Morris tribune., 1881-03-24
MORGAN AND THE MASONS.

Thurlow Weed Gives to the Public a story OF
Morgan's Death for Exposing Masonry,
Which He Said was Told Him by One OF the
Participants.
Thurlow Weed was asked by a cores
pondent of the Philadelphia Press concern
ing the recent murder of son of Judge
James ellis, of this state, in Mount Pleas
ant, Ia, last week, presumably on account
of the death of Morgan, during the anti ma
sonic excitement Il was sorry to hear of
the trouble Judge ellis is having in his
old age" said Mr.. Weed. 81 knew him
very WE'LL and he was very worthy man, as
were. all those engaged in the persecution
of Morgan. The facts in the case were
about these: Morgan was drunken stone
mason and a member Of the Order of Free
masons. With the help of country prin-
ter he printed an expose of the first three
exposing the Royal Arch Degree
when the Masons determined to put stop
to it. Morgan had come to mel was in
the newspaper business in Rochester at
the time-to print his book, but he wanted
me to take an oath of secresy before l be-
gan to work, and / would not do SO. The
Masons had Morgan arrested on bumped
up charge of petit larceny and lodged in
jail. Then made arrangements to carry
him off. party of them, including Gillis,
Nicholas G. Cheeseborough, whose daugh-
ter called on me not half an hour ago, and
James Whitney, and others, went to the
JAIL and after considerable parleying with
the jailers 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
Mason's believed he would give up the de-
sign of exposing the secrets of the Order.
They proposed to buy him farm in Cana
da and turn him from his evil ways gener-
ally. The plan was now changed to provide
for Morgan by sending him away from civ
ilization in the employ of the Northwestern
Fur Company. There were several meet
ings of the lodge and chapter at Niagara on
the subject, but many Masoas refused to
have anything TO do with the scheme. Then
the matter became imperative. Something
had to be done. and at once.
''It was found to be dangerous to recede
or 90 on. After Morgan had been a prison
er in the magazine for three or four days
there was large meeting of Masons to in
stall an encampment in Canadian town
near by. Prominent men were present in
GLIDING members of the New York legisla-
ture, and the evening ended with a grand
supper, at which exciting speeches were
made by several prominent members of the
order in the case of Morgan. At last the
Chaplain was called on for toast, and he
gave the following: The enemies Of, our Or
aer-may they find a grave six feet deep,
six feet long and six feet due east and west
This contained hidden significance, and
COL King who was at the table, called four
gentlemen outside, and carriage being
called they were driven to Fl. Niagara,
where they arrived at 4 o'clock in the morn
ing. Morgan was called up, and was told
they had ma de arrangements for his well
fare, bought him farm, etc. He went
with them, and rowed out four miles into
Lake Ontario. Here they wound rope
loaded with sinkers around Morgan and
threw him overheard. A man at the fort,
whom afterward looked up in a 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 COM
mittee that investigated the matter were
moved by interests other than those of dis
covering the truth
'Just as 1 was leaving Chicago at the
close of the proceedings of the Conven-
ton which nominated Mr. Lincoln, was
mortified and even much disguised at the
defeat of Mr.. Seward and was sending my
baggage to the depot. 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 I
want you to publish it. Ipromised to
write out the stateme; t, which contained
substantially the facts have given you and
intended to do so, but the campaign came
on, the War broke out, and l neglected it.
While in London I wrote to Whitney asking
him to go to E. B. Williams and let him
write the statements. When I got back
home that letter was returned to me from
the Dead-Letter Office, and Whitney had
died a week before it should have reached
him. l was always sorry that I did not
write out the statement in Chicago"