The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1876-03-02
!. answer at once, but the truth finally
flashed :upon him that this lonely. old

answer at once, but the truth finally
flashed supon him that this lonelysold
man was none other than the friend
Of bis early years, William Morgan.
With this truth pressing upon him
he resolved to keep it a secret for a
while until he should make himself
doubly sure Of the fact by watching
him closely, and by tracing The re-
semblance if any existed between this
old man and Young Morgan. Thus
with the hermit all unaware that his
true identity was suspected by any
one, my father watched and studied
him until he had not a shadow Of
doubt but what this Was the veritable
William Morgan who, it was alleged,
the Masons had murdered so many
years before. Upon making inquiry
in the settlements Of those who came
there first they stated that they knew
nothing about him only this, that
when they came still he was there.
lie told some of his discovery, which
soon reached the ears of the hermit,
when he silently aud unknown to
any one departed in the darkness of
night none knew where, but doubt
less to seek anew some secluded spot
where he could remain in solitude
undisturbed by his brother man.
When William Morgan was alb.
Quoted by his brother Masons and
carried to Fort Niagara nc doubtless
escaped from their hands, and fearing
that his life would pay the forfeit for
his dastardly outrage against the Ma
sonic fraternity if seen again by one
of their number, he fed here to the
boundless forests Of northern Maine.
And here he had lived all these years,
his only companions the birds of the
air and the wild beasts of the forest.
His wants that he could not supply
from the soil and from the game that
is abundant in those parts were prob
ably met by visiting the settlements
Of the French refugees upon the'St.
Johns river.
The life that he led here must
have, indeed, been a singular and
lonely one; and doubtless the first
years of his life were full of terror,
Of fear and disquietude. At the rus
tie of every leaf and the breaking of
every twig he would fancy an assas-
sin was creeping upon him to strike
him down, but as the years stole by
this feeling would give way to one of
greater security and safety, till at
last, like Selkirk, he would feel that
he was monarch of all he survey
3D."
| My father died in 1857, but the
foregoing facts were received at the
time from his own lips, and they can
he relied upon as strictly true. He
knew this hermit to be William
Morgan, and this is conclusive evi.
dence to me that Morgan was not
murdered BY the Masons, but that he
led lone, exile life, and that if he
is now dead, he has died a natural
death.-
But some may ask il this be true,
Why was it not made public before.
This is readily answered. At that
time there was no paper published
nearer my father than one hundred
, and fifty miles, and reporters were not
qaite 90 thick in those forests "a the
mosquitoes were, and my father not
being a newspaper correspondent, it
is easy to perceive why it did not find
its way into public print.
/ decided number Of years ago
to maks these facts public when any,
thing occurred to call them out, and
as this seems to be proper time, I
send them forth to your readers and
to the world.
Yours truly,
A. P. ROGERS.
THE reliability of Mr.. Rogers is
: vouched for by the Rev. Noah La
e throp, who furnishes US the foregoing