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Sun, Nov 27, 1932                                                                                                                                                                     

Page 7

(AS WRITTEN)

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CHILLINGWORTH GIVES DATA ON EARLY DAYS

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Organization of Masonic Group Here Closely Allied With Progress of "Old Timers" Who Helped Build Country

C. C. Chillingworth, a pioneer of this section himself, recently gave an unusual account of pioneering in south Florida in connection with a history of the Harmonia lodge, F. & A. M. The following article on the subject is by Mr. Chillingworth:

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I have been requested to make a talk before the lodge on the early history of this lodge. I believe I am now the only living charter member, and I presume this is the reason why this request has been made of me.

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For nearly three years from the beginning of the lodge some meetings were held in the second story of the courthouse of Dade county, then located at Juno. In order to bring the history of Harmonia lodge properly before you, you should first understand the nature and surroundings of the country round about us in the year 1892.

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I presume many who are present tonight will ask, "Where was Juno?" Juno was a small settlement at the extreme north end of Lake Worth. Under the Constitution of Florida, a county seat can be removed not oftener than once in ten years. In 1889 a county seat election was held in the old Dade county and the courthouse was moved from Miami to Juno, as this end of Dade county had a larger population at that time than the southern end.

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What a grand old county Dade was! Really it was an empire in itself. It extended 150 miles along the coast from the St. Lucie river on the north to Cape Sable, at the extreme southern end of the peninsula. It was half as long as the distance from here to Jacksonville, and it comprised what are now all or parts of five counties. The county seat remained at Juno from 1889 to 1899, by which time the southern end of the county had a much larger population and voted to have the county seat returned to Miami.

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Juno Unique

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Of all the county seats that ever existed in the United States, I believe that Juno was one of the most unique. In the first place it never was incorporated as a town. It was simply a hamlet or unincorporated village. It had at various times about seven dwelling houses, two boarding houses, one newspaper building and one very small railroad station and a small store building on the dock near the water's edge. In addition, there was the courthouse, the jail and the kitchen to the jail. Juno never had a church. No preacher ever lived here. No doctor ever lived there and practiced medicine there. It never had more than two lawyers at one time. It never had a school-house except the latter part of its career as county seat, and then only a very small one-room building in which school was held for a short time. It never had a bank, or other financial institution. It did have one newspaper, the Tropical Sun, which was later moved to West Palm Beach, and is now published here.

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Albert N. Field had a homestead of a quarter section and out of that quarter section he gave one square acre to Dade county for courthouse and jail purposes with the reservation that the title should return to him, or his heirs or assigns, after the land should be no longer used for public purposes. As a matter of fact, the land never was reconveyed to his assigns until this year. The courthouse grounds comprised a tract approximately 208 feet square, and this property was located just a little less than a half mile north of the end of the lake just west of the right-of-way of the Jupiter and Lake Worth railway.

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Ten Cents a Mile

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This little railroad had a total length of seven and one-half miles, and extended from the south end of Indian river at Jupiter southward to the north end of Lake Worth. The fare was 10 cents a mile. It had one little wood-burning engine, and if the engine should get out of order there was no train until the engine could be fixed. There were only two passenger cars and two or three freight cars, and when the train came to Juno from Jupiter with the engine at the head of the train it had to go backward to Jupiter as the engine could not be turned around at Juno.

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The genial conductor, Captain Matheson, was one of the most obliging of men. No one could be more accommodating than himself. The train would run at most any time to accommodate the public.

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There were two mythical stations between Jupiter and Juno called Venus and Mars. These existed on the map only as there was nothing along the road to indicate where either one of them was to have been located. The train would frequently stop en route between Jupiter and Juno and let passengers out anywhere they desired, and if they should care to do a little hunting along the line, the genial Captain Matheson would oblige them by holding the train until they could get their game.

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Marvelous Hunting

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What marvelous hunting there was in those days. Deer were frequently seen. In fact, one of them was shot during court time from a court room window. Wildcats abounded in the woods. Bear were occasionally seen. Wild turkey and geese were very plentiful, and ducks were so common that they were never shot except for the purpose of obtaining food. Many kinds of fish swarmed in abundance in the Indian river and Lake Worth. It was a common thing for a pompano to jump out of the water in the Indian river up on the lower deck of a large Indian river steamer, and to be captured there. There was wild life all around us and every one enjoyed it.

