Omaha Elks Lodge and Club Rooms
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BMA1IA LODGE NO. 39, Dcnevolont
and I'rotcctlvo Order of Elks, was
Instituted February 7, 188C, by Dr.
Simon Qulnlan (since deceased)
of Chicago, acting an deputy
grand exalted ruler, assisted by a delega
tion from Chicago lodgo No. 4. There wore
twenty charter members and only flvo ot
tflcm now survlvo in actlvo membership
In Omaha lodgo, namely, I. W. Minor, Al
fred Scronson, Thomas F. Iloyd, Omaha;
A. I). Davenport, Lafayette, Ind nnd W. 13.
Anntn ot Denvor, Colo. Tho Installation
occurred lu a hall, southwest corner of
Fourteenth and Dodgo strcots. The trustees
of tho ledgo Immediately secured rooms on
tho upper floor of tho Iloyd theater build
ing, at that tlmo located on tho corner ot
Fifteenth and Fnrnnm streets. Tho ac
commodations wcro small, measuring about
20x78 feet, and consisted ot tho lodgo room
and ono ante-room. There, was no olavator
In tho building and tho Klks of sixteen
years ago climbed, laboriously but cheer
fully, up tho long, long flights of stnlrs to
that far-away upper floor. Hut what good
times they did havo when they got thorol
Tho Klks wcro young In those days and
they wero very frisky. Tho lodgo grow
rapidly In numbers and when the new
Continental block was built, at the corner
of Fifteenth and Douglas streets, tho Elks
felt warranted In leasing for flvo years
tho upper floor of that block. The space
IIIICY are tolling uu amusing story
about Hlchard Harding Davis,
who recently visited Now York
City for tho dog show, where Mrs.
Davis, who has long been Interested
In dogs, had entered some fine exhibits.
Mr. Davis was In the smoking car on his
trip down from Marlon, Mass., whero he
lives, when ho was accosted by an un
afraid strnngor ot somewhat "sporty" ap
pearance "Are you," said this gontloman, choor
fully seating himself by Mr. Davis' side,
"nro you Mr. ?" naming a celebrated
dog fancier.
"I am not," Mr. Davis replied, calmly
encugh, knowing that ho had facts up UU
slcovo which might easily bo mado to an
nihilate this proBUinptuoua Individual. "I
am Mr. Davis Richard Harding Davis."
Tho sporting gentleman drew back with
an air of deforonco and nwo.
"Da you mean to say," ho said, "that you
aro tho husband of Mrs, Davis, the owner
of Woodcoto's Jumbo 7 I'm glad to know
you. That's tho finest bull" but Mr. Davis
had vanished.
A man from Duncdln onco visited (tho
town of) Wellington, relates tho Scotsman.
An Irish friend Insisted upon tho visitor
staying nt his house. Instead ot at n hotol,
nnd kept him thoro for n month, playing
tho host In detail, even to treating him to
tho theaters and othor amusements, paying
all tho cab tares and tho rest. When the
visitor was returning to Duncdln tho Irish
man saw him down to tho steamer and thoy
wont Into tho saloon to have a parting
drink.
"What'll you havo?" asked the host, con
tinuing his hospitality to tho very last.
"Now, look here," said tho man from
Dunedln, "I'll hao nao malr o' this. Here
ye've been keepln' mo at yer house for a
month on' payln' for a' tho theaters an'
LODGE ROOM OMAHA ELKS CLUU.
occupied was CCxl32 feet. Tho rooms weru
very convonlcntly arranged In accordance
with plans submitted to tho builders of tho
block by architects who wero members ot
tho lodge. Tho furnishings throughout
wero flrBt-class, as Is attested by tho fact
that some of tho lodgo room furnlturo ot
today, bought over thirteen years ago, shows
very little wear during the years that It has
been In use.
A fine lodgo room, a magnificent parlor,
spacious card rooms, a billiard room, a
beautiful dining room and a largo kitchen
mado up tho accommodations. There was
a first-class chef In tho kitchen nnd ho
liid every modern convenience for his work.
Thoro was an nbundanco of stiver, china
and linen to set tho dining room tables
with tho best posslblo effects. Thoso wcro
glorious day for thoso of tho Elks who en
joyed tho best ot living, but It was not
many monthB beforo tho trustees discov
ered that tho maintenance ot the grill
room, with Its largo corps of colored ser
vants, undor tho supervision ot a high
priced steward, was running them deep Into
tho holo, nnd tho depth Increased as tho
months passed by.
A halt was called when the lodgo was
found to bo $9,000 In debt. It was then that
the lodge turned Its finances over to George
T. Mills, David Donnlson and Edward 0.
Urandt. In six weeks time thoy had settled
and paid off every obligation ot the lodgo,
Gleanings from the Story
cabs an' drinks. I tell yo I'll stan' nao
malr o' HI We'll just hao a toss tor this
one!"
