The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-12-07
Subsequent DevelOpments-Is the My IS.
terry Solved!
Pros and Cons Of the Then MOmentOus
Question.
The Confession of John Whitney.

The Confession of John Whitney.
The unwilling OF monument to Captain
William Nor gan recalls an event of start
ling interest, arousinc deep popular feeling,
first at Batavia, lie Roy. Canandaigua and
Rochester, then pervading our own ayft
other states. After reading the proceedings
o. q meeting at Batavia, with ths Hon.
David E. Evans as presiding officer, wrote
six-line paragraph for the Rochester Telc'
graph, in which 1 stated Het citizen Of
Batavia had been spirited away from his
home and family, and that, after mystic.
rious absence of several days, village
meeting had been held and a committee Of
citizens appointed to investigate the mat
ter ad ling that, as it was known
-8t Freemasons were concerned in
th. abduction, it behooved the fraternity
whose good name was suffering to take the
tbgring oar in restoring the lost man to his
'I,tar.y. That paragraph brought dozens of
cur most influential citizens, greatly ex-
ft5 to the office, stopping the paper and
1.1erng the discontinuance of their adver.
rsem ents. inquired Of my partner, Rob
en- Y lrtin, what l had done to exasperate
So many of our friends. He brought he Il
book, and directed my attention to an obi
CATION invoking severe penalties as pun.
ishment for disclosing the secrets of Masons
inouiring what thought of man who
after taking such an obligation, violated
it? l replied that ] did not know any pun.
ishment too severe for such periurer.
H. As,,,rn nft nn kraa aI
so large number of its patrons, saw that
my brief and, as | supposed, very harmless
paragraph, would ruin the establishment.
Unwilling that my partner should suffer,
I promptly withdrew, leaving the estab-
lishment in the hands Of MIR. Martin. The
paper was doing WELL and until that para
graph appeared my business future was all
that could desire.
n AT that time an editor was wanted in
Utica, where / had formerly, worked, and
where | had many friends; but my offer to
20 there vas deciinc1. l was equally un-
!flriHnate iu my application fnc editorial
Itempl0ymeut at Troy. The utieftion IL
Doth csses WIS hat mai been tJO busy III
1EeHing ap az excitement apuut suraan.
Neantiq1e tine ny sJery despened, and
public meetings were hrld - several vi
lagos. RJeae eieG Ind ldai. II tbe meeting
ct Rochesiecjt Was uesu,ped trlt al 20
eitizens would Rpi'e IN ma eii0rJ 10 Wud,-
cate the l2g. A c0Gglg ee'".t appointed.
conssting of seven, thrfe OF wnom were
Masons. II Nas soon. discovered that the
three Masons went from the committee TO
the lodge. room. 1t was subsequently as
certained that two of these gentlemen were
concerned i'll the abduction, and that Nor
gan had been committed TO jail in Canaan
daigua on a false charge OF larceny, and
that he had been carried from thence Sc
cretly by night to Fort Niagara.
H.. mil N
Gle in obtaining indictments in five
of the six counties where indictments
were needed. The sheriffs who summoned
the grand iuries were Freemasons, In four
counties no indictments could be obtained.
In Ontario, however, the district attorney,
Bowen Whiting, and the sheriff, Joseph
Garlinghouse though Masons, regarded
their obligations to the laws of the state
paramount Sheriff Clearinghouse and
District Attorney Whiting discharged their
duties independently and honestly. AS the
investigations proceeded the evidence in
creased that Morgan had been
UHLAwFULLY CONFINED
in the Canandaigua jail, and secretly con-
veyed to Fort Niagara, where he was con-
fined in the magazine. There was every
reason to believe that he was taken from
the magazine and drowned in Lake On
tario. This, however, was boldly and
persistently denied-denials accom-
panied by solemn assurances
places divided the public sentiment. AT
town meetings several months after Nor
CANS disappearance, the question was car
ried into politics. A large number OF zeal
GUS anti Masons determined to make 1t q
political issue. solomon Southwick was
nominated at lie Roy for governor. Oar
COMMITTEES finally resisted all such efforts,
urging all who we're connected with us In
an effort 10 vlndicate the law to vote for the
candidates of the party with which they
had been previously connected. We en-
deavored 10 induce the whig state conven-
tion TO nominate Francis Granger, but,
falling, in that, we gave our support
70 Judge smith thompson; A Rneses.er
DIR. +. II. Backus, who had been
treasurer by a unanimous vote the elect
ors from the time the village charter had
been obtained. was again the candidate OF
both parties. No whisper Of opposition was
heard before the election or AT the polls,
but when the votes were cauvassed n ma |
iority appeared In favor Of DR.. John h. Ell |
wood. Dr. Backus was an active and inhu- |
entail member of the Morgan investigating |
committee. That astounding result pro-
dnced an instantaneous change.
Political anti Masonry from that moment
and Tor that reason became an element 10
our elections. IL was alleged AID exten-
tee (" 70 crafty personal aspirations, went
into politics. These allegations
were a. unfruthfui a. they were unjust. IL
was not until we ascert lined that the ira
ifujty, BY q secret movement, was strong
.nonek 20 defeat the candidate Of both DO
hical parties, that We consented 10 join H.
Ius with them politically.
In the autumn o. 1877, the discovery Of
be body Of an unkn3wn man on the shore
III Lake Ontario, near the mouth n Oak
Orchard creek. gave new and absorbing
aspect 20 the question. TIE description Of
hat body. ~ Published By the coroner
rho held An inquest over = induced oe-
IN. Our committee decided 70 hold an
Itber inquest. Impressed with the impor-
tnce and responsibility d The question, 4
ave public notice % our Intention, and
,ers1naily invited several cIlizens Who had
rnoTn Morgan 70 Be present. One n or
Ittendancs Of Mr. Morgan and NJ many
lthers Who knsr him A. would nttend
The BODY had been inferred where 4 ras
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