Note: This material was scanned into text files for the sole purpose of convenient electronic research. This material is NOT intended as a reproduction of the original volumes. However close the material is to becoming a reproduced work, it should ONLY be regarded as a textual reference. Scanned at Phoenixmasonry by Ralph W. Omholt, PM in May 2007.
HISTORY
OF THE
ANCIENT AND HONORABLE FRATERNITY OF
FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS,
AND CONCORDANT ORDERS.
Volume 2
Illustrated.
WRITTEN BY A BOARD OF EDITORS:
HENRY LEONARD STILLSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN, EUROPEAN EDITOR.
BOSTON AND NEW YORK, U.S.A.:
THE FRATERNITY PUBLISHING COMPANY.
LONDON, ENGLAND:
GEORGE KENNING, 16 GREAT QUEEN STREET, EUROPEAN PUBLISHER,
1906
COPYRIGHT, 1890,
BY LEE C. HASCALL.
COPYRIGHT, REVISED EDITION, 1898,
BY LEE C. HASCALL.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
SOLD ONLY BY SUBSCRIPTION.
Northwood Press
J.S.Cushing & Co. - Berwick & Smith
Norwood Mass. U.S.A.
502 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY
The oldest existing lodge in the country is that of the |` Australian Social Mother," Sydney, New South Wales, which was chartered under English auspices in 1828, and whose members were granted the unusual privilege of wearing a special jubilee jewel, by that Grand Lodge, in 1878, on completion of fifty years of continuous existence. There is only one other lodge similarly distinguished, viz.: the "Harmonic, No. 356," St. Thomas' Island, W.I.
The first lodge warranted for South Australia, which is still as active and vigorous as ever, is the "Friendship," Adelaide, warranted in 1834. At the completion of its jubilee in 1884, Brother Philip Samson read an excellent sketch of its history, since amplified and printed in a neat volume. Its early doings, agreed to by the authorities, were particularly noteworthy, for the lodge met for regular business first of all in London, and initiated several gentlemen about to proceed to the Colony ; so that it was consecrated in the English Capital. Among the first initiates was Mr. (afterward Sir) R. D. Hanson, who, later on, was Attorney General, and Chief Justice, and Chancellor of the University of Adelaide.
New Zealand.‑Quite recently, by the premature action of certain brethren, the previous happy condition of the Craft has been sadly interfered with. It is to be hoped, however, that, as with New South Wales and Victoria, some means will be discovered whereby unity may be attained, and a governing body erected that will obtain the support of all the Fraternity.
A Grand Lodge was formed at Chrisl‑Church, with Brother Henry Thompson as Grand Master, on April 29, 189o ; but the promoters of this organization did not receive sufficient support to warrant them in such a course, and had they been content to delay such proceedings, it is quite probable that His Excellency the Earl of Onslow, would have consented to become Grand Master, and thus unite the whole body. In fact, his Lordship offered to accept that position, provided 120 out of 142 lodges would support the movement.
According to the official lists of lodges under the three Grand Lodges, there are 155 in the Colony, viz. : England, 87 ; Ireland, 15 ; and Scotland, 53ò Another difficulty has also arisen, and this the most serious of all, by the constitution of the " Lodge L'Amour de la Viriti," in Wellington, N.Z., by the Grand Orient of France ! The first Worshipful Master, mirabile dictu, is Sir Robert Stout, K. C. M. G., a Past Grand Officer of England, and D..D.‑. Provincial Grand Master of Otago and Southland ! Naturally his career will be ended as respects England, or regular Freemasonry anywhere, but it is a sad finish, and utterly inexplicable to the writer.
OTHER COUNTRIES.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
The United Grand Lodge of New South Wales.‑On December 23, 1877, the "Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New South Wales," Australia, was formed at the city of Sydney, by the representatives of thirteen lodges, having a membership of 968. The Hon. James Squire Farnell was elected Grand Master, 1877‑84; and Nicholas Weekes, Grand Secretary, 1877‑87. The Hon. Dr. H. J. Tarrant was Grand Master, in 1884‑88.
It appears that a larger number of lodges would have been represented at the organization of the Grand Lodge but for certain mandatory official action adverse thereto.
In 1888 the number of lodges on its Registry had increased to fifty‑one, with a membership of 3792.
During these eleven years the Grand Lodge of New South Wales had been fraternally recognized by forty‑four sister Grand Dodges, and had interchanged Grand Representatives therewith ; and, in addition to its large outlays for benevolence, working expenses, the beginning of a Grand Lodge library, etc., it had erected a superb building containing a public hall, a Grand Lodge room, and private lodge rooms, library, supper, and secretarial rooms, at a cost of ú22,000 ($11o,ooo) ; and, in 1888, an addition thereto was built, at a cost of 28000 ($40,000), making a total cost of $150,000.
The Masonic Temple at Sydney, the Mother City of Australia and the Capital of New South Wales, "vies in beauty and completeness with almost any Masonic temple in the world"; and it has been truly said that "the founders and upbuilders " of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales might well feel proud of the result of their unselfish and beneficent labors ! During the years 1887‑88,‑chiefly through the laudable efforts of Grand Master Tarrant ; Past Grand Master Farnell ; Lord Carrington, Governor of New South Wales, and District Grand Master, R. E.; the late Earl of Carnarvon, Pro G. M. of England (then visiting Australia) ; Grand Master Chief Justice Way, of Adelaide, So. Australia; the Hon. W. H. Piggott, R. E. ; John Slade, W. H. Coffey, A. W. Manning, James Hunt, F. T. Humphreys, Thomas E. Spencer, T. F. de Courcey Browne, and others of like fraternal spirit and ability, ‑ the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales was happily formed in the Great Hall of the Sydney University, on August 16, 1888, by the union of the 51 lodges on the Registry of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, the 55 lodges, R. S., and the 80 lodges, R. E., making a total of 186 lodges on the Registry of the United Grand Lodge, with a membership of about 1o,0oo.
Governor Lord Carrington was elected Grand Master. He appointed Past Grand Master Dr. H. J. Tarrant, Pro G. M. The other Grand Officers 503 504 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
were elected; and the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England, mutads mutandis, was adopted pro tempore.
On September x8, 1888, in the Exhibition building, Sydney, Lord Carrington, Grand Master‑elect, was installed in the presence of four thousand brethren, by Most Worshipful Chief Justice Way, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Victoria. The Grand Master having been seated in the `| Oriental Chair," the Installing Officer addressed him in most fitting and eloquent terms. The Pro Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master having been duly installed, the Grand Master invested the remaining Grand Lodge Officers with the jewels of their respective offices.
Among the distinguished brethren present, from other jurisdictions, were the Honorable John Douglass, District Grand Master, R. S., Queensland; Edmund MacDonnell, representative of the Provincial Grand Lodge, R. I., Queensland ; and James H. Cunningham, Grand Secretary, South Australia.
The following Grand Representatives near the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, having been duly presented to the Grand Master, tendered their hearty congratulations to him and to the United Grand Lodge: Most Worshipful H. J. Tarrant, South Australia and New Mexico; Right Worshipful Brothers Neitenstein, Washington; J. Hunt, Iowa; F. T. Humphreys, Spain; De Courcey Browne, Italy; I. Lee, Montana; J. Slade, Indian Territory; G. Larsen, Idaho; R. V. Gale, Colon and Cuba; M. Stephenson, Wyoming; J. F. Home, Roumania; J. Nobbs, Peru; W. Mason, Oregon; J. P. Howe, Alabama; A. Smith, Arkansas; J. Hurley, Maryland; R. C. Willis, Kansas; W. Cary, Ohio; D. J. Monk, Nevada; U. W. Carpenter, Michigan; and A. Henry, Victoria.
