Page 288 - Cornelius Hedges Story

275 The Cornelius Hedges Story

and miners could show their bags of gold dust without fear of being
robbed or murdered. It was powerful and effective medicine, but
it wrought a permanent cure. So complete had been the treatment
that only occasionally since has it been necessary to resort to it to
show that the organization was still alive and ready for business.
Meanwhile the Lodge was actively drilling and getting ready for
work. Every officer had to be drilled in the duties of his station. And
when work began I frequently changed from the Master’s station
to do floor work. I have conferred as many as seven degrees in a
single night and worked till 2 o’clock in the morning. After working
only about six weeks and having carried two candidates through
the Second Degree, we were urged by our Virginia City friends
to return the dispensation and apply for a charter, so as to be sure
to reach Denver before the Annual Communication in November.
When the Grand Lodge of Colorado met on the 7th of November,
1865, the returns and petitions of the two Montana Lodges were
referred to a committee on returns of Lodges under dispensation, of
which Brother Henry M. Teller was chairman, who recommended
that charters be granted. He was aware of our anxiety to organize
a Grand Lodge of our own, and though a regulation provided
that no charter be granted till the new Lodge had conferred all
three degrees, upon his motion that regulation was suspended in
the case of Helena Lodge, and we received our charter. Montana
Lodge was No. 9, and Helena City Lodge, as it was called, was
No. 10, on the Colorado registry. My wardens in the charter were
Brothers Joel Wilson, S. W., and Louis Behm, J. W., with Charles
C Farmer, Secretary, J. C. Hutchinson, Treasurer. Bro. Hugh McFee
was Senior Deacon and R. P. Sealy Junior Deacon, and Robert
Hereford, Tyler. Among the members were Brothers Mark A.
Moore, who had been W. M. of Idaho Lodge, G. M. Payne, who did
not remain long in the territory, Robert Lawrence, first councilman
from Madison County in the Bannack legislature and for several
years my associate in law practice, who died about twenty years
ago, John Moffitt, for many years Assistant Post-Master, who
died only last fall, Brothers O. B. Howe, S. J. Perkins and O. T.
Hare. These were all substantial citizens, some merchants, others
miners, mechanics, hotel-keepers, and one lawyer besides myself.
In December occurred an election for officers of the Lodge. I was
re-elected, but both wardens were changed. R. P. Sealy became
Senior Warden and C. W. Mather Junior Warden. J. G. Sanders, the
first on whom I conferred all the degrees, became Junior Deacon
and for Tyler we had Brother C. J. Miller, in whose cabin in the