The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-14
Amount They Say Was Expend.
ed on B0issiere Eatate.
SUIT TO BE BROUGHT.
Possible That Large Number
Will Be Commenced.
These Would Be in Name of
Subordinate Lodges.

sas today Grand Secretary W. H Kem-
per read a report of the proceedings of
| the grand officers in their effort to Sc
cure from Troutman & Stone the repay
ment of a large amount of money ex-
pended upon the Boissiere property by
the grand lodge during the past eleven
years proposition is now before the
grand lodge to begin suit against
| Troutman & Stone for 0,000 The Odd
Fellows have acknowledged their loss
of title to the Boissiere estate, which
was held by them as the location of an
orphans home, and are now endeavor-
ing to recover the money spent upon
clearing their original title to it and
in Improvements.
| The report just read by Secretary
Kemper was supplementary to the reg
ular annual report of the grand master.
1t included a letter written by Grand
Master J. NJ. johnson in which he de-
mands payment of the money claimed
The letter is:
James A. Troutman, Robert Stone, as
firm of Troutman & Stone, Topeka, Kan.
| Gentlemen:-I desire to call your at
tentlon to a matter in connection with
the Odd Fellows Orphans Home and In
dustrial school, once located at Sillzville,
Franklin county, Kan, and to ask an
| adjustment of the rights and claims the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows of
Kansas have against the property and
you as the owners of the interests OF the
heirs of the late E. V. Boissiere as
given you by the s dpreme court of the
state of Kansas.
4 While this court gave you possess
sion of all the interests of the said heirs
/ of the said E. V. Boissiere, deceased, it
in no way gave you any claim to the
money contributed by the Odd Fellows
of Kansas towards paying liens against
i.Saida property nor the money that Sa id
Odd Fellows contributed towards max
ing permanent improvements on the
estate.
Taking October 1. 1893, as bisis
from which to figure, it being near the
date of the meeting of the grand lodge
at which time reports of moneys raised
for the above mentioned purposes was
Rebekahs prior to October l. 1898, raised
and furnished for expenditure for pay
ing claims and making permanent i'm
provements the sum of..-...-... $13, III, II
The interest, on this at per
l. cent annual interest from Oc-
tober 1, 1893, to October 1,
Before October 1, 1894. the addi-
/ tional sum had been paid of. -. 1855 OF
Interest on this from October l.
1894, to October 1, 1903, is.... 10 237 ,35
Making a total due the Odd Eel
lows of Kansas Oct. l, 1908. $50, 1872 62
Believing you realize the justice of
this claim. and that you are too honor
able to deprive the Odd Fellows of this
money which was raised and paid in
good faith for the purpose of caring
for the orphans, and is in reality the
property of the orphans of the Odd Eel
lows of Kansas: and you realizing you
never paid one cent for possession of the
property that belongs to the Kansas
Odd Fellows in this case, 1 now, as
grand master of the grand lodge L. o.
o. f. of Kansas, call upon you to pay
into my hands, as such grand master,
the sum of $50. 1882.
Yours very truly.
j. NJ. JOHNSON,
Grand Master
The manner of prosecuting the suits
to recover the money claimed by them
has been under discussion by the grand
officers of the order but has not been
decided by the grand lodge. 1t is pro-
posed to bring one suit in the name of
the grand lodge and a large number of
! suits for the individual subordinate
, lodges which made donations toward the
furnishing of buildings on the Boissiere
property. Upon assuming the title to the
estate the officials of the grand lodge
agreed to settle certain claims, the prin-
cipal one being that for $4,000 brought
by Charles Sears as manager, who had
for years been in the employ of f. V
BoiSsiere This claim was settled for
ST, 800. The grand lodge erected and
equipped a gas plant, rebuilt stables
outbuildings and fences and made ex-
| ings on the estate.
| 1t is believed that a committee will
| be named or the grand officer of the
lodge will be instructed to prosecute the
| claims of the grand lodge. Troutman
| & Stone, who bought the Quitcl3im deed
to the interest of Madame Corrine Mar
tinelli the sister of Mr.. Boissiere to
whom the Kansas supreme courts held
| the estate reverted, will undoubtedly OPP
| pose the suit vigorously. 1t is claimed
| them that only a small norton nf
the money raised among the Odd Eel
low lodges of the state was actually de-
| voted to the benefit of the Odd Fellows
| home at Silkville.
who was forced to leave his home in
France by the political disturbance in
1851 caused by the coup d etat of Louis
Napoleon. Coming to this country he
Interested himself in various charitable
enterprises, expending considerable
. money which he had inherited or ac-
cumulated by successful business ven
lures in France In 1859 and 1870 he
purchased 3,156 acres in the southwest
corner of Franklin county, twenty
miles south of Ottawa and undertook
; to establish a cooperative colony OF
French peasantry for the purpose OF
, raising silk On account of unfavor-
: able labor conditions the project was
unsuccessful and in 1892 Mr.. Boissiere
decided the entire property to the Odd
Fellows of Kansas for use as ar
orphans home.
Accompanying the deed were nuner-
Gus provisions concerning the manage
ment of the home and its support. He
l required the appointment of a board o1
five trustees who should hold tbeil
t positions for life or during good be
navior. Upon the failure of the Ode
lFellows to properly support the institu-
ton the property was to revert to his
: heirs at law Within two or three
lyears dissensions arose over the man