In 1888‑89 the Grand Lodges of England and Scotland, and other foreign Grand Lodges, extended fraternal recognition to the United Grand Lodge, making a total of fifty‑three Grand Lodges with whom Grand Representatives have been interchanged.
Finances. ‑In 1888‑89 the income of the United Grand Lodge, from all sources, including ,C.r5oo from the District Grand Lodge, R. E., and .6997 9s. 9d. from the District Grand Lodge, R. S., was ;6354o 19s. 6d. Outlays, ,'2683 r 7s. 9d. Balance in Treasury, X85 7 Is‑ 9d Of the Benevolent Fund the income was Z3224 ras. rid. Outlays for relief, X688 14s. 6d. Balance on deposit, Z2535 18s‑ 5d Steps are being taken to found a " Masonic Orphanage for Boys." The late District Grand Lodge, R. E., is establishing a " Masonic Cottage Hospital," open to all Freemasons; and the United Grand Lodge has a "Masonic Scholarship " in the Sydney University, transferred thereto by the District Grand Lodge, R. E.
The United Grand Lodge of New South Wales began its auspicious existence in the first year of the second century since the settlement of this, the parent Colony of the 11 Continent of Australia." May it flourish evermore 1 OTHER COUNTRIES.
505 1816‑1890. Reminiscences. ‑It appears that, in the year 1803, a person applied to the governor of New South Wales for permission to open a lodge of Freemasons. This was not granted. A lodge was, however, held; and on May 16th of that year the leading party thereto was, for the "irregularity," adjudged to a lengthened involuntary residence, with due physical exercise, in Van Diemen's Land ! In 1816‑17 ( ?) the 46th Regiment of Light Infantry, to which was attached the "Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227," R. L, arrived at Sydney. This famous old lodge, which was warranted May 4, 175 2, is now the " | Lodge of Antiquity," in the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, and is No. i on the Registry of the Grand Lodge of Quebec.
As was its wont, wherever " the 46th " was stationed in the " four‑quarters " of the globe, " No. z 2 7," R. L, held meetings ; and did " good work " at the Capital of New South Wales.
On August 12, 1820(?), tie "Australian Social Mother Lodge, No. 260," R. I., was established at Sydney. On this memorable occasion the "famous Bible " [see Grand Lodge of Quebec], the working tools, and the regalia of " 22 7 " were used; and it is probable that most of " the work " was done by its officers and members, who had spread the light of Freemasonry in so many places throughout the world.
"No. 260, R. I.," the premier lodge of Australia, afterward became "Social Mother Lodge, No. 1," Registry of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, and it is now No. 1 on the Registry of the United Grand Lodge.
On January 26, 1824, "Leinster‑Marine Lodge of Australia," R. L, was established at Sydney, and is now No. 2, Registry of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales. Many eminent men have been " | made " in this lodge, among whom were the Hon. William Charles Wentworth, LL.D., the founder of "responsible government" in New South Wales, and Charles Farnell, the father of the Hon. James Squire Farnell, the first Grand Master, Grand Lodge of New South Wales. In 1825 an address was presented by this lodge to Sir Thomas Brisbane, on his arrival in the colony, and in 1838 Brother Rogers established the first " Lodge of Instruction " in Australia. In 1841 "LeinsterMarine " accepted an invitation to " dine " with " Lodge 548," R. E.
There is much of unusual historic interest connected with the foregoing and other early and later lodges, formerly on the Registries of England, Ireland, and Scotland, which it is hoped local lodge historians will soon give to the Masonic world.
In 1839 the Provincial, afterward District Grand Lodge, R. E., was formed; in 1855 the Provincial, afterward District Grand Lodge, R. S.; and in 1858 the Provincial Grand Lodge, Registry of Ireland.
In 1847 it was proposed to establish a "Grand Lodge of Australia." A meeting was held there anent, but no action was taken.
In 1855 a difficulty sprang up between the Irish and English "Constitu‑ 5o6 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
tions," in consequence of the former having extended fraternal recognition to " Lodge St. Andrew," R. S. This was shortly afterward amicably settled.
In 18 78 a " jubilee medal " was granted by the Grand Lodge of England to "Australia Lodge," chartered in 1828. This was the second of the only two such medals granted.
The three Provincial Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland continued their work and governance, till the formation of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, in 1877, upon whose Registry the lodges of Irish institution became enrolled. The English and Scottish District Grand Lodges continued till their union with the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, in the formation of the United Grand Lodge, in 1888.
Right Worshipful Brother Nicholas Weekes, G. S., 1877‑87, died June 9, 1887, somewhat over one year before the "blessed union." The labors of Brother Weekes, in the establishment and upbuilding of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales, can hardly be overestimated. A monument has been erected at his grave by the Grand Lodge ; and tablets in remembrance of him and of Right Worshipful Brother William Booth, P. D. D. G. M., R. E., have been placed in the walls of the Grand Lodge room in the Masonic Temple. The Masonic epitaph of Brother Weekes might appropriately be: " Si quceris monumentum, circumspice." Most Worshipful the Honorable James Squire Farnell, the first Grand Master, died August 21, 1888, just five days after "the union," whose consummation he had so devoutly desired. He was buried August 23d, when a "Lodge of Sorrow" was held, at which Most Worshipful Brother Tarrant, Pro G. M., presided.
Right Worshipful Brother John Starkey, G. T., the safe Keeper of the' Key of the " /" s. D." Box, and who so often made personal cash advances to meet the emergent requirements of Grand Lodge, has held that important office all but continuously since 1877‑89.
Early in 1889, the remaining "outstanding" lodge in the jurisdiction became of allegiance to the United Grand Lodge.
There is evidently a great future for the Craft, not Wales, but throughout the "Continent of Australasia." only in New South May the beams of the sun by day, and of the "Southern Cross" by night, ever auspiciously shine upon the Antipodean 11 Sons of Light." DIVISION XI.
tin Exhaustive Account of that Historic !fair in the United States, written from a Masonic Stand point.
Past Grand Master, M.‑. W.‑. Grand Lodge, State of New York.
CHAPTER I.
THE CIVIL, SOCIAL, AND MASONIC ASPECTS.
Introductory. ‑In presenting an account of the period known as the Anti‑Masonic tithes,‑embracing the years 1826 to 1845,‑we do not expect to offer anything new; but, as forming an important period in Masonic history, we shall endeavor to outline the facts. In this labor we have availed ourselves of the excellent account of Josiah H. Drummond, the exhaustive papers of Rob Morris, and other writers, who have investigated the matter thoroughly.
Up to the year 1826, the growth of the Fraternity had been very rapid; lodges were instituted without that regard for perpetuity and solidity which is a vital element in the welfare of an Institution of the character of ours. Not this alone, but there was, in our judgment, a laxity in regard to the material accepted, and while we had gained in numerical strength, its component parts were not properly assimilated, and at the first opposition the ranks were largely depleted in certain sections. This reverse was of such a character that it bid fair to destroy our Institution in this country.
Its effects were felt in the New England States, Pennsylvania, and more particularly in the State of New York, where the trouble arose.
In reviewing the history of those times, and weighing the cause, we cannot but conclude that, in a large degree, its effects were attributable to the lack of judgment and unnecessary alarm on the part of a few over‑zealous members of the Craft, which, combined with other causes, ‑notably of a political character, ‑fanned the flame into a raging fire. 507 508 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
The various accounts published at the time are necessarily colored by the interest of the writers, and even the light of the present day does not enable us to present much that is new.
The Account in Detail. ‑The originators of this scheme lived in Batavia, Genesee County, N.Y., and consisted of William Morgan and David C. Miller. Morgan was a man of no repute, of idle and dissipated habits, harassed by debt; his time was mostly spent in bar‑rooms, and without corroborative evidence no credence would be given to any statement made by him. In 1821 he was a brewer near York, Upper Canada; failing there he moved to Rochester and wrought at his trade, that of a stone‑mason; from thence he went to Batavia in 1823.
