One by one I turned the yellow leaves and read the story from beginning to end; it is in brief as follows: In the summer of 1826 it was rumored throughout Western New York that one William Morgan, then living in the village of Batavia, was writing an exposure of the secrets of Free Masonry, under contract with David Miller, a printer of the same place, who was to publish the pamphlet.
Morgan was a man entirely without means; he was said to have served in the War of 1812, and was known to have been a brewer, but had not made a success in business; he was rooming with a family in Batavia with his wife and two small children, one a child of two years, the other a babe of two months.

He was quite irresponsible, and apparently not overscrupulous in either contracting debts or the use of the property of others.
There is not the slightest reason to believe that his so-called exposure of Masonry was prompted by any motives other than the profits he might realize from the sale of the pamphlet.

Nor is there any evidence that he enjoyed the confidence of the community where he lived.

His monument--as in many another case--awards him virtues he did not possess.

The figure of noble bearing on the top of the shaft is the idealization of subsequent events, and probably but illy corresponds with the actual appearance of the impecunious reality.