Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-12-05
The Death Of Morgan.
THuRLow WEEDS DYING REVELATION
JOHN wHITNEY's CONFESSION.

The mystery of the disappearance and
fate of William Morgan, of Batavia. N
Y, more than fifty years ago. is revived
by the publication in the New York
Sun of a three column statement from
the late Thurlow Weed, which was
sworn to before New York notary Cd
the 28th of September last. In THE
statement Mr.. Weed gives q history Of
the disappearance Of Morgan, who had
made q disclosure Of Masonic secrets
and in the abduction of whom he saya
lit was we'll known that Free Masont
were concerned" Mr.. Weed then
gives lopg account of the steps which
be and other leading anti. Masons took
to discover the whereabouts and fate of
Morgan, and mentions alleged instances
Of prosecutions to which he was sub
jected because of his efforts, but these
have already found some form of. pub
LEGATION. Mr.. Weed gives his experience
with one Elisha Adams, "who was an
invalid soldier while Morgan was con-
fined in magazine at Fort Niagara"
who informed him that the supposed
Morgan was taken In carriage from the
fort and placed in boat. and that the
boat afterwards returned without the
supposed Morgan. but when Adams was
put on the stand he swore he knew
nothing about the matter. Mr.. Weed
charges that the witness had been tam
pered with. Mr.. Weed then states that
in 1881 q libel suit was commenced
against him by Gen, Gould, Of Rochest
er. The libel charged Gen Gould with
giving money received from the Royal
Arch Grand Chapter to enable Burrage
Smith and John Whitney to escape from
justice. The testimony was not legally
sufficient to sustain the truth of the
libel, and under the judges instructions
the jury found a verdict of $500 against
Mr.. Weed. The same evening Col. Sim
con B. Jewett. Major Samuel Barton
and John Whitney passed the evening
at Mr.. Weeds house. Jewett was pre-.
pared, according to Mr.. Weeds state
ment, to testify that he furnished a car
riags for those who where conveying
Morgan secretly from Canandaigua to
Niagara. John Whitney was one ofthe
party. Major Barton would have testi.
fed that he furnished the carriage which
conveyed the party from Lewiston to
Fort Niagara, John Whitney being one
of that party. Whitney would have
sworn that Gould supplied money to en-
able him to escape from Justice" Mr..
Weed then proceeds with detail of the
alleged confession of Whitney "of the
history of Morgan's abduction and fate I"
According to this, the idea of suppress.
ing Morgan's "intended exposure of the
secrets of Masonry" was suggested by q
man by the name Of Johns. and was dis
cussed in several Masonic lodges. Johns,
according to Whitney's statement to Mr..
Weed, ''suggested that Morgan should
be separated from Miller and placed on q
farm in Canada West. For this purpose
he was taken to Niagara and placed ip
the magazine of the fort until arrange
ments for settling him in Canada were
completed, but the Canadian MasoDs
disappointed them. After several meet
ings of the lodge In Canada, opposite
Fort Niagara, refusal to have anything
to do with Morgan left bis 'kidnsppers'
greatly perplexed. OPPORTUNITY Royal
Arch chapter was installed at Lewiston.
The occasion brought large number of
enthusiastic Masons together. After
labor, In Masonic language. they 'retir-
ed to refreshment.' Under the exhilara.
ton of champagne and ether viands, the
chaplain (the Rev. F. 81. Cummings. of
Rochester, was called on for toast He
responded with peculiar emphasis, and
In the language of their ritual: The
enemies of our order-may they find q
grave six feet deep. six feet long. and
six feet due east and west Immedia
tely after that toast, which was received
with great enthusiasm, Colonel William
King, an officer in our war of 1872. and
then member of Assembly from Nj
agara county, called Whitney, OF
Rochester. Howard, of Buffalo, Club.
buch. of Lewiston, and Gsrside. of Can.
ada, out of the room and into a carriage
furnished by Major Barton. They were
driven to'Fort Niagara. repairing to the
magazine, and Informed Morgan that
the arrangements for sending him to
Canada were completed, and that his
family would soon follow him. Nor
gan received the information cheerfully,
and walked with supposed friends to the
boat. which was rowed to the mouth of
the river, where q rope was wound
around his body, to each end of which
sinker was attached. Morgan was then
thrown overheard. He grasped the
gun waie of the boat convulsively. Gar
side, In forcing Morgan to reliLquisf
his hold, WIS severely bitten"
Mr.. Weed says that he met Whitney
at national republican. convention at
Chicago 20 years after this, when the
latter requested him to write out his
recollection of what be whitney, had
told him about Morgan's fate. to be sign
ed In the presence of witnesses aud pub.
lIshed after Whitney's death, but Mr..
Weed WAS called away himself before
he could comply with the request. In
1851 Mr.. Weed says he went TO Europe,
and while in London wrote q letter to
Whitney asking him to get Alex B.
Williams. then a resident OF Chicago.
to do what he WEED bad neglected.
That letter reached Chicago one week
after Whitney's death, closing the last
and only chance for the alleged revela.
ton of that event.
= ->->-
SNAKE IN A MARES S1OMACH.-Mr.
Geo. Heilman, of StrinestowD, York
county. says the Pennsylvanian, lost
valuable mare after veterinary skill had
been baff1ed for three months. A snake
in the animals stomach poisoned the
entire system, occasioning terrible euf
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