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This little Jupiter and Lake Worth railway was built in 1888 and 1889. It was owned by the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West railroad, which then ran from Jacksonville to Tampa, and is now the Atlantic Coast line. The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West also had a branch from Enterprise Junction to Titusville. There the same railroad system owned the Indian River Steamboat company, which had a fleet of really fine large steamers plying between Titusville on the north and Jupiter on the south.

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Mail Service

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At Juno we received mail only twice a week and sometimes once a week, and I remember we received none at all during one week. If the Indian river steamers should land on sand bars we would have to wait until they could get afloat and bring our mail on down to Jupiter.

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Mr. Henry M. Flagler purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River railroad, which ran from Jacksonville to St. Augustine, and in the early summer of 1892, announced that he would continue. the road southward, without stating the exact terminus. The name of the road was changed to the Florida East Coast railway, and during 1892 and 1893 was gradually constructed along the west side of the Indian river. There was great speculation among the people of the lower east coast as to what course the road should take in coming south from Jupiter. We all knew that the flatwoods several miles back from the coast were frequently inundated to the depth of several feet, and it was the general belief that Mr. Flagler would never try to build a road through that low inundated land because of the danger of the roadbed being swept away by water.

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Early in 1893 Mr. Flagler had made his first purchase at Palm Beach and he began making plans for the erection of a large hotel there. Exorbitant prices were asked by landowners at Juno, and it was said that this exasperated Mr. Flagler so that he finally concluded to build his road across the flat- woods south from what was then known as West Jupiter. So, the road was constructed where it is now, although the prediction of old- timers that the roadbed would be washed out, has several times been confirmed. In fact, the traffic was at one time interrupted for a week because of high water.

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Decides Site at City

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People living at Juno believed Mr. Flagler would be compelled to bring his road to Jung because of the high water over the flatwoods and prairie. The East Coast canal had not yet been dug through to Lake Worth, and there was no outlet for the water, except one or two small creeks. If Mr. Flagler had r been encouraged to come to Juno with his railroad, many believe that the city which is now West Palm Beach would have been located at the north end of the lake instead of on the west side of the lake. It is also believed by many that the Royal Poinciana would have been built on the oceanfront opposite. Juno and not at Palm Beach, but of course this is all conjecture.

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Mr. Flagler tried to purchase the Jupiter and Lake Worth railroad, but such a large price was demanded that he gave up the plan and instead, brought the material for the construction of the original Royal Poinciana hotel over the little narrow gauge railroad from Jupiter to Juno. It was said that he paid more for freight than the railroad would have cost him.

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Now let me give you a picture of the old Dade county courthouse at Juno. It was a very substantial two-story wooden structure extending 40 feet north and south and 60 feet east and west. It was painted white and as it was quite tall it became a notable landmark in that vicinity. There were on the ground floor only three rooms, one a large room in front occupied by A. F. Quimby, the clerk of the circuit court, and A. E. Heyser, the county judge, and was also frequently used. by the county tax assessor. At the rear there was a small room oсcupied by the county tax collector, and another one used by myself as a law office for about three years. At the extreme west end of the building there was a stairway from the south side of the building leading upward to the second story.

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Jurors Arrive by Boat

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In the second story there was only one large room which occupied the entire area, 40 feet by 60 feet. with the exception of the stairway at the rear. In that room the Honorable John D. Broome would hold circuit court twice a year. The old seventh, judicial circuit, in which Dade county was then located, covered an immense area, taking in DeLand, Sanford, Orlando and Kissimmee in the interior, and Daytona, Titusville, Palm Beach and Miami on the east coast. The good old judge was a most kindly gentleman. His term of court would t not last over two or three days ordinarily, and then we would not see him again for another six months. The terms of the circuit court were great events in the life of Juno and in fact the entire lower east coast. Jurors would come from Biscayne Bay by boat up the coast and enter through the old Lake Worth inlet, and come to Juno dock, where everyone had to walk about a half mile to the court- house.

