Indiana Palladium, Volume 6, Number 13, Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, 3 April 1830 — Page 1

DEVOTED TO NEWS, POLITICS, INDUSTRY, MORALITY, LITERATURE, AND AMUSEMENT. Volume VI. LAWRENCEBURGH, (INDIANA ;) SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 1830. Number 13.

ygwT'Yonir legislature. .OF THE SPECIAL CCD VSEL tN THE SUBJECT OF THE ABDUCTION OF WILLIAM AIORC an Concluded, Hiram Hubbard testifies, that appliralion had been nude to lnm b) Mr. Cue to drive a party: That upon sume one unknown to him,) 'eliiiig him to drive to the eagt of the jail, he drove there, tvhere he found five or ssx persons standing iothe road, who got into his carriage. Hh was not in a situation to observe tbem particularly, and did not. He did cot know any of the persons who gut into his carriage, and did not see or not observe any violence used, or any unusual Boise in getting in. He believed he took five persons. It was about nine o'clock when he started: some of the passengers told biro to goto Rochester. He drove to a tavern on Rochester road, about bis tniles north of Canandaigua, where he Tittered his horses, and some of the passengers got out and took some refreshment. He drove to Victor, four miles heyord, and watered his horses at a pubtic reservoir in the road. Thence he drove to M-ndon, four miles further, where he agnin watered his horse?; thence to Pittuford, six miles further, where he went into the public house; and thence to Rochester, eight miles further where he watered his horses at the public reservoir, and wheie he arrived at about day-nr ak in the morning n the thirteenth of September, After leaving the tavern six miles from Can andaigua, none of his paseni;ers got out Until he arrived at Rochester There one of them left the carriage, w s gone a few minutes, and, as the witness suppos. d, the ame person returned and got into the carriage He presumes he was told to drive to Ha ford's, abo-it three miles from Rochester; as he drove there he stopped to yet feed for his ho ses which he did not procure. He drove anout eighty rods beyond Hanford's towards the Ridge Road, where he was told to stop. He j id s , and his passengers got out, in the ioad,neara piece of woods, there being no house much nearer, if any nearer th.ri Han ford's. He there left his passengers in the road, turned his carriage and drove back to Rochester: he observed his passengers very slightly after they got out, but did not see any of them without a hat, nor did he see any force or violence Used. Nothing passed between him and his passengers respecting compensation; he did noi know any of hera, and has never seen any of them since to recog nize them. He was paid by Chesebro, come months afterwards and after the latter had ben ried, and while he was In jail. On his return to Rochester he met two carriages, each with two horses, going west, one was a dark color, a .green, he thinks; the other was a light color, yellow drab. The curtains of his carriage were down going out: after he tur-ned and before he got to Rochester, on his way back, he rolled them p. From the testimony of Ezra Piatt, given on the trial of Eli brui e, as furnished me by the district attorney of Ontario coun'y, it appears that about four or five o'clock in the morning of the eleventh or twelfth of September, some one called on him for a carriage to go to Lewiston, and desired it might be sent to Eosworth's (a tavern in Rochester) tvhere the company was. He hailed the, driver and sent him with a carriage and horses,' soon after. He had two carriages, one a cinnamon color, or yellow, the other a green; he thinks the first was taken. It was gone several days. He supposed it was taken for the use of the commissioner?, who were going out to instal a chapter at Lewiston, as he had been previously applied to, to furnish a carriage for that purpo?e. He did not know and has never ascertained, who the pen-on was that called for the carriage. He supposed the chapter would pay him for the u?e of it, but has not been paid, and has never asked any person to pay him. It is proper here to observe, that it has appeared in testimony on the diner ent trials, that all the persons who went from Rochester to Lewiston and attend ed the installation there, (excepting B. Smith and J. Whitney,) went either in the stage or in a steam-boat. By tho testimony of Sarah Wilder it appears that about the middle of Septem ber eighteen hundred and twenty-six, a certain person came in a sulkey to Capt. Allen's, who was living at Clarksoc, about twenty miles west of Rochester on the Ridge road, and had some conversation with him That xnten or fif

teen minutes afterwards, a hack drove up to the door, the horses were taken from it, and Capt. Allen's hitrhed to it; they were taken from the orchari where they were drawing apples; the person who came in the sulkey helping to harness them. The carriage w s dark brown, and was closed ; stood in the road; no person got out of it or got in; the driver who came with the carriage there, went on with it to the west. This was about tenor eleven o'clock, P. M. The next d y, about 6. P. M. she saw the same carnage return from the

