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Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry

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After years of careful study, Stephen Dafoe's recently released, "Morgan: the Scandal That Shook Freemasonry" offers one of the most provocative retellings available of an incident that changed the North American political landscape.

"This book is the story of William Morgan, his associates and the book they proposed to publish," Dafoe explains in his Introduction to "Morgan". "It is the story of how a handful of young, impetuous members of the Masonic fraternity took matters into their own hands to prevent its publication and how their plans took a deadly fork in the road, nearly exterminating the very organization they sought to protect."

For anyone who doesn't know already, what became known as "the William Morgan affair" was the September 1826 disappearance of Morgan because he'd authored a detailed expose of Freemasonry. All agree he was abducted by Freemasons and was never heard from again. This spawned nationwide outrage, a backlash against the Craft and a political movement, all of which are still studied today.

It's a story Dafoe told in the 2007 Heredom, Volume 15 of the Scottish Rite Research Society's annual transactions. There, Dafoe gave us "Batavia to Baltimore & Beyond: A Re-examination of the William Morgan Story and It's Effect on Freemasonry."

Prior to that, Dafoe wrote a four-part series on the Morgan affair for quarterly Masonic Magazine, fall 2005 thru summer 2006, "using as many primary sources as I couls lay my hands on."

Those primary sources are key. Contemporary and afterward documentation on the Morgan affair is HUGE in quantity and impressive in its conflicts. It takes a serious scholar to plow thru it all and come up with a well studied, readable tome.

Which is part of what makes "Morgan" quite unique among the histories written of the period. Dafoe clearly did his homework but he didn't just dump his notebook into the pages of this book. In "Morgan", the reader gets more than names, dates and locals. In "Morgan", the reader gets to be "there".

To do this, Dafoe skillfully wields the narrative form. This mode of writing, attempted by only a few historians and poorly handled by most who do try, offers the sort of continuity more common histories cannot approach. The reader receives the story as it happens, complete with thoughts and dialogue - culled from contemporary documents - and, for a time, can suspend whatever prior knowledge they may have had.

In this way, even the most knowledgeable student of the antiMasonic period gets to be something many long to be: a fly on the wall.

The reader is there:

- to share the grief between Morgan and his wife, Lucinda, at the lost of their child and the comfort he derives among his Brethren during his salad days in Freemasonry.

- recognize and empathize with those same Brethren who rejected him and yet still sympathize with Morgan for his anguish, which leads to his fatal decision to expose the Secrets of the fraternity.

- in lodge when the state's governor's letter is read out, calling upon the Brethren to "suppress the secrets of Masonry at the expense of blood and treasure"; and promising "if you are detected, you shall be protected. If you are convicted, you shall be pardoned, for I have the pardoning power."

- reading the appeal for moderation in Henry Brown's letter to the editor in Republican Advocate and watching, helplessly, as it is ignored.

- observing Morgan's initial arrest for stealing clothing he'd actually borrowed, cleared of that and then immediately arrested again on a debt of less than $3

- gazing out the second-floor window with Susan Green as the "armed mob of Masons" march up the street to the office of Morgan's publisher, David Miller, and abducts him in broad daylight.

- is with Miller's equally passionate mob of friends who rescue him from the Masons and, thus, unsilences his pen to shout murder to all the world.

- blinded with Morgan, his eyes too-tightly bound with his own handkerchief, as he's rowed in a boat across the Niagara to Canada; and hears his appeal to his Brothers turned captors: "Gentleman, I am your prisoner, use me with magnanimity"; only to feel a pistol in his chest and a promise "You say one more word, Morgan, and I'll shoot you."

- huddles with Morgan the last hours locked in an unlit, windowless cell in the powder magazine of a fort on the US side of the border with Canada. And then . . .

How does Dafoe handle the conflicting stories of Morgan's death or exile? That much I will not give away.

I will say Dafoe's "Morgan" leaves the reader with a gut wrenching helplessness that the majority of those who lived thru it must have felt at the time. Being there means the reader observes, but cannot change, the events as they unfold. And so watches as the Craft in the United States, by the rash and passionate actions of the Masons who claim to be saving Her, is almost snuffed out in the US.

