The Newtown bee., 1894-09-14

sermon. SiXty one brethren were pI6s- ent on this occasion, of which number six were from King Solomon's lodge, No. z, five from St Johns, No. 4S, eight from Miridian Sun, No. B, and two from St Paul's, No. Il.
 On the 14th of September, 1927, occur red the death of Brother w. k. Fowler, who was buried with full Masonic hon. ors, the only record of Masonic burial on the old records. Brother Fowler was man of much note in the community, having been the resident physician of Washington for many years, highly re- spected by all who knew him, and great ly beloved by his fellow townsmen. It is recorded that his funeral was attended l by nearly 100 brethren, besides the off l cers of the lodge. Thus far I have only | attempted to follow the history of the | Rising Sun lodge, but it's history would be incomplete without allusion to the higher Masonic bodies that were intimate ly associated with it. In May, 1922, FL delity chapter, R. A. M No. 10, was re- moved from Woodhury to Washington, and in 1923 it reported II exaltations to the Grand Chapter, and in 1925 l5 exel-
 tations, showing a marked success for a
 chapter. The chapter was followed by
 Tyrian council, No. 13, of k. and M..
 and this by Clinton Commandry, No. 5,
 K. T.
 Masonry was at it's flood tide of suc-
 cess in Washington until about the year 1928, possessing a fine and commodious lodge room, with prosperous Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandry,
 it was most truly Masonic center. The MEMBERS OF THE RISING SUN LODGE
 were men of the highest standing in the
 community, while the Chapter, Council
 and Commandry called many men of
 note from the adjoining lodges to the
 higher Masonic privileges offered ln
 Washington. The anti i-Masonic excite
 ment beginning in 1928 and continuing | through many subsequent years, crushed
 with it's relentless sirocco blast the pros
 perity of the order, until by degrees it
 lived only in the hearts of the tai hful
 who nobly refused to bow the knee to
 this political Baal, and who like the an
 cient prophet mourning over the ruins of
 Jerusalem was tauntingly asked, "Watch
 man, what of the night" from their true
 hearts answered The day cometh." Bat
 alas how few lived to see its fultillment. The last communication of the old
 lodge was on the l5 h day of June, 1929,
 at which time Brother William J Hamil-
 ton was raised to the sublime degree of a
 NJ. NJ. As Brother Cornelius Hamlin was
 the first so Brother William 5. Hamilton
 was the last of the work of the old lodge,
 Brother William Moody being it's last W.
 M., whose mortal remains in latter years
 the restored lodge deposited in a broth
 CTS grave.
 The anti Masonic excitement came up
 on the lodges with the velocity of a thun
 derb0lt, and the devastating ferocity o1 d cyclone, and so disastrous and terrible in it's effect, and so demoralized were the lodges by it's fury. that no efforts were
 th h.. fn in h. real facts in the matter. And it was no until several years since when Brother Robert Morris, F. G. M., of Kentucky took upon himself the task of unravetlins the mystery by personal journey to tht . scene of action in Western New Y ork ,anC 5 spent two months there collecting tVl 2 dence relative to the matter, that the Ma sonic world was fully undeceived there l to. The facts as stated and proved b, - him were briefly these: William Morgan { came to Batavia, N. r., some years pre- ' viCusly. He passed among the brethrel L as c. but iG is supposed that he oh tained admission to the lodge by incom r potent avouchment. The NJ. degree h j. obtained in the Batavia lodge. His char D aCter was that of a worthless, drunke
 fellow, whose family was suppOrJe t mainly by Masonic charity. A R. 4 chapter was instituted at Rochester, t h which Morgan promptly made applica d tion for admission, which was as prompt e ly refused. He then vowed vengeance 0 t the order. In company with one Miller r. an E. A. and printer, he conceived th II idea of making an expose of Masonry l- This becoming known to the mem bers ( l. the order they bought his manuscript ( t. him for $50 and destroyed it. But fee r. irg that they could not trust so wortf n less a character with Miller, they entel |. ed into an arrangement with him to leav
 the country, procuring for him farm
 Canada, to which they agreed to tran! port his family in two weeks and pay hil > $200 in m"ney. This offer was gladl Il Il accepted by Morgan. To get him ava u from Miller and through his own acqu T. essence, he was arrested on false chare T. T. of theft, placed in a closed carriage an t conveyed to Ft Niagara, where he WE 's kept until Canadian Masons came to II e ceive him, period of two or three day He was then ferried across the, river, an s THE LAST SEEN OF HIM
 by American Masons he was riding c 'i horseback between two Canadian brett < ren similarly mounted, towards his f, 'e ture home. When the time came for h i family to be sent to him, it was foun u that he was not there, and they learne ,i n that the last seen of hlm was, that or VI morning he vas seen to mount his hors , and ride towards Point Levi, shippin '' port on the St Lawrence. This was tl last seen of him in this country and o was supposed that being we'll rid of h iio family, for which he cared little or notl 'C ing, with $200 in his pocket he shippe yy' and left the country. When Miller di | covered that Morgan was gone, and h i, anticipated profits on his expose cut o1 'n he raised hue and cry relative to Mo ''ss gan's abduction, in which be was joine e ,t by knot of politicians of whom Thu aO low Weed was chief A few days prev U u ously a sailor had been lost overboal A from sloop on Lake Ontario, and h h ,l swollen, decomposing remains wei n washed into the mouth of Oak Orchar $ Creek. An inquest was held with vie {" to prove the body Morgan's. At the il o' quest his wife and others testified ths . .o the body was not Morgan's. Not sati .Z0 fled, a second inquest was held, with tt ', same result. Still unsatisfied, the bod ~ decomposed as it was, was kept over in
 the next week for a third inquest, lu which his wife finally said that iJ migf te te be her husbands. This was the conclu Ut ion aimed at from the beginding, and ( U some one saying to Weed, "You kno' II that is not Morgan's body" Weed mad
 the characteristic reply, Good enoug as Morgan until after election," phras ,s that has been quoted through the lengt ,i and breadth of the land ever since. Mi a ' Ter printed an old English expose as Mo 'e gan's and Thurlow Weed 6 Go. rode ~ political power. This in brief is the hi '1 tory of the Morgan mystery as stated b v F. G. M. Morris. The effect of the e, o citement was disastrous in the extreme n the lodges in the Northern states. Mos ! lNf fhns, f<,y ly h. ;. did not had mere nominal existence fG 21 many years. Why to own one's self