 West Hill Cemetery Sherman, Texas  W.B. Greenlaw 14 December 1852 - 12 November 1879 Aged 27 Yrs. The Daily News Friday, November 14, 1879 pg. 4 SUICIDE! W.B. Greenlaw, of Sherman, Swallows a Dose of Morphine A painful sensation agitated the community at the county seat last Wednesday. Mr. W.B. Greenlaw, a prominent businessman, committed suicide by taking morphine. It was currently reported that he was compelled to commit the rash act by the alleged infidelity of his wife. The seducer is said to be the Rev. Conrad Haney, of the Methodist church, who delivered a lecture in this city last Saturday night. It is claimed that Mrs. Greenlaw and Haney had frequent meetings at her house during the absence of her husband, and Mr. Greenlaw, on learning of his wife's shame, determined to seek surcease of his sorrow in the fatal cup. This domestic tragedy will be a painful surprise to the friends of Mr. Haney, who have hitherto believed him to be incapable of assuming the role of seducer. The Daily News Sunday, November 16, 1879 pg. 8 The Haney Sensation Everybody, nearly, is on tip toe to hear something further regarding the Conrad Haney sensation, and reports are as thick as flies around a molasses jug in June. Mr. Haney's friends - or many of them - are bitter in their denunciation of the Denison papers, for giving publicity to the "scandal" as they term it. Rev. Mr. Carhart, of Sherman, went so far Sunday morning as to say that the Denison editors ought to have their heads shot off. We imagine he would meet with considerable difficulty in carrying out a job of that kind himself. So far as the News is concerned we see nothing in our publication that is slanderous or improper, but if Mr. Carhart's proposition is correct then half the citizens of Sherman should be decapitated forth with for this "slander" is in nearly everybody's mouth. It is discussed in business houses, in residences, on the streets, and the opinions as to the guilt and innocence of the parties freely expressed by all classes. To satisfy ourself as to the correctness of the statement of our reporter, we visited Sherman Friday and did considerable investigating. Mr. Haney's friends tell us that Mrs. Greenlaw acted very indiscreetly; that she had apparently become singularly fascinated with Mr. Haney and would seek his presence on every favorable opportunity, so much, so as to cause annoyance to him; that Mr. Haney avoided her as much as possible, etc., etc. On the other hand, after a pretty thorough sifting and tracing of "reports" we are of the opinion that Mr. Haney, also, acted very "indiscreetly" towards Mrs. Greenlaw, and thereby gave rise to much of the gossip that is rife in Sherman. We do not pretend to say that he is guilty of any overt act, such as is whispered about, but both parties have, in our opinion, conducted themselves in such a way as would naturally awaken public suspicion. So far as the suicide of Mr. Greenlaw is concerned, while the despondency that lead to the act may have originated to a certain extent in domestic troubles, we learn that other and serious difficulties will soon be made public, that it is reasonable to believe lead him to take his life, but he need not be alarmed for it was a good imitation and would not be detected if used cautiously and only $100 in a place; said in telling him he had washed his hands and should not be responsible for results. Said he used it at Dallas, Ft. Worth, Corsicana, Houston and Galveston. It was suspected at Galveston and was tested by some expert and finally pronounced genuine, and he received $100 in other money for it. He further asked Jackson if he recollected the $1000 in Gainesville about one year ago. Said further that he had bought at one time 66 bills of $100 each, for $1000, and at another he bought $4000, and gave Jackson to understand that it originated in New York. The last amount was brought to him about a year since, and asked Jackson if he did recollect the man whom he took out to see a field of ripe cotton; Jackson recollected the man and would know him now if he saw him. He said he had not used half the amount; said there was big money in it, if used cautiously, and never but once in a place. The bank was Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and he also mentioned New Bedford, but regarded Pittsfield as the safest. Said he had passed two of them in Sherman, of $100 each, and no questions were asked. Mrs. Greenlaw and son saw him burn a large package on the 8th inst., and he told them at the time it was $7000, but did not indicate whether it was good or bad. His wife plead with him to save it, and finally snatched one bill that he dropped. He afterward told Mrs. Greenlaw it was counterfeit, and she destroyed it. Jackson, when he read Greenlaw's letter at C* * * *, was so filled with alarm for his own safety, as well as that of his wife and Greenlaw, says he threw the letter in the furnace and hastened