The evening times., 1900-07-11
ANCIENT COLONY saved
The Harmony Commonwealth Not
TO Pass Ont Of Existence.
Judge Gray Establishes the Legal
Status of n Famous Pennsylvania
Allegations of an Effort to Cause
the Disruption of the Organization.

PHILADELPHIA. July n--Judge Gray
yesterday fled an opinion in the United
States Circuit Court OF Appeals sustaIniLg <
the decision OF the Circuit Court at Pitts
burg. which dismissed the bill OF complaint t
under which a winding Up Of the affairs Of
the Harmony Society was asked, and which
had for its purpose the distribution of tre
assets. The costs were placed on the plain
tifs. The matter was argued before judges
Dallas. Gray. and Bradford. in March last.
The society is commonly know as the
Harmony Society. and has been IN exist
ence for nearly a century. During later
years it was located at Economy. the tOwn
built by the society. about eighteen milJs
below PlttsbuTg.
In 1904 and 1895 George Rapp ard GER
tain Of his followers left the Kingdom OF
Wprtemberg. Germany. and came 10 the
United States. They settled hrst in Har-
mony. Butler county. Pa, then moved 10
Wabash. Ind. ard 10 Economy. Beaver
county. Pa. 1925. In 1865 the Harmony
Society was organized sRfer q written
agreement. and many other agreements
sulating It's affairs were made IN subse-
spoken OF as unique in the annals OF sosi-
ology. The legal "IIestions passed upon by
the court are TIE most part novel IN
Jurisprudence
The society. organized niRety-fve years
ago. was based on the principle of com
mupity Of goods and land ownership. The
members had brought money with them
form the old country and they combined
FhaH~ Il ~ hanA all h..r- IN
common. living as members OF 4 common
h5usehold. and each member enjoying aliSs
with every other the fruit Of the common
leb.r In equality and brotherhood. The
OJcCTAtion or business Of the society was
agriculture. except IN SO far as Il wss nee
essary 20 manufacture shoes. clothing. and
other necessaries for the community The
members obsyed George Rapp as their
spiritual and temporal leader and rule-
The only laws or rules governing il we're
made by him the members having No
voice in their enactment The membership
OF the society rose 70 upward Of 500. and
as the century drew 10 "a close the court
was asked 10 determine the disposition OF
assets. amounting to and possibly In ex-
cess CT $1,000 Geo. which. il IS alleged. the
prearranged survivors OF the society. eight
or nine in number. had recently converted
into a form that. II legal makes the Joint
and indivisible~ property as volatile as air
and its ownership as mutabIe as negotiable
paper.
T. resent cOmplainanIs were the heirs
of later inter State members 10 the society
since 1895. and they tested their claims on
the fact that the alleged perpetual trust
whether legal or otherwise no longer bars
their participation in the property OF the
society. which their ancestors owned joint
y with the other members OF later inter
HaFa aNsaT-
erty has been made ~divisibIe" among the
present defendants. and certain former
members who have lately had appOrtioned
10 them. out OF this joint and indivisIble"
estate. money ard real estate amounting
10 many thousand OF dollars
The cOmplainants fled their bill 10 pre-
vent further liquidation in the final divis-
ion OF the assets among the present de-
PENDANTS. The bill was fled by Christian
Schwartz, OF West Virginia. Anthony KO-
terba. David Strohaker and Allen Shsle. OF
Or,o. and G.. L. Shale OF South Dakota.
against John 5. Duss. GOttlieb RieHmueI-
ler. Franz Gilman. Conrad HermansdOer-
fer. Edward kellermEn. Johanna Hermans-
dOeTfer. Susie G.. Uuss. Caroime Molt. Ka-
trina Nagel. Elizabeth Beck. Martha Diem.
Barbara GOeh. Fredericka Nuntz. Dorothea
HOehr, Regina LaUJensohlager. Christian
Rail. Henry Rice. and John Reeves. OF
Pennsylvania. and the Union Company
Among the allegations made in the Bill
OF complaint is the one that schemes were
set on foot to wreck the society. and
that John 5. HvGs and others conspired
TO introduce Cyrus Teed md Others into
the society for the purpose of controlling
il, the result OF which has overthrown
and destroyed the government OF the So
ciety, wasted It's wealth. depleted it,. num-
bers and placed the management Cf the
society in his own hands
1t Is also alleged that prior to his Join
ing the society, Dubs was the friend and
confederate of Cyrus Teed; afterward
new conspiracy was formed. the allegation
says. step In which was an agreement
with Judge Hice and Reeves 20 use the
money of the society savings bank: the
borrowing OF 100000 and giving OF the
Darlington mortgage on all the real es-
tate OF the Harmony Society to secure its
payment; the borrowing OF 500, 900 secured
by a second mortgage on the same prop
erty: the sale of valuable dividend paying
stocks in bridge companies. water COM
panies, railroad companies. and other
valuable corporations by artiice and
fraud. and securing most CT the members
to withdraw. aud by threats and intimi-
dation inducing others TO do SO.
The matter was heard in the Circuit
Court at Pittsburg. by Judge Acheson. on
the bill and answer In the bill II was
asked that receiver should be appointed
for the society and an injunction granted
20 prevent sale by the Union. Company Of
property conveyed by trustees. an ac-
counting. the marshaling OF the assets and
a winding up Of the affairs of the society
and a division and distribution Of the
assets. Judge AcheSon. in the lower court
In February. 1899, dismissed the bill and
decreed that the plaintiffs pay the costs.
which included the masters fees in .he
proceedings. Tue plaintiffs appealed and
it was on the appeal that the case was
heard in the higher court. Judge Gray
has now affirmed the decision of the lower