William L. Stone, author of the Anti‑Masonic letters to John Quincy Adams, says: ‑ " He had received a common school education; he was a hard drinker, and his nights and sometimes his days also were spent in tippling houses, while occasionally, to the still greater neglect of his family, he joined in the drunken carousals of the vilest and most worthless men, and his disposition was envious, malicious, and vindictive." Was Morgan a Mason?‑Where he received his degrees is not known; he claimed to have been made a Mason in Canada or some foreign country, and, having obtained the confidence of some of the Fraternity, he succeeded in entering the lodge at Batavia (Wells Lodge, No. 282, established in 1817), as a visitor. We doubt whether he ever lawfully received the "Blue" lodge degrees. Declaring upon oath that he had received the preceding six degrees in a regular manner, he was made a Royal Arch Mason in Western Star Chapter, No. 33, at LeRoy, N.Y., May 31, 18 Upon his removal to Batavia, it being in contemplation to establish a Royal Arch chapter at that place, in 1826, his name was attached to the first petition prepared for that purpose.
Afterward, some parties seeing his name attached to the petition, and being opposed to having so dissolute a person as a member, a new petition was substituted, leaving him out entirely. He subsequently applied to the chapter for affiliation and was rejected. This naturally had a tendency to irritate him considerably, and being unprincipled enough to do almost anything, he with his associates originated this scheme for the purpose of revenge, and also of realizing untold wealth.
Associated with him was David C. Miller, editor of the Republican Advocate, a weekly paper published in Batavia. He is said to have received the first degree in a lodge at Albany, N.Y., many years before, but owing to developments of his character, had never been advanced further.
His habits were in harmony with those of Morgan ; he was embarrassed financially, and in general disrepute. Undoubtedly the thought of the pecuniary gain which could be realized by a venture of this character was the inspiring motive of these two worthies.
THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT. 509 There had been intimations of this intended publication at different times, mostly by Morgan himself when under the influence of liquor, and also articles having reference thereto in Miller's weekly sheet ; but they attracted little attention, until, on the morning of a day in the summer of 1826, a group of men might have been seen in the bar‑room of a certain tavern in Batavia, who appeared greatly excited. One of them held in his hand a copy of the weekly paper edited by Miller, in which it was stated, "There will be issued from the press in this place, in a short time, a work of rare interest to the uninitiated, being an exposition of Ancient Craft Masonry, by one who has been a member of the Institution for years." Morgan's Book. ‑ Had Morgan been permitted to print the book without notice, the work would have fallen quietly from the press and died a natural death.
Masonry, like Christianity, must have her indiscreet champions.
Efforts were made to induce Morgan to suppress the publication, and while he professed to be willing to do so, and did in fact deliver up a part of the manuscript, it was found that the publication was being pushed by Miller as rapidly as possible.
Early in September, 1826, it became known that the work was already partially in print in Miller's office, and from the 8th to the 14th of September was a time ever to be remembered, not only in Central New York and in the immediate vicinity of where these events transpired, but also rendered memorable by the disastrous consequences of the proceedings then carried out, which were felt all over the Union, not only then but for some twenty years afterward.
A plan was set on foot by a few misled Masons to obtain possession of the manuscript at all hazards. On the night of the 8th of September a party of forty persons assembled with the object of sacking Miller's office ; but the better class of citizens, as well as Miller's friends, rallied to his support, and no such rash measures were undertaken.
Miller's office was discovered to be on fire on the loth of September; but the flames were speedily extinguished by means which were conveniently at hand, and the incendiaries escaped.
The freemen of that place offered a reward of one hundred dollars for the arrest and conviction of the incendiary.
Morgan's Arrest and Subsidiary Events. ‑ Some time previously, Morgan, while at Canandaigua, had borrowed, of a hotel‑keeper, wearing apparel which he promised to return. Having failed to do so, and probably for the purpose of intimidating him, a warrant was issued against him for larceny. He was arrested September 11th, and carried to Canandaigua by a posse, among whom were Nicholas G. Chesebro, Edward Sawyer, Loton Lawson and John Sheldon, and on the case being heard he was acquitted of felony, or the ground that he had borrowed the articles he was charged with stealink 510 COSMOPOLITAN FPEEMASONRY.
After his discharge he was arrested for a small debt due another hotel‑keeper, judgment confessed, and under the execution he was committed to jail.
Miller was also arrested and under a strong guard carried to LeRoy. The constable left Miller with the magistrate and went to find the plaintiff Daniel Johns; but, not returning at once, the magistrate discharged Miller, just as the constable was coming in ; the latter attempted to re‑arrest Miller, but he eluded the officer and returned home during the night. This Johns was said to have been a financial partner in the scheme, and desiring to get back the money (forty dollars), he had advanced, he sued out the warrant against Miller and had him arrested. To effect Morgan's release his wife went to Canandaigua and proposed to deliver up the manuscript, but was informed ‑ as she subsequently stated‑that the debt had been paid and Morgan released, but again re‑arrested and taken out of the State.
Upon her return she was accompanied by a leading Mason, and it was claimed that the assurance had been given that her husband was alive; that, while she might not see him for some time, she and her family would be provided for. Some days intervened, and no intelligence being received from Morgan, the friends of the family sent a special messenger to Canandaigua to make inquiries regarding him.
He reported that Morgan had been released from jail, on the evening of September 12 th, by the payment of the debt; that on leaving jail he was seized by Lawson and another, and in spite of cries of "murder" was dragged down the street; that standing by, but not interfering, were Chesebro and Sawyer one of whom picked up Morgan's hat which had fallen off‑Who followed the party down the street ; that a carriage at once followed them, and soon returned and was driven off toward Rochester, being empty when it went down and having several persons in it when it drove back; that it arrived at Rochester about daylight of the 13th and was driven three miles beyond, when the party alighted and the carriage returned ; that the driver stated the parties were all strangers to him, and that he did not notice any violence. While there was no positive proof that Morgan had been carried away, this report aroused the most intense excitement.
Reviewing the matter at this time, Morgan's seizure cannot be justified by legal, moral, or Masonic principles. The publicity of the transaction, however, precludes the idea that any personal harm was intended. Our own conviction is that, for a suitable compensation, he consented to go away, being fearful of subsequent outrage. He had lost the esteem of the community and the respect and confidence of Masons, and was without motive to return home. Documentary Evidence. ‑To substantiate this view, we learn that one of the party accompanying the constable had borne a letter to Morgan containing these propositions : ‑ (i) To separate him from David C. Miller. (z) To provide for his family.
THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
(3) To remove him to Canada.
(4) To place in his hand the sum of five hundred dollars in good money upon his arrival in Canada, on his pledge never to return.
This letter was conveyed to Morgan, and his acceptance thereof was privately made known to Nicholas G. Chesebro.
The beginning of public interest in the affair may be attributed in a great degree to the inflammatory hand‑bills which were issued and scattered broadcast. The following is a copy of one issued October 4, 1826, about three weeks after Morgan's disappearance, of which some 50,000 copies were circulated in Western New York: ‑ "To the Public: ‑On the 11th of September, William Morgan, a native of Virginia, who had for about three years past resided in this village, was, under pretext of a justice's warrant, hurried from his home and family and carried to Canandaigua. The same night he was examined on a charge of petit larceny and discharged by the justice. One of the persons who took him away immediately obtained a warrant against him in a civil suit for an alleged debt of two dollars, on which he was committed to the jail of Ontario County. On the night of September 12th he was released by a person pretending to be his friend, but directly in front of the jail, notwithstanding his cries of murder, he was gagged and secured and put into a carriage, and driving all night he was left, as the driver of the carriage says, at Hanford's Landing, about sunrise on the 13th, since which he has not been heard of.
