The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-12-08
The Murder Of Morgan,
THURLow WEEDS DYING REVELATION OF
THE CONFESSION or THE ABDrCroRs

tlon and murder OF William Morgan in
Northern New York in 1927 was made
by Thurlow Weed about two months
before his death and sworn to before "A
Notary. the affidavit bearing date Of
September rs. 1882 In it Mr.. Weed
tells OF the excitement growing out of
Morgans disappearance and his own
part IN the efforts TO get at the truth.
lie tells, what has been told before. Of
the discovery of II body on the shore of
Lake Ontario, which was positively
Identified, by the testimony of Mrs.
Morgan and others, as that of William
Morgan, and how it was subsequently
claimed that the body was that of one
Monroe, whose wife identified the
clothing as that worn by her husband,
though the personal description she
gave in no way accorded with that of
the body that was found.
''On the evening of the dav that the
body inferred at Batavia was declared
by a third inquest to be that of limo,
thy Monroe, | went into the billiard
room of the Eagle Hotel to see a friend
from Clarkson. When leaving the
room Ebenezer Griffin, Esq, a prom
lnent lawyer employed as counsel for
Masons, who was playing billiards.
turned to me, cue in hand. saving /:
We'll. Weed, what will you do for a
MorgOn now?' TO which | replied,
That is a good enough Morgan for us
till you bring back the one you carried
OFT. On the following morning the
D6ity -IdcertiSer, Masonic orgon,
contained paragraph charging me
with having boastingly said that the
body in question was good enough
Morgan until after the election. That
perverslon went the rounds Of the
Masonic and Democratic press, awaken
ing much popular indignation and sub.
Jectlng me to denunciations in speeches
and resolutions at political meetings
and conventions. Explanations were
disregarded; the maxim that False
hood will travel miles while Truth is
drawing on its boots was then veri-
fed.
Mr. Weed then goes on to relate the
difficulty encountered in obtaining wit
nesses, and how, when the witnesses
were secured, they testified the oppo
site of what was known to be the
truth. In 1881, after Weeds removal
to Albany, a libel suit was begun
against him by General Gould, of
Rochester, whom he had charged with
giving money he received from the
Royal Arch Grand Chapter to enable
Burrage Smith and John Whitney to
escape from justice. Gerrit l.. Dox.
treasurer of the Grand Chapter, and
John Whitney, one of the recipients of
the money, were in court to establish
the truth of the libel. but a narrow
ruling by the Court excluded the testi
mony and ended the trial abruptly.
That evening Weed entertained some
of the witnesses he had summoned at
his own house. ,Jewett was prepared
to testify that he furnished carriage
for those who were conveying Morgan
secretly from Canandaigua to Niagara.
John Whitney was one Of the party.
Major Barton would have testified that
he furnished the carriage which con.
veyed the party from Lewiston to For,
Niagara, John Whitney being one of
that party. Whitney would have
sworn that Gould supplied morey tc
enable him to escape from Justice.
What followed Is the important part Of
this remarkable posthumous statement
wHITNEY's CONFESSION.
"In the course of the evening, the
Morgan affair being the principal topic
of conversation, Colonel Jewett turned
to Whitney with emphasis and said
John, what if you make a clean breaS
of it, Whitney looked inquiringlv a
Barton, who added. 60 ahead Whit
ney then related in detail the history 0
Morgan's abduction and fate. Tn,
idea of suppressing Morgan's intended
exposure of the secrets of Masonr,
was first suggested by a man by tn,
name of Johns. 1t was discussed il
lodges at Batavia, lie Roy and Roches
ter. Johns suggested that Morgan
should be separated from Miller anC
| placed on a farm in Canada West
For this purpose he was taken to Ma
CARA and placed in the magazine of thu
fort until arrangements for settling him
in Canada were completed, but tn,
! Canadian MasOns disappointed them
After several meetings of the lodge il
Canada, opposite Fort Niagara, a re
fusal to have anything to do with Nor
gan left his "kidnappers' greatly per
picked. Opportunely a Royal Arcl
Chapter was installed at Lewiston. Tn,
occasion brought a large number 0
enthusiastic Masons together 'Afte
labor, in Masonic language, they re
tired to retreshment. Under the ex
mIaration of champagne and olhr
viands the Chaplain, the Rev f. II
Cummings, of Rochester, was called ol
for toast, He responded with pccala
emphasis and in the language OF thei
ritual; The enemies of our order
May they find a grave six feet deer
six feet long and six feet due east an
west.
THE ABDUCTION AND MURDER
"lmmediately after that toast, whic
was received with great enthusiasm
Colonel William King, an officer i
our war of ISL. and then a member c
Assembly from Niagara county, calle
Whitney, of Rochester, Howard. {
Buffalo; Chubbuck, of Lewiston. an
GarSidc, of Canada, out of the rool
and into carriage furnished by Maio
Barton. They were driven to Foi
Niagara, repaired to the magazine an
informed Morgan that the arrang,
ment' for sending him to Canada wtl
completed and that his family woul
soon follow him, Morgan received ii
information cheerfully and walked wit
supposed friends to the boat which W,
rowed to the mouth of the rive
where a rope was wound around h
body to each end of which a sink,
was attached, Morgan was then throw
overheard, lie grasped the gunwa
OF the boat conyulsiyely Garsidc,
forcing Morgan to reliuquish his hol
was severely bitten,
"Whitney, in concluding his narr