The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-03-16
M A S Q NRY' HISTORIC
M U r DE Err.
ThurloW Weed Gives the true
Story OF aorgan's Death
for Exposing Masonry,
AS Told Him by One Of the
Participants in the
Affair.

AUdHs
Special to the Chicago Tribune
Thurlow Weed was asked by special
correspondent Of the Press, yesterday,
the recent murder of a son
Of Judge James ellis, Of this State, in
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, last week, pre-
sumabIy anaccount Of the death Of Nor
gan during the anti-Masonry excite
ment. II was sorry to hear Of the
trouble Judge ellis is having in his old
age" said MIR. " eed. 81 knew him
very well, and he was very worthy
man, as were all those engaged in the
prosecution Of Morgan. 1t became a
political issue, without any intention on
the part Of the anti Masons, and the lat
ter became strong party. Judge Gil
lis was not tried for the murder, but
for abducting Morgan. The facts in
the case we're about these Morgan was
a drunken stonc-mason, and member
Of the Order Of Frccmasons. With the
bel p ofa country printer, lie printed an
expose Of the first three degrees Of Ma
sonry, and was about exposing the Roy
al Arch Degree when the MasNns deter
mined to put stop to it. Morgan had
come to me-I was in the newspaper
business in Rochester at the timc--to
print his book, but he wanted me to
take an oath Of sccrcsy before | began
the work, and would not do 50. The
Maa1ns had Morgan arrested on Il
trumped-up charge Of petit larceny and
lodged in Jail. They then made arrange
mcuts to carry him Oft, A large party
or them including ellis, Nicholas &.
Checsborough- whose daughter called
on me not half IN hour ago and James
Whitney, and others, went to the jail,
and, after considerable parleying with
the Jai!crs wife, they prevailed ON her
to give Morgan up. The idea OF the
Masons was simply to get Morgan away
from the bad company he was in, i'll
which case the Masons believed he
would give up his design Of exposing
the secrets Of the Order. They pro-
posed to buy him a farm in Canada
and turn him from his evil ways gcncr-
ally. This plan was now changed to
provide for Morgan by sending him
away from civilization in the employ Of
the Northwestern Fur Company. There
We're several meetings of the lodge and
chapter at Niagara ON the subject, but
many Masons refused to have anything
to do with the scheme. Then the mat
ter became imperative. Something had
to be done, and at once.
II was found to be dangerous to re-
ccdc or 90 on. After Morgan had been
Il prisoner in the magazine for three or
four days, there was large meeting of
Masons to install an encampment in
Canadian town near by. Prominent
men were present, including members
Of the New York Legislature, and the
evening ended with a grand supper, at
which excited speeches were made by
several prominent members of the Order
in the case Of Morgan. At last the
Chaplain was called on for u toast, and
he gave the following: Thc enemies of
our Ordcr-may they find a grave six
feet deep, six feet long, and six feet due
east and west. This contained hid
den significance, and Col. King, who
was ut the table, called four gentlemen
outside, and, carriage being called, .
they were driven to Fort Niagara, where
they arrived at 1 o'clock in the morn
Ing. Morgan was called up, and was
told that they had made arrangements
for his welfare bought him farm,
etc. He went with them, and they took
A boat and rowod out four miles into
Lake Ontario Here they wound
rope loaded with snkers around Nor
gan and threw him overheard. A man
It the fort, whom afterwards looked
up in a moment saw the boat leave
With SIX men and return with but five.
If course all these facts were denied,
md the world said the committee that
Investigated the matter were politicians
md were moved by interests other than
hose Of discovering the truth.
"JuSt as | was leaving Chicago at the
lose Of the proceedings Of the conven-
ion which nominated Mr.. Lincoln, |
vas mortified and even Disguised at the
|otrat Of Mr.. Seward, and was sending
ny baggage to the depot. Col. John l
Whitney, one Of the five men who took {
'lorgnn out in the boat, came to me
nd said, Il want to swear to what |
ave told you about the Morgan matter, !
nd if YOU survive me | want you to
ublish it, | promised to write out b
he statement, which contained substan- c
ally the facts | have given you, and =
ltcnded to do 80, but the campaign :,
lme on, the war. broke out, and | was
mt to Europe by Mr.. Lincoln and | n
eglcctcd it. While in London | wrote J
} Whitney asking him to go to Il. b. q
Villains and let him write the state y
cnt. When got back home that let. e
n was returned to me from the Dead W
ctter office, and Whitney had died e
eek before it should have reached him. p,
was always sorry that | did not write
1t the statement in Chicago"
no Cefc Lio naoo,pp,onL, :,