The Judge Case

The Judge Case

A
Conspiracy
Which Ruined
The Theosophical CAUSE
Part 1

Ernest E. Pelletier

Published June 2004

Edmonton Theosophical Society
Cover design and illustrations by Donovan Sterling.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission.
No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
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publisher.
For information, address:
Edmonton Theosophical Society, P.O. Box 4587, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6E 5G4

Printed on acid-free paper.

Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Pelletier, Ernest E., 1947The Judge case : a conspiracy which ruined the Theosophical cause / Ernest E. Pelletier.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-9681602-3-9
1. Judge, William Quan, 1851-1896. 2. Theosophical Society (Great Britain)
3. Theosophy Quotations, maxims, etc. 4. Theosophy History Sources.
I. Edmonton Theosophical Society II. Title.
BP585.J8P45 2004

299'.934

C2004-903119-8

Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Illustrations: Part 1 & Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Explanatory Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

The Judge Case: Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-309

List of Biographical Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311-312
Supplement to The Judge Case
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Supplement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317-423
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425-444
Index to Supplement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445-448
Works Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449-463
Bibliography of Works by and about William Q. Judge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465-469
Illustrations: Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471-472

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am deeply indebted and grateful to my wife, Rogelle A. Pelletier. This project could not have been accomplished
without the countless hours she contributed to it. Special thanks go to Doris Davy and Ted G. Davy of Calgary, AB,
for the incalculable amount of time they dedicated to proof-reading. As past co-Editors of The Canadian Theosophist,
their expertise and advice were very helpful and most appreciated.
Special thanks to Michael Freeman (deceased) former caretaker to the H.P.B. Library, then in Vernon, BC, for his
willingness to let us photocopy rare materials at his home, as well as allowing us to borrow others. This project would
not have proceeded without his support, and the cooperation of his wife, Jean Freeman.
Special thanks to Grace F. Knoche, Leader of The Theosophical Society, International, Pasadena, CA, for her support
and assistance, and for allowing me to publish, for the first time, two items from W.Q. Judges notebooks. Thanks also
to other members of the organization: Kirby van Mater, John van Mater (deceased), Will Thackara, Jim Belderis, Dave
Weitersen and David Blaschke for their valued assistance.
Special thanks to Donovan Sterling, Calgary, AB, for the numerous hours dedicated toward the cover design and
preparation of the photos included in Part 1 and Part 2.
Thanks must go to W. Emmett Small (deceased) of Point Loma Publications, San Diego, CA, for his counsel and
support, and also to (Mrs.) Carmen Small.
Many thanks are also due to Dallas TenBroeck, Calabasas, CA, for his invaluable help; Dara Eklund and Nicholas
Weeks of Studio City, CA; and John Cooper (deceased), Bega, N.S.W., Australia, for their unlimited support and
assistance.
Special thanks to all the members of Edmonton Theosophical Society for their support, tolerance and encouragement,
especially to JoAnne MacDonald and Robert Bruce MacDonald (Editors of Fohat), Dolorese Brisson, Stephania Duffee
and Maurice Mercier. Thanks also to Albert A. Pelletier of Toronto, ON, for his input.
I am also grateful to the Directors, past and present, of the Lizzie Arthur Russell Theosophical Memorial Trust
(L.A.R.T.M. Trust) for their financial support for my research.
Thanks must also go to Pauline Doberar (deceased) formerly of Vancouver, BC; Marian Thompson, West Vancouver,
BC; Sharon Ormerod, Hamilton, ON; Joan Sutcliffe, current caretaker of the H.P.B. Library, Toronto, ON; Professor
Sue Politella (deceased) formerly of Orrville, OH; Professor Raymond P. Tripp Jr., Concord, VT; Don Smith, Waialua,
HI; Richard Robb of Wizards Bookshelf, San Diego, CA; Jerome Wheeler and Wes Amerman, United Lodge of
Theosophists, Los Angeles, CA; Jerry Hejka-Ekins, Turlock, CA; Brett Forray, Turlock, CA; Daniel Caldwell, Tucson,
AZ; Joseph Ross, Ojai, CA; Vonda Urban, Chicago, IL; John Patrick Deveney, New York, NY; Michael Gomes, New
York, NY; Joy Mills, Ojai, CA; Robert Htwohl, Sante Fe, NM; Daniel Caracostea, Paris, France; Armand Courtois
(deceased), formerly of Kapellen, Belgium; Frank Reitemeyer, Berlin, Germany; William Johnstone (deceased),
formerly of Otorohanga, New Zealand; and Gladney Oakley, Morriset, N.S.W., Australia; Chris McRae and Dr. Art
Basu, Edmonton, AB; and Dr. Harry Lutzer, Edmonton, AB.
For their assistance with various aspects of my research, thanks are also due to Glenda Gingras (Archivist) and Elizabeth
Trumpler (Librarian) of The Theosophical Society in America, Wheaton, IL; Ms Robin Duff, Theosophical Books
London; Leslie Price, London, England; The University of Minnesota, Walter Library, Minneapolis, MN; The New
York Public Library Corporate Express Office; and to Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY.