What is more, Dafoe drives home a powerful lesson here, that there are no real villains or "good guys" in this story. Other historians too often portray the tragedy of Morgan's disappearance and the period that follows as a saga with heroes and villains. Dafoe's "Morgan" tells it as it is and was. There is no one good here who is completely good; and no one bad who is completely bad.

The message is clear: sometimes good people, with all the best of intentions, do the worst of things. For which all are made to suffer.

Stephen Dafoe produces an honest and engaging look at the disappearance of William Morgan, an event that haunted Freemasons for years to come and perhaps continues to do so today. His excellent narrative style offers a readable and intriguing mystery. The book is, however, not a work of fiction. It is backed profusely with factual documentation given in the book, yet in a fashion so as not to disrupt the enjoyment of the story. Dafoe's suppositions are rare and only created with solid documentation. His conclusions on what possibly occurred to Morgan are well-reasoned in light of the facts and face up to possibilities some may find uncomfortable. Truth is more important than comfort for Stephen, which makes this a very readable and enjoyable examination of the available facts. A great treatment of this controversial subject!

If you are looking for the same old story of William Morgan that has been told and retold, do NOT buy this book. This is a brand new, objective and well researched look at the events and evidence. Stephen Dafoe did his homework and presents a new look at an old story. If you want sugar coating, this is not for you. But, for those of us who want the history as it was, this is a book you must have and read.

Dafoe has certainly tried to get to the bottom of this now very old cold-case file that continually still surfaces from time to time and presented one or two new ideas on the topic, which is alot better than others have tried to portray it.

Brilliant! Stephen Dafoe presents a level-headed, thorough analysis of the evidence and legends surrounding one of the most controversial chapters in Masonic history. Dafoe, author of several definitive books on the Knights Templar (both medieval and Masonic) again shows his usual attention to detail and talent for sifting through the layers of stories to find the grains of truth. I expected the book to be interesting, but was pleasantly surprised by how EXCITING a read it is turned out to be. Using a narrative structure -- with "dialogue" pulled right out of existing documents -- Dafoe crafts a real page-turner of a suspense story. It's written in short chapters, so I kept telling myself, "Just one more before bedtime, just one one more before bedtime..." Before I knew it, I had finished all 400+ pages. While the book is a quick read, it is by no means a superficial experience. The huge number of primary documents sourced, scholarly footnotes, etc., reveal Dafoe's book to be the culmination of many year's work. Highly recommended for Masonic scholars and history buffs alike.

As I continue my Masonic "self education", I've always wanted to know more about the whole anti-Mason movement in general and the Morgan affair in particular. This book advances both of those personal objectives. It strikes me as an excellent starting point for research into anti-Masonry, and it's an excellent assembly of the facts surrounding the disappearance of William Morgan in 1826.

This book is very well written in the style of a novel. The writer is very talented and opted to avoid a "textbook" style that would have been more difficult to follow. It is also thoroughly documented and supported by records.

I particlularly enjoy the collection of photos and artist renderings. The author provides four artist renderings of William Morgan and, rather than tell us which one is correct, provides a brief description of each and discussion of why each is or is not likely accurate. The author does point to the one he thinks is closest, but does not "certify" it as the "real" one. He allows the reader to evaluate the four renderings in the context of the whole story and allows us to come to our own conclusion. Also, the actual photographs of the various buildings and locations from the period add a lot to help the reader "be there" while reading the story.

I also enjoy another aspect of the book and that is the light it sheds on the workings of Freemasonry in the 1800's in the U.S. I think this aspect provides the Mason a valuable glimpse of Freemasonry they can relate to how we labor today. Royal Arch Masons may have a slight advantage when it comes to understanding the relationship and role of Royal Arch Masonry and the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in the event.

Overall, a fascinating, highly informative book that is a very easy read. I would offer a recommendation: a reader should glance over the compilation of photos and artwork before starting to read; that will give the reader some perspective as they progress through the book