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Near the southwest corner of the courthouse yard stood the famous Dade county jail, a small, low, one-story building, perhaps 15 feet by 20 feet in size, with a row of iron cells along the north side of the structure. Then in between the jail and the railroad, there was later built a small structure to be used by the jailor and his wife for a home and as a kitchen for feeding the prisoners. Later all these structures, in fact every building in Juno, were swept away by fire, and the entire area is now grown up into very much the same as its original state, — scrub oak, scrub pine, and scrub palmetto, with an occasional cabbage palmetto covering the ground.

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Exact Site Uncertain

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For perhaps 25 years the exact location of the courthouse was forgotten. The original courthouse acre is now covered with nearly the same growth as the adjacent land. It is now humanly impossible to locate with certainty the absolute lines of that acre. The description contained in the deed started from station 378, which was a stake in the center of the track of the Jupiter and Lake Worth railroad. It is now impossible to locate that station 378. The description did not tie in with any section or quarter section line, and for that reason and because the original station 378 is now obliterated, no one can tell to a certainty just where the lines were.

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On May 11 of this year, I started out to try to find the ruins of the piers of the old courthouse and jail. Mr. Hubert Watts of this city took two old-timers and myself to the spot where some of the original brick piers are now lying in ruins. From the locations of the several piers and from our recollection of the surroundings, there can be no possible doubt that the location of the courthouse and the jail can now be established. It is not possible to ascertain the exact location of the house used by the jailor because it had no brick piers under it and the foundations were swept away with the fire which consumed the structure itself.

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It was quite difficult to locate the old ruins but by the help of two trails said to be used by bootleggers, Mr. Watts conduced us to the site after some search. In the interest of historical accuracy, I feel that these ruins should be marked by some permanent monument. Otherwise in another generation, when all who have a personal knowledge of the location will have passed away, it would be physically impossible to locate the site of the famous old Dade county courthouse and jail.

Political Feud

I must now tell you about a political incident which happened in the fall of 1892. At that time there were two very strong rival factions in the democratic party in Dade county. One was dominated by certain active democrats residing at Juno and on Lake Worth. The other was dominated by democrats living at Jupiter and north of Jupiter. A most bitter feud existed between these factions. Each was determined to control the party in Dade county and to ignore the other.

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In those days there were no primaries. Each settlement had a caucus or neighborhood meeting at which delegates were chosen to a county convention to be held in the county courthouse. As the time for holding this convention in the fall of 1892 approached, dire threats were made by each faction against the other. Each faction was determined to organize that convention with its own men. Fraud in the selection of delegates was charged and the factional feeling ran high. It was predicted a few days before the convention that that there would be bloodshed in the courthouse if both factions tried to organize the convention. At the appointed hour quite a number of adherents of each faction assembled in the courtroom and each undertook at the same time to elect a chairman of the convention. Bitter taunts were exchanged and violent language used. I believe it is a fact that practically every man in the convention had either one or two guns upon his person. Our beloved clerk of the court, Albert F. Quimby, who was a man of most peaceable disposition, sat with his six shooter over his knees covered with a handkerchief. Others were equally ready for action. As the quarrel between the two factions grew hotter and hotter, it did look as though the first shot might be fired at any moment. I believe I was about the only man in the convention unarmed and I stood near the rear stairway ready to dive down to the ground floor as soon as the shooting began.

 

Violence Halted

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At this critical juncture one noble old patriarch, Jacob T. Earnest, of Lantana, arose on the south side of the room. He had perfectly white hair and a long, flowing white beard, and he always reminded me of a picture of Socrates. In a low, quiet, easy, smooth voice he began to entreat the men to cease their bitter language and to listen to him. He had apparently talked only a few seconds before his dramatic appearance commanded respect. He then appealed to the 35 or 40 men present, practically all armed to the teeth, except myself, to be calm and listen to reason. He urged them to be reasonable and fair and to do as they would be done by. He said that he abhorred the thought of violence in word or deed. He told them that if it was impossible for the entire assemblage to organize into one convention that the only sensible thing to do was to let each faction organize its own convention, put up its own candidates and then fight out the issue at the polls.