west; there were no passengers, and the curtains were up. It was driven by the same person who drove it west he day before. Capt. Allen's, horse were taken from it, and those which had come from the east, and had remained in the meanwhile at Allen's were harnessed to it and it drove on towards Rochester. Allen did not keep a public house. It wa9 a very pleasant warm day. By the testimony of Silas D. Luce it appears that about the middle of September, eighteen hundred and twentysix, he saw Mr. M. who resides ai Gaines, about fifteen miles west of Clarkson riding o. horse and leading another towards the carriage that was standing in the road from which the horses were taken, and those brought by Mr. M. were harnessed, and he mounted the box and drove the carriage o the west. This was about twelve o'clock. He describes the cari ge as dark colon d, he should think dark green; he curtains were drawn and the windows of the door up on the sde which he passed, and the tronl and re r were closed; it had been for several days,and then was, unusually warm weather Isaat Murdoch testifies, that on the thirteenth of September, eighteen hundred and twenty bix, not lar irom the middle of ! e oay, he was stanuing at the house of J. L. Perry, anout nine miles west of Gaines; he saw a carriage c ming westward, driven by as he suppose d, and whom he knew perfectly well; he nodded to the driver, who did not re urn the salutation, which caused some doubt ofhn identity; the 4 ar? iage was closed, it was dark colored -hould think a brown or a chocolate co lor; on .he evening of the fourteenth of September, eighteen hundred and twenty six, he met the same carriage in the street at Rochester, it was then coming from the west. About ten or eleven o'clock in the morning ol the fourteenth the witness was at this house, two or three miles west ol Perry'6, when the same carriage drove up irom the west driven by the same person whnm he supposed he saw driving it on the day belore from the east; the curtains were then up. The stage lor the east was about ready todepat, in which wnne s was going; as he was about to get into it, J. B. t ailed to mm, and handed h.m a paper to do some business for him at Rochester. The progress of the Carriage west, was lurcher traced by Lyman Turner and Lewis Super, who deitiiues it as be ing ch'ScU, and of a dark color, and as being driven by the person described by S. D. Luce and Israel Murdock; and mey also concur m the statement that it was a very warm da). Seymour Murdock testifies that oh sonit- day,betweeu the lOin and 15th of September, eighteen hundred and iwen-ly-six, and a day on which nis son Israel was absent at Perry's, as the easiern stage arrived and the passengers came into the house, one of them, whom he dot s not know and has never seen since, lock him aside and ask d him if he was a royal arch mason? Witness said he was not: at the request ol this person the witness furnished mm with pee, ink and paper, with which he wrote a line to J. B. and sent a boy whom witness furnished, with it. In about half an hour J. B. came to the house, and be and the stranger conversed together on the platfoini; he did not hear what passed. The stranger, with the other passengers, got into the stage and it drove oil to the west. After the witness had got his dinner, and came out to the front door, he saw J. B. coming towards the house on one horse and leading another; he put them under the shed and asked for fred for ihem, which was furnished. He and witness were on the platform in front of the house, smoking, when witness saw a close carnage coming from the east, driven by the person described by S. D. Luce and Israel Murdock; he was on the box on the near side; there was another man with him on the eff side, vfho was unknown to witness. There were two roads which passed tb house, one directly by it, the other about

four rods otf. The carriage took the lower road. He was well acquainted with the driver, but no sign of recognition passed between them. After the carriage had passed a few rods, the driver stopped it, and beckoned to J. B. who was standing with witness on the platform. J. B. went to the driver of the carriage, who dismounted from his hex, and the two appeared to converse together for a short time, not a quarter of a minute. The driver of the carriage mounted his box and drove on. J. B. took his horses from the shed, mounted one, led the other, and went on after the carriage, which was the last witness saw of him He describes the carriage a, being oldish and dark colored; thought it was a chocolate color; the curtains were closed; he knew the horses perfectly

