A Man Exposed The Secrets Of Freemasons And His Disappearance Led To Their Downfall.

A Man Exposed The Secrets Of Freemasons And His Disappearance Led To Their Downfall.

By Rowlandgate.

It was a usual morning in September 12, 1826, a morning like any other before the peace of the morning was disturbed when the locals (through the prison officials) discovered that a New York stone worker named William Morgan had gone missing from his cell.

Though Morgan wasn’t exactly a man who was revered or respected that much, infact he was a drunk and a drifter who often moved his family from one location to another, hauling his wife ‘Lucinda’ and his two kids from one failed venture to the next.

(Anti-Mason, William Morgan) sourced from Getty images.

Nonetheless, Morgan wasn’t just another drunk or drifter, there was something about him that made him a tad bit special considering that he had managed to infiltrate the secret society of Freemasons and was at that time threatening to publish a book exposing their rituals and tactics. Conscious of his threats, the local masons began to harass Morgan, with hopes of stopping the publication of his ‘book’.

The initial plan was to keep Morgan in prison on trumped up charges in order for him to buy his freedom with his silence. However, that seemed not to work. So in the morning of September 12, 1826, Morgan was ‘bailed’ and carried away, never to be seen again. The local Anti-Masons used this to fuel their sentiment. The conspiracy surrounding his Disappearance was built upon by the Anti-Masons who used this to grow their ranks as the movement suddenly began to grow and in turn led to a national Anti-Masons movement that went down in history and shook one of the most secret societies in the world to its core, some might even say, “broke it!”

(Masonic Step) sourced from Getty images.

As the history of the Freemasons is recorded, they initially began as a group of humble stoneworkers, believed to have been formed in England and Scotland in the 1500s. The group since went from a group of stoneworkers to adopting more roles and ideologies. They often used the idea of stone masonry as a guiding metaphor to assist members in their endeavors. They slowly went from that point to being fully involved in politics.

The first few Masonic Lodge were formed in the colonies in the early 18th century, being a group with its members in high places, the society quickly gained power and influence. Members of the Freemasons were active in the formation of the United States of America. 13 of the 39 signatures on the first U.S. constitution were all Masons. By the time Our dear local drifter, Morgan disappeared, the Freemasons had their roots everywhere. From local authorities to different economic and political hierarchies with more of its activities going on in New York and Washington.

Morgan and his friend David C. Miller, a local newspaper publisher who was then struggling to keep his newspaper afloat, saw an opportunity in the daily reminder of the wealth of the Freemasons. As A.P. Bentley wrote in his 1874 book History of the Abduction of William Morgan and the Anti-Masonic Excitement of 1826-30, The two men “entered into partnership to print a book which the public was to be told disclosed the secrets of masonry, in hopes to make a fortune out of the gaping curiosity of the vulgar.”

(anti-masonic apron) Sourced from Getty images

Under the false pretense of being a Freemasons, Morgan got access to the local lodge and documented everything he saw on paper, he documented their induction rituals and cryptic ceremonies and in just few months later, he began to hint on a release of a book which details the strongest evidence of the rotteness in the centuries-old institution.

Morgan and his friend Miller made it to the lips of some of the highest ranking Freemasons and their threat to reveal the truth about the Freemasons spread quickly all through America. Immediately, Masonic Lodge began to set up a committee to look into the threats and assess if their is any truth to it. It was obvious that a lot of masons were afraid of what the two men might end up disclosing.

To stop Morgan, death threats began to fly around himself and his family, Miller’s publishing shop was destroyed countless of times and Morgan went on to be arrested over petty charges over and over. However, in one of his arrests, he went and never returned. The conspiracy surrounding his Disappearance fueled the rage to get the book published and the secret of the Masons disclosed. Soon, the Freemasons became the face of everything that was wrong with America and this greatly affected the society.

In just few months of Morgan’s disappearance, Miller went on to publish the book, “Illustration of Masonry” with an introduction which reads “in the absence of the author…who was kidnapped and carried away from the village of Batavia, on the 11th day of September, 1826, by a number of Freemasons.”

(a depiction of top Masons) sourced from Google. Images.

In the book, Miller went on to state:

“When we now see the gaudy show in a lodge-room, and a train of nominal officers with their distinction and badges, it may give us some faint idea of scenes that are past, and may gratify an idle curiosity, but produces no substantial good under heaven. odogwublog.com

According to Morgan’s documentation of what he saw in his time in the local Masonic Lodge which involved a Senior Deacon of the lodge poking the exposed chest of a newly admitted member with the tip of a compass and issuing the following threat: “As this is a torture to your flesh, so may it ever be to your mind and conscience if ever you should attempt to reveal the secrets of Masonry Unlawfully.”