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The remarkable appearance of this good man brought the others to their senses. At once the Jupiter faction organized its own convention in the northeast corner of the room and the Lake Worth faction organized its convention on the south side of the room. Each put up its own candidates, and through the remarkable personality and the soothing words of this good old man, bloodshed was averted. But the election which followed did not do away with the bitterness of the two factions because one faction lost all of its candidates and the other side won everything.

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Talk Over Lodge

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It was just about the time of this election in November, 1892, that a few of us Masons on Lake Worth began to talk about organizing a Masonic lodge. The nearest one on the north was at Titusville and the next one on the south was at Key West. So, for a distance of perhaps 375 miles no Masonic lodge was to be found. A mere handful of us gathered at the courthouse from time to time and discussed the possibility of organizing. We did not have sufficient number for some time to file a petition for a dispensation. But I want to tell you that the work of bringing about better feelings between the people of Lake Worth and the people of Jupiter and the north end of the county, was in my judgment greatly assisted by bringing together the Masons from both political factions. There were really some fine men on each side and Masonry undoubtedly did a splendid work in reuniting them. It was really one of the notable examples of the good influence of Masonry over the hearts and minds of Masons. The fraternal feeling was firmly established and by the time of the next election the old political feud which had so nearly resulted in bloodshed was entirely forgotten.

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As the Masons gathered together there was only one Florida Mason in the whole lot so far as I can remember. The remainder of us all had to send back to other states for our demits from our home lodges. With the slow means of communication here in Dade county, and the slow mails to and from the world outside, this took considerable time. We finally managed to get the minimum number of required demits and then petitioned the grand lodge at Jacksonville for the dispensation. We of course had to await the action of the grand lodge and that took more time, but eventually the coveted dispensation was received, and on July 1, 1893, five of us met and organized the first Masonic lodge ever to be created in this section of the world. There had been considerable discussion over the proper selection of a name for the new lodge. It was suggested that above all we must have harmony in the lodge and all feeling of ill-will must be avoided. I was then fresh from college and knew more of the classics than I know now, so I suggested the word "Harmonia," the name of the Greek goddess, who was the personification of universal harmony. The selection was approved by the others, and the name of "Harmonia" has been kept by this lodge for now nearly forty years.

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Election is Held

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A very fine man named Nelson E. Cowles was selected as the first worshipful master. Captain G. W. Herring, a Confederate veteran from Georgia, was chosen as senior warden. Payton Burnett, a farmer living at Oak Lawn, now Riviera, was made junior warden. I had declined the honor of being the first worshipful master because of my utter inability to memorize properly the work of the order. I simply cannot memorize anything verbatim, and this made me almost useless as a worker of the Masonic ritual. When I was a boy in college I was required to write and memorize an oration to be given before a large body of students and professors. I worked for days and weeks in trying to memorize this production of my own. On the appointed night I mounted the rostrum and repeated the first two or three sentences of my own precious oration and then my mind suddenly became blank. I could not remember a single sentence or even a word that I had previously worked so long to memorize. However, from that moment I spoke extemporaneously, covering practically the same ground as in the original oration and got through without breaking down. From that day to this I have never tried to memorize anything which I must say in public. I consented to act as secretary of the new organization, but I did not take any of the principal offices. John H. Grant of Hobe Sound, who now resides at Fort Lauderdale, was the first man to receive a degree in the lodge.

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Let me tell you some of the difficulties under which we labored at that time. First of all, we had no place of our own in which to meet. There was no suitable hall there at Juno or anywhere else on Lake Worth except the circuit courtroom in the second story of the big white courthouse. Public meetings of various kinds were held in that room. Occasionally an itinerant preacher would take mercy on us and come there and preach to us, although, as stated before, we were such heathens that no church was ever organized in Juno. So, we obtained the permission of the county commissioners to use the court-room as a lodge room on one Saturday in each month. The worshipful master had his rostrum at the east end of the building. The tyler duly prepared stood at the foot of the stairway on the first floor and none but Masons were allowed to ascend that stairway on those august occasions. We have since been criticized for having used a public building for meetings of a secret society, but where else could we go? It was really the only place and absolutely no harm ever came to any one through our use of the building for that purpose. No public function was ever disturbed or postponed and no public business disarranged. There were no Masons on the board of county commissioners so we obtained no special favor on that account.