Illustrations
Part 1 & Part 2
Part 1:
Frontispiece: William Quan Judge, July 1895
1. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, circa 1877-1878
2. William Quan Judge
3. Henry Steel Olcott in 1875
4. Dr. Jirah Dewey Buck
5. (Mrs.) Melissa M. Buck
6. Major General Abner Doubleday
7. Edward Burroughs Rambo
8. Dr. Jerome A. Anderson
9. Bertram Keightley
10. Dr. Henry Travers Edge
11. Dr. Archibald Keightley and Dr. Herbert A.W. Coryn
12. George Robert Stowe Mead
13. Alfred Percy Sinnett
14. Emil August Neresheimer
15. Alexander Fullerton
16. Walter Richard Old
17. Claude Falls Wright
18. Annie Besant
19. Julia Keightley (Jasper Niemand)
20. Countess Constance Wachtmeister
21. Isabel Cooper-Oakley
22. Daniel Nicol Dunlop
23. Ernest Temple Hargrove
24. Dr. Franz Hartmann
25. Alice Leighton Cleather
26. Basil Crump
27. Tookeram Tatya
28. Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti
29. Subramania (Subrahmanya) Iyer
30. Nowroji (Navroji) Dorabji Khandalavala
31. Bertram Keightley, William Q. Judge, Colonel Olcott and George R.S. Mead
32. William Q. Judge (wearing his pill-box hat)
33. Workers at London Headquarters after Blavatskys death in 1891
34. Annie Besant, Colonel H.S. Olcott and William Q. Judge in 1891
35. The Neresheimer residence at Bayside, Long Island, New York
36. Delegates to the Worlds Parliament of Religions, Chicago 1893
37. Group of prominent Theosophists prior to attending the Worlds Parliament of Religions at Chicago

38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.

Illustrations

William Q. Judge and Colonel H.S. Olcott, San Francisco, CA, October 1891
Mahatma Koot Hoomi
Mahatma Morya
Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris (side view)
Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris (front view)
Le Chteau cossais at Enghien, near Paris, France
Le Chteau cossais at Enghien, near Paris, France
Photo of the original Minute Book of The Theosophical Society
First page of the original Minute Book of The Theosophical Society

Part 2:
Frontispiece: William Quan Judge, 1892
47. Annie Besant (1891)
48. William Q. Judge (1891)
49. Colonel H.S. Olcott (1906)
50. Cover of the June 1895 issue of The Path
51. Clement Acton Griscom
52. Ernest Temple Hargrove
53. Henry Turner Patterson
54. George William Russell
55. Charles Johnston
56. Group photo: H.P. Blavatsky with her sister Vera Jelihovsky, niece Vera Vladimirovna Johnston (nee
Jelihovsky) and her husband, Charles Johnston, and Colonel H.S. Olcott
57. Diploma, The Theosophical Society of The Arya-Samaj of Arya-Wart
58. Albert E.S. Smythe
59. William Mulliss
60. Dr. Henry Newlin Stokes
61. James Morgan Pryse
62. Robert Crosbie
63. Alice L. Cleather at the birthday party of the blind Abbot of Kwan Yin Temple
64. Annie Besant with her new colleagues in Theosophy (1894)
65. Kavasji Mervanji Shroff
66. Damodar K. Mavalankar
67. Mohini Chatterji
68. Anagarika Hevavitarane Dharmapala
69. Headquarters of The Theosophical Society in America, 144 Madison Avenue, New York
70. Katherine Tingley
71. Katherine Tingley and Claude Falls Wright on board the steamship Paris (1896)

INTRODUCTION
If W.Q. Judge, the man who has done most for Theosophy in America, who has worked most
unselfishly in your country, and has ever done the biddings of Master, the best he knew how, is left
alone in . . . and if the . . . Society in general and its Esotericists especially leave him alone, without
their unanimous moral support, which is much more than their money then I say let them go!
They are NO theosophists; and if such a thing should happen, and Judge be left to fight his battles
alone, then shall I bid all of them an eternal good-bye. I swear on MASTERS holy name to shake off
the dust of my feet from everyone of them. . . .
H.P.B. [Letters That Have Helped Me - J.N., Vol. 2, pp.116-117.]