well; they belonged to a certain persoi in Gaines Daniel Van Home testifies, that the day before the installation at L:-wiston, (which was proved by others to have been on the fourteenth of September,) about two o'clock in the afternoon, hi was sitting on the front stoop of a store at Johnson's Creek, five miles west ol m m a a i IVJuidock e, when he saw a carnage, which he thinks was closed, pass to th west, driven by the same person describ ed by S. D. Luce and Israel Murdock! about half an hour alter the hack passed he saw J. B. come on from the east and na?s to the west, riding one horse and leading another. He knew J. B. well; he lived three or lour miles to the eas; oi witness. The day was warm and pleasant On the trial of John Whitney, Eli Bruce was called as a witness on the pai I oi the defendant, and testified as folietvs: S me six or e-ght days before William Morgan was biought toJNiagara,u gentleman from ii.ua via told the witness thai Murg-tn was willing to go away from Miller; and the gentleman wanted him (Bruce) to assist in gettii g him awu) ; which he declined. A short time before Morgan came io Niagara, he (Bruce) had been requested by Mr. T. to prepare a cell for him in lhi: j ai; and was told that Morgan uouJu be there that night. Ou the cvenii g ci ih thirteenth oi September, eighteen hundred and twenty six, he was first appii? ed that William Morgan was cooon g o the ridge roaa He wu then informed of it by Burrage Smith and another person, then living at Lockpon, at that place. They told him Morgan had come, and was going into Cnnaua, voluntarily ; they said he came peaceably ; and wanted witness to assist them in getting him along. He demurred, nut finally went to the bouse oi Solomon C. Wright, on the nuge road, two or three miles north oi L tkport He came there between 9 & iO o'cleck in the eve ning, and saw several persons there no It . , ft A Deionging to tne house a he was going to Wright's, he met several per sons on foot, ou the road to Lvckpon. At Wright's he iouud a carriage which be got into, together with Wiliiam Morgan and David Hague, who is now dead. There were no other persons in the carriage; it was driven by a persou whom he knew. The curtains of the carriage were closed, and the windovts of the doors were up. 1 hey drove on to Molyneaux's tavern (about bix miles from Wright's, as appears from other testimony.) VVheu they arrived there, another person rode up on horseback, soon after; he did not stop, and witness does not know what become of him. They drove on to Lewiston, where another carriage was procured, and the sam persons who came on from Wright's got into it, and no others. Fiom Lewiston they weut to the ferry at Youngstown; on their way, another person got into the carriage. The testimony of Corydon Fox, relating to this part of the transaction, is perfectly correct. The object was to get Morgan away from Miller, into the interior ol ihe countiy, on a farm. At the ferry, he crossed, with Morgan, into Canada; four persons, besides himself, went over; they went in Ihe usual ferry boat. The arrangements in Canada for the' reception of Morgan not being completed, they returned It was thought best to wait a few days. Morgan was brought back to this side, and put in the maga 2ine, which was in Fort Niagara, to await the preparations on the other side to receive him. Witness left him in the magazine some time before day. It was past midnight. He has never seen him from that day to this, and has never had any communications from any person as to what was done with him. The conversation he had with Morgan on the way, was, that he v?a9 going

among his friends; he was easy and said nothing. He did not actually see Morgan until their arrival at Lewiston.When he got out ol the carriage, he locked arms with the two men who were witnesses; he did not appear fetble. He then supposed that Morgan went voluntarily- They did not drink any thing but once, which was at Molyneaux's. M.rgan bad a handkeichiel ovr his eves while with win ess; and had a hat on. Witness supposes and was informed, that the object of putting a handkeichiel over his eyes, was, iha he shouid not discern those who rode with him Robert Molyneauz testifies, that in 3 p temfcer, eighteen hundred and twtntsix, he lived on the ridge road, thirteen miles west of Muidock's. Ou the night of the thirteenth ot that month, he was called up by Eli Buce, who wanted a pair of horses to put betore a carriage that stood in the road to go to Lewiston. He Lot horses from the pasture and assisted the driver of the cairiage in harnessii.g them. The horses that came with the carriage were taken cflTand put into the barn. The hoiseswere driven to the west, by J. R. The carriage was closed Bruce got into it ; witness could not see whether there were other persons in it or not. There was another person about the carrifige who had a horse, whom witness did not know. When he rose in the morning he found his own horses returned to the stable, and those which came from the east, with their driver were gone. , William Molyneatlx estified, substantially, the s me leading facts. The tesMmonv of Cory don Fox is giv-

en at larce in the Jippindix. rie was in the employ of Samuel Barton, at Lewi ton, as a stage driver: ab ut the time o the installation of a hapter, at that place in 1826, and the 6ame evening or the evening befor,hewa directed by his mplo) er to put a pair of horses to a carriage, and brii g them to a tavern, called the Frontier ln use. He harness ed his horses, and drove to the stage office, from which he started to go t the rontit i house, when L'i Bruce the him, g t upon the hox ol tie carriage with him, an direc ed him to drive around t.. a back stteet. near another carriage; he drove up to a hack that vas standing vuhout ny orses before it, m the road leading to Youngstuwn. One or two persons w. re s anding near, about the carriage,as he strove up. Some per sons got nut of the carriage without hor des into that which he drove; he believes three g..t in o his carriage. He did not get off his box. He has no recollection of seeing any one with a handkerchief, orany thing singular, about his head; or observing any thing singular in the manner of the persons getting into his carriage, nor any thing singular in their maimer, in other respects, that he re collects. This was between .en o'clock, P. M. and midnight. He had been asleep. He was told by Bruce to drive to YouogstowD, which be did. Just before he got there, Bruse told him to atop at Col. Kiog's, and be stopped there accordingly. Bruce got out of the carnage, called to King, and rapped at the door. King came down, opened the door, and bad some conversation viih Bruce. White Bruce wes standing at King's door, some one id tbe carriage asked for some water, in a voice like a woman'a voice; it was not harsh aa a man would ftprak. Bruce answered, and said, you shall Lave some in a moment. Colonel King and Bruce both got icto the carriage. Witness asked Bruce whether he should stop at Philips' tavern, and which was a little below King's. Bruce said no; drive en to tbe Fort. He drove to near tbe burying groand. wbere ha was told to stop. He did so, and bis paasen gera got out, and went off, four of them in a row, and appeared to bim to Iocs arms. Witness immediately asked Bruce if be shoald wait for bim He said no; you can go back about your business He turned his carriage round, and went baek to Lewiston. !h did not observe any thing eingular in tbe manner of tbe persona wbo got out of bis carriage; tbey got out on the west side, which was next to the river; he turned his carriage round oo the other side. He said be Dover drove up into tbe back street and took out passengers, on any other occasion than tt&t to which be has now testified. Other corroborative testimony bis been given, relating to the manner in which the passengers got out of the hack into Fox's carriage, but it is not deemed material to detail rt here. From the evidence of Hiram B. Hopkins, and from other testimony taken before the grand jury of Niagara, it appears that, during the installation at Lewiston.on the fourteenth was known to several persons assembled there, that William Morgan had heen carried through, and was at Fort Niagara; that

