The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-26
AN INJUNCTION SUIT
Has Been Brought Restraining Them
From Doing What They Have Done.
TWO LOCAL INSURANCE ORDERS
Will Engage In a Legal Struggle Over the
Actions OF Large Number OF Members
Ten or the Old Members Remain
ed Faithful to the old
Company.

The abandonment of the knights and
Ladies of Honor and the organization
of the Knights and Ladies of Security
by the members has brought q case into
the courts and evolved an interesting
situation. A few days ago the members
of the former lodge concluded that the
advantages of the latter organization
were greater than those of the one they
were in and 110 of the 120 members de-
cided to abandon the knights and La
dies of Honor and reorganize as the
knights and Ladies of Security. There
were ten members who did not want to
abandon the old lodge.
The knights and Ladies of Honor had
about $500 in cash on hand besides the
lodge paraphernalia which was worth
several hundred dollars more. The no
members, being so vastly in the major
ity, decided to divide the money and to
sell the paraphernalia and divide the
proceeds also.
The ten members were naturally op-
posed to such a course. They began to
take steps to head off any such move
ment. Tuesday evening Attorney c. c.
Upham, acting in behalf of the minor
ity, began suit in common pleas court
against the majority Of the old members
" ItolIdlH lUe ulN1SlOn OIL Ine money
and from an order from the court to
compel the old officers to turn over
the property to the faithful minority.
|, ,le suit is brought in the name of
Z dry A. Beaumont, as deputy grand
4 lprotector Of the grand lodge of Ohio of
\ the knights and Ladies of Honor. The
! defendants named are Jennie Hammer,
j ohm Spoerni, Minnie Bachtel, Lee A.
Pfffer, John A. Shellhase, David H.
Moonshower, Samuel D. Dodge, Josiah
Schoeneman.
These were the old officers of the
knights and Ladies of Honor. The Pc
tition of the plaintiffs says that the en-
tire lodge has been suspended by Thom-
as A. Smith, the grand protector of the
grand lodge, for its conduct, and asks
that the injunction be granted to stop
the distribution of the lodge funds and
for the turning over of all property to
the plaintiff. Judge McCarty granted
a temporary restraining order Tuesday
evening and the defendants were imme-
diately served with the papers.
The petition recited that the retiring
members We're expecting to meet
Tuesday night and transfer the proper
ty and this injunction was expected to
head off this movement. AS matter of
fact the defendants and their followers
did meet, but 1t was not to lament over
the injunction, but to hold a overcast
and congratulate themselves on the fact
that the injunction came too late
The fact is, according to Attorney
Werntz, who represents the defendants,
that the money and property was all
turned over several days ago. The par
aphernalia was sold to the new lodge
of Knights and Ladies OF Security for
$3.50, and this, with the $500 in cash, was
Ndivided up. Every member of the en-
tire 120 of the old Knights and Ladies of
Honor got $4S5. The 110 who went out
We're paid their portion last week for
fear some action might be taken to head
the matter off. The checks for the other
ten are all made out but they were held
back for a few days so that the cnemy
would not know too much about what
was going on.
The 110 have been attending the
Knights and Ladies of Honor meetings
right along, as they claim to be still
members In good standing, anL they say
no officer could suspend the lodge with
out thirty days notice. They are feel
ing pretty good over the fact that they
stole march on the old lodge and got
the money distributed before the in
Junction came, but the other side will
not give up without a fight and warm
times are anticipated.