Mans destiny hangs by a thread at the best of times, and the actions of a few can affect the destiny of not
only one man, but the rest of humanity as well. Insidious interpretations of certain events color and shape
the thoughts and lives of those who follow. Throughout recorded history it is proven time and time again that
the historical interpretation of events by those who dominate a conflict is generally accepted as the right
one. Unfortunately, truth is the first casualty of conflict. The history within the Theosophical Society is not
exempt from this fate.
Since its inception in 1875 the Theosophical Society has experienced numerous conflicts, some of which
have polarized the membership and created splinter groups that held to their own version of the historical
interpretation. Errors found in the accounts of theosophical history have skewed philosophical arguments
and led to partisanship. Although there are numerous examples, the most troubling remains The Judge
Case.
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott was the first to use the phrase The Judge Case when describing this conflict
in his Presidents Address at the Nineteenth Anniversary of The Theosophical Society on December 25th,
1894. At that time he stated: We are at a crisis that is the most serious within our history since that of 1884.
The unavoidable failure to dispose of the charges against Mr. Judge last July, has set in motion most
powerful opposing currents of feeling. By some he is enthusiastically supported, by others as unreservedly
condemned. These sentiments have survived to this day.
The Judge Case: A Conspiracy Which Ruined the Theosophical CAUSE chronicles the events and tragedy
that besieged and diverted the Theosophical Movement from the Original Program created from the
inspiration and guidance offered by the true Founders of the Theosophical Society the Masters of
Wisdom.
Since 1875 Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (H.P.B.), William Quan Judge and Colonel H.S. Olcott have been
linked as co-Founders of The Theosophical Society. Yet Judges contributions to the Society are not
sincerely embraced by most theosophists because of the cloud of suspicion cast over his character by his
detractors.
An attempt was made in 1884 to discredit Blavatsky by conspiring and fabricating charges of deception
against her, the purpose of which was to destroy both her reputation and the Society she helped create. The
accusations in that case were advanced by Emma and Alexis Coulomb, whom Blavatsky saved from
destitution in 1879. The Coulombs, chided by Blavatsky for unethical behavior, chose to take revenge. They
forged letters and constructed apparatus in Blavatskys apartment at Adyar, the headquarters of the
Theosophical Society, to incriminate her. Eventually, after many years and several investigative reports,

