The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-05
THE SECRET ORDERS.
A Question Before the Law Court Involv-
ing q Matter of Great Interest to Benefic'
iary Organizations.

~
t A case was argued before the law court
yesterday, which is of interest to all the
beneficiary orders.
Mrs. Inez B. Jeane, a widow with sew
eral young children, living in Rockland'
brings action against the Ancient Order
of United Workmen to recover two
Thousand dollars, which she claims is
due her as a death benefit.
Mrs. Jeane secured Hon G. E. Little
field as her attorney, and action was
brought at Wiscasset. From there the
case was referred to the law court.
L. M. Staples, ESQ.,, of Washington,
and John Haskell Butler, Esq, of Boston,
appeared for the defendant.
The arguments were made yesterday,
and occupied nearly the whole day.
On the side of the plaintiff, which was
presented comprehensiyely and ably by
Mr.. Littlefeld, the contention is made in
accordance with the following statement
of the case:
Harry ]. Jeane of Rockland Joined
Lakeside Lodge, Ancient Order of United
Workmen, in jefferson in December,
1890. Prior to that time as assistant en-
gineer on the Mt. Desert, he received
slight injury on the head from the crank
pin of the engine. He went into the
Marine hospital in Chelsea, Mass, in
February, 1891, and died there IN octo-
Der, 1891. February 10, 1891, after the
members of the lodge knew that he had
gone to the hospital, five members made
complaint to the lodge that Jeane had
stated falsely when he Joined the lodge,
that he had never received any serious
injury, and had falsely stated that he
was in sound bodily health and able to
support his family. The master work
man appointed four of the compliments
on the committee of five raised to inves-
tigate the complaint. The records OF the
lodge show that during an interval OF
ten minutes this committee prepared
charge. had some informal conversation
about the case, and reported the charges
as sustained to the lodge. and the lodge
Immediately accepted the report. All
this went on without any noticeto Jeane,
who was lying on his death bed at
Chelsea. Some member of the lodge,
however, discovered that they were pro-
ceeding too rapidly, and had the records
expunged. Then notice was sent to Jeane
telling him that he could be heard, but
setting no time. On February 26 the
committee reported the charges sustain
ed, Jeane not having appeared. The
constitution required that Jeane be fur
nished with copy Of the charge, and be
cited to appear at the second stated
meeting thereafter. The recorder
thinks he mailed him Z copy
of the charge, but does not re-
member positively. He does not claim
to have cited j cane, andsit does not ap-
pear that Jeane had any notice or was
cited to appear. So it was without no
tice to Jeane that, on the evening OF
March 26, '91, he was expelled from the
order. It did not appear that any vote
was taken sustaining the charges. The
constitution required the lodge to hear
evidence, but in this case no evidence
was heard. It appeared that the medi-
cal examiner who wrote Jeane's an
swers at the examination when the latter
was examined, KNEW of the accident
Jeane had sustained. He made no
mention of the fact in the medical exam
nation, but made a full and comprehen-
sive certificate that Jeane was Of sound
bodily health. The recorder of the
lodge afterwards stated to Mrs. Jeane
that if the fact Of the injury had been
mentioned in the examination there
would never have been any complaint
against Jeane. After the expulsion Mrs.
Jeane called the attention of DR.. A. A.
Jackson, the medical examiner, to this
statement, and DIR. jackson said he did
not consider the accident matter of
any Importance and therefore made no
mention of it. It appeared also that on
March 2, nearly month after the COM
plant was made, and after the lodge had
accepted the report of the committee,
an assessment for death benefit was
made and collected of Jeane. The de-
PENDANTS claim that Jeane was bound
by the action of the lodge, and that his
beneficiary, who was his widow, could
not maintain any action against the
lodge because Jeane did not during his
lifetime appeal to the higher authorities
Of the order.
The plaintiffs claim that the case
clearly shows that the medical examin-
er of the lodge had at the time of the ex-
animation full knowledge of the injur-
les for which Jeane was afterwards ex-
PEELED, that his knowledge was imputa-
BILE to the lodge, and that therefore the
lodge was stopped from making and
sustaining any charges against him
therefor. The compliments also
claimed that with full knowledge of all
the facts about his injury the lodge col
lected of Jeane assessments fol
dao+b sbenefits and there