The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-19
TT9H ODD FELLOWSHIP
shaken UP BY SCANDAL
riobt Prominent Citizens Expelled From Grand
Lodge for Disappointing Funds.
,moupt Involved Is Said to Be $4OOO-Grand Lodge Will
Sue the Expelled Members.

At the special meeting Of the grand
lodge on Tuesday evening there was
intense excitement because of the
number and prominence of the &C
cUsed and because Of the gravity OF the
charge. They were all present and eX-
Senator Arthur Brown appeared for
them in the capacity Of attorney The
plea made in defense was that the
funds of Ridgely lodge belonged to
the members of that lodge and that
the distribution made of them was legal
and justifiable. Attorney Brown
pleaded that the charter should not be
taken from the lodge. but that if the
distribution made of the funds was nCE
according to the laws of the order.
these men should be given an oppOr-
unity TO return the amount, and con-
tinue in good standing in the order.
The records of the lodge constituted
the case against the men, and il is
claimed that under the laws OF the
order the case was clear and specific.
EIGHT MEMBERS EXPELLED
There are about ninety members of
the grand lodge in the Jurisdiction and
the attendance at this meeting was
] large. Those present deliberated long
on the case. The first vote was taken On
/ sustaining Grand Master Darke in an
nulIing the charter of the lodge. and
the vote was unanimous. Then the
vote was taken on expelling the eight
members from the grand lodge and
this vote was unanimous also Later
Grand Master DaTlIe ordered that civil
suit be brought against the men TO re-
cover the $4,000 claimed to have been
misapprOpriated. He also announced
that they would be tried in a subOrdi-
nate lodge, to be selected by him later,
and If the charges are sustained. the
men VIII be expelled from the order.
Position of Expelled Members.
The position taken by the eight men
who We're expelled is that they con-
stituted the membership of the lodge
and were entitled to the ownership OF
the property of the lodge.
DR.. Ewing was asked last evening
for his side of the case. and he said:
We distributed the funds as we had
a perfect right to do. we did not in
tend to abandon Ridgely lodge; the
taking of our charter was arbitrary AMI
I illegal and we win be with them 70
the end of tire fight
Speaking Of the suit TO be brought in
the district court to recover the. mt
involved, Dr. Ewing said. 4 hau. =
heard of that. but il they enter suit
we viii be-with therl in that. too, and
/ wiH stay with them to the finish.
Z II is stated that an appeal can be
( taken by Ridgeiy lodge from the de-
4 ciSiOn of the grand lodge 70 the Sow
! ereign grand lodge DR. Ewing was
/ asked if ne and his associates would
/ take This step, and ne replied: There
/ is plenty of time to think of that yet.
! 1 cannot say at this time whether an
/ appeal viii be taken or not but we
shall fight the case to a finish.
/ RidgeIy lodge was at one time the
I largest and most popular lodge in the
/ order in this Jurisdiction, and included
I in its membership many Of the promi-
nent men of Salt Lake. IN recent
4 years il has not prospered, and at the
I time its charter was taken by Grand
/ Master Darke il had but sixteen MEM
1 bers-eight in addition to those named
I above 1t is charged by a member Of
/ the grand lodge that the eight men
! who were expelled formed a clique ran
! the lodge in their own interest and
drove all the other members out.