The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-09
TRINITY AFRAID
OF INVESTIGATION
fction in Revolving Charter Of Local
Nest Of Owls is subterfuse to
Prevent an
Inquiry.
KEoKUK SIDE SET OUT
Every Allegation Is Denied by keo
kuk Officers and Nest Will
be Continued, They
Say.

Charging that the action Of the nat.
fonal officers, who are known as the
Trinity have cancelled the charter
of the local nest of Owls only as a
subterfuge and sham for the purpose
of preventing an examination of their
own affairs, is made by officers in Keo-
kuk, following the allegations that
the Keokuk nest is violating the laws
of the state in selling liquor, permit
ting gambling and otherwise also vio-
lating the rules Of the order. The
following communication sets out the
defense of the local nest to the charg-
es that have been made:
Tosthe Editor of The Daily Gate City:
In Friday nights issue Of a local pa
per an article appeared in which Il.
was claimed that the local nest of
Owls had lost their charter and led
been suspended by the Supreme Nest
BECAUSE they have failed to pao DER
capita tax, failed to pay benefits fail.
ed to pay the full amount of per capita
tax for the last quarter and is per-
hitting gambling in their clua ronms
and in other ways are violating the
laws of the state of Iowa
After. consultation it was thought
best by the officers and members OF
the lodge to make statement of the
facts in the case. The facts are brief.
ly these:
On or about the 1st of December,
1910 the Supreme Nest revoked the
charter of the nest and sent on AL. d.
Herchenroder to reorganize the lodge
The lodge was reorganized and new
set of officers elected and charter
given us on the fifteenth day of Feb
r,iary, 1911. After the reorganization
we found that the old lodge was in
debt to the extent of over four hun
dred dollars. and although the new
lodge was net under any obligation to
pay this. they voluntarily assumed it
and have paid most of 1T off besides
furnishing new quarters and keeping
up their running expenses.
Az to our not paying our benefit
claims I have TO say that We have
had none under the new lodge, as a
person must be member of the lodge
six months before he can claim bene-
fits and our charter Is dated February
18th. 1911
The reason that We refused to pay
aay further per capita tax Is as fol-
lows. When the lodge was instituted
nons of the nemb ers so far as we
know had ever seen copy of the
constitution of the order and only re
lied uponsthe statements made by the
organizer After we got possession OF
q constitution and by laws of the so
called Supreme Nest We found such q
miserable condition Of affairs that We
determined to investigate the matter
to the bottom. We found among othel
things that we had to pay per capita
tax OF forty gents per year on each
member, and that all supplies, EN-
blems, and paraphernalia must be
bought OF the, Supreme Nest at such
figures as they, should fix. We alst
dicial and executive power of th'
order was vested in Trinity" con
sisting OF the Supreme president, gee
Rotary and treasurer Of the suprem
Nest, with full power on their part II
annul or cancel any charter for an.
reason that might seem sufficient u
them. When we wrote them 10 know
what they were doing with the fund
of the order and why they did not max
some report Of the same, We foun
that this Trinity" was painfully s.
lent. A further investigation hrough
forth the fact that the sta.e of Sout
Carolina had put the whole bushes