The Ouachita telegraph., 1882-12-09
MORGAN.-THE ABDUCTED MASON.

Col. Simeon B. Jewett of Clarksons
Major Samuel Barton of Lewiston, and |
John Whitney of Rochester passed |
that evening at my house. Jewett |
was prepared to testify that he furnish
ed a carriage for those who were con-
veying Morgan secretly from Cana
daigua to Niagara. John Whitney
was one of the party. Major Barton
would have testified that he furnished
the carriage which conveyed the party
from Lewiston to Fort Niagara, John
Whitney being one of that party.
Whitney would have that Gould
supplied money to enable him to sses
cape from justice" In the course of
the evening, the Morgan affair being
the principal topic of conversation, Col.
Jewe,t turned to Whitney with en-
phasis and said: "John, what if you
make clean breast of it," Whitney
looked inquiringly at Barton, who
added: "Go ahead.'
Whitney then related in detail the
history of Morgan's abduction and
fate. The,.idea of suppressing Nor
gan's intended exposure of the secrets
of Masonry was first suggested by a
man by the name of Johns. It was
discussed in lodges at Batavia, LIE Roy
and Rochester. Johns suggested that
Morgan should be separated from Mil
Ter and placed on a farm in Canada
West. For this purpose he was taken
to Niagara and placed in the magazine
Of the fort until arrangements for set
tling him in Canada were completed,
but the Canadian Masons disappointed
them. After several meetings of the
lodge in Canada opposite Fort Niagara,
a refusal to have anything to do with
Morgan left his s'kidnappers" greatly
perplexcd. Opportuneiy Royrl Arch
chapter was installed at Lewiston.
The occasion brought Il large number
of enthusiastic Masons together. "Af-
ter labor" in Masonic Language. they
"retired to refreshment." Under the
exhilaration of champaigne and other
viands, the Chaplain (the Rev. f. II.
Cummings of Rochester) was called on
for toast. He responded with pecu-
liar emphasis and in the language of
their ritual. The enemies Of our order
May they tind grave six feet deep,
six feet long, and six feet due east and
west" Immediately after that boast,
which was received with great enthus-
iasln, Col. William King, an officer in
our war of 1912, and then a member of
Assembly from Niagara county, called
Whitney of Rochester, Howard of
Buffalo, Chubbuck of Lewiston, and
into a carriage furnished by Major Bar
ton. They were driven to Fort Ma
CARA, repaired to the magazine, and
informed Morgan that the arrange
ments for sending him to Canada were
completed, and that his family would
soon follow him. Morgan received the
information cheerfully, and walked
with supposed friends to the boat,
which was rowed TO the mouth of the
river, where 4 rope was wound around
his body, to each end Of which u sinker
was attached. Morgan was then
thrown overheard. He grasped the
gunwale of the boat convulsively.
Garside, in forcing Morgan to relin-
quish his hold, was severely bitten.
Whitney, in concluding his narra-
tive, said he was now relieved from a
heavy load; that for four years he had
not heard the window rustic or any
other noise at nj ght without thinking
the Sheriff was after him. Col. Jewett
looking fixedIy at Whitney, said
"Weed can hang you now.' "But he
WON'T" was Whi>ney's prompt reply.
OF course y secret thus couhded to me
years afterward, while attending a Ma
tional Republican Convention at Chi
cago, John Whitney, who then resided
there, called to say that he wanted me
to write out what he once told me
about Morgan's fate, to be signed by
him in the presence of witnesses, to be
: sealed up and published after his
death. I promised to do so before
. leaving Chicago. There was no leis-
ure, however, during the sitting of the
Convention, and even before its final
adjournment, forgetting what 1 had
told Whitney, hurried to Iowa, re-
turning by way of Springfield to visit
Mr.. Lincoln. In the excitement of
of the canvass which followed, and the
secession OF the Southern States upon
Mr.. Lincoln's election, I neglected the
important duty of securing the confess
sion Whitney was so anxious to make.
In 1861 l went to Europe, and while
in London wrote q letter to Whitney
arl1ing him to get Alex. B. Williams,
then a resident of Chicago, to do what
1 had SO unpardonably neglected.
That letter reached Chicago one week
after Whitney's death, closing the last
and only chance for the revelation of
that important event.
Whitney was Il mason by trade, hon
est. industrious, sober, but eXctable.
Iu all the carly stages of the Morgan
.ff,i. hr believed he WAS IlOup his