Litchfield enquirer., 1829-06-11
FTO" tue Ontario Messenger, ExtrG, Bfay 25. THE MORGAN CONSPIRACY.

the Peace which was held in this villae during the last week, were of the most in }tereStlng character. As we have not hal
 tune to prepare a full and elaborate state
 ment, the following abstract of the princi
 pal events will in some measure satisfy tn,
 intense curiosity of the public.
 On Tuesday morning the 19th instant
 Mr. Whiting the District attorney and MT
 Spencer the Special Commissioner, produ
 ced the opinion of the Supreme Court, up. on the case which had been reserved fol theIr advice, on the trial of Eli Bruce, il which the objections to thes jurisdiction O the General Sessions of Ontario, were O. verrnled, and that Court was advised t, render judgment against the defendant At the instance of one of the counsel fol the defendant, the motion for judgment was suspended. On Wednesday morning the motion was made. The special com missioner stated to the court his desire to produce witness in aggravation of the punishment of Bruce and called,
 Hsrom fl. Hopkins, who. being sworn, testified that in September 1926, Eli Bruce was Sheriff of Niagara, and that the witness was his Deputy. They both resided in the Jail in Lockport. Some two or three weeks before the abduction of Morgan, he was informed by Bruce and others, that it was Tn contemplation to remove Morgan rom Batavia, where he then was, directly across the country, to Lewiston, to carry lilm to Fort Niagara, and ultimately to put him on board British man of war. On one particular night, six or eight days before Morgan was carried from Batavia to Canandaigua, Bruce called the witness up, from his bed, and told him that he ex-. pected Morgan immediately, and that wit ness must prepare cell in the jail, for his reception. A cell was pointed out for that purpose, which was the most secret and re- tired in the jail, and which did not com. municate with any other. The witness prepared this cell accordingly; but Nor gan did not arrive. I.f
 The witness was at the installation of the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons at Lewiston on the 18th of September, and was then informed that Morgan had arri- we'd and was confined in Fort Niagara :; this was generally known among the ma sons assembled there. -4
 the counsel for the defendant, he stnto,- that he had not disclosed the facts to which he now testified until recently. when he had communicated them to Mir. Spencer at Lockport. That he had considered him. self bound by his masonic obligations, not to disclose them, until his own reflection had satisfied him that he had no right to withhold them. That he had been unlap- py ever since the occurrence, and found no peace of mind until he had revealed 1t.
 The counsel for Bruce then requested some delay in pronouncing the judgment of tbe court. to enable them to meet and explain the testimony thus given to which request the court acceded. No testimony of any kind, however, was produced on their part, in explanation, or in relation to the subject or the witness, except what Ell Bruce himself swore as witness on the trial of J ohn Whitney and James Giil's, by whom he was produced, and which testi- mony is hereafter particularly detailed.- On Saturday night, after the trial of Whit ney and Gillis was concluded, the court proceeded to pass judgment on Eli Bruce. We should do injustice to our own feelings, ana 10 tnG uulSCISdl SCh1IHSueoA~ - VI S'O"NS>s auditory, if we failed to characterize the remarks of Judge Howell, preceding the sentence, as one ofthe hsppiest specimens of dignified judicial eloquence, ever heard within the walls of our court house. He felt and spoke as a man, symphathising with the sufferings of fellow being, whose character in life lad hitherto been most respectable, who had filled most respon- sibic office ,and who had a wife and helpless: family to share his misfortunes and his dis grace. His former character and the in' formation derived from his neighbors, he said, induced the belief that Bruce was no
 a depraved man, but one who would revol from the commission of what he deemed any offence against the laws. His conduc
 was to be accounted for, only, on the ground
 that he supposed himself bound by the ob
 legations he had entered into, with the ma
 sonic fraternity to commit the outrage h'
 had perpetrated. Nothing, said the Judge
 could be more fallacious; no principl
 could be more dangerous in any commnni Ity having an organized government. N,
 set of men, be their number large or small
 had right to combine themselves togeth
 CT in any association, for purposes hostil
 to the provisions of law. No man had right to withdraw his allegiance from hi
 country and its government while he live
 under it's protection; no citizen could b D c1 Snko otI AEHf (