The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-08-26
From The Erie Dispatch.
Thurlow Weeds Disclosure Of William
Morran's Fate,

veteran journalist, Thurlow Weed In
reference to the mysterious disappear
ance of William Morgan nearly fifty
years ago. AS these letters are too
long to reproduce. in the Dispatch, we
herewith give an abstract of their con-
tents.
1t will be remembered, we may say
by way Of preface, that one Of the is
sues in the State politics of New York,
fifty years ago, was Masonary VS.. Anti
Masonary, and it is safe to say that the
campaigns into which that question en-
tered were conducted with a degree OF
partisan bitterness aud personal fierce
ness never before or since surpassed.
In 1926, it became generally known
that William Morgan, of Rochester
who had left the Masons, was preparing
"a book whose object was to disclose all
the secret proceedings of Masonry.
Finding no publisher in Rochester,
Morgan removed to Batava, N. Y, and
made arrangements for the publication of
his book with one Daniel G. Miller.
Naturally enough, the announcement Of
such work created much excitement
But this excitement became intense
when, one night during the latter part
OF September, before the work was pub
lished, Morgan abruptly disappeared,
and has never been seen nor heard of
since. The Masons were at once ac-
cused of putting him out Of the way,
and their constant reply was that they
had no adequate cause" for the mur-
der of Morgan, since all the secrets he
could expose would do them no harm.
To add to the excitement produced
by Morgan's disappearance, about one
year after that event, or in October,
1927, a body drifted ashore near a
small creek which emptied into Lake
Ontario. From the published report of
the Coroner's inquest, some intimate
friends Of Morgan's concluded it was
his body. The investigating committee
decided to hold another inquest, and
sixty or seventy people assembled to
witness the proceedings. When the
grave was opened, certain marks were
found upon the body which agreed pre-
cise!y with marks previously mentioned
by Mrs Morgan. The jurors unani-
mously declared that it was the body Of
William Morgan. 1t was, therefore,
given over to Mrs, Morgan, and buried
in Batavia.
But about ten days after, there came
a report that the body was that of Tim
othy Monroe, of Canada, who had been
swept over Niagara Falls in a boat
eleven days before the body washed
ashore. A third inquest was held, aud
it was discovered that Mrs. Monroe had
described with so much minuteness the
suit of clothes found upon the dead
body, without having chance to see
them, that there was no doubt in that
respect. But strange to say, the body
found in the clothes did not correspond
to the description Of her husband at all
There were other serious difficulties, too,
on both sides. 1t was quite improbable
that Morgan's body would have re-
mained in such tolerable state OF pre-
servation for a year. 1t was equally
improbable that Monroe's body would
have drifted forty miles eastward in the
lake, with no current, and against g
prevailing wind from the east Mr..
Weed says, although the other mem
bers of the committee firmly believed
the body to be that Of Morgan his
own previous convictions we're strong
ly disturbed, and after an interval Of
nearly fifty years he is unable to say
whether the body was or was not that
of William Morgan. And so the disap,
pearance of Morgan has remained a
profound mystery until the publication
Of these two letters from Mr. Weed.
Now for the other facts, as detailed
By him. After the seizure of Morgan s
manuscripts, at BATAVIA, he himself was
arrested on a pretended charge of lar
ceny and confined in the Jail at Canan
dagua' Then assurrences were received
from a Canadian that Captain Brandt,
an Indian chief, would provide home
for Morgan, in West fur company
A ccordingly, he was taken from Jail by
night, and secretly conveyed to Fort
Niagara, distance l20 miles, and con,
fined in the magazine Of the fort. Then
those who brought him there crossed
over the river to conver with the Canad
ian lodge by which it was expecte d that
Morgan would be received. But, at
last, this lodge positively refused to
have anything to do with the matter
Here was an embarrassing state Of at
fairs. But forthwith large number
of men, high in the Order, assembled at
Lewiston ana organized a Knights
Templar Encampment. All knew that
Morgan was confined 10 the fort, and
all were troubled to know what to do
with him But after supper, during
the enthusiasm caused by the speeches
and wine, Colonel William King Of
Lockport, invited four men to accom-
pany him: Chubbuck, q farmer Of Lewis
ton; Whitney; a stone mason of Roches-
ter; Garside, a butcher from Canada;
and Howard, binder of Buffalo.
They proceeded to the fort, and after
informing Morgan that they had COM