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THE CRAFT
Freemasons, Secret Agents, and William Morgan
By THOMAS TALBOT
iUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 Thomas Talbot
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-3929-5
Chapter One
April 1826
Spring in Washington was sudden and pleasant this year. The warm, fragrant air drifted over Georgetown down to the former swamp that was now the nation's capital. The sound of birds and the soft greens of new leaves made the recent departure of winter distant and nearly forgotten. The rider, Matthew Prescott, was a good-looking man in his thirties with sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and a medium build. He let the horse find her own way around the mud and pools of water scattered along Pennsylvania Avenue. He had made excellent time from the Baltimore waterfront. With the new capitol building far behind him, he was only a few minutes from the President's Mansion. The warm sun lightened his mood as he reflected on why President Adams had sent for him.
The letter he received a few days ago, hand delivered by military messenger, said it was urgent that he meet with President Adams today. It was a good thing he did not leave for Boston when he had originally planned; otherwise, the message would have missed him. His shipping business would have to wait until he discovered the nature of this urgent matter.
Matthew was a well-known Boston shipping entrepreneur with offices in Boston, New York, and Baltimore. After his father died from a brief illness, Matthew successfully took over. Hard work and New England ingenuity had improved the business and brought him a substantial profit. During the War of 1812, he had fought at the Battle of New Orleans. He single-handedly rallied his men to hold their position against the British regulars and prevented them from breeching his part of the defensive line. The ragtag collection of frontiersmen, pirates, and soldiers fought heroically. Matthew took a bullet in the leg that left him with a star-shaped scar.
Washington appeared to have recovered from the British attack in August of 1814. Repairs had been made on most of the public buildings that were damaged or burned, and little evidence of the attack remained. New buildings were under construction using solid Vermont marble and obviously were meant to last many generations. The little town on the Potomac that became the capital at the turn of the century certainly looked better. The streets were being paved with cobblestones, and L'Enfant's plans were apparently being carried out with a good degree of faithfulness to the original.
When Matthew reached the White House, a servant took his horse, and he was directed to wait in an antechamber. As time passed, he considered the Georgian chair in which he sat and smiled at the irony it represented. Here he was sitting in a piece of English furniture that symbolized everything the new country had fought against-twice. It was only twelve years since the English had put this building to the torch. Adams really had a strange sense of history.
"The president will see you now, Mr. Prescott."
Matthew Prescott acknowledged the announcement with a slight nod and followed the thin, angular man into the adjoining room where he was announced to the president. John Quincy Adams rose from behind a huge mahogany desk to greet Matthew. President Adams was nearly sixty and had been in government service most of his life. Matthew wondered if the story about President Adams swimming nude in the Potomac last summer was true. Apparently, his boat, which contained his clothes, overturned. His servant had to return to the White House for dry clothes, and President Adams hid in some bushes on the riverbank.
"My apologies for detaining you, Mr. Prescott. I hope you have not been inconvenienced."
"Not at all, Mr. President. It was good to rest a few minutes after the ride from Baltimore. And, please, Mr. President, call me Matthew."
President Adams offered Matthew a chair. His manner was very pleasant, not at all what Matthew expected. The secretary poured two glasses of wine, left them on a silver tray, and took his leave. President Adams offered Matthew a glass, and he accepted it with thanks. The ride that day had been long and warm, and he was thirsty.
"Matthew it shall be. I realize you must find this request somewhat of a surprise."
"Mr. President, you are absolutely right. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why you would want to speak with me, or, for that matter, about what."
"Matthew, let me be frank with you. I have asked you here regarding a matter that may involve our young nation's security, as well as a man you knew during the last war. I would like your assistance, not only because you knew the man, but also because you have the ability to successfully complete a task I want you to undertake. Before I tell you what that task is, let me give you a little background."
"Certainly, Mr. President." Matthew wondered who the man could be and what the task would require of him. He was tempted to ask, but he waited for the president to continue.