"His distressed wife and two infant children are left dependent on charity for their sustenance. The circumstances of the transaction gives rise to the most violent fears that he has been murdered It is, however, hoped by his wife and friends that he may be now kept concealed and imprisoned in Canada. All persons who are NN‑illing to serve the cause of humanity, and assist to remove the distressed apprehensions of his unfortunate wife, are earnestly requested to communicate to one of the committee named below, directed to this place, any facts or circumstances which may have come to their knowledge and are calculated to lead to the discovery of his present residence or the particulars of his fate, if he has been murdered.
"Dated Batavia, October 4, 1826.
"N. B. ‑ It is hoped that printers throughout the State, in Canada, and elsewhere will give the above a few insertions and thus serve the cause of justice and humanity." Conventions and Public Meetings.‑This naturally added to the excitement. Conventions were held in adjacent counties, investigating committees appointed, and the indiscreet conduct of some Masons, together with remarks made, which were repeated with additions and embellishments, worked up the public mind to a high pitch of excitement and served to increase the feeling against the Fraternity.
Public meetings were held in Batavia, October 4th, to denounce the outrage and secure the punishment of those concerned in it. Prominent Masons took part in them and were the foremost in demanding an investigation.
The cry was raised that Morgan had been abducted and killed; that he had been traced to Fort Niagara, and taken out in a boat upon Lake Ontario and drowned.
All sorts of improbable stories were circulated, and one man said he knew Morgan had been killed because the carcass of a sturgeon, with Holyan's boots in it, had been washed ashore on the banks of the Niagara River, just below COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
the falls. (If so, no wonder the sturgeon died.) The effect of this excitement, although bad, would have been of short duration and its destructiveness limited, if it had not been taken advantage of by reckless and unscrupulous politicians to advance their interests for political and party purposes.
The consequence was that, while the great body of the Fraternity denounced the abduction, they were all equally assailed, and the Institution had to suffer for the foolishness and indiscretion of a few of its members.
Governmental Action. ‑ DeWitt Clinton, a distinguished and eminent Mason, was Governor of the State of New York at that time.
He issued a proclamation, October 7, 1826, enjoining upon all officers and ministers of justice in the State, and particularly in the county of Genesee, to pursue all proper and efficient measures for the apprehension of the offenders and the prevention of further outrages, etc. A second proclamation was issued on the 26th of October, offering a reward for the discovery and conviction of the offenders.
March iq, 1827, another proclamation with a reward of one thousand dollars and a free pardon to any one, who, " as accomplice or cooperator shall make a full discovery of the offender or offenders." These are among the public evidences of the desire of Governor Clinton to maintain the ascendency of the law.
Subsequent to the Disappearance, Trials, etc.‑The investigations of the committee, appointed at the Batavia meeting, showed that when the parties left the carriage beyond Rochester, on Wednesday morning, September 13th, they entered another and proceeded west by the way of Clarkson, Gaines, Lewiston, and so on to Fort Niagara, arriving there on the morning of the 14th, changes of horses being provided as if by arrangement.
A part of the journey Eli Bruce,‑ the sheriff of the county,‑was with them. Upon their arrival at Fort Niagara, the four occupants of the carriage ‑one of whom was Bruce‑left it, dismissed the driver, and proceeded toward the fort, which was about eighty rods distant.
This was the last that was seen of Morgan, as shown by the record before us; and what transpired afterward will be developed in our review of some of the trials arising therefrom.
Two Theories. ‑ From this affair can be deduced two theories: ‑ (i) That the arrest of Morgan was a blind to get him away from his friends in Batavia; that he was released from jail at Canandaigua under false pretences, conveyed by violence and against his will out of the country, and finally put to death by drowning or other violent means.
(2) That the whole transaction, commencing at Batavia and terminating upon Canadian soil, was undertaken and finished with the consent and cooperation of Morgan, and that no violence was at any time exercised or attempted upon him.
Upon the first theory, the Anti‑Masonic party was established, enlisting THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
513 among its leaders such men as Francis Granger, W. H. Seward, Thurlow Weed, M. Fillmore, Solomon Southwick, John C. Spencer, William Wirt, John Quincy Adams, William Slade, and others.
The second theory to our mind is much more in accord with the facts, and more likely to be the truth. It may not be amiss to mention here the following account, given at a subsequent period by Jeremiah Brown, who acted as driver of the coach a part of the way: ‑ " That Morgan went of his own free will and accord; he was going among old friends in Canada, where he could turn over a new leaf and begin life anew.
"On Saturday, September 16th, he was again taken across the river and committed to the care of two Canadian Masons. Morgan was paid the full sum of five hundred dollars, in good money, and he signed an 'undertaking' not to return to the States without written permission from John Whitney or N. G. Chesebro,‑or to leave Upper Canada." Rise of Anti‑Masonry.‑This occurrence naturally aroused the most bitter feeling against the Fraternity. Members were arrested on different charges growing out of these transactions, and suits were pending for years. Some were imprisoned, among the number Eli Bruce, of whom we shall speak hereafter. The last Canandaigua trial came off in May, 1831, and during the preceding four years there was at all times confined in the jail some one connected with this affair.
Bruce was immediately arrested on the charge of the abduction of Morgan, but was acquitted by the magistrate, because it could not be proven that any one was abducted, or that any force or violence had been exercised toward any person in the carriage.
Governor Clinton propounded a series of written interrogatories relative to his agency in the transaction, and on his refusal to answer issued a proclamation removing him from office.
In an interview which the sheriff sought, the Governor said: ‑ " Strong as is my attachment to you, I will, if you are guilty, exert myself to have you punished to the full extent of the law." And to show his opinion of the transaction, in a private letter, he says : ‑ " I have always condemned the abduction of Morgan, and have never spoken of the measure but as a most unwarrantable outrage and as deserving the most severe punishment:' Among those upon whom the utmost vials of the Anti‑Masonic wrath were poured was Eli Bruce, and inasmuch as the developments on the trial present to us occurrences after Morgan left the fort, we give full mention of the same. At the time of the events recorded here he held the position of High Sheriff of Niagara County, having been elected in 1825.
He was serving as Principal Sojourner in the Royal Arch chapter at Lewiston, and was also a member of the council of Royal and Select Masters at Lockport.
514 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
Early in 1827 he was arraigned before A. J. Henman, justice of the peace at Lockport, for assisting in the abduction of Morgan, but was acquitted. Complaint being made to Governor Clinton, he was summoned to Albany, to show cause why he should not be removed from office. His reply, by counsel, did not satisfy Governor Clinton, who required that he should prove his inno cence. He was tried before the Circuit Court of Ontario County, sitting at Canandaigua, August, 1828, upon two counts.
(1) For conspiracy to abduct Morgan. (2) For the abduction itself.
He was sentenced to twenty‑eight months' imprisonment. On appeal, the execution of the sentence was postponed until May 13, 1829, and he was imprisoned in Canandaigua jail May 20, 1829, and remained there until September 23, 1831.
From the evidence given at the trial, we gather that Bruce was informed that Morgan was coming voluntarily, and that he had been requested to prepare a cell for him in the jail at Lockport, to be occupied temporarily until he could be conveyed to Canada, said Morgan being desirous of severing his connection with Miller.
He declined at first to take any part in the proceedings, but finally consented. With his companions he crossed the river to Canada, having Morgan in the boat; but the expected arrangement for the reception of Morgan there had not been made, and it was thought best to wait a few days. Morgan was accordingly brought back to this side of the river and put in the magazine in Fort Niagara, to await the completion of the arrangements, which were to place him upon a farm in the interior of Canada. This occurred on the morning of the 14th of September.
Bruce testified that he had never seen Morgan since and did not know what became of him; further, that he always supposed Morgan went voluntarily. He was unaware of any force having been used, if indeed any had been.
