W. Bro Dr. Tejinder Singh Rawal
Lodge Corinth, 1122 EC, Nagpur, India
tsrawal@gmail.com
Morgan affair is perhaps the most fascinating story in the history of Freemasonry, which shook the very foundation of Freemasonry by creating a mass-hysteria, but from which Freemasonry emerged stronger than ever. This two-century old incidence still continues to be one of the most mysterious crime story of all times. William Morgan, a brick-mason, lived in Batavia, New York, from 1824 to 1826. Accounts of him differ widely, as they do of any notorious person. The estimate of historians shows him as an incompetent rolling stone; uneducated but shrewd; careless of financial obligations: often arrested for debt; idle and reckless; frequently the beneficiary of Masonic charity.
Morgan was born in Culpeper, Virginia in 1774. His birth date is sometimes listed as August 7, but no source for this is given. In October 1819, when he was 44, Morgan married 16-year old Lucinda Pendleton in Richmond. Two years after his marriage, he moved for unknown reasons to York, Upper Canada, where he operated a brewery. He has been described as a heavy drinker and a gambler.
When his business was destroyed in a fire, Morgan was reduced to poverty. He returned to the United States, settling first at Rochester, New York, and later in Batavia. Morgan claimed to have served with distinction as a captain during the War of 1812, though there is no evidence that he did so. Several men named William Morgan appear in the Virginia militia rolls, but none held the rank of captain.
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 Le Roy, New York. It is supposed that he was an "Imposter" 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 Le Roy; 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 Le Roy
At any rate, he visited Lodges, was willing to assist, made Masonic speeches, and 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.
Quite frustrated, he became an enemy of the Craft, and applied for a copyright on a book to be named Illustrations of Masonry which was to "expose" Masonic ritual, secrets and procedure. Keep in mind that we are talking of a time when rituals were carried forward in the lodges by way of oral traditions. Emulation Lodge of Improvement was founded in England 1823, and the printed version of the rituals became available much later. In fact, the printed version came as a consequence of the Morgan affair as we shall see later.
In spite of the deep resentment which this proposed exposé 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 exposé should never appear.
Brethren were deeply angered. Fearful that were the "secrets" of Freemasonry "exposed", the Order would die out, feelings 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, someone 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 Fort Niagara and there confined in an unused magazine. Then Morgan disappeared!
David C. Miller was the editor of the local newspaper, and he had been entrusted with the task of publishing the book. There was great resentment in the town and the newspaper building was set on fire but no serious damage was done. As a result of this turmoil, four Freemasons were indicted and three were sent to jail. In fact, the Masons themselves offered a reward for the guilty party and some assert that Miller set the fire himself. There is, however, no proof as to what actually happened.
Soon after Morgan disappeared, Miller published Morgan's book. It became a bestseller and some people have speculated that the disappearance was an elaborate publicity stunt, especially since Miller made no claim that Morgan had been murdered, saying simply he had been "carried away".
What happened to William Morgan? Enemies of the Craft said Freemasons had kidnapped and murdered him, to prevent the publication of his exposé. 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 punishment."
It was not too difficult to discover that Masons were concerned in Morgan's hundred and twenty-five mile journey to Fort 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 Fort 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 [1797-1882], Rochester Telegraph 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 Munro, who minutely described the body, its marks, and the clothes it wore, that the corpse was not William Morgan, but Timothy Munro , of Clark, Canada, her husband.
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 centre of the river, bound him with chains, and dumped him overboard.
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 exposé. 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 retaliation from his friends in the publishing venture.
Whitney told Morris that two Canadian Masons received Morgan from the hands of his "kidnappers" at Fort Niagara, travelled 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 Colonel William King, Sheriff Bruce, or Whitney.
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? No man knows. No incontestable evidence can be adduced — or was ever adduced — definitely to prove the situation. All that is undoubted is that William Morgan was apparently kidnapped and did disappear.
It is difficult, two centuries later, to understand the extent and power of the widespread excitement and passions this incident created. 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 the Church. 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 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: " 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."
A wave of hysteria was seized upon by able politicians, fanned by demagogues, increased by the righteous indignation of good men who did not see beneath the surface, helped onward by press and pulpit with the best of intentions but little understanding, until the whole USA 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 persecutions have always been.
Under the leadership of Weed, an anti-Masonic and anti-Andrew Jackson (Jackson, the American President was a Mason) movement was formed, the Anti-Masonic political party, which ran a candidate for the presidency in 1828, gaining the support of such politicians as William H. Seward.
Its influence was such that other Jackson rivals, including John Quincy Adams, joined in denouncing the Masons. Adams in 1847 wrote a widely distributed book titled Letters on the Masonic Institution that was also highly critical of the Masons. In 1832, the party fielded William Wirt as its presidential candidate, though the party only received seven electoral votes.
Anti-Masonry's last gasp came in 1875, almost 50 years after Morgan's disappearance, when a Chicago-based organization raised a sum of money from subscriptions throughout the country, and erected an imposing monument in the Batavia cemetery, nearly 50 feet high, upon which is engraved, "Sacred to the memory of William Morgan...Abducted...by Freemasons and murdered for revealing the secrets of the order". No attempt has ever been made by Masons to interfere with this monument, and it stands to this day, perhaps as a worthy reminder of the evils of passion and prejudice. The brethren of Batavia Lodge say the reason no one has 'interfered' with the monument is because the main railroad tracks go right past it, and they noted that every time a train went by, Morgan got a face-full of dirty smoke! Another reason why Masons did not take efforts to get the monument removed was because such an action would have given underserved publicity to the monument, and Masons are known for their patience when dealing with controversial situations.
Like any other hysteria, this also 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. It is for this that the Craft of today can offer thanks to the Great Architect of the Universe 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 the strong pillars of brotherly love, relief and truth together are stronger than any evil, and more enduring than any other human passions.
If you are interested in reading the book that Morgan wrote, you may obtain an e-copy of the book from me by sending an email to tsrawal@gmail.com .
Bibliography:
- The Short Talk Bulletin - Vol. XI, March, 1933 No. 3.
- History of Freemasonry,Robert Freke Gould. Vol IV. The John C. Yorston Publishing Co., Philadelphia: 1902. pp. 316-29.
- The Strange Disappearance of William Morgan,Thomas A. Knight. Published by the author at Brecksville, Ohio. The Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company New York City: 1932.
- The Morgan Affair and Anti-Masonry, by John C. Palmer
- J. Hugo Tatsch, "An American Masonic Crisis: The Morgan Incident of 1826 and Its Aftermath," Ars Quatuor Coronatorum Vol. XXXIV (1921), pp. 196-209
