Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-03-12
A MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
Thurl0,c Weed Giues the True Story of Nor
gdn's Death for Exposing Masonry, as
Told by One of the Participants In the
dfeUir.
PHILADELPHIA Special.1

philadelphia Special
Thurlow Weed was asked by special cor
respondent of the Press concerning the recent
murder of son of Judge James ellis, of this
State, in Mount Pleasant, Ia, last week, pre-
sumably an account of the death of Morgan
during the anti Masonic excitement. ''I am
sorry to hear of the trouble Judge ellis is
having in his old age" said Mr.. Weed. 81
knew him very well, and he was very worthy
man, as were all those engaged in the prosecu.
ton of Morgan. 1t became political issue
without any intention on the
anti Masons, and the latter be
was not tried for the murder, but for abducting
Morgan. The facts in the case were about
these: Morgan was drunken stone-mason and
a member of the Order Of Freemasons. With
the help of country printer he printed an
expose of the first three degrees of Masonry
and was about exposing the Royal Arch Degree
when the Masons determined to put stop to it.
Morgan had come to mel was in the news.
paper business in Rochester at the tlme-to
print his book, but he wanted me to take an
oath of secrcsy before began the work, and /
would not do so. The Masons had Morgan
arrested on trumped-up charge of petit
larceny and lodged in jail They then made
arrangements to carry him off. A party
of them, including ellis, Nicholas G.
Observation-Disclosures daughter called or
me not half an hour ago-and James Whit
ney, and Others, went to the Jail, and, after
considerable parleying with the jailer's 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, in
which case the Masons believed he would give
up his design of exposing the secrets of the
order. They proposed to buy him farm in
Canada and turn him from his evil ways gen.
orally. The plan was now changed to pro-
vide for Morgan by sending him away from
civilization in the employ OF the Northwest
ern Fur company. There were several meetings
ofjthe lodge and chapter at Niagara on the SUBJ
ject, but many Masons refused to have any,
thing to do with the scheme. Then the mat
ter became imperative. Something had to be
done, and at once.
s'It was found 10 be dangerous to recede or
20 on. After Morgan had been prisoner in
the magazine for three or four days there was
a large meeting of Masons to install an en-
campment in Canadian town near by.
Prominent men were present, including
members of the New York legislature, and the
evening ended with grand supper, at with
excited speeches were made by several promi-
nent members of the order in the case of Nor
gan. At last the chaplain was called on for a
toast; and he gave the following: "The enc
mics of our order---may they find grave six
feet deep, six feet long, and six feet due east
and west" This contained a hidden signifi-
canoe, and Col. King, who was at the table,
called four gentlemen outside, and, carriage
being called, they were driven to Fort Niagara,
where they arrived at 4 O'Clock
in the morning. Morgan was called up,
and was told that they had made ar
engagements for his welfare-bought him
farm, etc. He went with them, and they took
a boat and rowed out four miles into Lake
Ontario. Here they wound rope loaded
with snkers around Morgan and threw him
overheard. A man at the fort, whom I after
ward looked up in moment, saw the boat
leave with six men and return with but five.
Of course all these facts were denied, and the
world said the committee that investigated the
matter were politicians and were moved by
interests other than those of discovering the
truth.
ssJust as was leaving Chicago, at the close
of the proceedings of the convention which
nominated Mr.. Lincoln, was mortified and
even much disguised at the defeat of Mr.. Sew
ard, and was sending my baggage to the de-
pot. Col. John Whitney, one of the five men
who took Morgan out in the boat, came to
me and said, i want to swear to what have
told you about the Morgan matter, and if you
survive me want you to publish it, Iprom
ised to write out the statement, which con-
tanned substantially the facts I have given
YOU, and intended to do SO, but the campaign
came on, the war broke out, and was sent
to Europe by Mr.. Lincoln, and neglected it.
While in London wrote to Whitney, asking
him to go to E. B. Williams and let him write
the statement. When got back home that
letter was returned to me from the dead-letter
office, and Whitney had died week before it
should have reached him. l was always
sorry that did not write ont the sfatemenf in
Chicago"