Mr. Bruce, as a peace officer, burdened with public responsibility, should have declined to listen to any proposition to remove a man privately from the State, even if agreeable to the will of the man himself. It is impossible in an article of this nature to present a resume of the trials, and for our purpose it seems unnecessary.
In many instances they were largely influenced and biased by the spirit which prevailed at that time.
Ontario County was the theatre of the first judicial investigation, and November, 1826, two indictments were found against Loton Lawson, Nicholas G. Chesebro, Edward Sawyer, and a man by the name of John Sheldon : ‑, "(1) With conspiracy to seize and carry William Morgan from the jail to foreign parts, and there continually to secrete and imprison him. " (2) That on the evening of September 12th they did so seize him, etc., in pursuance of the conspiracy." THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
515 The trial was had at the Court of Oyer and Terminer held at Canandaigua, January 1, 1827. The three former plead guilty to both indictments, but it was adjudged that they could be sentenced only on one. ' Sheldon admitted the abduction, but denied that he was concerned in it; an alibi was proved by overwhelming evidence, but it did not avail, and he was found guilty. They were all sentenced to imprisonment in jail ; Lawson for two years, Chesebro for one year, Sheldon for three months, and Sawyer for one month.
Pro‑ress of Anti‑Masonry. ‑ Conventions followed the judicial investigations before referred to, self‑constituted parties travelled from place to place, and through their committees decided upon the guilt or innocence of suspected persons, and got up systematic prosecutions to force Masons to secede.
Freemasonry was more fiercely denounced than ever; the community was in a whirlpool of passion, and politicians came to the front and procured the passage at public meetings of resolutions against voting for Freemasons for any office whatever. It was voted to hear no Mason preach unless he boldly denounced Freemasonry as a bad institution. Masonic clergymen were dismissed from their charges, and Masonic meetings were to be prevented by force of arms. At a convention of delegates from several Baptist churches, held at LeRoy, N.Y., January, 1827, it was " Resolved, That all such members as belong to the Baptist Church, and who also belong to the Society of Freemasons, be requested to renounce publicly all communications with that Order, and if the request is not complied with in a reasonable time to excommunicate all those who neglect or refuse to do so." There was no perceptible abatement of the excitement; all kinds of stories were invented and circulated. A committee reported the "finding of blood in the magazine at Fort Niagara." Subsequently a member of the said committee authorized the statement "that no signs of blood, or any other probable evidences of the murder of Morgan, had been discovered at Fort Niagara." The excitement was greatly increased by the flight of Burrage Smith, John Whitney, and Colonel William King, who had been charged with participation in the abduction of Morgan. Colonel King ultimately returned of his own accord and surrendered himself for trial, but died before the trial came on. In May, 1829, John Whitney, who voluntarily returned from the South for that purpose, was tried. It was proved that Whitney was in Canandaigua, Tuesday, September 12, 1826, and at the chapter installation at Lewiston the ][4th, but that he did not accompany the steamboat party that night to Rochester. This seemed to connect him with the whole Morgan movement. He was declared guilty and sentenced to one year's imprisonment in the county jail. He entered the prison June 8, 1829, and was freed August 30, 1830.
Many persons were arrested and tried for participation in the affair, but they were acquitted on the ground that they only had been concerned in 516 COSMOPOLITAN FREEM.4SONRY.
carrying Morgan to jail, and that in his arrest they were protected by the warrant.
Governor Clinton's Letter. ‑Governor Clinton addressed letters to the governors of the two Canadas, requesting them to cause inquiry to be made respecting Morgan, as it was suspected he had been carried to one of their provinces. In his letter he says : ‑ " During the last year he [Morgan] put a manuscript into the hands of a printer at Batavia, purporting to be a promulgation of the secrets of Freemasonry. This was passed over by the great body of that Fraternity without notice and with silent contempt; but a few desperate fanatics engaged in a plan of carrying him off, and on the 12th of September last [x826] they took him from Canandaigua by force, as it is understood, and conveyed him to the Niagara River, from whence it is supposed that he was taken to His Britannic Majesty's dominions. Some of the offenders have been apprehended and punished, but no intelligence has been obtained respecting Morgan since his abduction." Government Action in ,Upper Canada." ‑In response to this communication, Sir Frederick Maitland, Lieutenant‑Governor of Upper Canada, issued the following proclamation: ‑ "ZSo REWARD.‑His Excellency the Lieutenant‑Governor, having received a communication from His Excellency the Governor of the State of New York, by which it appears that William Morgan, who some years ago exercised the calling of a brewer in this place, and who has recently resided at Canandaigua, in the State of New York, was some time in the last year conveyed by force from that place, and is supposed to be forcibly detained in some part of this Province; any person who may be able to offer any information respecting the said William Morgan, shall, upon communicating the same to the Private Secretary of His Excellency the Lieutenant‑Governor, receive the reward above offered.
"Government House, January 31, 1827." The Lewiston Convention. ‑ Conventions were held in different parts of the State of New York; and, at the one known as the Lewiston Convention (182 7), the following catalogue of the pretended discoveries was published : ‑ " (1) That the unhappy Morgan was taken to Newark, Upper Canada, gagged, bound, and blindfolded.
"(2) That he was there offered to the British Masons of that place, with a request that they should get him on board of a British Man‑of‑War or turn him over to Brandt the Indian Chief ‑and a Mason, to be executed zbith savage cruelly.
"(g)"that the Newark Lodge assembled on this proposition, and sent for Brandt who came accordingly.
"(4) Brandt proved himself too noble of nature to have anything to do with so cowardly, inhuman, and wicked a transaction. The savage hero disdained to do that which cowardly white monsters urged him to do.
"(5) The Newark Masons, thus rebuked by savage justicie and magnanimity, likewise finally declined to take charge of the miserable victim.
"(6) The diabolical wretches, who had him in custody, brought him back as far as Fort Niagara, and there murdered him in cold blood, cutting his throat from ear to ear, cutting out his tongue, and burying him in the sand, and concluding the hellish rites by sinking the body in the lake." These allegations do not harmonize well with the body discovered and identified as that of Morgan, alluded to in another part of this paper. Further, upon the above becoming known to Colonel Brandt‑who was a THE MORG.4N EXCITEMENT.
517 he, in a personal letter, denied the gentleman of standing in Upper Canadacharge as far as it referred to himself.
Newspaper Investigations.‑The Rutland (Vt.) Herald, after publishing the horrid stories related by members of the above convention, says: ‑ tragic tales.
"After all this, we confess we are among the number of unbelievers to these That Morgan was abused and carried off, we have no doubt; " But that he is now somewhere in the British Provinces, profiting and speculating by the repeated bloody recitals, by issuing edition after edition of his " Mysteries of Freemasonry Unveiled," accompanied with all these seeming barbarous and unrelenting cruelties, we have scarcely a doubt remaining.
"The probability after all is, that Morgan has voluntarily absented himself, and is continuing in seclusion with a view to promote the sale of his book, and that the excitement which has been raised about it has been created for political purposes." se Last Declaration of Governor Clinton.‑To show the malignity of the opposition, let me recite the fact that, at the death of Governor Clinton, which occurred in 1828, they went so far as to say that " stung with remorse for sanctioning Morgan's death, he had taken his own life." Against this accusation, we direct attention to his official action, and would also quote from his private letter to the Batavia Convention, under date of January 8, 1827, in which he says: ‑ " I am persuaded, however, that the body of Freemasons, so far from having any participation in this affair or giving any countenance to it, reprobate it as a most unjustifiable act, repugnant to the principles and abhorrent to the doctrines of the Fraternity. I know that Freemasonry, properly understood and faithfully attended to, is friendly to religion, morality, and good government. . . . It is no more responsible for the acts of unworthy members than any other institution or association." Masonic Aspect; Action Thereon. ‑ A careful examination shows that, at the time of Morgan's arrest, the Masons who had interested themselves in the matter supposed that they had secured enough of the manuscript to prevent Miller going on with the work, unless Morgan should replace what was missing. To make sure that Morgan would not do that, a plan was undoubtedly laid to get Morgan away from Miller; either to get him into Canada, and arrange for him to stay there, or else to send him out of the country on a sea voyage.
