Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-23
A CURIOUS SECT SUED.
How the society of the Economics Was
FOunded-A Remarkable Trust.

How the society OF the economies W as
FOunded-A Remarkable Trust.
A telegram from Pittsburg, December
Is. SAYS: To-day an argument took place
in the United States Circuit Court on the
demurrer filed in case of Elias SPiedel
against Jacob Henrici and Jonathan
LenZ. trustees of the Economic Society,
one of the wealthiest and most exclusive
sects i'm the United States. The plaintiffs s
bill recites the history of Economics from
the time Oftheir organization to the present
date. plaintiffs connection Herewith,
and much interesting information.
Ii states thai in 1900 George Rapp,
an intelligent German citizen, of
Wurtemburg, preached clandestinely to
his neighbOrs. not having been ordained
as required bv the laws of Church and
state. His views differed widely from
those held by his hearers. He told them
he was the mOuthplece OF God III guiding
them TO salvation, and soon won many
svmpathizers. Fully three hundred citi-
zens os Wurtemberg became firm beliey-
ers in his doctrine and when he proposed
that they should form a settlement of their
own under his guidance and control,
TWENTY-FIVE families sigpited their will
Iingness 10 20 with him, In 1905
they embarked for America and settled
i'm Butler county, Pennsylvania. Rapp,
il is alleged, iilfpced the heads OF
~ bp held i'm trust. Plaintiffs parents
contributed $1,000 to this fund. About
ISIS the society moved to Indiana, and in
1926 they settled at their present location,
Economy. RaDp from time to time intro
duced various rules and regulations, to
which the members were compelled to
accede by their leader, who had wonder
fuI influence over them, Among these
were restrictions fOrbidding the members
to wit raj
ing fhe use of tobacco, prohibiting mar
riage. prescribing the character and quan-
tity Of food, etc.
Ii is further claimed by the plaintiff that
from the age Of twelve to twenty-seyen he
labored hard with his parents for the so
cietv. for which they never received more
than a bare existence, and in lS45, Rapp,
who had previously destroyed the records
Of the amount contributed to the common
fund by each member, concealed $5OO,OOO.
The trust fund. the plaintiff believes, now
aggregates S, 600, 900, and the annual in
come of the society is $200,00O. The mode
of life as prescribed by Rapp became OBJ
noxious 10 the plaintiff after the death of
his parents. and in 1881 he left
and married. At the death of Rapp
Cornelius :. Baker and Jacob
Henrici became trustees Of the So
ciety. Subsequently Baker died and was
EutGttutu UN ltuLs luC ~ u NHN
defendant states that Spiedel, on the face
Of the bill, has no equitable relief, that he
is barred long since by the statute Of linn
itatiOn, and therefore has no claim. Plaln-
tifFs counsel held that the fund was
trust. as the rules and regulations OF the
society show, and that il does, therefore,
not come under the statute of limitation.
The same points Of law as are involved IN
the present case have been raised hereto
fore. both in the lower and Supreme
Courts. The ruling, so far as the record
shows. has always been in favor of the
society in analogous proceedings.
Colonel Duncan, of lockwood, Tenn,
reeentiv became greatly indebted to Mr..
Stith. the latter having saved the ColOne's
life. Last week Colonel Duncan present
ed Air. Stith with 1000 acres of mountain
land. Mr, Stith shortly afterward gave
Colonel Duncan 500 acres of the land back
for drink of apple brandy, and within
the next half hour gave him back the
other 500 acres for the same considera-