Perhaps the most
romantic story of Freemasonry, the fuel which the alleged abduction
and murder of William Morgan supplied to the anti-Masonic hysteria
of a hundred years ago, and the gradual emergence of the Ancient
Craft from the cloud which threatened to extinguish it, is a tale
which all Freemasons may ponder to their enlightenment. William
Morgan, a brickmason, lived in Batavia, New York, from I824 to 1826.
Accounts of him differ widely, as they do of any notorious person.
Few are so wicked as to be without friends; few are so good they
have not their detractors. from the estimates of both enemies and
friends, the years have brought an evaluation of Morgan which shows
him as a shiftless rolling stone; uneducated but shrewd; careless of
financial obligations: often arrested for debt; idle and
improvident; frequently the beneficiary of Masonic charity. That he
was really a Mason is doubtful; no record of his raising or Lodge
membership exists, but it is certain he received the Royal Arch in
Western Star Chapter R. A. M. No. 33 of LeRoy, New York;. It is
supposed that he was an “eavesdropper” and lied his way into a Lodge
in Rochester by imposing on a friend and employer, who was led to
vouch for him in Wells Lodge No. 282 at Batavia. Judge Ebenzer Mix,
of Batavia, a Mason of unquestioned reputation, wrote of this
alleged Masonic membership: “There must have been a most
reprehensible laxity among the Masons both of Rochester and LeRoy;
for there was no evidence educed, then or afterwards, that he ever
received any Masonic degree save the Royal Arch, on May 31, 1825, at
LeRoy.” At any rate, he visited Lodges, was willing to assist, made
Masonic speeches, took part in degrees. When Companions of Batavia
asked for a Royal Arch Chapter, he was among those who signed the
petition. But suspicion of his regularity began to grow, and his
name was omitted as a member when the Charter was granted. Just how
much this incident inspired the enmity he developed for the
Fraternity is only a guess; doubtless it had much to do with it.
Enemy he became, and it became known that he had applied for a
copyright on a book which was to “expose’ Masonic ritual, secrets
and procedure. In spite of the deep resentment which this proposed
expose created, Morgan entered into a contract (March 13, 1826) with
three men for the publication of this work. These were: David C.
Miller, an Entered Apprentice of twenty years standing, stopped from
advancement for cause, who thus held a grudge against the
Fraternity; John Davids, Morgan’s landlord; and Russel Dyer, of whom
little is known. These three entered into a penal bond of half a
million dollars to pay Morgan one fourth of the profits of the book.
Morgan boasted in bars and on the street of his progress in writing
this book. The more he bragged, the higher the feeling against him
ran, and the greater the determination engendered that the expose
should never appear. Brethren were deeply angered. Fearful that were
the “secrets” of Freemasonry “exposed”, the Order would die out.
Feeling ran high. Matters came to a head in September, 1826. Morgan
was arrested for the theft of a shirt and tie. Of this he was
acquitted, but immediately rearrested for failure to pay a debt of
$2.68, and jailed. After one day behind bars, some one paid the
debt. When he was released he left in a coach with several men,
apparently not of his own free will. He was taken to Ft. Niagara and
there confined in an unused magazine. Then Morgan disappeared!
What happened to William Morgan? Enemies of the Craft said
Freemasons had kidnapped and murdered him, to prevent the
publication of his expose. Freemasons, of course, indignantly denied
the charge. As time went on and Morgan was not found, members of the
Craft disavowed any approval of any such act, if it had been
committed. Governor Clinton, Past Grand Master, issued proclamation
after proclamation, the last one offering two thousand dollars
reward “that, if living, Morgan might be returned to his family; if
murdered, that the perpetrators might be brought to con dign
punishment.” It was not too difficult to discover that Masons were
concerned in Morgan’s hundred and twenty five mile journey to Ft.
Niagara. Three members of the Craft—Chesebro, Lawson and
Sawyer—pleaded guilty to conspiracy to “seize and secrete” Morgan,
and, together with Eli Bruce, Sheriff, and one John Whitney, all
served terms in prison for the offense. But murder could not be
proved for no body was found. In October, 1827, a body was washed
ashore forty miles below Ft. Niagara. Morgan’s widow “identified”
the body, although it was dressed in other clothes than her husband
had worn alive; was bearded, although Morgan was clean shaven; had a
full head of hair, although Morgan was bald ! Thurlow Weed,
Rochester Editor, was accused of having the corpse shaved and of
adding long white hairs to ears and nostrils, to simulate the
appearance of Morgan. The first inquest decided that this was,
indeed, the body of William Morgan. Three inquests were held in all.
