The Washington bee., 1910-02-26
THE VIRGINIA AVE. MASON.

11IE NINIINlA AVE. MASONS
| WON - THE 10Th St. NEARLY Y
| PUT THEMSELVES OUT OF
| BUSINESS.
Now that the suit at law between
the so-called "The Most Worshipfu
Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
Ancient York Masons and the Mos
| Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free anc
Accepted Masons has been settled by
the court of Appeals rendered Feb.
ruary Ist, 1910, deem it but JUS
that the public should know the true
facts in the case, which are as fol
lows:
On October 2Ist, 1896, the Su-
preme Council of the A. A. S. Rite
holding its session in the Masonic
Hail, cor. of Virginia avenue and
10th street, S. e, John G. Jones, a
member of that council was holding
the rank as Grand Chancellor. Fail
ing to be elected Sovereign Grand
Commander in place of Illustrious
Thornton A. Jackson, became angry
excursion this summer. Col. Lewis
and left the Council Chamber. On
the next day, 22nd, he assembled
with IS others at No. II.2o nth St,
n. W., where he communicated to
them the 33rd and last degree of the
A. A. S. Rite and then and there
formed a so-called United Supreme
Council of the A. A. S. Rite. On
the 23rd day of October he appeared
at the City Hall this city and had the
so-called United Supreme Council in
corported without a single subordi-
nate body or consistory in existence.
August 25th, 1896 this same John
10. Jones and his cohorts came to
gether and organized the so-called
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge OF
Free, Accepted and York Masons,
After forming the Grand Lodge they
then organized 3 so-called Blue
Lodges using the same men who con-
stituted the so-called Grand Lodge
constitute the 3 subordinate lodges
and granted them the charter in or
der to give them some semblance of
regularity, for up to this time, bet
October 2Ist 1896 and August Isti
1896, they had made no MaSonS in
the D. C., because they had no Blue
Lodges or any Grand Lodge prior to
August 25th, 1896. This same John
G. Jones organized and set up a
temple of the order of Mystic Shrine
out in the country, at a place called
Brightwood, in violation of the laws
of the Mystic Shrine.
On September, 1906, this so-called
Grand Lodge applied to the courts of
this city Judge Gould presiding, for
an injunction restraining the Most
| lWorshipful Grand Lodge of the Free
| Accepted Masons from exercising its
rights which it had enjoyed from the
year of I848. The case was argued
in September, 1906 when the injunc-
ton was refused. The appellant then
appealed to the Equity Court, over
which Judge Wright presided. On
November I8, 1908, Judge Wrights
Court sustained the decision of Judge
Gould's Court and put the "kickers"
out of business. This is when the
10Th Street so-called Masons were
ordered to disband.
The appellants then appealed from
Judge Wright's Court to the Court
of Appeals, and argument was made
before this court January 9TH, 1910.
On February Ist, 1910, the Court OF
Appeals handed down a decision
sustaining Judge Wright's decision
in refusing to grant the appellants
prayer and dismissed the case, and
levy the cost of the court upon the
complainant thus leaving the 2 con-
tending bodies in the same position
that they occupied prior to September
Ist, 1906.
Thus it will be seen from the fore
going statement that the Most Wor-
shipful Grand Lodge of the Free,
Accepted Mason has won its case in
its defence against the so-called
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge OF
the Free, Accepted, Ancient Masons
| of York.
The entertainment and preSenta-
ton given by Gethsemane Command
cry at the New Auditorium Hall