The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-23
Members of Local Nest Object
To MonarchiaI Rule and De-
cided to Secede From Old
Order.
SERIOUS CHARGES
PREFERRED BY NEST.
Say Grand Officers Are Graft
ers and Local Organizer
Wined and Dined With an
Actress.

At a meeting of the Richmond nest
of Owls last evening, the members en-
Enthusiastically voted to secede from the
ganiZation with the American Order of
Owls, which has been organized by
nests all over the country, who have
become ashamed and disgusted at the
action of Supreme President Talbot of
the Order of Owls. 1t is openly charg-
ed that he is crooked and that the men
associated with him are of the same
stripe.
President Talbot organized the first
nest of Owls at South Bend, appointed
himself the head of the organization
and adopted its constitution. This
constitution caused the split in the Or
der. 1t provides that the supreme
president should serve for life and that
he should appoint all tn supreme Off
GERS. These two sections gave him
the power of an absolute monarch and,
local Owls aver, he Immediately began
a reign of graft.
At the recent national convention of
the Order of Owls. held at Nashville,
Tenn, an effort was made to amend
the constitution. Talbot fought this
and after the convention adjourned for
the evening, he called a midnight ses-
sion of his henchmen, went through
the order of business to satisfy himself
and then declared the convention ad-
journed until the next annual meeting.
The following day when the rebellious
delegates heard of his action they went
into session and organized the Ameri-
can Order of Owls.
Richmond Delegate Active.
Richmond delegate, caused a sensation
by demanding that James l. Nimel,
the supreme organizer, who installed
the local nest, be removed from the
floor. He denounced Nimel as crook
and said that he had been expelled
from the Indianapolis nest and, con-
sequently was not a member of the or
der, and had no right to the floor Tai
bot stated that Nimel's case was now
pending and that he attended the meet
ing as a representative of the Phoenix,
Ariz., lodge. The delegates, however.
forced Talbot to order Nimel removed
from the floor.
Wined an Actress.
Mr.. Braxton, the local delegate, pre-
sented charges against Nimel preferr-
ed by the Richmond nest 1t was al
legged in these charges that Nimel spent
all the money paid to him by the char
ter members in leading a fast life in
this city. Most of the money, so the
charges read, was devoted by Nimel in
wining and dining an actress who ac-
companied him to this city. 1t was
also charged that he never paid for the
banquet he rendered the members of
the local nest and that the nest had
to pay this bill. Another charge was
to the effect that Nimel went to the
secretary of the order and by false pre-
tense secured SIS in money paid the Sec
retary for dues.
Other delegates to the convention
charged that all of the organizers sent
out by Talbot were crooked. The San
Jose, Cal, delegate stated that the or.
ganizer who installed the nest in that
city was a convict. A Chicago dele
gate charged Talbot himself with being
CRATER and said that he had been
disbarred from practice at the South
Bend bar.