home full of apprehension and distress, left his engine at 2 o'clock at the Sherman station, went to his home and told his wife to go to * * * * in the morning, and return the note and inform them of the character of the money, which she did. On the 2nd he told Jackson that he had started a ranch in the Nation near some orphan institute or school, and had purchased 150 head of cattle. Two men, named Callahan and Cross, had been assisting him. Callahan says within a month he saw G. count from a glass bottle that he had buried. $7,100 in $100 bills. He used his money himself and trusted none to second hands. He tried to have Jackson assign his last insurance policy over to him not long since. Mrs. Greenlaw says that on the afternoon of his suicide, he came home in good nature, took his wife on his knee and kissed her and asked her to go up the street and get some oysters for dinner, and not an unpleasant word had passed during the whole day. The Daily News Tuesday, November 18, 1879 pg. 4 We are informed by a gentleman from Sherman that the name left blank in the above is Sam Lazarus, traveling salesman for Schneider Bros. and that the note was endorsed by this firm. The Jackson above mentioned is a brother-in-law of Mr. Greenlaw. Denison Daily News Tuesday morning, November 18, 1879 pg. 1 The Greenlaw Suicide Further Developments Regarding the Probable Cause From the Sherman Courier Jackson & Greenlaw were partners in the carriage business before the last fire, and Jackson held the policy of insurance on their property. The partnership was dissolved, and in July 1879, Greenlaw paid Jackson $1000 in ten $100 bills. About the 1st of November Jackson loaned the $1000 paid him by Greenlaw to * * * *and took their note for the amount. A day or two after Greenlaw asked Mr. Jackson what he had done with the money and he told him. Jackson was running an engine on the Central and had reached Corsicana and was lying over a day or two for water. On the 4th he received a letter written in pencil, at Sherman without date and signed Smith, in Greenlaw's hand, telling him that the money had had loaned to * * * *was counterfeit The Daily News Wednesday, November 19, 1879 pg. 4 DECLINES TO TALK Mrs. Greenlaw in an interview with our reporter this morning positively denied that her marital relations were ever marred by a solitary cloud. She says he never gave her a cross word, and only a half hour before he took the fatal dose, she sat in his lap and he fondled and embraces her as only a loving and devoted husband can. She declined to speak further on the disgraceful scandal that is afloat. - - - Chronicle. Denison Daily News Friday morning, November 21, 1879 pg. 1 ANOTHER SURMISE Was Greenlaw's Money Counterfeit? From Sherman Courier This is the puzzle now. That none of the counterfeit money that the deceased Greenlaw is supposed to have had and passed, has ever yet turned up, is curious. Was it a fact that the several thousands of dollars he is said to have had, and the seven thousand dollars he is said to have burned, and claimed was counterfeit, actually counterfeit? That he had several thousand dollars in $100 greenback bills, can be established by numerous witnesses, and it can also be established that much of this money has gone out into the country, but here is as yet no knowledge that it was counterfeit except the statement of the deceased himself. This is now exciting wonderment, and there is a theory now gaining credence, that the man was actually crazy, and laboring under the delusion that he was shoving counterfeit money, when in fact such was not the case. Our reporter was told the other day by a responsible and intelligent gentleman, who claimed to know something about the business of the deceased, that he certainly had about $16,000 a few months ago, and where that money has all gone, unless it was burned by him, is not known. Mr. T.M. Dumas, of Whitewright, told our reporter that Greenlaw a short time ago deposited with him eighty-five $100 bills. Other parties told our reporter they saw him in possession of much greenback and also bonds. Was the man crazy? The Daily News Wednesday, November 26, 1879 pg. 4 Mrs. W.B. Greenlaw has sold her residence to a Mr. Loomis of Pilot Grove, we are informed. - - - Chronicle. The Daily News Saturday, November 29, 1879 pg. 4 Mrs. Greenlaw has disposed of her property in Sherman and will leave for the north to reside. The Daily News Friday, December 19, 1879 pg. 4 A Little Gauzy There has been a good deal of speculation as to whether the money passed by the late W.B. Greenlaw was really counterfeit. To test the matter, L.W. Williams sent one of the $100 bills to the treasury department at Washington. Yesterday it was returned to him, with the word "counterfeit" stamped on it in three places, and accompanied by a letter, stating that it was undoubtedly spurious. - - - Chronicle. 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