Senator Quay ot Pennsylvania is not a
laughing man. Ho rarely lets anything
move him beyond the twinkle In his eye,
but a Florida farmer's impression regard
ing him mado him "let loose." The sena
tor, returning from a fishing trip to his
bungulow, ut St. Luclo, Fla., rodo In an
accommodation train, and tho farmer sat
bcsldo him and questioned him. Quay'o
knowlcdgo of countrysldo gossip proved
limited and discouraging.
"Don't belong to theso parts, do yo7"
said tho farmer. "Don't know much abaout
Florldy, do yc7"
"I havo bocn here soveral times In my
wanderings," said Quay,
"And what might bo tho reason yo air
wanderln'7"
"I am trying to nmellorato tho condition
ot man the Inner man," replied Quay, sol
omnly. Tho farmer moved to another seat and
remarked to the man beside whom he sat:
"Talked to thot feller hack thar a good
bit 'fore I found out ho was ono o' them
dern faith healers."
In a speech In Daltlmoro recently former
Senator Oorman related the following anec
dote: "I remember' during Iny servlco In
tho United States nenato when we had quite
a sharp division In our ranks. Ono very
great man Introduced a resolution which
somo ono of us thought was unwise. He
made a half-hour speech, full of eloquence
nnd force, In favor ot this resolution. Just
before ho sat down Icaught his oyo and
shook my head. Tho great roan turned at
onco to tho president.' 'Mr. President,' he
Bald, 'that was ono aldo ot tho question.
Thero Is another sldo.' He then Bpoke
with equal eloquence and force against the
through tho sale of furnlturo, collection of
arrearages from members, etc. Thoy saved
out tho lodgo furniture, nnd when thoy
made their report they also had $200 In
cnBh cn hand and the lodgo was frco from
debt. It was n noble work on tho part of
theso three men the grandest ever done by
nny members of Omnha lodgo of Elks
and they wcro fittingly mndo honorary llfo
members In return for distinguished emer
gency services that could not bo paid for
In money.
Then followed tho only dark days that
Omaha lodgo has ever known. Tho trus
tees secured very much smaller quarters
on tho third floor of tho building on Far
nam street, near Fourteenth, now occupied
by tho I'ostal Telegraph company. Tho
lodgo merely existed thero for soveral
mcnths. Thero wns very little growth dur
ing that tlmo. It was very largely owing
to tho efforts ot Qcorgo P. Cronk, who, at
this critical time In tho history ot tint
lodgo, took tho matter of now and larger
rooms In hand and put through a propo
sition to movo to tho third floor of tho
Wnro block, corner Fifteenth and Farnam,
previously occupied by tho Union club. Tho
Elks have occupied these rooms ever since.
The public is familiar with theso beautiful
rooms. From the first day the Elks occu
pied them up to the present tlmo, the lodgo
has grown wonderfully. It has steadily
prospered and flourished until today It has
resolution tor half an hour. Ho said It was
too serious a matter to tnko snap Judgment
on, and ended by moving to adjourn. After
ward ho came over to me and asked:
'What the devil Is It all about, anyway?' "
"The odd things schoolboys say some
times when trying to bo entertaining are
often spoken of," remarked a teacher In a
boys' school to a Philadelphia Record re
porter, "but I think the limit was reached
by ono of my scholars a couplo of weoks
ago. I had been 111 tor several weeks and
tho boys wcro very uneasy about mo and
showed their sollcitudo by calling every
day to inquire about my condition. When I
was convalescent one ot them came In to
seo mo. Aftor the usual greetings ho stood
awkwardly shifting from one foot to the
other. Finally he looked out the window
and a happy thought struck him. Wood
lands cemetery was Just a faw blocks nwny.
'I'm awful glad you'ro better, Miss Jones,'
he said, 'but I was just n-thlnklng that It
you should happen to get worso It Is a good
thing tho cemetery le so handy to you.'
Then ho looked at mo Inquiringly, whllo my
sister was stricken with a sudden laughing
spell which compelled her to leave the
room."
It was during the Cleveland administra
tion that Prlvato John Allen mado his
famous reply to tho equally famous speech
ot Congressman Iloutello of Malno, says a
writer In tho Kansas City Star. Prcsldont
Clovoland had decided to allow the captured
confederate battle flags to bo roturnod to
tho different states whence thoy came.
Iloutello mado a masterful addross on tho
subject. Ho reminded his hearers of all
tho notablo federal victories and ended in
a blaze of glory as bo painted by word of
mouth tho final surrender. When Boutello
took his seat he had so far carried his
READING KOOM
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CARD ROOM OMAHA ELKS CLUB.
nearly 600 members, and tho prophecy Is
freely mado that by tho first day of next
Juno It will havo 800 members, and within
a year Us membership will bo Increased
to 1,000.
