Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1875-09-07
THE MORGAN MYSTERY.
a Sea Captain who Met the Sup
posed Victim, Dressed like
turk.

The statement published in the
Tunes OF the 18Th inst, over tne sigma
Lure Uf Captain Samuel l. Masters, OF
Greenwich, ia relation TO the fate Of
William Morgan, whOsed supposed
abduction and murder 10y the Masonic
frHteruiIy ia 1876 caused great excite
ment IN this country, has brought to
public notice another witness, whose
testimony is curruboratiye OF that of
Capt. Andrew Hitchcock, of West
Troy, residing GA the corner Of West
and Cuua4 strCvt.
Captain Hitchcock Is 90 years Of ace.
and siIii retains not only his health IN
= great degree, but also an excellent
memory, as the following facts will
prove. lie read Mr.. Masters commu-
nicatIHu. and, because il allied exact
ly with knowledge POSSESSED by him
and might aid iu settling long moot
Vd question, he has CONSENTED to the
publication OF his statement. He was
a sailor in 1882 and in the mouth of
February w;s on board tie United
States man-of- war, Java, then at
smyrna, Asia-MiuOr. He,. with goo
Others, had UeeI transferred from t.Ie
Delaware, on which vessel l.e clipped;
10 the Java, when the Delaware was
manned in Asiatic waters all winter
Frequent excursions were OF course
made To tile shore, but it was not un-
Ill on or about the 9th Of February,
1880, that the second cutter Of which
hs Was one Of the crew, Was ordered
by the commandant, Capt. Skinner, to
20 ashore with some OF the officers.
Upon reaching the land an Ameri-
can, wearing the habiliments of a
Turk, appeared to meet them. He
conversed with the officers, but Mr..
Hitchcock heard him admiT that his
name was Morgan, and that be Was
the person whose disappearance had
created such excitement in America.
He appeared to be in good circumstan-
ces and cOntented with his life. He
Vas asked To go on board the Java but
refused, although he promised to go on
board at some future time. That time
never came, however, for during the
stay of the Java at that place Morgan
could never be persuaded to leave the
shore.
The afIair caused gteat excitement
On shipbOard at the time, especially
among tEe officers, all of whom firmly
believed in the identity OF the Turk
and Morgan. Whether or not he ever
Stated to the officers how he got TO
Smyrna, or what caused him to be-
come a Turk, Mr.. Hitchcock does not
know He never saw him but Unce,
although he was frequently seen by
others.
The Java Sailed for America in JAN
uary, 1881, aud Mr.. Hitchcock, upon
being paid off at Norfolk, Virginia,
came directly home. He told his stOa
~ in relation to Morgan, but so great
was the excitement at the time that
no one believed him. He is convinced
that William Morgan, was the man
seen ia Asia-Minor in February, 1880.
The captain says he is Ii disinterest-
ed witness. He is not Mason, and
has no interest in the matter except to
lay the truth before the public. he
distinctly remembers the date Of the
occurrence, fixing it by the time Of the
destruction Of the man-Of-war Hornet,
and the hanging Of the old shipmate,
Wamsdell, on Gibbett Island, New
York, which occurred one year after
he saw Morgan,
II the statement of Captain Masters
and Hitchcock are TO be taken for the
truth, aud no evidence has ever beeL
adduced TO contradict them, thetl the
queEti6u Of the Morgan mystery must
be considered as definitely settled, the
only conclusion being that Morgan
either went Of his own accord, or was
in some manner transported TO Asiaa !
Minor, became a Turk, aid doubtless !
died q natural deaths-Troy Times.