Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-19
November 10, 1899.

During the last nine years Omaha, con-
tanning one-tenth of the membership of the
state, has been unable to elect its repre-
sentative as grand chancellor of the knights
of Pythias. On October 10, however, John
II. Bexten of this city proved sufficiently
strong to break up the system of "succes-
sion'' prevailing in the domain and was
seated chancellor after having made a
creditable record chairman of the finance
committee. In the latter capacity he had
brought the finances from condition bor-
dering upon bankruptcy to a satisfactory
basis.
Mr. Bexten has made Omaha his hcme
since 1881, with the exception of short in
tervals, and is at present manager of col
lections and discounts at the First National
bank He spent the first seventeen years OF
his life on a farm near Quincy, ILL.,, in
which city he received a public school edu
cation In his eighteenth year he came to
Nebraska and was one of the pioneer set
tiers of Hastings. After conducting a grain
business there for four years Mr.. Bexten
removed to Omaha in 1881 and secured po-
sition as bookkeeper with Haines Bros. &
Co., implement dealers, which he occupied
for three years. AT the end of that time
he was lured once more to Hastings by the
prospects of owning business of his own.
He opened drug store there, with which
he was associated for three years, when
an offer from the First National bank made
it an object to change his residence a Sec
ond time to Omaha.
Mr.. Bexten's connection with Pythianism
dates from 1886, when he became one OF
the charter members of Teutonia lodge, No.
55, of Hastings One year later he trans
ferred his membership to Omaha and was
enrolled charter 1nemher n OriOIa
lodge, No. rs. That lodge only retained its
Individuality for one year, when it was con-
solidated with two others and became Tri-
une, No Sc, one Of six vigorous lodges
which now exist in the city. They bear
the titles, Planet, No. 4; Omaha, No. 26;
Jan Thus, No. (Bohemian); Triangle, No.
Sd; Trune, No. 56, and Mars, No. 1SO.
In the domain of Nebraska there are now
1000 Pythians organized in 155 lodges. The
knights take a pride in the fact that their
original lodge, Nebraska, No. 1, is the
Oldest west of the Allegheny mountains,
having been organized in 1862 The first
lodge in the order secured it's charter only
five years previous to that time in Wash
ington. A number of the veterans who held
charter membership in Nebraska, No. 1,
are still active in the councils of the body.
The membership rolls of the Omaha lodges
bear about 700 Names considerable de-
crease over years gone by. When President
Cleveland was entertained in Omaha in 1886,
for example, there were more than 1900
Omaha Pythiaus in line at the depot to bid
him welcome. Since that time, although the
membership has grown materially through
out the state, it has fallen off heavily In
Omaha for reason not clearly understood
The selection of Mr.. BeXten, an Omaha
man, for the highest Office in the domain
Is expected to bring Pythianism in this city
back to it's former fourishing condition
The local lodges are more particular in their
approval of candidates than in the old days.
which accounts in some measure for their