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Many Difficulties

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During the year 1892, we met in July, August and September, but for some reason there was no meeting in October, although we did meet in November and December. The present generation will never know the difficulties under which we met. There was at that time only one steamboat on Lake Worth. It left Hypoluxo at the south end of the lake in the morning, made various stops and went to Juno at the north end of Lake Worth to get the mail. It then returned to Hypoluxo, but at such a time that it could not be used by the Masons in returning home. There was only one launch then, called a "naptha launch" on Lake Worth when I arrived in 1892. There was not a single man in the lodge who was rich enough to have a launch. Consequently, the members of the fraternity would frequently come many miles in sailboats. If the wind was fair, they would arrive on time. If they should have a head wind or no wind, you know what happened. As a result, we have often waited for hours and hours to get a quorum. Occasionally members would come in rowboats, where they did not have sailboats.

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There was no public road to the county seat at that time. The only access was by Jupiter and Lake Worth railway from the north or over Lake Worth from the south. Although we were few in number and had almost no money, we did have some very fine meetings and the best of fellowship and good will prevailed. Nothing could have been more harmonious than the spirit constantly exhibited in Harmonia lodge.

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Occasionally some laughable incident occurred in connection with the lodge. One of the most prominent, influential wealthy men on Lake Worth applied for membership. It so happened that there were not enough black balls to enable all of the members to vote against him when voting upon his application. His check for the first degree was returned to him, with the statement by the secretary that admittance had been refused. He ignored that check for many months and would not get it cashed. He would not admit that he had been defeated and preferred to let the members think that he never had received the check. Ultimately after a long time, the check was cashed and the incident closed. He never again applied for admission to this lodge.

 

Charter Granted

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On January 17, 1894, we were granted a charter by the grand lodge. Nelson E. Cowles was appointed worshipful master in that charter. I was named as senior warden, but must admit that I did not fill that office with any credit to the lodge or myself. Payton Burnett was continued as junior warden. During the year 1894, we managed to hold nine meetings out of the twelve which we had hoped to have. We gradually grew in strength, and included among our members some of the most representative men, some of the finest characters in Dade county.

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In the spring of 1894, quite a few lots had been sold by Mr. Flagler in the original townsite of West Palm Beach, following the advent of his railroad to this point in April of that year. Quite a few houses were being erected in 1894 in West Palm Beach though the town on the whole at that time had very much the appearance of a western mining camp. We felt, however, that West Palm Beach would be the one important town on Lake Worth, and that, although Juno was still the county seat, it had been sidetracked and could never compete with its rival on the west side of the lake. Through the influence of my partner, Walter S. Graham, a man named John Heath of New York City, in May, 1894, purchased lot 18, of block 13, of the original townsite, upon which lot this temple now stands. The real purchaser was Frank E. Heath, a Mason residing in New York City, although the title had been taken in the name of John Heath.

 

Move is Discussed

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The purchase price was $350 for the 50 foot lot. The corners of the original townsite sold for $500 each and the interior lots in the business section sold for $350 each.

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During our nine meetings of the lodge in 1894, there was a frequent discussion of the question whether we should move from Juno to West Palm Beach, but much as we desired to do so, we were not able to move for two reasons: the first one was that there was no suitable hall in West Palm Beach in which we might meet, and the second was we had no funds whatever with which to purchase a lot or erect a building. So, nothing could be done during that year.

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I moved from Juno to West Palm Beach in January, 1895. Once a month the brethren would hire a boat of some kind to take us to Juno to attend the monthly meetings during that year. The record shows that we held 14 meetings during 1895, as there were two extra communications. The lodge greatly grew in strength through the conservative policy pursued in carefully selecting its members. The spirit of harmony continued to prevail and we were all pretty well satisfied with the outlook, except that we had no money to do anything with. Finally, however, at the meeting of August 1, 1895, a committee was selected to investigate the possibility of moving from Juno to West Palm Beach and select a site for the future home of the lodge at West Palm Beach if such a move should be deemed advisable.

