St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-11
DISCORD IN HARMONY.
Members of the Society Ask the
Court to Wind Up Its
Affairs.
The State Also Enters the Contest
for the Possession of the
Society's Riches.

PITTsBURG Feb. 10. The long-looked-
| for legal battle is on in the Harmony
society. A bill in equity was filed at
Beaver today in behalf of Benjamin
| Feucht and others against President
| John Duss and the members of the So
ciety, praying for the appointment of
receiver to wind up the affairs OF the
community; second, for an injunction
to restrain Trustees DusS and Sieber
| from lncu mbering, selling or assigning
| the property and assets OF the society :;
| third, that said trustees be ordered to
account in full for the assets since their
management; fourth, that DusS and
Seber be ordered to pay over to the re-
ceiver the amount of losses sustained
under their management: fifth, that an
order De made for the dissolution OF the
Harmony society and division of the
assets. Feucht and all the other petit
TONERS are members of the society.
In the petition, gross miSmanagement
on the part of the trustees is alleged.
1t sets forth that recently the society
had property valued at S4,OGO,0OO. but
that d great deal of this has been lost,
and the petitioners now believe that the
society IS insolvent. That within six
years DuSs has sold $2,000,000 worth of
valuable stocks, oStenSlbly for the pay
ment of debts, which debts were con-
tracted through fraud and miSmanage-
| ment of Duss. 1t is also alleged that the
principles of the society have become
obsolete. That Duss and Sieber are
living in luxury with their wives,
whereas the main principle OF
the organization is celibacy; that
the other members OF the
society are compelled to exc out pre-
cariouS eXiStences; also that the board
OF elders are confirmed and common
drunkards, instead of spiritual leaders.
DuSS, it is alleged, has sought to cast
diScredit upon the teachings of the
founder of the said society. has declared
that it is question whether the histor-
ical Christ, or the Christ of the Chris
tians, was the true Christ, and has
preached the doctrines of one Cyrus
iced, pretended divine being living
in Chicago, in the state of Illinois, and
has courted sympathy with Michael
K. Mills, commonly known as prince
Michael" of Detroit, another pretender
of divine attributes, who is now serving
term of Imprisonment for the commits
sion of CRIME.
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania
has also entered the legal battle for the
possession of the immense wealth of the
Economite society. The matter is now
In the hands of States Attorney Gener-
al Hensel. and is being prosecuted by
the ablest legal talent OF the Allegheny
and Beaver county bars. The proceed
ings Will be instituted at once, and will
he far reaching in its results. Ii sue
cessful, it will involve the absolute sur
render of all the property of the Econo-
mite society and its cOnfiScatiOn by the
state. 1t will be proceeding in escheat,
based on established precedent of emf
nent legal authority and an act of as
sembly torbiddins the conduct or socie-
ties whose principles are at va
rance with public custom and against
the spirit of the constitution. The
it is claimed sufficient authority has
been obtained to disrupt the ceiibate
community and turn its goods and chat
tells into tie state treasury. The act of
assembly making it unlawful for
churches and religious sects to hold
property in excess of a specified amount
will also be brought into the case and
used as one of the strong points on the
plaintiffs side of the case. The pro-
ceedings have no connections with the
Beaver county courts today by the
FeuchtS and other Economics, asking
for receiver to wilma up the affairs of
the organization. On the contrary, the
two battles will be fought OH entirely
different lines, the issues being con-
trary and detrimental to each other, as
the success OF the states case would
necessarily mean the failure of the pros
ecutlon on behalf of the malcOnteitS of
the society.