Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-03-03

Issued on Friday of Each Week.
Sturgeon Sue. Knights Of Luther.
(Des Moines Capital.)
Rev. Otis. L. Sturgeon of Des Moines
former sovereign scribe of the Knights
of Luther, on February 18th, filed 6
$10,O damage suit against the Knights
of Luther and E. M. Shipley, office
manager of the organization.
Rev. Sturgeon who was ousted from
the league after he had refused tc
withdraw as candidate to the United
States senate in 1914, alleges the anti
Catholic organization sent out circu'
lar letter to the Knights of Luther
castles throughout the country falsely
charging him with beingia dead beat, y
keeping irregular accounts and OF
boosting Catholic candidates.
He alleges that by reason of the pnb-
LEGATION of the letter, his good name,
credit and fame have been injured, he
has been brought into public ridicule
and disgrace and has been deprived of
public confidence.
The letter in question was sent out
August 26, 1915, according to the pc
tition. It stated that after Rev. Spur
geonlhad been mobbed at Denver,
nearly all the Knights of Luther cas-
ties sent him contributions amounting
to approximately $1,000. The letter
further stated that he left Denver
without paying his debts, brought the
money to Des Moines and bought a
magnificent automobile.
The letter stated that numerous out
standing bills against Rev. Sturgeon
had been sent into the league head
quarters with the request that the board
aid in their collection, but that the OBJ
legations were never met.
Rev. Sturgeon was charged with leav-
ing the treasury in depleted condit-
ion and therefore he intercepted bills
mailed to the Office, until draft was
was drawn upon the organization.
He was charged in the letter with
boosting the candidacy of Maurice Con-
molly of Dubuque, Knight of Columbus.
Rev. Sturgeon, who has been min
lister for the past fifteen years, is now
making his residence in Des Moines.
He is preaching at the Sheffield, Iowa,
Baptist church each week.
sSVULo,, H., oo,o oov,oe ~ <riol 7 will
prove that board members of the
Knights of Luther used the organiza-
ton as a Republican club to defeat
Democratic candidates." said Rev.
Sturgeon today in conversation with
1Capital representative
81 will show up the political intrigues
IL these men and how they sent out
out letters to the various castles, in
structing them to get money from
various political candidates and send
20 per cent of it into the head Office.
Il will show how they made the
Knights of Luther 1914 convention q
log roller for Albert B. Cummins and
placed in his possession secret mail
ing list of every Knight of Luther in
Iowa.
Rev. Sturgeon says he is not fight
ing the organization itself but the men
1t its head. 1.-THE rank and file of the
members know nothing [of these in
trigues," he said. 81 attempted to
eliminate these men from control of
the organization.
Rev. Sturgeon was candidate for
the United States senate on the indie.
pendent ticket in 1914 and altho defeat
ed received over 80, 600 votes he says.
1.-The league told me would have to
withdraw from the race" he declared.
did not enter it until had been to do
so by league members. The board
agreed to await the action of the con-
vention but broke the faith and ousted
me. At the convention my candidacy
was indorsed:by the big majority of
delegates.
Ben Bear, the we'll known clothing
dealer of DEBORAH, writing to the De-
corah papers from New York City, says
the metropolis of the the western hem
isphere has every evidence of prosper
ity. He has made eighty semi-annual
trips covering period of forty years,