Crown of Serpents by Michael Karpovage

King of England in 1776. It was there he was initiated into the ancient fraternity called the Freemasons and had the distinction of having his Masonic apron given to him from the hand of King George III himself. The reasoning behind the letter, Jake thought, revolved around the notion that Masons always helped out their Brothers, even when on opposite sides of war, or of different ethnicities or political persuasions. The Brit John Butler was a Freemason, as were the Patriots Thomas Boyd, his General John Sullivan, and even their superior George Washington.
    Jake stopped and turned to the executive director. “Now here is the real interesting part that has Freemason historians mystified to this day. It was upon Boyd’s capture after he was ambushed that he communicated the secret signal of distress to his captor, Chief Brant — knowing him to be a fellow Mason. It is a highly secretive hand gesture given from one Mason to another when you think you’re going to lose your life and you need help. You see, Brant had already proved to be a worthy, quote-unquote Brother, in Boyd’s eyes because he had helped two other rebel Masons escape execution after the surrender of American forces after the Battle of the Cedars in 1776. Anyway, Brant took Boyd’s signal to heart. He felt obligated to save Boyd’s life and assured him he would have safe passage to Montreal for a prisoner exchange. But that’s where the official history became muddled.”
    “How so?” asked Hibbard. Her eyes alight and engaged in Jake’s tale of Freemasonry on the battlefield.
    “Well, Brant had to take temporary leave before he could help Boyd after his capture. Boyd ended up in the care of Butler,” said Jake, thoroughly enjoying his presentation. “Butler took that opportunity to interrogate Boyd himself — he called it an examination in the letter. He gained the intelligence on Sullivan’s army, and then deliberately handed him over to the Indians so they could exact their revenge. He claims the Indians took Boyd by force in this letter, but I’ve read other witness accounts that his act was deliberate. If this were so, then Butler would be in direct defiance of the sworn obligations of a Freemason to never deprive a fellow brother of his life or property.”
    Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Hibbard made a humming sound. He walked over to the window, looked out, and continued speaking. “But it was also known that Butler never did play by the rules and saw only one loyalty, and that was to the British monarchy. He had supposedly justified his actions by saying that any Masonic obligations were overruled by the duty of an army officer to serve his King, and must not be invoked to protect rebels. His letter clearly states he was unaware of the arrangement Brant had made, that it was his duty to interrogate, and furthermore was not in control of the Indians afterward.” He turned and faced Hibbard again. “But I think it’s a farce.” He pointed to the letter.
    “What? The letter?”
    “No, no. Not the letter itself, but Butler’s content, his explanation to Brant within the letter.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I’ve personally read a contradictory letter by Colonel Butler to his superior at Fort Niagara on that same September 14th and it was anything but this explanation. He claimed that Boyd was escorted under protective guard and sent forward to Fort Niagara, but while passing through the Genesee Valley an old Indian rushed out and tomahawked him. Obviously a bold-faced lie.”
    The director leaned forward, a puzzled look on her face.
    “You see, given the history of confrontation between Butler and Brant, I think the letter we have here might have been a ploy on Butler’s part to claim innocence in the whole execution and at the same time stick Brant as being responsible for another atrocious act to tarnish his record. He then slaps him in the face by presenting the sword of the one he was supposed to protect.”
    “Oh, I see