The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-29
All. OFT A. AT WICHITA, 1891.
The Ninth ANIMAL session at Chanu,e.

Mr.. S. w Balch, who was the delegate
from the sub-order of Sedgwick county to
the annual meeting of the A. II. of T. A,
at Chanute, Kansas, and which order
holds its next annual session at Wichita.
furnishes US tie following proceedings
from Secretary Postelthwait of that or
| ganzation:
The ninth annual meeting of the Grand
| Order of the Anti-Horse-Thief association
! of Kansas and its Jurisdictions met at In
dependence, Kan, in Payne's opera house,
at 10 O'Clock, Oct. %. About delegates
were present, representing the 134 sub
| orders
Prayer was offered by Rev John Her
ron, who was followed by the Hon. VIM.
Duncan, Of Independence, who delivered
an address of welcome in behalf of the citi-
zens of Independence and Montgomery
county In his address he eulogiZed the
A. II. T. A. s for the great benefit the or
ganlzatlon had been to the property owners
on the border line of the Indian territory,
where morse stealing and crime of all
kinds ran riot in the days before the or
ganiZation was effected in Kansas. The
civil authorities, owing to their necessarily
limited numbers, were unable to cope with
the great number of criminals, but when
the A. III. 7. A. IS were organized and hun
dreds of men in all directions began to act
in conjunction with the authorities, then
life and property were more secure. In
fact horse and cattle stealing has
been almost entirely effaced. He said
that, before that before the A. II. T. A
was organized horse stealing in broad day
light on the streets of Independence and al
towns bordering on the Indian Territory,
was common occurrence and that it was
common for men TO lose all their cattle or
horses in a single night, but now that is "A
8 l.. 4
was received with enthusiastic applause.
Mr.. Duncan was followed by Capt. T. c.
Nixon of the Chanute Times, who spoke
to the vast amount OF good done TO the
people of Kansas by the organization, of
the moral influence exerted, of the promo
ton of peace and safety and the suppress
ing of crime. He explained its workings
and aims and that IL was in conjunction
with the civil authorities and not by tax
ing the law into its own hands that the
work is carried on. He said that next to
the courts the A. ii. L. A. stands in
the hearts of the people. The forenoon
session was then adjourned TO allow the
delegates to take part in the splendid
horseback parade given by the sub-Orders
of Montgomery county The parade of 300
mounted men, preceded by the Elk City
band and grand officers, presented a splen-
did appearance. Each sub order in parade
carried a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS aud aDprO-
pirate banner
The balance of the session was devoted
to the revision Of the constitution. Many
important changes were made and a new
office created that of state or
ganizer. Believing that it is
import mt that the organization should be
spread over our state and that its princi-
pies and workings be made known over as
much territory as possible, this office be-
came a necessity.
The following officers were elected for the
ensuing year: g. VI. Coffman, president,
Parsons; a. L. Cox, vice president, Elk
City; A. w Postlethwaite, secretary,
Earlton; W. b. Killing, treasurer, Girard
Executive committee-E. Maher, W. G.
COPYRIGHT, Independence; A. L. Paul,
Nickerson.
Wichita was chosen AZ the place of meet
Ing Of the Grand Order of Kansas for the
year 1879. The neXy national convention
meets at CnanuUe
A w. PosTLETHWAITE, Sec.