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The Story of Morgan

William Morgan was a Mason from Batavia, New York. He had managed to achieve significant rank within the lodge. He was, by all accounts, an objectionable individual. Fellow lodge members blocked him from advancement through their ranks, prompting his defection. Though the Masons accused Morgan of betrayal, they had betrayed Morgan in kind. In retaliation, Morgan threatened to publish lodge secrets and rituals. Many prominent members of New York society and politics were Masons. Morgan’s expose would cause them financial distress but also embarrass them personally. In September of 1826, after months of harassment by local Masons, Morgan vanished from Fort Niagara and was never seen again.
In the ensuing trials, Masons exerted their political power to escape punishment and cover up their misdeeds. The affair became a rallying point for Anti-Masonic sentiment. To anti-secretists, Morgan was both a hero and a martyr for their cause.