Through the courtesy of Mr. A. W. Petch of St. John, N.B. who with his wife was on a visit here some years ago to his brother-in-law Mr. Frank Wilson and who is a regular reader of the Whitehorse Star, we recently received a copy of the Evening Times-Globe, which is published in St. John and in which appears a very interesting article concerning the Ven. Archdeacon H. A. Cody who is now a resident in St. John but who was, for several years, in charge of Christ Church, Whitehorse.
In August when the Earl of Harewood, husband of Princess Royal, comes to Saint John to attend the convention of the Sovereign Grand Priory of Canada of the United Orders of the Temple and Malta, he will have an opportunity to again meet a fellow member of the Arctic Brotherhood who was initiated into this fraternal and benevolent organization on the same evening 31 years ago in Dawson City, the Yukon.
Ven Archdeacon H. A. Cody of Saint John became a member of the famous
organization of the North on August 13, 1909, the same date as Lord Grey, then governor-general of Canada, and the then Viscount Lascelles, his A.D.C., who is now the Earl of Harewood.
The interesting ceremony marked the occasion of the governor-general's
visit to the northern territory. There was a great gathering of members from all parts of the North and the initiation ceremony was followed by a banquet. To be eligible for membership a man must live "north of 54," but this requirement was waived in the case of
governor-general and his aide.
Visited Together
"It will be a great pleasure to have an opportunity of seeing Lord Harewood again and to recall our meeting in the Arctic," said Archdeacon Cody when interviewed by The Evening Globe. "I well remember a delightful chat we had so many years ago." He explained that while the then governor-general was being initiated he and Lord Harewood had waited in an anteroom and were ushered one by one into a large hall when their turn to join the organization came. When all three had signed the "book" and the actual ceremony was over, tables were quickly erected throughout the hall for the banquet. Archdeacon Cody mentioned that to, this day he has a vivid recollection of the interesting speeches made by the members. He also recalls with pleasure the succeeding entertainment and in particular the grace and nimbleness of a group of Scottish dancers.
Believed to be the only member of the order residing in Eastern Canada,
Archdeacon Cody like Lord Harewood has the right to wear the insignia of the Arctic Brotherhood in his buttonhole. This is a miniature gold prospector's pan filled with tiny nuggets of the precious metal, He also prizes his certificate of membership which declares
that "Brother the Rev. H. A. Cody, M. A., on this day was enrolled on the list of membership of Camp Dawson, No. 4, Arctic Brotherhood, duly signed and sealed, dated August 13, 1909."
International Basis
The Arctic Brotherhood is solely a fraternal and benevolent organization for the benefit of miners, prospectors and others living in the far North on both sides of "the line" in the Yukon and Alaska. It never had any connection with national bias of any kind and the spirit of the order is exemplified by its certificate of membership which depicts the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes draped on either side of a magnificent pair of moose horns. The two flags are centered with the letters AB on the insignia, the small replica of the prospector's pan, which is placed against a crossed pick and shovel. The motto "Fidelity and Friendship" is also shown and the certificate has an arrangement of typical Arctic scenes - a log cabin, built-up cache fir trees against the ice and snows of the Arctic, a fur-clad prospector bearing his implements on his back; and writing the Northern watchwords, "Mush On" on a snow bank; a dog team, speared seal, and a long line of miners heading for the horizon against an effective background of Northern Lights. It
bears a pictured life belt with the words S.S. City of Seattle, as on this ship the organization was founded soon after the turn of the century.
This noted order, the Brotherhood of the Arctic, is not to be confused
with another organization which flourished for a short period in 1907. The latter was called the Order of the Midnight Sun and was a secret society composed of desperados and filibusters. It was formed by a group of adventurers for the purpose of seizing the Yukon territory. Its membership was drawn from a rough element of the population of Skagway and Juneau, Alaska; Atlin, B. C., and Whitehorse and Dawson in the Yukon. Plans were laid deliberately and in the greatest secrecy. Telegraph wires were to be cut, the train was to be captured a short distance from Skagway, filled with armed men to swoop down upon Whitehorse, overpower the Mounted Police and capture the town. The next move in the plan was to be a raid on Dawson.
Plot Frustrated
The actions of certain members of this secret order evoked suspicion, and
thanks to a thorough investigation and the promptness of Major Arthur E. Snyder, officer commanding the North West Mounted Police at Whitehorse in raiding the local headquarters, the plot was thwarted. Full details of the plans were found, the seal of the order seized
and a list of the names of members also was obtained. Various opinions have been held by the authorities. It was apparent that the plot did not have any real connection with the United States, yet some men believe that it was sponsored by filibusters who desired to seize the rich territory of the Yukon, make their own laws and then possibly call on the United States for help and protection. Others pointed out that this was too far-fetched and impractical and stated that the scheme must have originated with a gang of worthless fellows who as soon as the raid was made intended to grab all the gold they could and then drop down river, leaving the others, who had been deluded into joining on false pretenses, fo face the consequences.
Through Error
It is easily seen that this piratical society should not be confused with
the bonafide fraternal organization, the Arctic Brotherhood. Yet at one time a storm of controversy throughout Canada arose through a mistake of this kind. Archdeacon Cody published an article in The Canadian Courier dealing with the Yukon plot, and a Winnipeg newspaper confusing the names of the two organizations, immediately published a story pointing out the many distinguished people who had joined the Arctic Brotherhood. This western daily paper stated that such a plot could not be hatched by the Arctic Brotherhood. Naturally it was not. Proof of the plot, consisting of the seized documents, is still in possession of the authorities at Ottawa.
Unfortunately the Winnipeg newspaper sent a press despatch that was
carried by other papers in various parts of the Dominion, and when The Canadian Courier in a second article plainly stated the facts, apologies were forthcoming.