xii

Introduction

Blavatsky was cleared of any wrongdoing. Still, H.P.B. periodically receives bad publicity by those whose
vaunted knowledge is based on ignorance.
Judge, Blavatskys staunchest ally, was painted with a similar brush a few years later this time by
prominent members of the Society. The Theosophical Society was founded on the premise that all members
are seekers of Truth on perfectly equal terms. As a body of students, each has the entire right and freedom
to hold any belief (or un-belief) that commends itself to them, and to express that unconditionally. The book
you are about to read will reveal that in spite of admonition from the President-Founder, Colonel H. S.
Olcott, he along with his associates violated the most vital spirit of the Society: of neutrality in matters of
belief, of brotherly love, of charity, and of seeking deficiencies in oneself rather than in others.
Light will also be shed on how Judge was unjustifiably denounced with malicious bitterness by those who
should have been the first to uphold the principles of Theosophy. Accusations of fraud were directed against
him, privately and publicly. While documents were being used in an insidious manner to bring accusations
of dishonesty against Judge, impugning his character, his accusers were professing that in the spirit of
tolerance and good will, their actions were taken to protect the membership against psychic delusions.
Dr. Archibald Keightley, a prominent London Member of the Theosophical Society and one of twelve in H.P.
Blavatskys Esoteric Section and later her Inner Group (of select individuals for special esoteric instruction),
saw the whole attack on Judge as a way to discredit him, H.P.B. and the Society. Dr. Keightley observed that
these attacks on Judge were initiated by the more orthodox Brahmins who bitterly resented their esoteric
doctrines being presented to non-Brahmins to Westerners. Dr. Keightley understood, as did Judge,
Blavatsky and the Mahatmas especially, that the true Vedic spiritual values had degenerated into a Brahminic
spiritual pride which had stagnated into a purely intellectual activity.
Unfortunately, Judge died before his name could be completely cleared. Following his death, dissension
occurred among his supporters, and any pursuit to vindicate him was lost. Evidence which Judge said could
be used against him in a conspiracy, and could also be used to clear his name, was in the hands of his
accusers and kept away from public scrutiny. Since then these same documents have allegedly been utilized
covertly to sully this mans honor. In writing history, especially a human tragedy, the story can never be
complete or accurate if organizations and historians supporting a particular bias have determined that their
cause is served better if certain documents remain hidden. It is indeed a sad state of affairs when whisper
becomes fact, especially in an organization whose motto is There is no Religion Higher than Truth and
whose goal is Universal Brotherhood.
When my wife and I joined the Society in 1977, through The Theosophical Society in Canada, Edmonton
Lodge (now Edmonton Theosophical Society), two elderly gentlemen were the firm anchors of the group.
The elder of the two, Emory P. Wood, was a serious student interested in theosophical history and completely
dedicated to H.P.B., the Masters, and to the Original Program. The other gentleman, Bertram J. Whitbread,
a few years younger and just as dedicated, was involved with the Esoteric Section (E.S.) and also associated
with a Lodge that had priests in the Liberal Catholic Church (L.C.C.). He studied Alice Baileys writings as
well. Group study was always centered on the original teachings as presented by Blavatsky and the Masters,
and these two gentlemen, both sincere and serious students for over sixty years, maintained a balance within
Edmonton Lodge. I am grateful for the wisdom and guidance they provided and the technique of study they
taught us. Students were encouraged to investigate everything and to determine the truth for themselves. It
was recommended that they start with an understanding of the original program, its source literature, and
its history before exploring other concepts. Examining Judges writings was part of the process. No
contradictions were noted in Judges writings when compared with Blavatskys or the Masters.
In 1985, Edmonton T.S. established a republishing program in an attempt to complete collections of its

Introduction

xiii

librarys periodicals and to share its reproductions of these original documents with other libraries and
individuals. In 1986, my wife and I attended the European School of Theosophy at Tekels Park, England.
Then in 1988 arrangements were made to visit major theosophical centers in California. While the principal
objective of our American travels was to seek assistance to fill the gaps in Edmonton T.S. Librarys
collections, we were equally interested in getting personally acquainted with fellow theosophists and
exploring how the various organizations cooperated with each other, as well as how they viewed the
Theosophical Movement as a whole. Our findings were that most of them appeared dynamic and that some
reconciliation between groups had occurred. In 1989 we toured the mid-Western United States. It became
clear that strong divisions remained and that the main source of the separateness in the Movement was the
conflict that arose shortly after the death of Blavatsky more precisely, The Judge Case.
Since there did not appear to be any one title in print dealing specifically with The Judge Case, I decided
to collect as much information as possible and compile it into a format detailing the facts. The intention at
the time was to render assistance to someone who could further investigate this critical issue and then write
a book delineating the whole situation.
Two specific items provided the starting point. Item one was a copy of Hettie Manskes accumulation of
documents pertaining to The Judge Case which was borrowed from Emmett and Carmen Small of Point
Loma Publications in San Diego, and also offered by Dara Eklund of Studio City, during our California visit
in 1988. Item two was received in 1991. Dallas TenBroeck, associate of United Lodge of Theosophists, Los
Angeles, mailed me a copy of a synopsis of The Judge Case he had recently compiled. Although these
documents supplied some valuable insight, innumerable gaps remained. By the mid 1990s, Edmonton T.S.
had acquired a complete collection of The Theosophist as well as several other early periodicals crucial to
researching The Judge Case. As the accumulation of documents became quite sizeable, we started to record
the information chronologically on computer. A sense of duty has since taken me further than ever
anticipated. What started as a query developed into a very complex investigation that has led to the volume
of documentation and analysis before you.
In 1894, six charges were brought against W.Q. Judge. He was accused of:
1.
being untruthful about his claims that he had been receiving teaching from and communication with
the Masters since 1875;
2.
being untruthful when denying that he had sent letters or messages purporting to be from the
Masters;
3.
being deceptive towards Olcott with regards to the Rosicrucian Jewel which belonged to Blavatsky
until her death in 1891;
4.
lacking straightforwardness with a message regarding Olcotts tenure of the Presidency; and
5.
allegedly using a brass seal to substantiate certain messages, telegrams, orders and letters.
The 6th charge brought against Judge was the most disparaging one. He was charged with sending letters for
personal advantage that purportedly contained imitation script as if sent and written by Masters. Although
this charge was vague at best and no substantial evidence was ever presented, the accusations themselves
were damaging and condemning. The result was that Judges reputation became not only tarnished, but
ruined in the eyes of many.
It is very easy to accuse or cast suspicion upon a persons character, but it is a nearly insurmountable task
to vindicate that individuals reputation. The burden of proving ones innocence can be extremely difficult
at the best of times, but never more so than when the accusers withhold material evidence, thereby denying
the accused the opportunity to mount a proper defense against the charges. Judge and his supporters
maintained, and research sustains, that material evidence has been withheld.