The third decided, on the unimpeachable evidence of Mrs. Sara
Monroe, who minutely described the body, its marks, and the clothes
it wore, that the corpse was not William Morgan, but Timothy Monroe,
of Clark, Canada, her husband. Commonplace and unexciting truth
seldom catches up with scandalous, electrifying, remarkable
falsehood! William Morgan had disappeared. Freemasons had been
convicted of abducting him. A body had been found and identified as
Morgan. That better evidence and a less excited jury had later
reversed this identification was anti-climatic. The stories of
Morgan’s “murder” persisted. Thurlow Weed, whom history shows as an
unscrupulous opportunist, no matter what the exact truth of his
activities with the body may have been, added fuel to the flames.
Weed died in 1882, On his death bed he stated that in 1860
(twenty-two years before) John Whitney, who had been convicted in
the conspiracy charge, confessed to him the full details of the
murder of Morgan. According to this alleged confession, Whitney and
four others carried the abducted Morgan in a boat to the center of
the river, bound him with chains, and dumped him overboard. Weed
stated—and here his memory failed him—that Whitney had promised to
dictate and sign this confession, but died before he could do so.
But Whitney died in 1869 nine years after! Whitney did indeed tell a
story—not to Thurlow Weed, who was his accuser in the conspiracy
case and whom he hated—but to Robert Morris. This story is both the
most probable and the best attested of any we have, as to the true
fate of William Morgan. Whitney told Morris that he had consulted
with Governor Clinton at Albany, relative to what could be done to
prevent Morgan executing his plans to print the expose. Clinton
sternly forbade any illegal moves, but suggested the purchase of the
Morgan manuscript, for enough money to enable Morgan to move beyond
the reach of the influence and probable enmity of his associates in
the publishing enterprise. From some source (Masons? Governor
Clinton Whitney was assured of any amount needed, up to a thousand
dollars, which was a great sum in those days. In Batavia Whitney
summoned Morgan to a conference in which the bribe was temptingly
held forth. On the one hand, the enmity of all, persecution,
continual danger—it is not improbable that threats were mingled with
the bribe! On the other hand, money, safety, freedom from a plan to
publish which held much of danger. If Morgan would take five hundred
dollars, go to Canada, “disappear”, his family would be provided
for, and later sent to him!Morgan agreed. He was to be arrested and
“kidnapped”, to make it easy to get away from Miller and his
associates.Whitney feared that without some such spectacular escape,
Morgan might at the last moment decline to go through with the plan,
fearing reprisals from his friends in the publishing venture.
Whitney told Morris that two Canadian Masons received Morgan from
the hands of his “kidnappers” at Ft. Niagara, traveled with him a
day and a night to a place near Hamilton, Ontario, where they paid
him the five hundred dollars, receiving his receipt and signed
agreement never to return without permission of Captain William
King, Sheriff Bruce, or Whitney. Later there were two other
“confessions” of complicity in the “murder” of Morgan—neither
consistent with the facts. Doubtless they were of the same
hysterical origin which leads so many notoriety seekers to confess
crimes which by no possibility they could have committed. Did
William Morgan choose the easier way, disappear with five hundred
dollars from a dangerous situation, eliminating from his
responsibilities a wife and family suddenly burdensome, and, in a
new freedom, ship on a vessel from Montreal and out into the world,
there to come to an unknown end? Or was he basely murdered by Masons
who thought the crime less than the evil results to follow on the
publication of Morgan’s Book. No man knows. No incontestable
evidence can be adduced—or was ever adduced—definitely to prove
either solution. All that is undoubted is that William Morgan was
apparently kidnapped and did disappear. It is difficult, a hundred
years after, to understand the extent and power of the widespread
excitement and passions this incident created. For the fame and
infamy of the Morgan affair spread over an immense territory. It was
the beginning of an anti-Masonic sentiment which grew and spread
like wild fire. Meetings were held, the Order was denounced by press
and pulpit. An anti-Masonic paper was started—with Thurlow Weed as
Editor—soon joined by the Anti-Masonic Review, in New York City. The
many groups in Pennsylvania, already opposed to any oath bound
society (Quakers, Lutherans, Mennonites, Dunkards, Moravians,
Schwenkfelders, German Reformed Church) were aroused to a high pitch
of feeling against the alleged “murderers” and “kidnappers”—the
Freemasons. The anti-Masonic excitement spread—and fast and far.
