The Abduction of William Morgan, Part 1

Sep 4, 2023

The podcast discusses the abduction of William Morgan in 1826 after he planned to expose Freemason secrets. It explores the efforts of fanatical Masons to prevent his book from being published, his arrest and imprisonment, and the detailed account of his abduction. The disappearance led to outrage, the formation of the anti-Mason political party, and a hilarious listener mail segment.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Intrigue, Cover-ups, and Secrets: The Mysterious Disappearance of William Morgan

01:32 • 11min

The Arrest and Imprisonment of William Morgan

12:47 • 2min

The Abduction of William Morgan

15:04 • 5min

The Testimonies and Initial Reactions

20:20 • 5min

The Abduction and Its Reverberations

25:32 • 10min

The Abduction of William Morgan and Listener Mail

35:36 • 4min

In 1826, William Morgan, who lived in Batavia, New York, advertised that he was writing a book that would expose the secrets of the Freemasons. And then he vanished.

Research:

“An Old Story Revived.” New York Times. July 9, 1881. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20379152/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“Another Morgan Story.” New York Times. July 22, 1881. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20381332/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“Black Rock – Thursday Evening, October 5.” Black Rock Gazette. Oct. 5, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/254877445/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“Captain Morgan.” The Evening Post. Nov. 14, 1862. https://www.newspapers.com/image/40603708/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“Captain William Morgan.” Black Rock Gazette. Nov. 9, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/254877491/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“A Good Enough Morgan Again.” The Evening Gazette. June 24, 1881. https://www.newspapers.com/image/10020603/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
Greene, Samuel D. “The Broken Seal: Or, Personal Reminiscenses of the Morgan Abduction and Murder.” Ezra A. Cook & Company. 1873. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=dw4AAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-dw4AAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1
Morgan, William. “Illustrations of Masonry.” Chicago. Ezra A. Cook Publications. 1827. (Digital copy.)
“The Morgan Monument.” New York Times. Sept. 15, 1882. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1882/09/15/102787325.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
Pritchard, Samuel. “Masonry Dissected.” London. Charles Corbett. 1730. Digital copy: https://archive.org/details/MasonryDissected/page/n3/mode/2up
“Proclamation by DeWitt Clinton.” Black Rock Gazette. Nov. 16, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/254877503/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“The reported discovery of the remains of William Morgan … “ Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 27, 1881. https://www.newspapers.com/image/50402459/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
Riley, Kathleen L. “Lockport: Historic Jewel of the Erie Canal.” Arcadia Publishing. 2005.
Ross, Peter. “A Standard History of Freemasonry in the State of New York: Including Lodge, Chapter, Council, Commandery and Scottish Rite Bodies, Volume 1.” Lewis Publishing Company. 1899. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=-GciAAAAMAAJ
“To the Public.” Black Rock Gazette. Oct. 12, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/254877456/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1
“William Morgan’s Bones.” New York Times. June 22, 1881. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1881/06/22/98562253.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
“The masonic fraternity and others … “ Poughkeepsie Journal. August 23, 1826. https://www.newspapers.com/image/114416277/?terms=%22william%20morgan%22&match=1

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