1) The Phillips Suicide.— The following is the Reese River Reveille account of the suicide of J. W. Phillips, as it appears in that paper of Wednesday, June 22d:
Last evening Sheriff Taber received a dispatch and summons from Virginia City, ordering him to arrest one J. W. Phillips, who would arrive here last night in the Overland stage, of whom it was alleged that he had defrauded T. J. Nolan of $1,500. The stage arrived at the Post Office at nine o'clock, when the Sheriff looked in and asked him if his name was Phillips. He stated it was. The Sheriff then told him he had an order for his arrest. He said it was all right, and raised up, as if to get out of the stage. He seemed to be looking for something on the seat, when the report of a pistol was heard, which afterwards proved to be a derringer, with which he shot himself through the head. He was taken into the Post Office, and only lived a few moments after he was shot. From papers found on his person, it was supposed he was from Janesville, Wisconsin, where, it is said, he has a wife and family now living. He is about five feet eight inches high, 45 years of age, and will weigh one hundred and eighty pounds. He had a card of membership as an Odd Fellow from the Wildey Lodge No.1, Gold Hill, as having attained the scarlet degree. A second draft of one thousand dollars in gold coin on Wells, Fargo & Co., of New York, payable to S. E. Phillips; three hundred dollars in greenbacks and fifty-tight dollars in coin; also a splendid gold watch and chain, large plain gold ring, a small bar of bullion, with a number of private papers, were found on his person, besides a note for three hundred dollars, drawn December 16, 1863, dated Virginia City (N. T.) payable in gold coin six months after date to deceased, and signed by E. A. Protois, and a large lot of mining stocks. From the testimony of J. W. Stevens, elicited before the Coroner's jury, it, was ascertained that the deceased has been connected with the firm of Pardee, Barstow & Co., stock brokers at Virginia City. S. also recognized the watch chain and a walking stick before the jury as the property of the deceased. S. stated also that the deceased's character for honesty and probity up to the time he left there, about a month ago, stood as high as any one's in the place. His effects are in the hands of Coroner Harrington, and the balance after paying the burial expenses will be turned over to the County Treasurer. Several of the spectators recognized the deceased as an old Californian, and also as a resident of Virginia City
Source: Sacramento Daily Union, Sacramento, California, Monday, 27 June 1864
(2) Wildey Lodge No. 1—Lodges Instituted in Early Days—Odd Fellows Associations—Subordinate Encampments—Grand Encampment of Nevada— Grand Lodge I. O. O. F.—Rebekah Lodges From Institution—Rebekahs in 1904—I. O. O. F. in Nevada in 1904.
"Friendship, Love and Truth," is the watchword of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and their work in Nevada has always been along those lines. It is a strong order, running a race in Nevada with the Knights of Pythias, to hold second place in the world of secret orders, the Masons being first.
Gold Hill was the home of the first lodge, which was organized April 1, 1862. It was given the name of the founder of the I. O. O. F in America, and was known as Wildey Lodge No. 1. The charter members were L. Hite, P. Meyer, W. W. Shelly, J. Pfoutz. M. Schwartz, O. Eastman, J. W. Phillips, W. H. Beegan, H. C. Jacobson. A. D. Elder, J. Lambert and D. Van Vranken. J. W. Phillips was elected N. G.; J. Pfoutz, V. G.; and W. H. Beegan, Secretary.
Source: A History of the State of Nevada, Its Resources and People, by the late Hon. Thomas Wren of Reno, published by the Lewis Publishing Co., 1904; Pg. 249