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Incongruous People

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The Town of West Palm Beach was at that time composed of a most incongruous lot of people. On what was then called Banyan street, now First street, were all the numerous saloons of the town, gambling houses and other dens of iniquity, all of which to a large extent were running wide open, both day and night. The rough element was strong and aggressive.

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The conservative, respectable element was also strong, but not so aggressive. In order to give you a clear picture of the situation as it existed here in Dade county at that time, I must now digress a little. A saloon at the corner of Olive and Banyan streets was run by two Englishmen named Blythe and Papworth, who did a flourishing business. One of their bartenders was a man calling himself Sam Lewis, who was said to have come from Texas. It was commonly reported that he had killed several men in that state and had come to this out-of-the-way place in the world to escape detection. I cannot say how true that was, but I do know that in spite of his gentlemanly demeanor and smooth and polished manners, he was at heart a desperate character.

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A man named John F. Highsmith, a tall, lean and lanky creature, with a heart of gold, was tax collector of Dade county. No more honest or honorable man ever lived in our county than John Highsmith but he had the unfortunate habit of playing poker, and it was said that he always lost all the money he had, but his accounts as tax collector were always in perfect shape, and he never lost a dollar of the county's money through poker or otherwise. He was an old bachelor and a friend of everybody. It really was not in his heart to do a cruel act.

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Violence Again

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It was said that he and Sam Lewis and possibly some others had tried their luck at poker and some disagreement arose between Mr. Highsmith and Sam Lewis. Apparently, Lewis became very embittered, although he did not commit any act of violence at that time. Some weeks or months later, Mr. Highsmith and his nephew were in a pool room at Lemon City on Biscayne Bay. Everything was of a very quiet and orderly nature, when Sam Lewis came on the scene and started a quarrel with Highsmith. The two men went out upon the street. Highsmith was unarmed and Lewis had brought a rifle with him. Hot words ensued and Lewis threatened to kill Highsmith. Highsmith extended his arms at full length and told Lewis to shoot if he thought it was an honorable thing to shoot an unarmed man. Lewis than instantly shot and killed Highsmith. The nephew of Highsmith started to run away from the scene, and entirely without provocation Lewis shot him in the back and also killed him instantly.

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There was a great uproar among the citizens of Biscayne Bay who sought to apprehend Lewis, but he rushed over to Nassau to escape detection. It was said that he compelled the captain of a boat to take him over there against his will. There was then a cable between Jupiter and Nassau and the Florida authorities cabled the British authorities to arrest Lewis. This was done through the work of several negro policemen in Nassau, but Lewis, through his braggadocio manner, threatened to kill them with his gun and they turned him loose. He then returned in the same boat to Biscayne Bay, where he was not discovered for some time. A good woman in that vicinity had taken him in and given him shelter.

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Finally, his hiding place was discovered and the sheriff's posse surrounded the house and called upon him to surrender. Several shots were fired without taking effect. It was known that Lewis was heavily armed. He finally called out that if the deputy sheriff named McGregor would come to him alone that he would surrender to the deputy without making any trouble. This offer was accepted by McGregor, who went up to the place where Lewis was lying. Utterly without provocation and in violation of his promise, Lewis ruthlessly killed this young man McGregor. This made the sheriff's posse furious and a little later Lewis was taken alive, although with a broken leg. There was a wide clamour to lynch him at Biscayne Bay instead of bringing him to Juno, the county seat, for trial. As events turned out it would have been better if he had been lynched at Biscayne Bay because in so doing the life of another innocent man would have been saved.

