The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-12-01
By Telegraph.
THE MORGAN MYSTERY
Letter from the Late ThurIOw Weed in
Reference to the Once Startling
Masonic Sensation.
Comments on the Paper by Promi-
nent Masons.

BUFFALO, Nov. 29-The Express has pub
hshed letter of the late Thurlow Weed, under
date of New York, Sept g. 1882" and attested
by Spencer c. Doty, a notary public of this
city, as that of Thurlow Weed The letter
was an answer to an invitation to attend the
unwilling of monument to Captain William
Morgan, and is thus prefaced by The Express
@rhe following letter, dictated by the late
Thurlow Weed but short time before his
DEATH contains his sworn statement of his
knowledge concerning the abduction and
alleged murder of VIM. Morgan, and forms
most interesting chapter in relation to the SEN
sational events which in their time caused SO
great social and political CONFUSION"
Mr.. Weed begins by saying: "The occasion
IL one that recalls an event of startling inter
est, arousing deep popular feeling, first at
Batavia, Leroy, Canandaigua and Rochester,
then pervading our own and other states At
ter reading the proceedings of the meeting at
Batavia, with Hon. David E. Evans as pre-
siding officer, l wrote six-line paragraph
for The Rochester Telegraph, in which |
stated that a citizen Of Batavia had
been, spirited away from his home and
family, and, after a mysterious absence
of several days, a village meeting had
been held, and a committee of citi-
zens appointed to Investigate the matter, add
ing that, as it was known that Free Masons
were concerned in this abduction, it behooved
fraternity whose good name was suffering to
take the laborlng oar in restoring the lost man
to his liberty.
THAT paragraph brought dozens of our
most influential citizens, greatly excited, to
The office, stopping the paper and ordering
dlscontinuance of their advertisements in
CURED of my partner, Robert Martin, what
nad done 70 eXasperate so many of our friends
He brought me a book and directed my atten-
ton to an obligation invoking severe penal
ties as the punishment for disclosing the secrets
of Masons, and inquiring what | thought of
man who, after taking such an obligation,
violated it replied did not know any pun
lshment % severe for such periurer
Ihe dlscontlnuance of the paper embraced
20 large number of its patrons that |
saw that my brief, and, as l supposed,
very harmless paragraph, would ruin the
establishment Unwilling that my part
ner should suffer, l promptly withdrew.
leaving the establishment in the hands of
Mr.. Martin. The paper was doing well,
and until that paragraph appeared my bust
ness future was all [ could desire At that
Tune an editor was wanted at Utica, where I
had formerly worked and where [ had many
friends, but my offer to go there was declined
l was equally unfortunate in my application
for editorial employment at Troy The OBJ
lection i'll both cases was that had been too
busy in getting up the excitement about Nor
gan"
He closes thus: "I-now look back through
the interval of fifty-six years with conscious
sense OF having been governed through the
nti-Masonic excitement by sincere desire,
first, to vlndicate the violated laws of nv
country, and next to arrest the great power
and dangerous influences of secret societies.
We labored under serious disadvantages.
The people were unwilling to believe
that an institution so ancient, to which many
Of our best and most distinguished men be-
longed, was capable of not only violating the
laws, but of sustaining and protecting offend
ing men of the order A vast majority of the
American people believed that Morgan was
concealed by our committee for political effect
While we were being fercely denounced as in
cendiary spirits, Judge EnOs T. Throop. in
charging the grand jury at Canandaigua, spoke
of anu-masonry as blessed spirit; a spirit
which he hoped would not rest until every
man implicated in the abduction of Morgan
was tried, convicted and punished"
New YORK, Nov. 29-There is considerable
comment in Masonic circles over Thurlow
Weeds sworn paper on the Morgan mystery.
While there was little new in the document
beyond the fact that it was accompanied
by jurat of as recent date as September
2S-the story having been told couple
OF years ago as coming from Whitney, who
was one of the participants in the alleged alb
ductlon of the renegade Mason Morgan
several old members of the order here ex-
pressed their regret that even were the state
ments entirely true, Mr.. Weed should have
revived one of the most serious charges
ever brought against the order Col. E. M,
Ehlers, grand secretary of the craft, said
The story was ingeniously woven, but when
you come to analyze it there is little import
ance to be attached to it In the first place,
all the parties who it is alleged we're concerned
IN the Morgan affair are dead, and consequent
ly cannat come forward to defend themselves
In the next place. you must remember that
Mr. Weed was man of strong likes and dis
likes and would be the last man to let slip in
an opportunity to vindicate himself when at
tackled. 1t is not likely that when Whitney
made the confession to him, with request
that it should be published after Whltney's
death, Mr.. Weed would miss such a chance
to get even with his tormentors. But admit
ting the truth of the statement let me tell YOU
there are thousands of Masons who would tell
you Morgan was justly punished. We can
afford to meet any charges of this or any other
character, Masonry withstood the onslaught
OF 1876 and the two following years, and will
be quite unaffected by the present one"
Then the order will take no action in regard
to these revelations?"
u think not | mean, of course openly
The subject will naturally be more or less dis
cussed in the lodges, but beyond that it is un
likely that any action will be taken "