locked. There was a horrible odor all over the house. He would have taken action before, but the defendant had promised to leave the city.

Mr. L. W. Sicotte, Clerk of the Crown, who resides at No. 202, next door, deposed to having suffered from the stench since the middle of May. It was unbearable. He notified the Board of Health, and it was at his instance that proceedings were taken. The cats used to make a great noise, but, by some means or other, had lately been calmed down. He would have taken proceedings sooner, but Madame Morley had promised to vacate the premises. There were at present more cats than ever; they were rapidly increasing. (Laughter.) The smell was worse than that of the skunks.

At this point, it being past 6 p.m., the case was adjourned until Friday, when Mrs. Morley will be examined.

Montreal, Can., July 13.— A case of much interest between the Health Department and Mrs. Stephen Morley, a fashionable lady of the East End, will come before the court in a few days. The lady is a great lover of cats, and keeps in her house all that she can collect. The neighbors, tired of the midnight serenades of innumerable cats, and also because of the sanitary condition of the neighborhood because of them, complained to the police. Yesterday the house was raided. It contains fourteen large rooms, all tenanted by scores of cats. The house is in a terrible condition. There were over two hundred cats in all. The lady is very wealthy and will fight the case in the courts.

A Montreal special says: A case of much Interest between the health department and Mrs. Stevenson Morley, a fashionable lady residing in the East End, will come before the court in a few days. The lady is a great lover of cats and keeps in her house, at No. 300 St. Hubert street, all that she can collect. The neighbors, tired of midnight serenades of innumerable felines, and also on account of the sanitary condition of the neighborhood owing to the number of cats, complained to the police. Yesterday the house was raided. It has 14 large rooms, all tenanted by scores of cats. The house is in a terrible condition. There were over 200 cats in all. The lady is very wealthy, and will light the case in the courts.

KEPT SEVENTY CATS. - The Oshkosh Northwester, 22nd July, 1887

Montreal, July 22. – Mrs. Stephen Morley was fund guilty of keeping a nuisance in the shape of seventy cats by the recorder, last week, and was given a week to remove the nuisance or be sent to jail. Rather than part with her pets Mrs. Morley removed to-day to St. Laurent, seven miles out of the city, taking her feline companions with her.

(MRS. MORLEY’S CATS.) Harrisburg Telegraph, 23rd July, 1887

Mrs. Stephen Morley, a Montreal woman of wealth, kept over 200 cats in her house. The board of health raided her, and she lost her pets. Now she is suing the board for damages.

SHE HAD ONLY SEVENTY CATS. - The Boston Globe, 18th July, 1888

Montreal People Declare Mrs. Morley and Her Pets a Nuisance.
Montreal, July 17. — Widow Morley, who had some trouble with the court last year, her neighbors taking exception to the large number of cats she kept in her house, has again come to grief on account of these pets. After leaving the city she had her colony transported to Laurent, but residents there also took a dislike to so large a feline population and caused the Municipal Council to notify her landlord that the nuisance must disappear. The landlord has, in consequence, instituted proceedings against the widow to expel her from the premises. When the court bailiff went seize the cats, he only caught 30 out of some 70.

MRS. MORLEY’S CATS - The Gazette, 25th July, 1888

The Ejectment Case Proceeding in the Superior Court.
The ejectment case against Mrs Morley on account of the nuisance caused by her numerous families of cats, taken by her landlord at St. Laurent, was up for hearing before Mr. Justice Doherty in the Practice court yesterday. Mr. J. G D’Amour appeared as counsel for Mrs. Morley, and Mr. Lafontaine acted in a similar capacity for Mr. Leonard, the plaintiff. Mr. Leonard asked for the cancellation of the lease and the ejectment of his tenant and her pets, whom he claimed were doing great injury to his property. The counsel for the defence claimed that the cats were a blessing in disguise, and admitted that there were some fifteen of them on the premises, which was not contrary to any law. Mr. Lafontaine stated that thirty cats had been discovered in the house, and he was quite prepared to prove the existence of at least twenty more. They were ubiquitous in the neighborhood, and the odor attached to them was most penetrating and unhealthy.

Among those who were examined were Messrs. Charles Theoret, Jerome Dufresne, Daniel Martineau, Theophile Duchesne and Mrs. F. Leonard, who all claimed to be unable to reside in the locality owing to the horrible stench. Mr. Jeremie Dufresne testified that his wife had been rendered seriously ill by the horrible stench of the animals, which were not properly cared for. He had the misfortune to live next door to the defendant.

Only one witness, Mr. C. Papineau, was examined for the defence. He stated that he lived near Mrs. Morley, but was not disturbed by the cats.