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Heavy Guard Used

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However, Lewis was placed upon a schooner and brought up the coast and through the old Lake Worth inlet, which was some distance north of the present inlet, and finally taken under heavy guard to the famous old jail in the courthouse yard at Juno. In spite of his suffering with a broken leg he was very defiant. Meanwhile, his old friends in the saloon fraternity in West Palm Beach began making plans for his rescue. It was well understood by every one that he would have been found guilty of murder if he should be tried. As I have said, the circuit court met only twice a year, and it would have been nearly six months before another court would be held.

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The reports became very prevalent that an attempt to rescue Lewis would be made on a certain night. Many men residing on Lake Worth were determined, in view of the cold-blooded slaughter by Lewis of three reputable white men, that they would not permit him to be rescued by his friends in the saloon business on Banyan street. So, the night before the rescue was to have taken place, a lynching party was made up on Lake Worth. The formation of such a party was discussed on the streets of this town, although many people afterwards professed to be entirely ignorant of the plan. One of the most prominent and most respected men of Lake Worth came to my office that day and invited me to go with the party that night. I refused to go, not because of any cowardice, but I felt that the law should be allowed to take its course. My father, who was then living here, also refused to go.

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But finally, 12 men heavily armed and not masked, many of whom were known to me to have been in that party left a certain dock on Lake Worth determined to go to Juno and lynch Sam Lewis. The night was dark and they were not discovered. They disembarked on the dock at Juno and quietly walked about half a mile north over the railroad ties to the courthouse yard. As they entered the yard, Brother A. F. Quimby of our lodge, universally loved by all, came out of the courthouse where he slept every night, to see what was going on. He was ordered to get back into the courthouse at once and he did so.

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Jail Door Unlocked

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The party then made a demand upon the jailor named Keyser to be permitted to enter the jail. Keyser for some time refused, but when the door was about to be broken open, he unlocked it. Unfortunately, the sheriff had appointed a negro deputy sheriff, who was also on guard inside the jail. As the door opened, this deputy sheriff began firing toward the crowd outside. This infuriated the men outside and they began firing at the negro. He escaped and ran away unharmed, but very unfortunately the white jailor named Keyser was accidentally killed instead. He was a man of especially fine character and his death was greatly mourned.

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The mob then rushed into the jail, took Lewis out of his cell and carried him to a telegraph pole in front of the courthouse yard where he was lynched and his body riddled with bullets. The crowd then made haste to rush back to the dock at Juno, as it was nearly dawn. After the men were back in the boat, they all took a solemn oath that no one should ever reveal the names of the others who were present. To the best of my knowledge and belief this oath never has been violated. It did not prevent any individual member disclosing his own identity. I was well acquainted with the man who organized the crowd, who was a leader in the community where he lived. He is still living, but has not resided in this part of the state for many years.

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Scores Visit Scene

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The news spread the next morning like wild fire. Scores of people from Lake Worth and the north end of the county visited the scene. As Lewis had wilfully killed three men and had been the indirect cause of the killing of a fourth, no sympathy was expressed for him. But this lynching, which by the way is the only lynching that ever occurred in this part of Florida, had a very disquieting influence upon the public mind. It was feared for some time that the saloon element would seek revenge in some way. Business was more or less upset for awhile. I believe it is only fair to say that the influence of the members of Harmonia lodge was distinctly for the good in bringing about a better state of affairs. Harmonia lodge was true to its name and did all it could to restore harmony in the community.

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On September 12, 1895, a conveyance was made of lot 18, of block 13, of the Town of West Palm Beach to the trustees of Harmonia lodge for the sum of $500. Prices for business lots on Clematis avenue, as it was then called, had so much advanced that this lot could probably then have been sold for $1200 or $1500, but as Frank E. Heath, the real owner of the lot, was a Mason, he let us have it for a little more than it cost him 16 months prior to that time. We were then all excited about making plans for a Masonic temple and raising funds for its erection. There was no architect in the community or in this part of the state, and we made our own plans and specifications.