On account of tho rapid growth of tho
lodgo, tho trustocs wero Instructed last
spring to mako arrangements for better
and larger accommodations. Acting under
thoso Instructions, tho trustocs, Messrs.
Canada, Drucker nnd Whlnnery, leased 33x
GG feet on tho third floor of tho Qranlto
block, across the alley, and connected the
third floor of each block with a bridge over
tho alley. The lodgo room In the Wnro
block was enlarged by taking In the former
card room and a hardwood floor was laid
In tho now lodge room. This flno floor has
mado tho room especially enjoyable, for tho
Tellers' Pack
hearers away that thoso in tho gallery and
tho republican members of tho houso burst
forth Into cheers.
Suddenly, from the democratic side, was
hoard tho calm, soothing tones of John Allen
as ho said: "Mr. Speaker." He told of his
joining the southern cause and following
ono ot tho flags about which, the discussion
arose.
"When it was all over," he said, "I
started back homo. I was barefooted, nearly
naked and without money. I concluded to
walk. I trudged along for a day or so, when
a man I knew lent mo a mulo. When I was
about four miles from home I decided to
leavo tho main road I was traveling and go
by nnother routo and sneak In the back
way. I had gone only a llttlo distance
when I saw an old man, a fellow townsman,
sitting on a rail fence.'
" 'Well, John, I see you are back,' he said.
" 'Yes, Undo Zob,' I answered.
" 'Did thoy lick us, John 7'
" 'Yes, Uncle Zeb. They licked us plenty,
too.'
" 'Freed tho niggers, too?'
" 'Yes, thoy freed tho niggers.'
"Tho old man got down off tho fence and,
after he had thoroughly stretched out all
his kinks, ho said:
" 'John, I don't mind being licked so much
and I can stand tho niggers being freed, but,
John, the worst part of It all is that In
about thirty years somo durned fool will
throw It up to us.' "
Mr. Leo Falrchlld, who Is earning to the
front as a humorist, visited San Francisco
not long ago and, llko many literary pil
grims to tho west, determined to pay a
visit to Mr. Joaquin Miller, Poet ot the
Sierras, who Uvea In a charming villa In
tho Contra Costa foothills, across tho bay
from tho Golden Oate.
"What will you charge me to drive to
t ,'t si JM
BE. 1 ABBBBB
OMAHA ELKS CLU13.
dancing parties that havo been so far given
this season by tho commlttco on ladles'
socials. Tho pictures presented In this
lssuo ot this paper clearly show how de
lightful all theso Elk rooms are. The stuffed
elk seen in tho pictures was presonted to
tho lodgo somo years ago by John A. Eyler,
who was complimented by tho lodgo with an
honorary llfo membership for his generous
gift. The new card morn, as shown in these
pictures, with Its Oriental draperies nnd
decorations, was the thought of Dr. J. C.
Whlnnery, ono of tho trustees, and It Is
ono of the show rooms of this city. Wo
doubt very much If thero Is In any
Elk rooms In this country another one so
handsomo as this. The Elks take a great
deal of pride In showing It to visitors, as, In
fact, they do all tho rooms that they occupy.
Joaquin Miller's?" Falrchlld nsked ot an
Oakland cabman.
"Five dollars," wns tho response.
The humorist got In and started away
over the long, rugged road leading to the
poet's slde-hlll hermitage. It was evening
when he started; the night had settled and
tho moon was up when bo arrived. Ho paid
tho driver and wns about to open tho rustic
gato to tho famous homo when tho cabman
said dryly:
"I supposo you know that Joaquin's not
In California at tho present time."
Tho humorist thought quickly and,
smothering his Indignation, replied:
"Oh, yes, of course; I merely wanted to
see how his placo looks by moonlight."
Americans havo not tho reputation of Eu
ropeans for gallant speeches, nays tho Now
York Tlmce, yet thero aro many occasions
when they earn tho envy of tho peoplo who
are more given to snylng pretty things. At
a recent prlvato dinner at which Seth Low
and his wife wero guests ono of tho diners
said to tho new mayor:
"You must be proud to bo tho husband
of tho first lady In Now York."
"I am proud," said tho mayor gallantly,
as ho glanced tenderly at his wlfo, "to be
tho husband of Mre. Low."
On a similar occasion recently tho
American ambassador to tho Court of St.
James paid a graceful compliment to his
wife.
It was at an informal dinner, at which
tho guests wore Intlmato friends, Some
one proposed that each In turn should an
swer tho question:
"If you wero dead nnd could come back
to this world in another body, who would
you prefer to como as?"
When It enmo to Mr. Choato's turn ho
said: "I would prefer to como ns Mr.
Choato's second husband."