"Our country has been tested on several occasions since we gained our independence from England. We have managed to take advantage of every opportunity available to enhance our diplomatic position with Europe. The Jay and Pinckney treaties in 1794 and 1795 helped keep us clear of military entanglements with England and Spain. We fought an undeclared war with the French from 1798 to 1800 and managed to survive. We purchased Louisiana from Napoleon when his plans for expansion in our hemisphere went awry. This expanded our nation's boundaries considerably to great advantage, as Lewis and Clark eventually proved. We had to deal with British incursions on our fur trade in the West and the Russians trying to attain a sphere of influence in the Pacific near our boundaries adjacent to Oregon. The British impressed our sailors and went so far as to attack the Chesapeake and forcibly take four men from her crew. This led to the second war with them in a thirty- year period. Incidentally, I regard Jackson's role in that conflict as critical and his contribution as significant. No one can dispute that." Matthew nodded in agreement. President Adams continued. "President Monroe just recently declared our hemisphere out of the European sphere of influence. Based on events in Europe after the Congress of Vienna, as well as the problems in the Spanish colonies to our south, this will prove to be a critical and important turning point in our nation's history. At least, that is my opinion. We are still a young nation, Matthew. Our fiftieth birthday is this year."
Matthew said nothing. He sensed that President Adams was not finished. The president continued. "The matter I am about to discuss with you may directly affect the security of this country, and it is known by only a few of my most trusted men. I know I will be able to count on your discretion as a gentlemen and a patriot."
"You may be assured of that, Mr. President."
"During the recent war with England, now being called the War of 1812 by some, the British infiltrated several agents-spies, if you will-into this country. These agents joined forces with others who had been recruited before the war and became established in several locations. Some of them were British, while others were Americans. We have been able to identify most of them. Many were captured during the war or within a few years after it ended. Some were executed for treason, and the rest were imprisoned or deported. One man in particular has eluded us. You knew this man, Matthew, but not as a spy. He served with you during the recent war and fought under your command at New Orleans. His real name is Andrew Fletcher, but you knew him as William Morgan."
"Morgan, a spy? I find this difficult to believe."
"There is a good reason. Fletcher came to America from England in the early 1790s. His relatives in London sent him to live with a loyalist family named Morgan in Virginia somewhere near Culpeper County, we believe. The boy was legally adopted by the Morgans and given the first name of William. Andrew Fletcher ceased to exist. He led a fairly normal life. He was sent to school and then apprenticed as a stonemason. Not much else is known except that before the second war with Britain began, he returned to Britain to visit his relatives. The relatives, it was later discovered, had contacts with members of the British military assigned the charge of gathering intelligence from Europe as well as the Americas. The French had to be dealt with and Napoleon stopped from creating a French empire. Some of the British intelligence agents never gave up the idea, however, of regaining the colonies lost during the Revolution." Adams continued speaking as Matthew finished the last of his wine. "Morgan was recruited in England as an agent and given the task of gathering intelligence information when he returned to America as a British spy. He sent information to the British by means of a contact in Virginia. Another interesting part of this story is that the English relatives were Freemasons. I do not know what this means in regard to his spying, but we are trying to find out. When Morgan returned to Virginia, he resumed his work as a stonemason. Eventually, he became involved in several government projects. He helped build powder magazines, armories, and even worked on an expansion project at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. We think he may even have worked on several shore battery installations in the Washington area along the Potomac. Obviously his knowledge of defense installations around Baltimore and Washington would be useful information for the British. When war finally started, he enlisted in the army and served in various locations, including, of course, New Orleans. It was a good way to cover his tracks."
"Yes, Mr. President. Morgan was in my unit." Matthew had difficulty accepting what the president had just told him about Morgan. "Morgan and I knew each other quite well and even corresponded for a time after the war. Eventually, I lost track of him, but I did not consider that unusual. A number of people were moving about the country during those years."
"No, it was not unusual, but Morgan is no ordinary person. His knowledge of the defenses around Baltimore and Washington may have been very helpful to the British, especially in their attack on Washington."
"Yes, that would be very useful."
The president's eyes were watery, and he wiped them with his handkerchief. "After the war, our intelligence unit examined documents captured from the British. One document in particular was a major find. It contained a list of British agents working in this country during the period from approximately 1800 until the end of the war. Morgan's name was on the list. Attempts were made to find him. The search began in 1820, but as the years passed, we had no success. The document had been with lists of supplies and troop movements and remained unread until other documents had been cataloged and filed. By this time, Morgan had returned to Virginia, married the daughter of a Methodist minister from Baltimore, and left Virginia. He was traced to New York City and then to York in Canada. We could not extradite him from Canada even if we found him. Most of the knowledge we have regarding his activities was derived from interviews with his neighbors and an interrogation of a British spy who had been deported. This British spy was traced to England and then to France, where he was captured by one of our people and convinced that it was in his best interest to talk."
