The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-11
ROOSEVELT LODGE IN SCRAP.
Its va W0WEy, vOWED ia,IIT
RWE ~ UIDE.
tsrmrr preslirn, Proposed TIA, SIC thiIs
drrn s,,suti ~ Prerequisite 10 tllal.
blti,J ami PetirrmaM Waa ATHEIST Tern
" pirrra To- Veir,ina the TrWutie.

\ NEE, ing II rhcpdore Roosevelt lodge,
b'rith Abraham, composed entirely ~
women aud named out Of respect Ia tho
Presidents known views On race suicide,
broke w In n row on Saturday night. Many
~ the members were In the Yorkville police
court yesterday ~ testify In tho ctse ~
Mrs Sarah Gibson Of 1l2 East Fourth street
against Mrs. Dora Sohmetz. who lives
AT 2Oa Stanton street.
Mrs. Gibson, who IL the president ~ tho
lodge. had caussd the arrest u Mrs. SohmetI,
who IL an eS. prcsident.
Complainant and defendant are middle
aged women. Each had n lawyer In court
and the back benches were occupied by
members of both factions. Policeman
James Murphy, who made the arrest. had
a grievance against both sides, but he
didn't care to make any formal complaint.
He said he had received bruises on various
parts Of his body and his uniform was
ripped and torn
Il ought to have known better than TO
tackle a hundred ladies' when they are en-
gagged in "a warm argument he explained.
1t was late on Saturday night when he
was summoned to a hall in the Florence
plllNllIlkt Ut u u ~ NlhooN aihb pOoBiie ~
where the meeting was held. There was
a shirt waist tearing row in the hall when
he got there. Ii reminded him Of a foot
ball rush.
He tried to squeeze into the mass Of
struggli ng women to put a stop 20 the
hgnt, but m ost of the wonen resented his
butting in. They threw him on a table,
stood him on his head on the floor, tumbled
him over and trod upon him. The fight
between the chairwoman and the ex-chair-
woman moved over TO another part of the
hall and the policeman escaped further
mauling. He finally arrested Mrs. SchInetz'
One OF the artisans of the ex-chairwoman
said in court that the trouble in the lodge
was caused by Mrs. Schmetz wanting the
organization to adopt a bylaw that only
women with six children or more should DO
eligible to membership. Al present the
lodge is composed OF unmarried women.
widows and married women. There was
opposition to the proposed change on the part
OF the merely hopeful, as we'll as Of others,
and the dispute rent the lodge lnto two
factions. 1t was "A special meeting that
was called for Saturday night and the mem
bers were notified by postal card.
The former chairwoman did not get a
notification, but some of her friends in
formed her Of the meeting and she went
there. 1t was while they were trying to
put her out Of the meeting that the fight took
place.
MY client Is the chairwoman Of the Theo-
Roosevelt Lodge Of the independent
Order of Birth Abraham, , said Mrs ,Gibson's
la wyer to Magistrate Finn. We don't
want to punish this woman, All we wanti is
to nave her keep away from our meetings.
We have expelled her
They have not legally expelled her,
She organized the lodge and has paid all her
dues and is still a member in good standing
responded the prisoners counsel.
As there's no complaint here, I'll dismiss
the case" announced the Magistrate.
Each woman was surrounded by her
partisans as they left court. The lawyers
managed to steer one party toward Third
avenue and the other toward Lexington
venue.