▁to ▁mail ▁a ▁letter ▁at ▁a ▁dock ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁never ▁to ▁be ▁seen ▁again . ▁L ans ing ▁was ▁ 7 5 ▁years ▁old ▁and ▁was ▁pres umed ▁d rown ed ▁or ▁perhaps ▁murder ed ; ▁his ▁body ▁was ▁never ▁recovered . ▁His ▁fate ▁was ▁a ▁major ▁mystery ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁State ▁at ▁the ▁time , ▁riv aled ▁only ▁by ▁the ▁disapp earance ▁of ▁William ▁Morgan , ▁the ▁anti - M ason ▁writer , ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 6 ▁in ▁up state ▁New ▁York . ▁In ▁the ▁last ▁century ▁it ▁has ▁become ▁less ▁public ized ▁since ▁the ▁disapp earance ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁State ▁Justice ▁Joseph ▁Force ▁Cr ater ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 0 . ▁ ▁Only ▁one ▁major ▁clue ▁to ▁L ans ing ' s ▁disapp earance ▁has ▁appeared ▁since ▁his ▁death . ▁In ▁ 1 8 8 2 ▁the ▁mem oir s ▁of ▁Th ur low ▁We ed , ▁former ▁Wh ig ▁and ▁Republican ▁political ▁leader ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁State , ▁were ▁published ▁by ▁We ed ' s ▁grand son ▁T . ▁W . ▁Bar nes . ▁We ed ▁wrote ▁that ▁L ans ing ▁was ▁murder ed ▁by ▁several ▁prominent ▁political ▁and ▁social ▁figures ▁who ▁found ▁he ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁way ▁of ▁their ▁projects . ▁According ▁to ▁We ed , ▁his ▁un named ▁source ▁showed ▁him ▁papers ▁to ▁prove ▁it , ▁but ▁begg ed ▁We ed ▁not ▁to ▁publish ▁them ▁until ▁all ▁the ▁individuals ▁had ▁died . ▁ ▁We ed ▁said ▁they ▁were ▁all ▁dead ▁by ▁