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Show THOrai'SIRK 1 A PUBLIC INSULT ATT0RN SAYS American Masonic Vedera-tion Vedera-tion Head Severely Ar-aigned Ar-aigned in Closing Arguments Argu-ments in Fraud Trial Closing ariumrati wer begun today to-day In the government caa against Matthew McHlaln Thnmaon., Dominie Hergera, Thomaa Parrot and Robert i Jamlraon, of tha American Maaonlc , federation, who ara charged with uelng tha malla to defraud. ' After flrat explaining to tha Jury . 1 the provlalona of tha law under which the defendants are charged. I'nlted ("tales District Attorney Charles M. Morris denounced th American Masonic Ma-sonic federation aa a creature of tna mind of Thomson, conceived for tha purpoae of obtaining peraonal gain by deceiving and defrauding the public. Thomson a claims to power to confer con-fer craft degrees under the Indorsation Indorsa-tion of hla patent from tha Urand Council of Kitea of Scotland, by tn supreme council of Loulaiana. were rhararterlaed aa "preposterous, allly, nonaenalcai and an Insult to tha Intelligence In-telligence of tha public. by tha prosecutor. pros-ecutor. "And," he added. "Thomaon knew It." caustic rrttlriam wsa directed toward Thomson's negotiations with that body In the courae of the argument, argu-ment, and Morris declared that lha defendant waa ahuwn to have Inveigled Joseph N. then to Indora hla pat-I pat-I ant. RETAINED LODGE, CHARGE. "Then Thomson," Morris charged, "conceived the Idee that It waa ao easy and simple to deceive people and inveigle in-veigle them Into hie fraudulent acheme that, Inatead of returning these lodges to the Louisiana order, ha conatituted them members of hla own organisation. organisa-tion. Thomson's history, from hla connection connec-tion with Masonry In Boot land until the time of th Indictment, waa traced by the proaecutor, to Indicate that tha defends ni bad withdrawn from the King Ho lorn on lodge of Idaho because of trouble ther, had conceived the idea of working craft degreea, and had looked about for authority, which led to hla dealings with the aupreme council. "George IT. Maury waa enticed to come to a convention la Halt Lake In 19)1 and to bring hla ritual. Jewels and documents, In order that mem-bera mem-bera of th federation might be reassured re-assured by thee indications of authenticity. au-thenticity. "While Thomson waa running thla organisation and claiming authority to I J confer degreea and chartera, he waan't I even a Mason," declared Morris, de-1 de-1 scribing his expulsion from the grand lodge of He oi land. Rvldeno of large Incomes from the conferring of degreea de-greea and granting of dlplumaa were I reviewed, and bergera, aa treaaurer, waa roundly denounced. ! AUTHORITY DENIED. "Thomaon had no authority, and never had any," aald the district attorney at-torney in conclusion. "1 doubt if a parallel to thla case can be found In the annals of American criminal hia-tory, hia-tory, In which the cloak of an In no cent institution was used to dec viva and defraud thouaands." Stanley Price of defense counsel concluded the aeaalon with a forceful appeal for t he accused men. There la nothing in the esse to prove the charge that their chain of title waa falae, he declared. "Witnesses were brought from Scotland Scot-land to disprove this title, but their answers on the witness a tend ahowed taht they knew nothing of Maaonlc, hiatory. Aspersions have been cast upon thla organisation becauae Ita members were not wealthy. Why. the very origin of Masonry waa lowly, having hav-ing been founded by the atonemaaona and the cutter who built t em plea. It was only later that the idea of an aria-toe aria-toe racy grew up and departed from the beautiful teachings of the order." Thomson, Price declared, rebelled from the notion of class differences and eepa rated himself from the bodies affiliating with the grand lodge to es-tabliah es-tabliah Maaonry as he believed In It, under hla charter from the grand coun-Dl coun-Dl of rites. CTRanizer hounded. "Thane gentlemen from Scotland. I Inglis and Reld, who came here to testify, tes-tify, knew nothing of the origins of their own order. They threatened Thomson and he was hounded. Their own lodge drew ita life from South Carolina, yet they are brought from overaeaa In an attempt to send an American citizen to leaven worth, on their opinions that the A. M. V. la spurious. They thenmelvi-r have no (Continued on page t.) THOMSOfTS WORK CContlnuafl frcam pajra 1.) chnrter or document a. Thy hava nothing; to show such a roncluaJon. "Becauaa tha memhon of tha fadara tlnn aro poor, b oca una they hava no caatlrs towarlnsj tn heaven. It Is oxnjirht to drlva them out of exlntanco. lie cauaa Thomaon taufhi Maaonry aa ha believed In It ha Is charged with fraud. These men hava ftoen followed and peraecuted and hounded becauaa they arc potr." In acorrhlns; terms Prlca denounced the membera of the American Maaonlc federation for "akulklns; outM when Thomaon needed a friend. Ho referred to thoao of tha lxta Angela lodaja who hava appeared aa wttneeoea in th case, 11 declared that there had bean no evidence Introduced to ahow that Thomaon had mad th statements at trlhuted tn htm. That Thomaon had been anility only of believing; and teaching; what hla conaclence dictated waa emphasised by Attorney Price, Ha called attention to the fact that Thomaon. waa years of aye and the other defendants middle aa-ed and Intimated what the cona quenceg would b were they convicted and Imprisoned. APPIAL8 TO CONSCIENCE. "If you centleman of the jury be! leva It haa been proved that Thomaon did not believe and teach what hla eon-clence eon-clence dictated to him, then It la your duty to convict him," Attorney Piic aald In cloning;. Court adjourned until 1 o'clock Monday morning;, when cloning; areu-mentn areu-mentn will be made and tha Jury will receive Ma Instruction from th court. ituth pronecutlon and defenae ranted yenle'rday shortly after the conciuaton of Thomaon'N crona examination and Infora ndjoiirninent Judge Wad a counseled coun-seled th Jurors not to mHke up their minds until the arguments of counsel and Iha lnntructlona of tha court had been preaented. Thomson's history In Mnaunry. his clalma to power to confer con-fer vnrto.ja degree, hit various writing writ-ing and his financial sffnlrs were subjected sub-jected to a raking croanftre by tha proaecuilon. Ivid Held and Joseph' Inglla of the grand lodge nf Scotland, j an the only two rebuttal wltneaaen, te- 1 ' ilflml thut their Interview wlih Thnm-nnn Thnm-nnn iHHted but two mlnutea and that' Thomaon waa practically "bowed out.". Thomaon aanerted that the Interview ' was of ten minutes' duration and that1 he hail left aotn of his literature wlthl the two men. This they denied. |