Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1902-03-23
roREST GAY SHORT
nc ACCOUNTS AS GRAND
CHANCELLOR
10 Knights of Pythias of Arkan-
-Arrested and Put Under
Bond.

.,rrest Gay, the well known local
Urn was arrested Friday night on
- charge of having embezzled $3.50
the colored Knights of Pythias
dc of which lodge he was grand
,,sncelor for some time. Rumors
,cay's defalcation have been current
y. come time but no verification oc-
urred until a special meeting of the
.s.nd lodge was held in Hot Springs
o. Monday. This meeting was called
' :. investigate alleged irregularities
= tho grand chancellor One of the
'.+ondants at this meeting stated to a
cronhic representative that Gay ap-
cared before the meeting and con
s,ssed openly to various irregularities
Nd defalcations. The result was that
Gov was impeached by the lodge, his
sond declared forfeited and J. c.
nukes of this; city, was elected to fiji
.ho vacancy. The grand lodge then
s,od clam against the bond company
ond the company in turn had a war
ront issued for his arrest. His arrest
was accomplished in this city Frida:
night. Cay telephoned people in Pine
Riff that he would arrive in Pine Bluff
an the 1923 o'clock train Accord
;nclv officers were detailed to arrest
him. After remaining in the custody
of the officers for several hours Gay
was released on furnishing a $500
bond for his appearance. His trial
will come up March u in Esquire
Vance's court.
Gay was hustling all day Saturday
attempting to straighten out his af
fairs. and it is stated that he was
partially successful.
Recently Gay and his wife mortgag-
ed certain property for several hun
dred dollars He took this to Hot
Springs with him, it is said, with the
intention of liquidatng a part of the in
debtedness and asking for an extern
sion of time on the balance. Instead
of doing this, he is said to have allow
ed the allurments of the pool room to
have gotten the better him ,ond he
lost large portion of the money.
The affair has created quite stir
in colored circles, of which Gay was
a leading member.
In his statement to the Graphic,
Gay said there were eighuy-siX lodges
in the state. and that only two were
represented at the meeting at Hot
nf
Bluff and Rising Sun lodge OF Hot
Springs. He said that the lodge
here was represented by john
Young and J. c. Duke, the latter not
past grand chancellor and not d
grand lodge officer, and had no right
to participate in a grand lodge meet
ing; that there were only eight per-
sons present. representing only two
lodges out of eighty-siX. He said It
was the duty of J. r. Smith, grand
keeper Of records and seals, to first
notify Gays surety of the shortage,
and if not made satisfactory, to then
depose Gay, the vice grand chancel-
lor assuming the duties of grand
chancellor. Instead of that he says
Smith called meeting for March
II, at Hot Springs, of grand chan
celors and past grand chancellors to
take action in the matter, which was
a proceeding contrary to the law OF
the order, and those present were
vested with no authority whatever
to take any action. and that Smith
had been guilty of INSTRUMENTATION,
for which he (Gay), as grand chan
cellor, could suspend HIM from office.
He says that Dr. Bell is chancellor
commander of st. Pythias lodge, and
that Dung and Duke went to Hot
Springs with no authority from their
lodge.
Gay says he is still grand chancel-
Tor of the grand lodge of Arkansas,
and that he will issue a proclamation
70 the lodges, calling meeting OF
the grand lodge at an early Gate,
when the matter Of his shortage will
be taken up in regular form, and as
is prescribed by the law of the order,
and passed upon in a legal way; that
lhe action of the fight at Hot
Springs will be wholly ignored
Gay says that a portion of his
shortage was paid Saturday and sat.
lsfactory arrangements made as to
the settlement of the balance.
Gay is represented by Judge Smith
=. Martin. He says he feels very
grateful to his white friends for their
aid and to the officials for their kind
treatment while under arrest