The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-09-17
WILLIAM MORGAN.
ThurlOw Weeds "reminiscences of the Old
Time Tragedy-story of the Morgan Muir
der A Double Identification of a
Drowned Man-Was IL Morgan or Mon


Time Tragedy-Story of the Morgan Muir
der A Double Identification of a
Drowned Man-Was IL Morgan or Mon
roe?
L did not personally know William
Morgan, who was for more than two
months writing his book in house adj
joining my residence, at Rochester.
When applied to by Mr.. Dyer, my next
door neighbor, where Morgan boarded,
to print the book purporting to disclose
the secrets of Masonry, l declined to do
so, believing that n man who had taken
an oath to keep a secret had no right to
disclose it, Although not Free Mason,
L had entertained favorable opinions of
an institution to which Washington,
Franklin and Lafayette, belonged. On
my refusal to print his book Morgan re-
moved to Batavia, where he made the
acquaintance of ID. G. Miller, editor of
the AdUOcate also Mason, who became
his publisher. / pass briefly over a
series of facts which were iudicially es-
tablished, embracing the arrest of Nor
gan, his conveyance to and confinement
in the county Jail at Canandaigua, from
which he was released and conveyed by
night in close carriages through Roches-
ter, Clarkson, and along the Ridge road
to Fort Niagara, in the magazine of
which he was confined. While thus
confined Knight Templar encampment
was installed at Lewiston. When at
supper, the zeal of the Templars having
been aroused by speeches and VINE,
Colonel William King of Lockport, in
vited four men (Whitney, Howard,
Chubbuck and Garside) from their seats
Mt the banqueting table into an adjoin-
ing apartment, where he informed them
that he had an order from the Grand
Master Ode Witt Clinton), the execution
of which required their assistance. This
party was then driven to Niagara, reach
ing the fort little before II o'clock.
Upon entering the magazine Colonel
King informed Morgan that his friends
had completed their arrangements for
his removal to a residence upon farm
in Canada. Morgan walked with them
to the wharf, where a boat was held in
readiness for them by Elisha Adams, an
invalid soldier, into which the party
passed and rowed away, Adams remain
ing to warn the boat off by signal if, on
its return, any alarm had been given.
1t was nearly 2 o'clock in the morning
when the boat came back, having, as
Adams expressed it, lost one man, only
five of the six being on board when the
boat returned When the boat reached
a point where the Niagara river empties
into Lake Ontario, n rope being wound
around Morgan's body, to either end of
which n sinker was attached, he was
thrown overheard. 1t is due TO the
memory of Governor Clinton to say that
Colonel King had no such order, and
no authority to make use of his name.
1t is proper, also, to add that none of
these men survive. John Whitney, of
Rochester, whom | knew well, related
all the circumstances connected with the
last act in that tragedy to me at Albany
in 1881, in the presence of Simeon Il.
Jewett, of Clarkson, and Samuel Barton,
of Lewiston.
In October, 1927, more than year
after the abduction of Morgan, body
drifted on shore near small creek which
entered into Lake Ontario. A coroner's
inquest was held, and verdict rendered
that it was the body of an unknown per-
son. The coroner wrote out a minute
description of the body, and published
it, along with the finding of the jury, in
an Orleans county newspaper. That
description attracting the attention of
persons we'll acquainted with Morgan,
excited considerable interest. The
widow and several intimate friends of
Morgan seemed SO confident that it was
his body that the committee appointed
TO investigate the abduction determined
to hold another inquest, of which public
notice was given. On the day appoint
ed some sixty or seventy people as
sembled ut the mouth of Oak Orchard
creek, where the body of the unknown
man was inferred. Before opening the
grave Mrs. Morgan and DIR. Strong
described certain marks upon Morgans
body, by means of which it could be
identified. When the rude coffin was
opened the body it contained disclosed
the peculiarities described, and after n
deliberate examination, the jurors de-
clared it unanimously the body of Viii
liam Morgan. From this verdict no one
present dissented, and for n week or ten
days the question seemed to be settled.
Later in October there came report
that the body declared to be that of Viii
liam Morgan was claimed by his family
TO be that of Timothy Monroe, q Cana
dian, who was swept in a small boat over
Niagara Falls eleven days previous to the
time that the body was washed ashore
at the mouth of Oak Orchard creek.
The remains in the mean time had been
taken by Mrs. Morgan to Batavia. A
third inquest was now to be held for the
purpose of establishing the claim of Mrs.
Monroe. A large concourse of people
were in attendance. Mrs. Monroe APP
peared, and gave a description of her
person, and of the clothing in
which he left home on the morning of
the day he was drowned. Previous to
her examination Bates Cooke, chairman
Of the Morgan Investigating Committee,
the clothes taken from the
body, and carefully preserved by the Cor
Oner, with great minuteness. inns ena-
bled him to test the accuracy of Mrs.
Monroe's knowledge and memory.
Neither Mrs. Monroe nor any person
sympathizing with her or interested in
the Identification of the body as that OF
Monroe had access to it or had seen any |
of the wearing apparal of the diseased.
- AZ. TnnrOa NOT only fyayp n l