Page 306 - Cornelius Hedges Story

293 The Cornelius Hedges Story

The Grand Lodge had a modest beginning of a charity fund
bequeathed by a Masonic association at Blackfoot City, originally
$137, which was reserved as the foundation for charity. This with
accumulated interest amounted to $219.20. To that the Grand
Lodge added $150 from the General Fund, and Silver Star Lodge
was required to raise $200 by assessment of its membership. Thus
$569.20 was raised and transmitted to Eureka Lodge, still leaving
us short of paying the full amount by $133, but we assured Eureka
Lodge that we would send the balance as soon as it could be collected
by contributions from our other Lodges. The result was that Eureka
Lodge was so well pleased with what we had done that the bill was
returned receipted in full. That was our idea of Masonic duty and
honor, to which we still adhere. But we adopted a resolution that
hereafter no lodge should incur an obligation that it could not meet
out of its own resources.
The other case we would mention is one of rare occurrence, that of a
young man known to us as J. Sydney Osborn, very favorably known
as a very capable business man of more than ordinary intelligence and
exemplary habits. He applied to Virginia City Lodge and received
the degrees and after-wards transferred his membership to Deer
Lodge where he prospered in mercantile business. He had removed
from Montana to Minnesota and being about to marry concluded
that he must do so under proper lawful name, which was J. K. P.
Miller. It seems that he started out before he was 21 in business for
himself and through the fault of others became heavily involved. In
despair he abandoned his property to his creditors and left for the
“Wild West” and assumed the name of J. Sydney Osborn. It was the
boyish freak of one who could see no better way to begin the world
anew. After having prospered in business he went back East and
settled in full with every creditor and resumed his proper name. He
applied to Deer Lodge for a dimit under his own name of Miller, but
the Lodge did not know how to act and referred the case to the Grand
Master and he to Grand Lodge. Here it was referred to a committee
which included two Past Grand Masters which presented a lengthy
report taking a very serious view of the case as a gross fraud for
which repentance could not atone, and presented a resolution that
his name should be stricken from the rolls and no dimit granted.
For some years Osborn had lived in Helena, and I had become very
intimate with him, and he was my chief support in the work of
founding a public library. I had formed a very high opinion of him.
In fact, I was firm in the conviction that he was a man of rare
excellence and I could not be content with the report, which was
adopted without much opposition.