The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-09
A FAMOUS CASE WITH POLITICAL


The Journal recently published some facts
of local interest relative to Mr.. Charles
Buffers connection with the legislative con-
tract over the refunding of the Indiana
bonded debt in 1916. A biography of Mr..
Butler relates his connection with another
acter. namely, the once famous Morgan
case" The present generation can hardly
realize the intense interest that once CEN
tered in this case, or the effect it had on
local communities. and even national poll
tics Mr.. Buffers connection with it was
lawyer and deputy prosecutor at Geneva,
". Y. The facts briefly were these: VIII
liam Morgan. of Batavia, N. Y, was a
member Of the Masonic order, who, in 1896,
for reasons of his own, dishonorable of
course. determined to publish to the world
the secrets of the order. A printer named
Miller, of Batavia. was associated with him
in the scheme. His purpose was discovered
and naturally caused great excitement
among the Masons. who tried every legiti-
mate means to suppress the threatened rev.
Citations. On the 18th of September. 1926,
Morgan was arrested at Batavia on a trivial
charge of debt. taken to Canandaigua, tried,
convicted and committed to jail. In those
days the laws permitted Imprisonment for
debt. Late in the evening of the same day
several men in a carriage stopped at the
jail. paid the judgment, took Morgan and
drove away. He was never again seen alive
by his friends. The carriage was after
wards traced, moving westward, drawn by
relays of horses as far as Niagara river.
At the mouth of the river stood the old
Fort Niagara, then occupied by troops, and
in charge of a custodian who lived in the
barracks In the magazine of this fort
Morgan was confined for a day or two.
Then he vanished from the face of the
earth, and TO this day the mystery Of his
disappearance has never been solved. Fifty
six years afterward Thurlow Weed pub
lished an account of an alleged confession
of a man who said he helped to murder
Morgan, but 1t turned out that the person
had died before the date of the alleged
confession. 1t is probable that Morgan's
k~idnapers Intended to place him in the GUS
tody OF certain Masons In Canada, but that,
for some reason or other. this plan was not
carried out. and he was confined in the old
fort. What became of him after tina was
never discovered. The men who aided In
the KIDNAPPING were men of good standing
in the community. and they were brought
TO trial. The distict attorney was a Mason,
and as his partner (Mr. Butler) was not,
his direction and management four citizens
of Batavia were indicted for kidnapping. and
were convicted and sentenced to prison.
The courage and conscientious devotion to
duty which Mr.. Butler showed in this Csc
made him one of the best known lawyers
ests more important than his personal fo--
tunes The people of western New York.
alarmed at what they regarded as a dan.
gerous invasion of personal rights. hello
meetings in al the wi and adopted res
o~lutions pledging themselves never to vote
any elective office. The feeling spread until
1t became a factor in State and eventually
In national politics. That was before the
days OF telegraphs or railroads, but the
anti-Masonic movement ~propagated itself
somehow. 1t became so strong in New
York that the national Republican party
nominated a State ticket containing no Ma
sons. but this did not prevent the holding
Of an anti-Mason convention. which placed
| a ticket In the field. The vote polled by the