Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-12-13

double teeth, one of which he had extracted
while another was broken, Indicating the
position of the extracted and broken teeth.
When the coffin was opened the body
disclosed the peculiarities described by
Mrs. Morgan and DR.. Strong.
This second inquest and the examIna-
tions of the boly proceeded in open day
and in the presence of Masons and Anti
masons, not one Of whom dssented from
the coioner's jury, by which the body
was unanimously declared to be that of
William Morgan. Mrs. Morgan, in her
testimony, failed TO recognize the clothes.
The body was taken to Batavia, where it
was re Inferred, no one rs vet expressing
any doubt of its identity.
Subsequently, however. we were sur
prised by a statement that the body sup.
pos ed 10 be that of Morgan was alleged 10
be the body of Timothy Monroe, who had
been drowned in the Niagara river several
weeks before holding the first inquest.
This awakened general and intense feeling
Notice was given that third inquest
would be held at Batavia. where the widow
and son of Timothy Monroe appe lred as
witnesses. Mrs. Monroe swore to Il BODY
essentially different from that found at
Oak Orchard Greek. Her husblnd, she
said, had black hair that had been recently
cut and stood erect. Her testimony made
hel husband from three to four inches
taller than that Of the body in question
She testified that her husband had double
teeth all round and described an extracted
tooth from the wrong jaw and knew moth
ing of the broken TOOTH The hair upon
the head of the drowned man was long,
oA &c oh
of Monroe, according to the testimony of
Mrs. Monroe and son, was short, black
and close cut. While Mrs. Monroe failed
in describing the body, her description of
the clothing was minutely accurate. The
heel Of his stocking was described as
having been darned with yarn different in
color. Her cross-eXamination was very
rigid and her answers throughout were
found to be correct. The clothing thus
described had been in possession of the
coroner, who testified that it had not been
seen either by Mrs. Monroe or any stran-
ger from whom she could have obtained
information. On the other hand, Mrs.
Morgan's description of the body, before
she had seen it. was quite as satisfactory
as Mrs. Monroc's description of the clothes.
Our committee took no part IN the third
inquest, and the body, as is known, was
declared to be that of Timothy Monroe.
Simultaneously an incident occurred
showing the vindictive spirit of our oppo-
nents. On the evening of the day that
the body inferred at Batavia was declared
by third inquest to be that of Timothy
Monroe, | went into the billiard room of
the Eagle Hotel to see a friend from
Carksop. When leaving the room, Ebe.
nezer Griffin, Esq, prominent lawyer
employed as counsel for Masons who was
playing billiards, turned to me. cue in
you do for Morgan now?' To which
replied, That is Il good enough Morgan
for us till you bring back the one you
carried off" On the following morning
the Daily Ad0ertiSer, Masonic organ,
contained paragraph charging me with
having boastingly said that the body in
question "was good enough Morgan
until after the election" That porversion
went the rounds of the Masonic and demo-
cratic press, awakening much popular
Indignation and subieGting me to denun-
Citations in speeches and resolutions at
political meetings and conventions. Ex-
plantations were disregarded; the maxim
that "Falsehood will travel miles while
truth is drawing on its boots" was then
verified. l suffered obloquy and reproach
from that wicked perversion for nearly
half q century. Indeed, there is reason
to believe that even now, where | am
personally unknown, generations are
growing up believing that l mutilated a
dead body for political effect, and, when
exposed, boosted that it was n good
enough Morgan till after the election.
Forty years afterwards the editor of the
paper who originated that calumny, by
a series of pecunary reverses, was COM
PEELED to apply to me for assistance.
avenged the great wrong he had done me
by obtaining for him a situation in the
custom house,
THIS served to extend and intensity the
"eXcitemen..' 1t was everywhere charged
and widely believed that | had mutilated
the body in question for the purpose of
making it resemble that Of Captain Viii
liam Morgan. encountered prejudices
thus created both in Paris and in London
twenty years afterwards.
Oar investigations were embarrassed
and protracted by the absence and con-
cealment of important witnesses. One of
these was an invalid soldier who had had
the care of Morgan while confined in the
magazine at Fort Niagara, but he disap.
peared, and ali efforts to find him were
unavailing for more than year. | finally
traced him elisha Adams) to Brooklield,
amount in town in Vermont. We reached
the log house of Adams brother. in-law,
with whom he was hiding, between 12
and l o'clock at night. Our rap was
responded to by the owner, to whom, on
opening the door the sheriff introduced
me, directly after which, and before any
thing more had been said, we heard a
voice from the second floor of the cabin,
saying, II am ready and have been expect.
ing you all winter" Immediately after
wards the old man came down the ladder,
and in ten minutes we departed on our
return.
While waiting for breakfast Mt the foot
of the mountain several men dropped into
the bar room where we were sitting.
When called to breakfast, the landlady,
carefully closing the doors, remarked that
her husband had sent around for Masons,
some of whom had already appeared, but
that We need not fear them, for she had
sent her daughter to inform other villagers
what was going on, and that before we
had done breakfast there would be twice
rs many Anti-masons as Masons in
attendance. Returning to the bar room
we found that she had done her work
thoroughly. Fifteen or twenty men were
in the bar room glaring at each other and
at Adams, but nothing was said and we
were driven of unmolested. On our way
back HAdams, at different times, stated
that hearing a noise in the magazine he
reported it to Mr. Edward Giddns, keeper
of the fort, who told him that a stranger
was lodged there who in day or two
would be taken TO his friends in Canada,
but nothing must be said about it. He
then, from time to time, carried food to
the person. Soon afterwards, near mid
night, he was told to have boat in readi-
ness for the purpose of taking away the
man in the magazine. Several gentlemen
arrived in carriage by whom the man
was taken from the magazine and escorted
to the boat. Adams was told to remain
on the dock until the boat should return
and that if in tho meantime an alarm
should be given he was TO show a signal