Quite a number were cognizant of the plan, and the leading spirits were John Whitney and Nicholas G. Chesebro, together with Colonel William King, Burrage Smith, Loton Lawson, and Eli Bruce; financial means were supplied for the purpose. We do not, however, find that an officer of any Grand body was connected therewith.
Of the fact that the scheme was a local arrangement, the action taken by the various Grand bodies, of which we have knowledge, is conclusive; and, to substantiate the position, it is only necessary to recite a few instances.
The Grand Chapter of New York.‑The committee appointed by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of New York, on the 518 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
William Morgan affair, reported February q, 1827, being its first convocation after the occurrence, as follows: ‑ " That they had attended to the duties assigned them, and that from the highly agitated and inflamed state of public feeling on this subject, and from the false and undeserved imputations which have been thrown upon Freemasons and the Masonic Order generally, the committee deem it proper that this Grand Chapter should make a public expression of its sentiment in relation to the affair alluded to.
"' Your committee, as expressive of their views on the subject embraced in this report, would offer for the consideration of the Grand Chapter the following preamble and resolutions: ‑ "' ffhereas, The right of personal liberty and security are guaranteed by the free constitution under which we, the members of this Grand Chapter, in common with the rest of our fellowcitizens, have the happiness to live, and "' Whereas, We esteem the preservation of these rights of vital importance to the perpetuity and full enjoyment of the blessings of our republican institutions, and "' Whereas, The community has lately witnessed a violation of the same under the pretext of the Masonic name and sanction (in the case of William Morgan), and "` Whereas, The principles of our Ancient and Honorable Fraternity contain nothing which, in the slightest degree, justify or authorize such proceedings; but, on the contrary, do in all their tenets and ceremonies, encourage and inculcate a just submission to the laws, the enjoyment of equal rights by every individual, and a high and elevated spirit of personal as well as national ;independence; therefore be it "'"Resolved, By this Grand Chapter, that we, as members individually and as a body, do ,disclaim all knowledge and approbation of t'~c said proceedings, in relation to the abduction of the ,said William Morgan, and that we disapprove of the same, as a violation of the majesty of the law, and an infringement of the rights of personal liberty, secured to every citizen of our free and happy Republic.
"'Resolved, That the foregoing Preamble and Resolutions be adopted."' The Grand Lodge of New York. ‑Some Grand Lodges issued an appeal, and upon the question of the expediency of making an address to the public, etc., the Grand Lodge of the State of New York in 1831 adopted the following, which is the only action had in the premises: ‑ "Whereas, 1t is alleged that an outrage has been committed on the body of William Morgan, and "Whereas, Proceedings in consequence of such allegations have been made in courts of justice in relation to the subject, and "Whereas, By reason cffoul misrepresentation, an effort has been made to impress the public mind with an opinion, that the Grand Lodge and the Fraternity in general, have attempted to screen, if not protect the perpetrators of this alleged outrage; therefore be it "Resolved, That the Grand Secretary be instructed to ascertain from the public record a statement of the facts in relation to the persons said to have been Masons, charged and convicted of the abduction of Morgan, and report to this Grand Lodge at its next annual communication." In 1832 a supplemental report was adopted : ‑ " That participating with the members of this Grand Lodge, and the great body of the Masonic Fraternity, in a feeling of deep abhorrence of the outrage, which was a violation alike of Masonic obligation and the law of the land, they [the committee] have examined the papers submitted thereto with that attention which the importance of the subject demands.
"The voluminous nature of the papers presented and the shortness of the time have, however, prevented them from investigating the subject as fully as they would desire, and further time was asked in which to formulate a report." FREEMASONRY IN PRACTICE.
THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
521 Grand Lodge of Vermont. ‑Among the appeals issued against the AntiMasonic persecutions, we present the conclusion of that issued by the Grand Lodge of Vermont, October 7, 1829: " As Masons we hold ourselves guiltless, in any manner, of the shedding of human blood ‑ guiltless, in any manner, of conspiring against the liberties and privileges of the people, or endeavoring to monopolize an unequal portion of those privileges to ourselves, or to abridge the rights of others ‑guiltless, in any manner, of impeding, retarding or diverting the cause of justice ‑guiltless, in any manner, of an intrusion into the three great departments of our governmentguiltless, in any manner, of attempting to identify the subject with politics, or of making the latter a matter of discussion or remark‑guiltless, in any manner, of performing any rite, or doing any act, immoral or irreligious‑ and guiltless, in any manner, of entertaining the remotest suspicion that the life of a fellow‑being was subject to our control," Other Grand Lodges. ‑ From another we excerpt the following: ‑ " We claim of our fellow‑citizens the same rights enjoyed by other men, and no more. The constitution proscribes no man who well performs the duties of his citizenship. Disregarding this truly republican principle, the avowed design of Anti‑Masonry is a universal proscription of men, simply because they are Masons. Let a principle of this description once gain the ascendancy among us, let the passions become enlisted in it, and no man can foretell the desolation of the end.
"We deprecate all persecution, no matter what name it bears, or what garb it assumes. It is dangerous to society, dangerous to individuals, and is the tyrant's usual engine to destroy the great cause of liberty itself." Declaration by the Fraternity of Boston. ‑We have before us a Deelaration of the Freemasons of Boston and Vicinity, dated December 31, 1831, which so concisely and plainly presents the subject that the affecting nature of the appeal must have given it an immense power for good: ‑ " While the public mind remained in the high state of excitement, to which it had been carried by the partial and inflammatory representations of certain offences, committed by a few misguided members of the MASONIC INSTITUTION, in a sister State, it seemed to the undersigned (residents of Boston and vicinity), to be expedient to refrain from a public DECLARATION of their principles and engagements as MASONS. But believing the time now to be fully come, when their fellow‑citizens will receive with candor, if not with satisfaction, A SOLEMN AND UNEQUIVOCAL DENIAL OF THE ALLEGATIONS, which, during the last five years, in consequence of their connection with the MASONIC FRATERNITY, have been reiterated against them, they respectfully ask permission to invite attention to the subjoined "Whereas, it has been frequently asserted and published to the world, that in the several degrees of FREEMASONRY, as they are enforced in the United States, the candidate, in his initiation and subsequent advancement, binds himself by oath to sustain. his Masonic brethren in acts, which are at variance with the fundamental principles of morality, and incompatible with his duty as a good and faithful citizen, in justice therefore to themselves, and with a view to establish TRUTH and expose IMPOSITION, the undersigned, many of us the recipients of every degree of Freemasonry, known and acknowledged in this country, do most SOLEMNLY DENY the existence of any such obligations in the MASONIC INSTITUTION, as far as our knowledge respectively extends. And we as SOLEMNLY AVER that, no person is admitted to the Institution, without first being made acquainted with the nature of the obligations which he will be required to incur and assume.
"FREEMASONRY secures its members.in the freedom of thought and of speech, and permits each and every one to act according to the dictates of his own conscience in matters of religion, 522 COSMOPOLITAN TREEMASONRY.
and of his personal preferences in matters of politics; it neither knows, nor does it assume to inflict upon its erring members, however wide may be their aberration from duty, any penalties or punishments, other than those of ADMONITION, SUSPENSION and EXPULSION.