Gould, in his History of Free-Masonry, thus epitomizes the spirit of
that time: “This country has seen fierce and bitter political
contests, but no other has approached the bitterness of this
campaign against the Masons. No society, civil, military or
religious, escaped its influence. No relation of family or friends
was a barrier to it. The hatred of Masonry was carried everywhere,
and there was no retreat so sacred that it did not enter. Not only
were teachers and pastors driven from their stations, but the
children of Masons were excluded from the schools, and members from
their churches. The Sacrament was refused to Masons by formal vote
of the Church, for no other offense than their Masonic connection.
Families were divided. Brother was arrayed against brother, father
against son, and even wives against their husbands. Desperate
efforts were made to take away chartered rights from Masonic
Corporations and to pass laws that would prevent Masons from holding
their meetings and performing their ceremonies.” Reverend Brother
John C. Palmer, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of the District of
Columbia, says in his little classic of the Craft, Morgan and
anti-Masonry (Volume 7 of The Little Masonic Library, published by
The MASONIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION in 1925): “The pressure was so
strong that withdrawals by individuals and bodies were numerous. In
1827, two hundred and twenty-seven lodges were represented in the
Grand Lodge of New York. In 1835, the number had dwindled to
forty-one. Every Lodge in the State of Vermont surrendered its
Charter or became dormant; and the Grand Lodge, for several years,
ceased to hold its sessions. As in Vermont, so also in Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut; and in lesser degrees in
several other states. The Masonic Temple was cleft in twain; its
brotherhood scattered, its trestleboard without work; its working
tools shattered. Thus Masonry endured the penalty of the mistaken
zeal of those fearful brethren who thought that the revealing of the
ritual to profane eyes would destroy the Order and who hoped to save
it by removing the traitor within the camp.” Space here is not
sufficient to retell the interesting, often exciting, and always
varied story of the political campaigns which were predicated on,
and took much of their ammunition from, the anti-Masonic excitement
which followed the Morgan affair. It is not to be supposed that the
abduction and alleged—never proved—murder of Morgan was the sole
cause of this outburst, any more than was the assassination in 1914
the sole cause of the World War. Both were triggers which set off
guns which, in turn, caused other explosions. Suffice it here that a
wave of hysteria was seized upon by able politicians, fanned by
demagogues, increased by the righteous indignation of good men and
true who saw not beneath the surface, helped onward by press and
pulpit with the best of intentions but little understanding, until
the whole east flamed with passion and Freemasons were spit upon in
the streets, lodges threw away their charters, and Freemasonry bowed
its head to a storm as unjust and undeserved as all religious
persecutions have always been. Like any other hysteria, this passed.
Passions wore themselves away. A few sturdy and brave men stood
staunchly by, a few Grand Lodges with high courage and the strength
of the right never ceased to proclaim their allegiance to the
principles of the Order. Little by little, Freemasonry raised its
head; one by one, lodges took heart; brother by brother, Craftsmen
returned to their Altars. After a period following almost twenty
years of more or less complete eclipse, the sun of Freemasonry shone
again, and the world was treated to a spectacle that has been a
heartening lesson to millions and will be to counted millions yet to
be born anew at the sacred Altar of Freemasonry—the strange sight of
an Order many had thought dead, suffering from uncounted thousands
of stabs to the heart, coming again to life to grow and thrive and
attract to it then. as it had in the historic past, men of the
highest character. It is for this that the Craft of today can offer
thanks to the Great Architect for the Morgan affair. Dreadful as it
was to the men who lived through it, terrible in its consequences to
the brethren who suffered, it demonstrated again—and it may be hoped
and believed, once for all—that the underlying faith of Freemasonry,
its Ancient Landmarks, its foundation upon Deity and the Great
Light. together are stronger than any evil, more lasting than any
calumny, more enduring than any human passions. Forever and forever,
So mote it be!
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