The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-17
KNIGHTS OF The GOLDEN RULE.

Iron Hall Collapse Has Precipftated q Cri
sis In Another Benevolent Order.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
EVANSVILLE. Ind, Aug 16.-Recent IN
vestigation into the affairs of the Order
Of the Iron Hall, and startling develop
ments that followed. led to the lnvestiga-
tion of the knights of the Golden Rule, in
this city. The members were astonished to
find that the order is shaky. and for self
protection Castle Easter, No. 81, has bodily
Withdrawn. 1t still possesses it's charter.
but has refused to forward to the supreme
officers the August assessment The con-
dition of affairs was confirmed by the
ton of the supreme officers on the death
claim of Chris Maurer. q widely-known
German of Independence. After Maurer's
death. in March last, claims for the amount
of his policy have been sent to the supreme
commander at Toledo. For time moth
iGg was heard from headquarters and the
local Knights became decidedly anxious.
Last Friday the secretary of the lodge
known as Castle Rising Sun, No. 1S9, an
other Evansville castle, and one which IS
sJlll intact, received D draft In faver of
Mrs: Maurer. widow of q deceased member.
for SOLO. This included $lS, known to the
lodge as accrued assessments" or the
amount paid into the Supreme Lodge as
benefits. This was q genuine sur
prise to local members of the lodge. and
most of them have taken some interest in
the matter. Mrs. Maurer was notified of
the arrival of the money, but when che
ascertained that she was to receive only
sos actual benefit. instead of 81. 900. which
the policy called for, she was indignant
For time she refused TO accept 1t at all,
preferring to seek redress in the courts.
bu: she has now decided to accept the draft
and then sue the order for the remainder.
There are five other castles here and they
are talking of withdrawing.
The Iron Hall Bunele
Philadelphia Times.
1t must be evident to all who view bust
ness operations from q business stand
point, that the Iron Hall enterprise has
dated it's decline and fall. Ii may linger
for some time, and it has yet over million
OF cash at its command. with assets which
| are claimed as assuring over q million
more; but the hour that pricks the bubble
| of blind confidence in such speculative
| schemes practically ends its resources and
stamps insolvency upon IL.
| There is every reason why those who
have been induced to invest their money
in the Iron Hall organization with the
4
III little time. should seek to relnspire
| confidence in its policy and management.
| Each hopes that others will repeat their
| error and thus enable the present investors
| to get out before the crash comes; but there
| are two conclusive reasons why the Iron
Hall cannot maintain itself. First, the
| recent developments prove that it's direc-
| tion is utterly incompetent to handle sc
| vast system with It's immense revenues
| or that it is not honest; and second the
system 10 founded on an unsound financial
| theory.
The fact that the managers intrusted
| hundreds OF thousands of dollars to O
purely speculative and practically insoly
ent banking institution in this city, car
be explained only by the confessi on OF
utter lncOmpetency and deliberate rascali
ty. 1t was probably necessity. when the
| exposure came. for the small regiment OF
"supremes'-i0r every Official is "su
preme" of some sort-to make a gift OF
| $4,000 TO the insOlvent bank to save
nearly thrice that Amount that had beer
insanely deposited there's but the testi
mony OF supreme Justice Somarby, giveI
at the Iron Hall inquiry in Indianapolis
| proves that the speculative Philadelphis
banking institution and the Iron Hall are
both sadly lacking in other Intelligent
business methods or In common honesty.
The Iron Hall 10 the largest and has beer
regarded as much the beat of all the many
organizations founded to appeal to the Gu
| pidlty or necessities of the less Intelligent
class OF people. 1t OBVIOUSLY sncceeded
until IL vastly overtaxed the ability OF in
managers to direct IL with even ordinary
| business sense; and they reveled in the il
high-hying titles and in the millions o.
| money they were Entrusted with, unit
they lost all reckoning of final accountable
ity. The insolvent Philadelphia bankln.
institution was only an incident to hasteI
| the inevitable. and however intere steC
parties may struggle TO keep tie organi "a
ton alive until they can escape. how
ever disputing "supremes' may compro
mise at the expense of the contributors
| the now certain forfeiture of pubic con ii
dcnce means the certain failure of the lror
| Hall system. sooner or later, and soon o
the latest.