Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1904-07-22
Missouri Colored Masonic Grand
Lodges Unfraternal Actions
and Spite Work.

told him that under no otner clTcum'
stances would we agree to stay longer
in South Omaha, as all of our men,
bers lived in Omaha, save one.
The dispensation was granted.
Pelham left town that same even
ing, leaving g. f. Franklin to do the
work. who in turn deputized X. w.
Freeman TO so TO South Omaha ana
set up the lodge. which he did on
June 18th. 90, On this accession the
club paid Pelham $500 more. which
he exacted of us. Warrant was grant.
ed on Aug. Goth. 90. BY repeated
solicitations Pelham granted a re-
moval TO Omaha. September 2Sth. 96.
At the Grand Lodge session Aug.
'a7, NJ. o. Ricketts,, for his lodge,
threatened 10 surrender his warrant,
No. 10. if our lodge was not made
TO 20 to South Omaha and stay. AT
said session Pelham appointed him
self and w. II. Jones commission
to come to Omaha and see to the
matter. They arrived in Omaha Aug.
%. 81. and held joint session or
all three lodges next night, at which
time one of the most dastardly and
unlawful. as we'll as highly un-Ma-
sonic, acts was committed by one c..
E. Coleman, member of No. "a, in the
presence of Grand Master J. H. Pei
ham, as well as all others present
without even one word of rebuke from
the lips of the grand head presiding.
He, Coleman, without the least provo
cation, whipped out a large sized
revolved and brandished it in the air
with threats of using it on one OF
our lodge members under certain cir
cumstances. Nor at any time after
was this crime prosecuted or ordered
so.
The commission rendered decision
as follows:
For the promtion of Masonic peace
and harmony, Acacia Lodge No. 40,
tthat being our name and number I'M
der Missouri) will leave her lodge
rooms in Omaha stand furnished as
they are, hold their meetings through
the month of October in South Omaha
and resume our former position In
Omaha, November. '97.
We obeyed. secured the privileges
of the A. NJ. E. church in South Oma-
ha, held we'll attended Lodge Com
munication October 18th, 81, and at
no time through the month OF Octo-
Der did our lodge attempt to hold
meetings in Omaha. Our first meet
ing held in Omaha after complying
with the above order was Nov. 9Th,
'97. The special object of this meet
ing was to decide the question OF
surrendering our warrant for the rea-
son that Pelham failed to give us
orders to return to Omaha, other than
by the original decision of the COM
mission. His district deputy, G. F..
Franklin, was present at this meet
ing and stated to the lodge that he
had reported to Pelham: Orders
complied with" and read from Pei
ham as follows:
Hannibal, Mo, Oct. q, 81.
Respectfully referred to the D. D.
Grand with power to act.
j. H. Pelham. G. M
There and then Franklin gave us
orders TO hold our meetings perma-
nently in Omaha. That settled the
question of surrender
At the annual grand session held
al Springfield, Mo, Aug, '9S, our
lodge had no representation. Feeling
financially unable to pay G. L. assess
ments and a delegates expenses, too.
caused by fees, taxation and the many
useless and unjust bills created by
their acts, we made Franklin our
proxy, but he took quite i'll on his
way to Springfield and was placed
under a doctors care at Kansas City
and did not get to the grand session.
hol 70
ton.
Finding us in this position, Ricketts,
took advantage of it and landed the
knockout blow by making a false &C
cusation, that we had not complied
with the orders of the commission in
that we had not met in South Omaha
as reported.
Notwithstanding on file in the Office
of the presiding officer was the report
of his deputy to the contrary, Pei
ham. without one word OF defense for
us. allowed the following resolution
to pass, tO-wit:
Acacia Lodge No. 46 not having
carried out the provisions of the COM
missioners. said lodge to hold their
meetings in South Omaha until such
time as the Grand Master may chose
to allow them to meet in Omaha"
Under date of Aug. Goth, '9S, Pei
ham sent us notice of the passing OF
the resolution as above stated but
did not say when it should go into
effect. Aug. 31st, '9S, we answered
as follows:
.(First giving in detail facts in the
case, we saidO
I'VE keep a true record of all bust
ness transacted, the same is subject
to the inspection of the Grand Lodge
Grand Master, or his deputy or any
other true Mason. so you and all may
know ;iat not single oroev OF re
quest of yot,rs from the birth OF
Acacia up to the present time has
been disobeyed. If you consider your
deputy unreliable, that you could not
accept his report on this matter as
correct, why did you not have the
matter rest and ask for our records?
Believing that if your orders
are enforced it will be the cause OF
'Acacia's' DISCRIMINATION, we ask that
| a stay of enforcement Of the resolu-
| ton be granted until we have been
given a chance to vindicate ourselves
of the false accusation of MO. Rick
etts which caused the resolution. Our
proxy not being present, we were at
your mercy. Secretary.
Our lodge received from Pelham on
Nov. 7th. '9S, the same notice as the
! other. We at once sent a delegate to
| Marshalltown, Iowa, to confer with
I. l.. Brown, Grand Master OF that
state. We laid before him bundle
of documentary evidences as to how
we had been mistreated and wronged
at the hands of Missouri and her as
sociates in this matter and asked him