The case was adjourned until this morning.

MRS. MORLEY’S CATS AGAIN. - The Gazette, 8th August, 1894

Mrs. Morley'« delay of eight days, granted her to effect her departure from her quarters in the parish of St. Laurent, expired last evening. It was stated that Mrs. Morley had decided to remove to Laprairie, but the captain of the ferryboat has declared that he would not have her colony of cats on board his boat. It in as yet unknown where Mrs. Morley and her cats’ new home will be.

A PECULIAR CONSPIRACY. - The Gazette, 27th September, 1894

Respectable Farmers Accused of Stoning Mrs. Morley’s Cats – Several Heavy Sentences – A Witness by Accident.
Mr. de Cotret, one of the clerks in the Police court, was kept decidedly busy yesterday afternoon over a case that has already excited considerable mirth among Police court habitues. The complainant was a Mrs. S. S. Morley, of Longue Pointe, who resides in the house of Mr. George Hogg. Last Friday she came to the court and complained that a large number of the neighbors were conspiring to injure her and said that she wanted them arrested. Warrants were granted and as a result her landlord, Mr. George Hogg, James Altimas, James W. Altimas, Napoleon Sicard, Jeremie Menard, John Heal, Richard Lomas and most of their wives and children were arrested on this charge. All the above are respectable farmers of that vicinity and strenuously denied the charge. Mrs. Morley, however, insisted in spite of the fact that many of the defendants said that she ought to be confined to Longue Pointe asylum. Yesterday the enquete went on. Mrs. Morley, who is well known as a keeper of a large number of cats, came into the court with her own deposition written out and told a horrible tale of how she had been insulted by having brickbats and other articles thrown at her and her felines. The evidence was taken down and the case is liable to last for some days yet, and in the meanwhile all Longue Pointe is in an uproar over it.

STONED THE MORLEY CATS – The Gazette, 11th October, 1894

Four Residents of Longue Point Fined For This Offence.
Yesterday before Judge Desnoyers in the Police court, there came to an end a case that has occupied the attention of the court officials for the past three weeks and over which there has been a great deal of levity. The hearing yesterday showed that if it was not a dead set to worry the complainant by destroying her property then it was very near it. The court plainly said so at the close of the case, when four of the defendants, James W. Altimas, Raphael Altimas, Louis Carrier and James Rennie, were found guilty and were after a consultation fined one dollar each. This was not until after a complaint against Mrs. Lea Brossard, widow of the late John S. Morley, the complainant, had been withdrawn. The trial itself was very amusing especially as Mrs. Morley acted as her own lawyer and cross-examined the witnesses for the defence, besides conducting the examination-in-chief of her own witnesses. Mr. R. C. Smith, for the defence, found that she had the law bearing on the case down very fine and often her objections to his mode of examination were sustained by the court.

Mrs. Morley for months past has been annoyed by the neighbors throwing missiles at her and through her windows, as well as at her cats, of which she has, or had, a large number. The result was that she had nineteen of the residents, men, women and children, arrested and brought to court. They all live at Longue Pointe, and when the case came to be heard yesterday it looked as if the remainder of the residents of the municipality were also present. S8he held one witness for over two hours under cross-examination, and got him to contradict himself more than once. At the close, when the court announced that four were guilty and called the counter case, there was a consultation of the defendants, and the result was that it was withdrawn. Judge Desnoyera said this was well, as too much time had been taken up with the case already and it looked as if the other case was an afterthought. He hoped that in the future they would leave the woman alone. He also advised her to move away from the neighborhood, which she said she would do at the end of a couple of months, as her business would not allow her to do so before that time, after which the fine of one dollar each was imposed and the Longue Pointe citizens left the court. Mrs. Morley remained, and while sitting listening to another case was overcome and had to be carried out into the High Constable’s office. Restoratives were found to be necessary, the excitement of the trial having broken her down.

MRS. MORLEY - The Gazette, 26th October, 1894

Mrs. Morley has taken out actions for libel against Le Monde for $6,000, the Star for $5,000 and the Herald for $5,000. The petition is “in forma pauperis.” (the ability of an indigent person to proceed in court without payment of the usual fees associated with a lawsuit or appeal.)

(MRS. MORLEY’S CATS) - The Gazette, 8th May, 1895

Yesterday a case that has caused a good deal of interest was concluded before the Recorder. Mrs. John S. Morley, well known from the number of cats she keeps and her love generally for the feline race, was condemned to pay the costs of the action which the Board of Health had brought against her for keeping in an unsanitary state her home on St. Dominique street. Mrs. Morley also agreed to leave the city.