"The obligations of the Institution require of its members a strict obedience to the laws of God and Man. So far from being bound by any engagements inconsistent with the happiness and prosperity of the nation, every citizen who becomes a Mason, is doubly bound to be true to his GOD, to his COUNTRY and to his FELLOW MAN‑" In the language of the Ancient Constitutions of the Order, which are printed and open for public inspection, and which are used as text books in all the lodges, he is required to keep and obey the MORAL LAW; to be a quiet and peaceful citizen, true to his government and just to his country.
"MASONRY disdains the making of proselytes; she opens the portals of her asylum to those only who seek admission, with the recommendation of a character unspotted by immorality and vice. She simply requires of the candidate his assent to one great, fundamental, religious truth, ‑THE EtISTENCE AND PROVIDENCE Or GOD; and a practical acknowledgment of those infallible doctrines for the government of life, which are written by the finger of God on the heart of man.
"ENTERTAINING Such sentiments, as MASONS, as CITIZENS, as CHRISTIANS, and as MORAL MEN, and deeply impressed with the conviction that the MASONIC INSTITUTION has been, and may continue to be, productive of great good to their fellow‑men; and having 'received the laws of the society, and its accumulated funds, in sacred trust for charitable uses,' the undersigned can neither renounce nor abandon it.
"We most cordially unite with our brethen of Salem and vicinity, in the declaration and hope that, 'should the people of this country become so infatuated as to deprive Masons of their civil rights, in violation of their written constitutions, and the wholesome spirit of just laws and free governments, a vast majority of the Fraternity will still remain firm, confiding in God, and the rectitude of their intentions, for consolation, under the trials to which they may be exposed.' " To this were appended the signatures of 1469 Masons from fifty‑four towns and districts,‑Boston of course furnishing the largest number, 437;‑but all parts of the State were worthily represented.
Lodges and Chapters in New York. ‑ Action was taken by lodges and chapters in the various parts of the State of New York. All repudiated the act as an outrage upon public liberty, and a flagrant violation of the laws of the land. Without multiplying instances we append the action and resolutions adopted in Lyons Royal Arch Chapter, March 15, 182 7 : "Whereas, The abduction of William Morgan has given rise to much excitement in the public mind against the Fraternity of Freemasons, and as efforts have been made both in public newspapers and private circles to charge this outrage upon his person against the whole body of Masons as such, and " Whereas, Many pretend to believe and endeavor to inculcate that belief in others, that the Masonic Fraternity claims a right to inflict corporal punishment, and even to put to death such of its members as reveal its secrets or violate its laws; therefore "Resolved, That we declare unto the world, that Masons acknowledge no laws which contravene the Constitution and laws of their country, and that the Masonic Institution claims no right to inflict corporal or other punishment upon its members except suspension and expulsion, and that the exercise of any further or any greater power than this would be in violation of the most sacred principles of our Order.
"Resolved, That we view with deep regret the gross violation of the laws of our country and the rules and principles of Masonry, by members of our Institution in the late affair of William Morgan, and that we utterly disclaim all knowledge or participation whatever in the abduction of said Morgan, and that we will as Masons have no communication with those persons who were engaged in the perpetration of this outrage." THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
523 Many lodges surrendered their charters, the reason being given in one case (Ballston Spa, N.Y., 1828) : ‑ " It is, briefly, that the present state of public excitement on the subject of Masonry is such, that it produces discords in neighborhoods, and among members of the same family, and even in the Church of Christ, to allay or prevent which is one of the fundamental principles of our Order." The General Grand Royal Arch Chapter.‑The General Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the United States was in session in New York City during the week of Morgan's abduction, the session commencing on the 14th of September, 1826, and the following, which we find in Josiah H. Drummond's account of that period, is of interest : ‑ " Samuel L. Knapp, a member of the General Grand Chapter from Massachusetts, says that on the second day of the session, the presiding officer stated that a special communication had been received from the western part of New York, and suggested that it be referred to a committee without reading; this was done, Knapp being chairman of the committee. The committee found in their room a young man in a high state of excitement, who put into their hands some printed pages and a manuscript, stating that some of the Fraternity in his part of the country apprehended that mischief might arise from its publication. The committee heard his story, deliberated upon it, and returned the papers to the messenger without examination, telling him distinctly that it was a subject in which the General Grand Chapter could take no part; they made a verbal report, and it was accepted with few or no remarks, and without a dissenting voice. The General Grand High Priest (Clinton) was not present, and when he came in and was told what had been done, approved the course taken, saying that the body had nothing to do with the subject, and it was not worthy the notice of Masons. The messenger seemed disappointed, and hinted that the writer of the manuscript might at that tilhe be in prison for debt, but was told if that was so to go and raise the money among the Fraternity, pay the debt, and restore the manuscript." CHAPTER II.
POLITICAL ASPECT, EFFECT ON MASONIC BODIES, AND THE DEPORTATION OF WILLIAM MORGAN.
Political Aspect. ‑ One great factor which tendea to keep this excitement alive was the influence of politicians, who sought to use this as a lever to lift themselves into power. The election was approaching, and all manner of stories were put in circulation and printed by the Anti‑Masonic papers, a a large number of which had sprung into existence. Prominent among them may be noted Miller's Republican Advocate, Southwick's Observer, Stone's 524 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
Spectator, Ward's Anti‑Masonic Quarterly Review, and the Albany Evening .journal, which last was established in the winter of 1830, under the editorial management of Thurlow Weed, then a member of the legislature from the county of Monroe.
It is said that in 1830 there were more than one hundred and thirty AntiMasonic papers in existence ‑ principally in New York and Pennsylvania ‑ and their violence and bitterness surpass description.
As an illustration, we present the following from Southwick's Observer: ‑ "Freemasonry is the step that leads down to the dark gates of hell‑the paths of perditionconclaves of corruption and licentiousness‑protection of fraud and villainy‑the genuine academies of tippling‑manufactories for noodles," etc.
Among the choice epithets given to the Craft were the following: ‑ " Banditti brethren ‑ vile impostors ‑ hypocrites ‑ time‑fuddlers ‑ sharpers ‑ knaves ‑ noodles ‑ fools ‑ blackguards ‑ drunkards ‑ gullies ‑ impostors ‑ dumpling‑heads ‑ nincum= poops‑blockheads," etc.
The above are fair samples from the newspapers of those days, and we wonder at the effrontery and knavishness of the writers, as well as the credulity of the believers.
The Anti‑Masonic party had grown rapidly in New York and adjacent States ; it soon became thoroughly political, and no opportunity was lost for furthering its ends. They murmured against Governor Clinton. He had, to be sure, removed Eli Bruce from his office as sheriff, but not as promptly as they desired. To show to what ends they descended, and with what avidity everything was accepted. which harmonized with their desires, we direct attention to the following incident : ‑ The (Alleged) Body of Morgan.‑The body of a drowned man was found October 7, 1827, on the beach at Oak Orchard Harbor, about forty miles from Niagara. An inquest was held on the body of the stranger, and "accidental death" was the verdict of the coroner's jury.
From the description of the body, as elucidated at the inquest, note the following: ‑ "Length of corpse, 5 feet io inches. No scars noticeable in the condition of the flesh. A man about forty‑six years of age. Remains of heavy whiskers and thick hair over the head. Teeth sound, and nothing remarkable about them.
"The two Potters, who first discovered the body, and were well acquainted with William Morgan, testified that the corpse had no resemblance by which they should recognize Morgan.
"Clothing, etc., fully described. In one of the pockets a package of religious tracts," etc.
The body ‑ badly decayed ‑ was buried with all convenient speed, but it was not destined to remain undisturbed ; for, on the facts of the inquest being published, a party consisting of Thurlow Weed, Russel Dyer, David C. Miller, and a number of Batavia people met at Oak Orchard, Saturday, October 13, 1827, repaired to the grave, had the body disinterred, taken to Carlton, and examined.
THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
525 Another inquest was held on the Monday following, and the description is, in some particulars, different from the first : ‑ " The head was now so nearly bald that only a few stray tufts of hair could be seen. The bunch of whiskers had disappeared. The cavities of the ears and nostrils were ingeniously adorned with long white hairs." At the second examination, three parties who saw the body at its first discovery, and testified at the first inquest, were not sworn.
The assertion was made that it was Morgan's body, and that it had been hastily buried to prevent identification. To be sure, if we were to believe the stories then in circulation, " Morgan had been dead some thirteen months," and the physical impossibility of an identification after that length of time was treated as of no account. It was announced all over the country that " Morgan's body had been found"; and, at the second inquest, Mrs. Morgan and other witnesses were examined, and they itientiXerl the body.
It is said that Mrs. Morgan was so wrought upon that she thought it might be Morgan, yet she admitted that she could see no resemblance.
A dentist who had extracted two of Morgan's teeth, produced them and declared that they fitted into a place on the same side of the mouth where the deceased had lost two teeth. Certainly it was a very accommodating body.
It is true that not a single article of clothing upon the body had ever belonged to Morgan or had been worn by him; nor was there anything upon or about the body which could be traced back to Morgan. This was, however, ignored, it being said that the change of clothing was a trick of the Masons.
The body was officially declared by the inquest to be that of William Morgan. It is evident, however, that the more intelligent were not prepared to wholly accept the statement; and a distinguished politician ‑ Thurlow Weed ‑ (who probably knew) is said to have remarked, "It's a goon' enough Morgan till after election." The funeral followed, the body being removed, October 1q, 1827, with much parade, to Batavia, creating a great sensation. The air actually rang with imprecations, not only upon the murderers of Morgan, but upon the whole Fraternity, all of whom were charged with being accessory to his murder.
The cry of vengeance was wafted on every breeze. After the funeral came hand‑bills, addresses, and appeals to the worst passions of the people.
But this body was not destined to rest, and when the account of the above proceedings was published, it directed attention to the disappearance of one Timothy Monro, of the township of Clark, Upper Canada, who left that place in a boat September 24th for Newark (or Fort George), on the American shore, and who while returning was upset and drowned.
Accordingly the widow and other friends came on, and another inquest was held at Batavia, October 26, 18 ; and the result of legal and formal investigation demonstrated conclusively that it was the body of Timothy 526 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
Monro, "who was drowned in the Niagara River on the 26th of September, 18272' The body was taken to Canada and buried. The evidence adduced at the last inquest presented facts which proved conclusively that it could not have been the body of Morgan. From the material differences, the conclusion is inevitable that the second inquest was largely biased in one direction,‑the interest of certain parties being to establish, at all hazards, the identification of Morgan. A body was needed for political purposes, the comedy was arranged, and Timothy Monro made a " good enough Morgan until after election." Thurlow Weed, who took an active and efficient part in smothering the truth, was accused of having shaved and stripped off the hair and whiskers of the body found in Carlton, in order that it might resemble Morgan.
Thurlow Weed's Last Fulmination.‑We should not feel justified in making this personal allusion, but that, within a few years, we find an article from his pen, published in the daily press, alluding to those times and reiterating the old story.
In a letter dated and published September q, 1882, he gives the following, claiming that it was detailed to him by John Whitney, while at his house in 1831, and promulgates it as the history of Morgan's abduction and fate: ‑ " The idea of suppressing Morgan'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, LeRoy, and Rochester. Johns suggested that Morgan should be separated from Miller 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 settling 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 'kidnappers' greatly perplexed.
"Opportunely a Royal Arch Chapter was installed at Lewiston. The occasion brought a large number of enthusiastic Masons together. 'After labor,' in Masonic language, they 'retired to refreshment' Under the exhilaration of champagne and other viands, the chaplain (;ev. 1. H. Cummings of Rochester) was called on for a toast.
"He responded with peculiar emphasis and in the language of their ritual, ' The enemies of our Order, may they find a grave six feet deep, six feet long, and six feet due east and west.' " Immediately after that toast, which was received with great enthusiasm, Col. William King, an officer in our war of 1812, and then a member of the assembly from Niagara County, called Whitney of Rochester, Howard of Buffalo, Chubbuck of Lewiston, and Garside of Canada, out of the room, and into a carriage furnished by Major Barton. They were driven to Fort Niagara, repaired to the magazine, and informed Morgan that the arrangements 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 a rope was wound around his body, to each end of which a sinker was attached. Morgan was then thrown overboard." In continuing the narrative, Weed says : ‑ "Of course a secret thus confided to me (7) was inviolably kept; and twenty‑nine years afterward, while attending a National Republican Convention at Chicago, John Whitney, who then resided there, called to say that he wanted me to write out what he had once told me was Mor THE MORGAN EXCITEMENT.
527 gan'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, but there was no time for it, and in the excitement of the canvass I neglected the important duty of securing the confession Whitney was anxious to make.
"In 1861 1 went to Europe, and while in London, wrote a letter to Whitney, asking him to get Alex. B. Williams, then a resident of Chicago, to do what I 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." ' We are at a loss to understand why these charges should be made at this late date. The story is improbable on its face, and we have no hesitancy in saying that if the opportunity had ever been afforded Mr. Weed to obtain any such confession, the " excitement of no campaign " would have allowed him to miss the opportunity.
We have only to say that if the facts ( ?) as stated above are no more correct than those given as an excuse for not securing the said revelation, we hardly think much credence can be given them.
John Whitney's Version.‑The facts are that John Whitney did not die until May,3, z86q; and, furthermore, the testimony of one who was present at the interview mentioned by Weed as occurring in Chicago, is to the effect that the affair was in every sense different from the account given by Weed: ‑ "Whitney accosted Weed with the query: 'What are you lying about me so for? What are all these stories you are telling about me and Morgan ?' Weed endeavored to quiet him, begging him not to be angry, and assured him he was only using the stories for political effect. But Whitney insisted that they should be stopped, nor would he desist until Weed bad promised to say no more about the matter." Mr. Weed also reiterates the old story, which was a part of the declaration of the Lewiston Convention of 1827, of a toast said to have been offered by Rev. Francis H. Cummings. That charge has been denied repeatedly. Rev. Bro. Cummings was a settled clergyman, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, at Rochester, and regarded as one of the most respectable of his profession. It was without doubt one of the Anti‑Masonic slanders of that time. In the present instance it seems the old feeling was not yet dead.
The Anti‑Masonic Political Party.‑At the spring elections of 1827, Freemasons were proscribed simply because they were Freemasons, the movement in this respect being nearly simultaneous in Genesee and Monroe counties. In the fall, the Anti‑Masonic party took the field, having as its aim the destruction of Freemasonry through the instrumentality of the ballot box. The first nomination was George A. S. Crooker as Senator for the 8th Senatorial District; but he was defeated. The party carried Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, and Niagara counties, in the face of both the other parties.
In 1828 the first General convention was held at LeRoy, composed of delegates from twelve of the Western counties, and at the State convention, held at Utica, in August, Solomon Southwick of Albany received the nomination for Governor of New York State. The total vote was 33,345, and, 528 COSMOPOLITAN FREEMASONRY.
although defeated, yet in the more radical counties he received a large vote‑in that of Genesee, 4794 In 1829 they elected Albert H. Tracy Senator for the 8th District, by a majority of about 8ooo votes; and at the State election the same year they carried the counties of Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston,. Monroe, Alleghany, Cattaraugus, Chautauque, Steuben, Ontario, Wayne, Yates, Seneca, and Washington, and polled about 67,000 votes.
At the Anti‑Masonic convention, held at Utica, August, 7830, forty‑eight counties were represented by 104 delegates. Francis Granger, a prominent member of the Anti‑ 3‑rasonic party, received the nomination for Governor, polled 120,361 votes, but was defeated. He also received the nomination in 1832, and was again defeated,‑his vote was 156,672.
The V
