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The Early Introduction of Bogus Freemasonry in the United States of America and Texas Among Colored Masons

Chapter 7

D. Mathews, Grand Master of the King Solomon Grand Lodge of Kansas and

he stated to me that at the time the Grand Lodge of Texas was organized that there was only one Lodge and that was Mount Bonnell Lodge at Austin, Texas, that was in good Masonic standing and that Saint John's Lodge at Galveston, Texas, and the Lodge at San Antonio, Texas, and the Lodge at Houston, Texas had been suspended by the Grand Lodge of Kansas for un-Masonic conduct and that the dispensation to three of these Lodges had been revoked by him as Grand Master of the King Solomon Grand Lodge of State of Kansas and in support of that the King Solomon Grand Lodge of Kansas refused to recognize and hold any Masonic intercourse or affiliation with the Grand Lodge of Texas. That matter came up and was discussed at the National Masonic Convention held in the city of Chicago, Sept. 4th, 5th, 6th, 1877. Eleventh Question--When was the Grand Lodge of Texas organized? Eleventh Answer--A convention of delegates for the purpose of arranging to organize a Grand Lodge of Texas was held at Brenham, Texas, Aug. 19th, 1874, and after some considerable discussion the convention adjourned to meet at Houston, Texas, Jan. 19th, 1875, at Houston, Texas, the so-called Grand Lodge of Texas was organized Jan. 19th, 1875, N. W. Cuney was elected Grand Master and J. J. Hamilton was elected Grand Secretary so it will be seen that Freemasonry in the State of Texas was established in a clandestine manner by the compact King Solomon Grand Lodge of Kansas. Twelfth Question--Did the Grand Lodge of Texas work under the National Compact Grand Lodge of North America and affiliate with it? Twelfth Answer--It appears from the records that the so-called Grand Lodge of the State of Texas took out a charter and worked under the bogus National Compact Grand Lodge of North America and affiliated with it and this same Grand Lodge of Texas now affiliates and recognizes such bogus Grand Lodges as the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and the notorious Compact Grand Lodge of Illinois whose records for irregularity and spurious Masonic work have no equal in any part of the world. Thirteenth Question--Has the so-called Grand Lodge of Texas that J. W. McKinney is the Grand Master of since it was instituted in an unlawful and irregular manner, has it ever been Masonically legalized by any Grand Lodge of Masons in the whole world, if so let them state what Grand Lodge it was, when it was, and where at, that question has been propounded to them time after time and they have refused to answer it and in as much as they have refused to answer it, it must be taken and accepted as being unlawful and a bogus Grand Lodge let me have your opinion about the matter? Thirteenth Answer--I have called upon the leaders of the so-called Grand Lodge of the State of Texas that is managed and controlled by J. W. McKinney and his followers in the State of Texas to name the time and place if they could, if their Grand Lodge was ever Masonically legalized and set Masonically right by any legitimate Grand Lodge in the world. And they have failed and refused to give the name, time or place when the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas was ever Masonically legalized by any legitimate Grand Lodge in the country and they have failed to do that, they are certainly designated as an unlawful and clandestine Compact Grand Lodge. They were established in an irregular manner and are unlawful and bogus from their inception down to the present day and the most of the leaders of the Compact Grand Lodge in the State of Texas are the largest falsifiers, and liars and Masonic innovators that have ever held their hands up toward heaven and as for the truth, for any statement that they might make I would just as soon believe one of them over a spelling book as a Bible. [Illustration: J. F. Van Duzor, 33° Grand Secretary