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Cornerstone Laid

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The cornerstone of the new Masonic temple was laid with appropriate ceremonies. A large crowd was in attendance. One of the most prominent contractors of Lake Worth, Charles C. Haight, who had become a member of this lodge, offered to do the construction work at actual cost with no profit to himself. We wanted to build a solid brick building, but it was impossible to raise funds sufficient to cover the cost. We then agreed to build a brick veneer building and Charley Haight told us that he believed it could be built for about $3000. Prices for material and labor were much lower then than now, even in this time of depression. I was the treasurer of the lodge and was appointed as a committee of one to gather funds for the payment for the lot and the building. At that time, there was very little money in circulation in this community. I do not believe there was a man in the lodge who had as much as $100 cash to his name. The old Dade County State bank would not assist us, and there was no person of means who would make us a loan. But nevertheless, we started without really knowing where we would get the money to finish the building.

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It was agreed that a mortgage on the entire property should be given to myself as trustee for the bondholders and that 350 bonds of $10 each should be issued. I tried to sell the bonds to most every one I knew, and found great difficulty in disposing of them. Eventually we managed to get together $500 and paid for the lot. We then induced Robert Wellborn, who was a skillful bricklayer and a member of our lodge, to lay the brick at a very low price. As I remember, he received only $2 or $2.50 per day. Some of the carpenters and mechanics who were Masons were induced to take their pay wholly or in part in bonds. We had great difficulty in meeting the payroll every Saturday and if it had not been for the kind indulgence of the material men in waiting a long time for their pay, we could not have built the building. We struggled on with the construction work during the months of November and December, 1895, and January, February and March, 1896, until it was finally practically completed. We held meetings during January, February and March, 1896, at Juno and then moved the lodge to West Palm Beach.

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First Meeting Held

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The first meeting in the new temple was held on April 8, 1896, and was an occasion of great rejoicing, although we were terribly in debt and did not know how we were going to work out. On June 3, 1896, the formal dedication of the new temple was held. District Deputy Grand Master James Carnell of Ormond, came to officiate on that occasion, and there was a grand celebration. Masons from all over this part of Florida attended. That night there was held the first school of instruction ever held in Harmonia lodge, and we were all happy over the event.

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During the summer of 1896, a great business depression fell upon the town. The Florida East Coast railway had been opened to Miami in April of that year, and quite a number of our merchants and other business men left West Palm Beach and moved to Miami. It was said that a man could stand at the west end of the city park and look up Clematis avenue as far as he could see on summer afternoons and not one person could be seen on that street. This situation made it especially hard for us in carrying our financial burden.

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The following January, I moved to Atlanta to practice law there. While I was in Atlanta, a certain lawyer of West Palm Beach, representing the holders of some of our bonds, which were then in default, made a demand upon me as trustee for the bondholders that I should consent to allow my name to be used in a suit to foreclose the mortgage given to secure the bondholders. I was desperately opposed to having any foreclosure suit started and refused positively to allow my name to be used as plaintiff in such a suit. A rather severe correspondence took place between the other lawyer and myself in which I was strongly condemned for refusing to start to foreclose. I was determined that we should not lose the property for which we had "fought, bled and died." I knew positively that there was no one in the lodge who could possibly pay off the indebtedness and that we would lose everything if a foreclosure should be started. Fortunately, at that time a brother named L. P. Lane, who was a builder in this town, began to buy up a few bonds and eventually acquired quite a block. He with a few other remaining bondholders carried the load for several years, and in time all the bonds were paid off in full without one dollar of loss to anyone.

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Building is Saved

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We were in serious danger at another time of losing the building through a fire which occurred in the drug store on the ground floor. Some considerable damage was done but the building itself was saved.

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It is now just about 40 years since a handful of Masons on Lake Worth began making plans for the erection of a Masonic lodge. Looking back over these 40 years I say to you that this lodge has been a valuable factor in building up this community; that it has been a source of comfort and strength to many a man and of material aid to many a family in distress; that this lodge has had a stabilizing and conservative influence upon this community and has always used that influence for the good of the community; and that it has had a useful and honorable career throughout these forty long years. And looking forward to the next forty years, which only a few of us will live to see, I am further convinced that the lodge will continue in usefulness to its members and their families and to the entire community; that it will continue to have a stabilizing and conservative influence upon the community; that it will have as brilliant a career in the next forty years as it has had in the last forty years; and that it will always be a blessing to all with whom it shall come in contact.

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