The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-10-01
WILLIAM MORGAN, THE
An EEsN1

The OnIy Fall. Reliable, Con.
sIsteaL Lucid and COmprea
hemsEVe Account Ever Pub
l1She0.
MINNEAPOLIS MIMI, Aug. Pit
ia concerning William MOrgan-his
fate.
1 have read with in terest the re-
cent letter of Thurlow Weed detail
ing the preliminary eacape of my
friend Morgan, and the manner of
his death by drowning, also the
finding of body belonging to Nor
gan and another man.
A day or two since, q gentleman
of Anoka, this State, furnished the
St. Paul Pioneer Press with the par
ticulars of the subsequent career of
MIR. Morgan in Maine, where for
ears he lived in HnObsrusive re-
tirement the life of a most eXem-
plary hermit. The Louisville COur-
Ter j ourual has information that he
was at the same time disguised as a
drOVer OF Texas steers, and that he
followed that profession till the
time of his death in 1857. These
accounts are confirmed by cOllater-
al evidence, yet they fail to throw
sufficient light Oh the career of a
very remarkable person, whom it
was my good fortune to be closely
associated with, and the particulars
of whose life and death L alone
know.
I am the man achO killed William
Morgan! A heavy reward had
been publicly offered offered by the
Masons for his determination. l
we'll remember the tumultuOus emo
tions raised in my mind on reading
the advertisement in the old COur-
Ter and Enquirer. For William
Morgan was my trusted friend.
Greed of gold caused me to commit
the deed enticed him into a low
dive in q Buffalo and laid q wager
with him that he could not eat a
gross of count oysters at sitting. l
knew they were bad. William
Morgan died in unspeakable agony
while upon his one hundred and
fourteenth oyster. Then, as related
by Mr.. Weed, the body (Which be-
longed partly to Mr.. Morgan and
partly to the other many, was wash
ed ashore on lake Ontario. l was
there. The body did belong to both
men, for they were partners in bus
mess, and the lOss was mutual. For
some time after this Mr.. Morgan
avoided society, being spprehensive
that his life was in danger. But
his public spirit could not be en-.
tirelY Quenched. At the massacre
of Wyoming, a tall form clad in
white velvet and armed cap pie
spFang suddenly in among the ter
rified whites. He assume d the lead.
ership. He restored confidence. He
put the Indians to flight. He left
on his card his pseu-donYm, "The
Regicides," and vanished like 8
flash. They thought he came from
the sky. 1t was Morgan. This il
W hen he carried Oh business as q
hermit in Maine. His life now be-
came one of lively adventure. His
mangIed remains were shortly dis
covered in the bottom of well on
the John Brown tract ct North Elbs
and on my recommendation Cap
tain Brown gave him commission
in the POttawatomie Rifles, where
he fought through the whisky In.
snrrection. In q letter which he
wrote to me at this time, he said he
had q presentiment of sudden death,
but he lived till 1924, when he fell
at the head of his company in the
Black Hawk war. His skeleton was
sold for that of Tecumseh TO the
Bellevue Hospital. As was exam
lining the cabinet one day we recog-
nized each other by certain Masonic
signs. AS soon as ! saw the mole
on his neck said, "You cannot de-
ceive me William" and he owned
up.
He got photograph wagon, and
tried itinerant photography for q
while after this, and then L heard
that he was 8 brakeman on the Erie
road. In four days he was lying al
the bottom Of the creek with a su.
perincumbent pressure of seven
freight cars loaded with pork. His
death was widely lamented. lie
was q tall, we'll fed man, and his
Whiskers were Just elegant. He en-
deared himself to all by his munid.
cent charities. He was q fond
husband, dOting father, aud faithful
friend, and had many noble qualities
of mind and heart. He had u great.
eF ubiquity than any other man
ever met, and few human beings
possess such remarkable versatility
of departure.
Twill only briefly touch upon The
prominent incidents in the subse.
quent history OF Mr. Morgan. Fol
years he to.led as 9 slave on q sngai
plantation in Louisiana, and | next
heard Of him as guerrilla leader In
Kentucky during the late unpleas-
antness, aud then as q candidate fol
Governor in Ohio, under an as
sumea family name. He also assis'
ted the Eddy brothers.
| He was now for short time
peddIer for q stall in Fulton Mar
ket. In person he was large and
commanding. He lad an eye like
an eagle and . voice like fOg-hOrn
and his manner of calling "cla-a-ms'
was the finest thing in American or
atory. He died In 1872 in the sew.
enfy.fourth year of his age, mourn.
"a by all who knew him.
Last month in New York l saw {
gentleman of bulky and imposing
Snnearanee maiestically walking