a messenger was sent by a certain pefi son at Youngstown to Lewiston, on that day, with direction to tell Colonel Kingj or the jailor from Lnekport, (D. Hague) that the man in the Fort was making a noise or disturbance, and that some otf them must come down. He met Hagud at Lewiston, and delivered the messageHague said he would go down there, and started off. Before the same body, the confessions of a person who has not yet been triedj were proved. So much as tends to the implication of himself, is here omitted T')s person stated that a man had been brought to the Fort and confined iherej in September, eighteen hundred and. twenty-six. The man was in charge of ' , until the latter went away ten porarily ; when the man was put id. barge of- ' , who had the care of him for several days; until one morning (believed by witness to be the nineteenth of September) the man confined in (ho Fort waa miBsing; be was gone Th& person making the confession denied that he had any hand in getting away tho person in the Fort; A witness examined beforea grand jur previous to the death of Colonel Kingf has testified that sometime after the ah dueticn of William Morgan,and he should think at least two weeks and not longer? than six weeks thereafter he learnt thaft the dead body of a man had been foundj which bad fLatrd upon the bench onei or two miles below Fort Niagara, and that a coronerV jury had been called to upw it. At the time he met Colonel King at Lewiston, he was passing to and fro on the steps of the Frontier House; He called to witness who went to him, and Colonel King said, Doctor, don't yon

want a subject I The witness said he did not. King said there is a body fiVated on the beach -a coronet 'a jury is abLut to be held it will be buried you cam take it to the Fort, you know there is no body there but and you can have any room y ou please. The witness replied, that the body would not be of any use, as it had been probably spoilt by the water. King said, Ucle Kelly, (th coroner,) has summoned me: I told bim I had business at Lewiston and could not stay: I am afraid it is the body of Mor gan; should it prove to be so, we shall hear tooight. You must go to night & take it up and hide it; and take care of it ; y ou must put it where it never can be found. King waa extremely agitated and the witness was alarmed for him, as he evidently believed it was the body ot Morgan; Witness answered, if you haves got into any difficulty, you must work your way out; 1 will have nothing to do with it. King turned to witness and said he mzist go. Witness said he should not he would have nothing to do with it. Upon this the manner and appearance of King became changed and he said, as if in a jocose way, I guess it is Morgan, and laughed quite heartily, as if he had pass ed a joke upon the witness. The witness did not think it was a joke by any means. King snew him to be a mason. INo fur ther direct judicial evidence has come to my knowledge respecting the fate of William Morgan, except the testimony of a witness given before a grand jurv, who ha9 been excluded from testifying on the trials of some of the parties implicated. on the ground of his religious disbelief, and which therefore does not seem pro per to be embodied in this report. from all the information which has been received, 1 am persuaded that tbo death of William Morgan, (of which little doubt is generally entertained,) vas not contemplated until after he teas brought back from Canada. Indeed no very definite puipose appears to have been originally formed. The immediate exigency seems to have been his removal at all events, and his final disposition probably did not en ter into the calculation of those zcho tcerC concerned in cartyijig'him to Lewiston, The fact has appeared in the various trials and investigations which 1 have conducted, that all the persons wbo had been in any way implicated in the ouN rage upon William Morgan, from its com mentement at Batavia to its termination at Fort Niagara, belonged at the time to the masonic fraternity, with the exception of Hiram Hubbard and Corydon Fox; and that those who are charged with having taken the most active part belonged to the degree of royal arch masons Having ascertained this fact, it appeared a solemn duty to object to any royal arch companions silling as jurors upon the trial of any indictments against their brethren, for that offence. At tbe last of those trials the objection was ac cordingly made, in two instances, and in both the verdicts of the triers were against the indifierency of the jurors cbal-