The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-09

had been darned with yarn of different color In a
word her description Of the clothing in
every particular leave no doubt that each article
had been under her special care. But wonderfully
accurate she had been on this point she was most
strangely wrong in her description the body Monroe
being at least three inches taller than the corpse She
described her husbands hair and whiskers coarse
and black adding that his hair had been quite short
few days before he drowned while that upon the
head Of the deceased long silky and OF chestnut
color Monroe's confirmed his mothers testimony
relating both to the clothes and tho body No attempt
was made to impeach either, was there any doubt
that Monroe had been drowned, as alleged II was
difficult TO reconcile these conflicting statements Mrs
Monroe clearly right about the clothes as she
was wrong about the body found in them.
INQUEST
resulted in finding that the body previously adjudged to
be Morgan's that of Timothy Monroe There were
other circumstances connected with the disappearance
of both Morgan and Monroe, assuming that both had
been drowned in Lake Ontario, calculated to comPIi-
the questions of identity. The body was found at
Oak Orchard Creek full year after Morgan's dsap-
pearance; of course it could not have been drilling
about that length of time. II known, however,
that Morgan weighted heavily when thrown into
the lake. and months before that body was found,
the mouth of the river and that part OF the laSo
where Morgan was supposed to have been thrown
overheard had been thoroughly raked. In this
way IL supposed that the body had
released from its weight risen to the surface and
driftcd TO Oak Orchard Creek Monroe drowned on
the 25th 9th September The body at Oak Orchard
Creek was found the Sth day OF October leaving but
eleven or twelve days drift distance Of forty miles,
where it was found. 1t Is understood that drowned
persons several days under water. II ascer
tanned by meteorological records that during tho in
terval between Monroes death and the finding Of the
body Oak Orchard Creek, tho wind blew most Of the
time up the lake. Now there is current in Lake
Ontario and objects float with rather thnn against tho
wind, it seemed improbable that the body found should
be that of Monroe while the other hand it seemed
equally improbable that a drowned in the latter
part of September, 1896, could have been found in
toerable OF preservation October 1927 So that
there rreconcablo facts and circumstances con-
nected with this strange history.
Mrs Morgan and the intimate friends OF Morgan de-
scbcd marks upon his person before seeing that body
which left no doubt in minds of all present that it
was the remains of her husband. Strangely enough,
however she repudaed every article of clothing found
upon the body And yet Mrs. Monroe, who came from
Canada readily described every article, garment by
ment with minute and startling accuracy While
therefore, up TO the time that Mrs. Monroe appeared
there were no Just grounds for dscredtng the correct
ness Of the second inquest yet after the third inquest
had been held Batavia there strong reaction in
public opinion. Although the gentlemen associated
with me in tho investigation still strongly
of tho opinion that the body that
Of William Morgan, my previously clear
and strong convictions were good deal dis
turbcd Nor now after nearly fty years. anxious
inquiry and reflection say that satisfied that it was
or was not the body of William Morgan.
The discrepancies about hair and beard between Mrs
Morgan and Mrs Monroe, after the conclusion OF the
third or Batavia inquest induced those who claimed the
body be that of Timothy Monroe say that the hair
was pulled and the whskers shaver Off to make it
resemble Morgan That could only have been done in
the presence between sixty seventy persons
Of whom were democrats and others Freemasons and
yet all must have and consented to the fraud The
last inquest held only few days before the cleo
ton No other question entered into the canvass The
excitement greater than had previously have
since witnessed
SCOOP ENOUGH" STORY.
few evenings before the election into billiard
saloon TO see my friend Gusavus Clark. a number of
gentlemen were present, and among them Ebenczer
Griffin who, as counsel for several persons IN
dcted for the abduction Of Morgan, had conducted the
inquest at Batavia As leaving the room Mr..
Griffin said, We, Weed, what you going to do for
Morgan now" replied as was closing the door,
'That is good enough Morgan until you bring back
the one you carried away" This remark repro
duced in the Rochester Daily Advertiser, with APP
parenty slight but most important variation instead of
what did in fact say. represented saying,
'That is a good enough Morgan until after the
election" What did say in reply to Mr.. GriGlns
question a proper and harmless response, while
what l was Enormously accused of saying was
highly dscredtabe and has subjected me, home and
abroad for nearly fy years reproach and obloquy
Mr. Dawson, senior editor Of the Albany Erenng Jour
nal who resided at Rochester during the Morgan ex-
ctcment, recently wrote article the subject in
which he said:-
The phrase had its origin something in this wise In
1927, few months after William Morgan disappeared
the body OF a drowned man found in Lake Ontario
the outlet of Oak Orchard Greek. II was believed
by many who il to be the body of the kidnapped
and murdered Morgan while others alleged it
10 he the body of another missing man-one
Timothy Monroe The latter met with this difficulty
however. Monroe had whiskers; this body had not
But this important fact the then editor OF
the Rochester Advertiser charged that Mr.. Weed had
shaved Off Monroe's whskers and by doing so had
made "a good enough Morgan until aftcr the election
then pending The SANDER was industriously used at
the time and has been thorn in the side of Mr. Weed
from that day to this OF course It's repetition Is lees
irritating now than II was yeigh years ago but its
use even joke has always chafed Mr. Weed, and
his more intimate friends were careful never TO allude
" II IN his presence
Mr. Dawson's article brought correspondent of the
Albany Argus ITO the 'front.'" who only reterates
the charge against me- but furnishes what purports
be an affidavit Of the person who me commit the
offence. The Argus correspondent says
william Morgan man Of medium size, very bald,
and shaved his whskcrs Off the top Of his ears
and the body, which found and called Timothy
Monroe, six inches longer than the height Of
William Morgan. Besides the face Of the body found
covered with whskcr and It said that 10 make
the body found appear like Morgan Of the com
mittee who were sent 70 Oak Orchard Creek TO i'm
mense mass meeting of anti Masons, among whom
Thurlow Weed and his right hand man Friday, named
Jack Marcbant had pulled the whiskers and shaved
the face OF Monroe Some time after this, in the fall Of
1927, when anti Masonry had become rife in politics.
Mr.. Weed, who younger then than he Is and
quite poor, and DESTROYS Of making himself somebody,
became the leader of the anti Masonic party
tanned much hatred and contempt for all who
did not vote the anti Masonic ticket especially for those
democrats who were not Masons, 10 whom he gave tho
name Of Masons' Jacks. " And some Jack Mason, as
then understood It, rallyng Thurlow about his
false Morgan, when he either loosely earnest
Piled 1T is good enough Morgan TIL after elcction.n
such has always been the understanding until the
Journal contradcted IT, above stated. As prfDd
fdcje evidence that he did So will relate a TACT 10