Why Doubt Persists

THIS IS WHY THE MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY RESISTS THE TRUTH REGARDING THE FATE OF THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER.

The first clue is offered in the autobiography of Paris S. Pfouts, Freemason, and co-founder of the Montana Vigilantes. In his autobiography, Pfouts prominently mentions the 1926 abduction of William Morgan in New York to prevent him from publishing a book about Masonic secrets. Morgan’s body was never found. According to Pfouts, the subsequent bad publicity which followed that incident resulted in the closing of all Masonic Halls in the United States with “The Lights of Masonry” being extinguished, but for the “Commandery of the Knights Templar [which] kept them shining brightly, but secretly, upon the alters in New York City. Pfouts’s own father withdrew from Masonry because of this incident. Pfouts notes that this incident launched the political career of US Secretary of State, and close associate of TFM, William Seward. The Anti-Mason party ultimately morphed into the Whig party and Anti-Mason sentiment dissipated.

Pfouts and other Freemasons in Montana at the time of TFM’s disappearance did not want to risk another anti-Mason political movement. Respectfully, I submit the threat has come and gone. Indeed, George Washington, President McKinley, Presidents Theodore, and Franklin Delano, Roosevelt, James J. Hill of the Northern Pacific Railroad Empire, and J. Edgar Hoover were all members in good standing of Freemasonry. According to Business Insider, Masonic lodges essentially function as combination of a social club, charitable organization, and business network. The days of Anti-Masonry bigotry are over. Presently, photos of Freemason Chapters look like snapshots of 8:00 Mass at a Catholic Mass. Everyone is 65 and older.

On October 1, 2020, Molly Kruckenberg became the first female director of the Montana Historical Society in its 155-year history. The Historical Society has 58 full-time employees and its 2019 budget was $5.4 million. Kruckenberg has worked at the Montana Historical Society for 21 years, after earning a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University in Pittsburgh. Great Falls Tribune, June 4, 2020

Dear Ms Kruckenberg

Now might be an excellent time to revisit the information regarding Thomas Francis Meagher. The Meagher disappearance was a regional political matter between two ambitious men. It is time to canvass the members to determine if there is any reliable information regarding the location of the bones of Thomas Francis Meagher. Any information would be most pleasantly received, without judgment. The only intent is to return the bones of Thomas Francis Meagher to Waterford, Ireland, where they belong.

Respectfully, Michael J. Finnegan