Matthew tried very hard to control himself. It was very difficult to believe what he had just been told. "My humblest apologies, Mr. President, but I am incredulous. Morgan was a good soldier and a good man. He gave no indication whatsoever that he could possibly be anything else."
"He apparently was good at his work. By serving in the army and removing himself from the area where most of his intelligence gathering occurred, he succeeded in his deception quite skillfully."
Matthew wanted to steer the conversation to his role in all this. "Mr. President, what do you require of me?"
"It is really quite simple, Matthew. You knew Morgan. He trusted you and considered you a friend. Find him for us and bring him back to Washington."
"Why now, Mr. President, so many years after the war?"
"We recently obtained information that leads us to believe that Morgan has been in recent contact with British agents. Something is being planned-an event, a staged occurrence-that could prove to be embarrassing to this country at a time when we have just begun to consolidate our position with Europe. Morgan may be a key to this plan. Unfortunately, we do not know what the plan is, but we believe it will take place this year and that British sympathizers are behind it. We have come too far to allow those conceited individuals to interfere in our affairs again."
Matthew was skeptical. "With all due respect, Mr. President, how can they possibly do anything now? It is 1826; the war ended more than ten years ago. The British have other more important interests."
The president sighed. "Old men never give up dreams of power and conquest, Matthew. There are former government officials, military officers, and even a few of those presently in power who would do anything to destroy what we have here. I realize not many people know this, but maybe it is just as well. They probably would not believe it."
President Adams dabbed at his eyes again. Matthew's thoughts raced. If he agreed to pursue Morgan, how could he accomplish it? He was no spy or special agent. His military experience would be helpful, but that was several years in the past. "What is your plan for me, Mr. President?"
"You are an American civilian. Travel to Canada on the pretext of business. Locate Morgan and make arrangements to accompany him back to Washington. We will promise not to execute him if he returns. We need to find out what he knows, and we feel you are the one person who can convince him to return. I do not mean to sound overly melodramatic, Matthew, but your country does need you. Will you accept our request for your services?"
Matthew was very tempted to say no. He was very reluctant to become involved in this since he knew something the president and his agents did not. A few months before his father, John Prescott, died, John told Matthew he had an uncle. Matthew's uncle was his father's half brother. His father had found this out from the contents of a letter that had been sent from Virginia. He sent a private investigator to try to find out the truth. The investigator checked local records and interviewed people who might have some knowledge of the relationship. He found that two boys had apparently left the area around 1784 or 1785. The older boy came back and was adopted by the Morgan family.
A neighbor remembered talk in the village that the other boy had been sent to New England, probably by ship from Philadelphia. A check of passenger lists and legal records from the period revealed that a boy from Virginia had been adopted by Matthew's grandparents in Boston. Matthew's father made contact with Morgan in Virginia, but Morgan wanted nothing to do with him. His father thought it odd but did not pursue the matter. It was only when he was dying that he decided to tell Matthew.
Matthew made a quick decision. He had to say yes. It was his patriotic duty, but he also had to agree for a personal reason. Morgan was his uncle. He needed to accept the president's request in order to make sure that no harm came to Morgan. "Mr. President, logic tells me to say no, but the opportunity is too challenging to refuse. I accept."
"You have made a wise decision. I have arranged for you to meet one of my agents who will provide you with more background and details. I must inform you that if you are discovered or if your mission is compromised in any way, we must disavow any knowledge of you or your assignment. Our relations with the British and the rest of Europe are too delicate at present."
"I understand, Mr. President. Where do I meet this agent?"
"You will be contacted this evening by Mr. Cardwell. A room is reserved for you at the Constitutional Tavern in Georgetown."
"Out of curiosity, Mr. President, what would you have done if I had refused your offer?"
"That possibility was never considered, Matthew. Godspeed and good luck."
Excerpted from THE CRAFT by THOMAS TALBOT Copyright © 2010 by Thomas Talbot. Excerpted by permission.
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