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Article BROTHER J. LEE STEVENS. ← Page 14 of 23 →
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Brother J. Lee Stevens.
that I never at any time heard you say that the Most AVorshipful Graud Master was not a gentleman , or use any terms to that effect . AVith regard to the " soft sawder , " it appears to me so perfectly ridiculous , that a body of gentlemen should be seriously deliberating upon such a subject , that willingly I would not be a party , even as a witness , to such an absurdity . I remain , dear sir , 47 , Craven Street , Strand , Yours faithfully , 29 th Feb . 1840 . DAN . CULLINGTON . "
Haying examined the witnesses in attendance , Brother Stevens asked for an adjournment of the Board to another day , to give him time to bring up others ; but was refused , and requested immediately to sum up his defence . To this he very naturally demurred , observing that Brother Alderman Thomas AVood , an able lawyer , had been allowed ample time to prepare himself , and it was only reasonable that a civilian should have similar indulgence ; yet , in spite of this , the Board at first attempted to force Brother Stevens to proceed at once ( only one of many instances we could mention
of their gross injustice towards him ) , and then imperatively called upon him to be ready on Monday , the 2 nd of March , it being at the moment late in the evening of Saturday , the 29 th of Feb ., although he pressed very urgently for a longer period , observing , "there have been so many witnesses examined , and at such length , that it is impossible for me to go through their evidence , and prepare even an imperfect defence , WITHOUT DESECRATING THE SABBATH . " And this they forced him to do ! He might as well have applied to Commissioner LIN for a license to import opium into China , as to appeal to the moral or religious consideration of the Board of General Purposes .
However , on Monday , the 2 nd March , Brother Stevens attended , and having first read a written defence in a manner that must have cut many of his hearers to the quick , but particularly Brothers Bossy and M'Mullen , who took their full share of the iniquitous work , notwithstanding the protest against their silling at the Board , delivered the document to the President , with a parting observation to this effect : —I shall now retire , Brother President of the Board of General Purposes , and leave the Complainants to say just what they please in reply ; for I will not remain to hear a
repetition of the impertinence I have already been obliged to suffer from them , without the protection of the Board , ivhen I am not at liberty to pn-otect myself . It was naturally expected by every one excepting the Members of the Board of General Purposes , that the cases would be disposed of so as to be reported to the Grand Lodge on Wednesday , the 4 th of March ; but having given Brother Stevens part of one business day ( the Board always meeting at three A . M . ) , and the whole of a Sunday , to prepare bis defence , took SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS and a Sunday to prepare their decision , which , with a continuation of the narrative , will be found in the following correspondence .
To the Worshipful the Board of General Purposes . W . BROTHERS I am this morning in receipt of a copy of the resolutions of your AV . Board , dated the 1 st inst ., and signed by the Grand Secretary , which was left at my chambers last evening after office hours , and which I here transcribe : — " At a Board of General Purposes of the United Grand Lodge of England , holden at Freemasons' Hall , London , on Tuesday , 10 th day of March 1840 .
, " The R . AV . Brother Benj . Bond Cabbell , President , in the Chair . " The Board having heard the several parties in the case of the complaint of the AY . Brother Peter Thomson and others , against the W . Brother John Lee Stevens , and the evidence adduced , as well by the Complainants as by Brother Stevens , and having fully and maturely considered the same ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Brother J. Lee Stevens.
that I never at any time heard you say that the Most AVorshipful Graud Master was not a gentleman , or use any terms to that effect . AVith regard to the " soft sawder , " it appears to me so perfectly ridiculous , that a body of gentlemen should be seriously deliberating upon such a subject , that willingly I would not be a party , even as a witness , to such an absurdity . I remain , dear sir , 47 , Craven Street , Strand , Yours faithfully , 29 th Feb . 1840 . DAN . CULLINGTON . "
Haying examined the witnesses in attendance , Brother Stevens asked for an adjournment of the Board to another day , to give him time to bring up others ; but was refused , and requested immediately to sum up his defence . To this he very naturally demurred , observing that Brother Alderman Thomas AVood , an able lawyer , had been allowed ample time to prepare himself , and it was only reasonable that a civilian should have similar indulgence ; yet , in spite of this , the Board at first attempted to force Brother Stevens to proceed at once ( only one of many instances we could mention
of their gross injustice towards him ) , and then imperatively called upon him to be ready on Monday , the 2 nd of March , it being at the moment late in the evening of Saturday , the 29 th of Feb ., although he pressed very urgently for a longer period , observing , "there have been so many witnesses examined , and at such length , that it is impossible for me to go through their evidence , and prepare even an imperfect defence , WITHOUT DESECRATING THE SABBATH . " And this they forced him to do ! He might as well have applied to Commissioner LIN for a license to import opium into China , as to appeal to the moral or religious consideration of the Board of General Purposes .
However , on Monday , the 2 nd March , Brother Stevens attended , and having first read a written defence in a manner that must have cut many of his hearers to the quick , but particularly Brothers Bossy and M'Mullen , who took their full share of the iniquitous work , notwithstanding the protest against their silling at the Board , delivered the document to the President , with a parting observation to this effect : —I shall now retire , Brother President of the Board of General Purposes , and leave the Complainants to say just what they please in reply ; for I will not remain to hear a
repetition of the impertinence I have already been obliged to suffer from them , without the protection of the Board , ivhen I am not at liberty to pn-otect myself . It was naturally expected by every one excepting the Members of the Board of General Purposes , that the cases would be disposed of so as to be reported to the Grand Lodge on Wednesday , the 4 th of March ; but having given Brother Stevens part of one business day ( the Board always meeting at three A . M . ) , and the whole of a Sunday , to prepare bis defence , took SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS and a Sunday to prepare their decision , which , with a continuation of the narrative , will be found in the following correspondence .
To the Worshipful the Board of General Purposes . W . BROTHERS I am this morning in receipt of a copy of the resolutions of your AV . Board , dated the 1 st inst ., and signed by the Grand Secretary , which was left at my chambers last evening after office hours , and which I here transcribe : — " At a Board of General Purposes of the United Grand Lodge of England , holden at Freemasons' Hall , London , on Tuesday , 10 th day of March 1840 .
, " The R . AV . Brother Benj . Bond Cabbell , President , in the Chair . " The Board having heard the several parties in the case of the complaint of the AY . Brother Peter Thomson and others , against the W . Brother John Lee Stevens , and the evidence adduced , as well by the Complainants as by Brother Stevens , and having fully and maturely considered the same ,