Year: 1867

:"
his military reputation might loom above Me
clouds that envelope his diplomatic career.





Thurlow Weed, with . number Of his friends,
ONCE holders Of this city, have dubbed together
and made mp purse to purchase the Cbmmsr-
cioI Advertiser, New York evening paper,
intending to convert it into special organ for
tho purpose of sustaining them and helping
them to hold ON to the good places they have
secured under President johnson. We have
no doubt they will succeed in their immediate
object but We are very certain that they win
kill the paper. In his salutatory few days
ago, which, from its enormous length as well
as from the similarity it bore to a "last dying
speech and confession" read more like vale
dictory, Weed entered into review Of his past
political history, telling what Presidents, Vice
Presidents, Governor and Lieutenant Cover
noss have besn owned BY him, and naming
those who have ventured to set themselves mp
as: independent men. But now that people
haye- had time to wade through the article they
and n . singular piecA Of work II b Iikel
ne play Of Hsmlet vita the character Of,
Hamlet len out II contains : great many
Of Thurlow Weeds personal "reminiscences;
but it omits the principal incident upon
which his subsequent political career was
mainly foundcd-his connection with the anti
Masonic excitement in the western part OF this
State in 1896. In the latter part Of that year
man named William Morgan, who lived in
Batavia with . very good looking yellow
haired wife, threatened to expose the
secrets Of masonry, Of which Order be was
member and It was currently reported that
be had published book for tho purpose u
carrying out his threat Soon afterwards he
disappeared suddenly and mysteriously, to the
CONSERVATION Of his ncighbors and the deep
grief Of his wife, who, however, soon
afterwards oonsoled herself with another
husband. Norgan's disappearance created
intense excitement and raised . strong
feeling against secret societies, the Masons
being suspected Of having disposed Of their
refractory brother somewhere in the unlhth-
omabls depths Of Lake Ontario. Thurlow
Weed wes at that time publishing little paper
out at Rochester, and was fast going to the
dogs. Seeing . chance Of making something
out Of the Morgan excitement he jumped
aboard, gave bis paper new start under the
name Of the Anti Masonic Enquirer and took
prominent part in building up political anti
Masonic party in Western New York. On the
eve Of the next general election an old fellow
named Tim Monroe was found drowned IN Oak
Orchard creek. The suggestive mind Of Weed
instantly hit upon the policy Of passing poor
Tim OF for the missing Morgan. The report was
set afoat and the body brought to Rochester,
when it wa, disccvered that Tim Monroe
wore . heavy beard, while Morgan was q
man. This was to. Weed trifling
difficulty. The mortal remains or old Tim were
kept concealed from all eyes save those Of
faithful few until he had been closely shaved,
when he was publicly exhibited and passed of
for Morgan. Some of the more timid who were
in the plot expressed fears Of the discovery Of
the fraud, but were told by Weed that old Tim
would make "a good enough Morgan untn after
election" saying that has since passed into
proverb. It was this operation upon the
corpse of Tim Monroe that gave TO Thurlow
Weed the title Of the State barber, although of
recent years many persons have supposed that
he obtained that nickname from his shaving
operations in the lobby. t&or saa n


The anti-Masonic excitement made Weed
the leader of powerful party in Western
New York, and laid the foundation for the
subsequent political success Of william Fl.
Seward. The vote Of the anti-Masons increased
from year to year, being thirty-thrce thousand
for Solomon Southwick in 1928. and one hum
dred and twenty-eight thousand for Francis
Granger in 1889. The party spread into other
States, and ran candidate for the Presidency,
william Writ, Of Maryland, in 1881 In 1928
Thuriow Weed went to Washington and made
arrangements with Henry Clay to carry New
York for John Quincy Adams through the vote
Of the anti-Masons But the secret bargain
was discovered by Mordccai Manasseh Noah,
q the Enquirer Of this city, and his exposure
of was the very means Of carrying New York
for Andrew Jackson. ,si sr.ss'ssseg n
Now, this is . very important page IN the
political history of Thurlow. Weed, and yet in
his voluminous "reminiscences In his new once
holders organ he forges all about II, ss well
as about great many other interesting events
Of thirty or forty years ago, to which we have
not time to allude, aud which seem to demand
a second and revised edition Of his valedictory-
salutatory. However, we wish him success in
his enterprise, and power to sustain his friends
in the comfortable Offices which luck has sent
them.


The Senate Military Reflections. N


The rejection by the Senate Of such nomina-
tions as General Couch for Collector of Boston,