xiv

Introduction

The charges against Judge, virtually impossible to disprove at the time, are even more difficult to defeat one
hundred years later, especially after a century in obscuration. When a defense is brought before any jury, in
this case in the court of public opinion, the plaintiffs case needs to be examined in order to mount a proper
defense on behalf of the accused. Since there are many accusers in this case, some well known and some
hiding in the shadows, a liberal spectrum of factum probans (probative or evidentiary facts; circumstantial
evidence) valuable to the case has been presented. Every extant document made available was utilized to
expose the truth behind this conspiracy and great tragedy.
Many errors were found in accounts of theosophical history that could easily skew ones perception of
events. Whether accidental or otherwise, they may appear slight at first, but when looked at more closely,
they are shown to have steered public opinion in a completely different direction. One such example is in
A Short History of The Theosophical Society, published in 1938 by Theosophical Publishing House,
Adyar. On page 280, Josephine Ransom states that On 6 May Mrs. Besant, Mr. Judge and Dr. and Mrs. J.D.
Buck left New York for England. In fact, Judge did not sail with Besant on that date; he sailed one week
later, on May 13th. This small imprecision in Ransoms book leads one to the erroneous conclusion that Judge
and Besant reached London at the same time. They did not. Blavatsky died on May 8th, 1891 and Judge was
not present to deal with matters related to the immediate impact of H.P.B.s sudden demise, whereas Besant
was.
Many inconsistencies and inaccuracies were also found in Colonel Olcotts memoirs, Old Diary Leaves,
written much later from notes he kept. It is amazing how Olcotts sometimes foggy memory is widely
accepted and relied upon as fact.
Having reviewed all the evidence, the conclusion eventually drawn was that, while the charges themselves
could not be proved or disproved, W.Q. Judge was conspired against. I hope that you, the reader, upon a
similar process of analysis, facilitated by the information compiled and based upon the merits of the facts
presented, will be led to a similar conclusion.
This work is an attempt to bare the facts, to present a detailed factual defense to vindicate W.Q. Judges
reputation, and to repudiate the accusations of fraud. The process used to gather the information is as earlier
described, and the information is organized as detailed in the Explanatory Notes that follow this introduction.
Other than the Supplement, which summarizes and substantiates the findings of my investigation, all the
documentation in this volume, Part 1 and Part 2, is presented in a manner to allow historical records to speak
for themselves. Some familiar documents, and others which may be new for many, are presented. In the
Supplement, a fresh look at the evidence demonstrates that Judge was not only a chela of Mahatma Morya,
but possibly the only westerner aside from Blavatsky to have been initiated by Him into the occult mysteries.
The evidence collected also supports the probability that the ego within Judge was a chela (occult pupil) of
these Masters of Wisdom for a considerable time.
Through this detailed study it is hoped that Judge will be vindicated of the charges, that justice will finally
prevail, that he is awarded his rightful place in the annals of theosophical history as a True Theosophist and
a True Founder of The Theosophical Society, and most importantly as one of the individuals chosen by the
Masters of Wisdom to initiate a paradigm shift in human consciousness in the Western World. It is also
hoped that Judges writings will be read and studied more widely by students around the world.
All organizations are invited to add to this compilation by looking into their archives for additional
information not included in this work, and which should now be in the public domain. The time has come.
Ernest E. Pelletier

EXPLANATORY NOTES
Edmonton Theosophical Societys republishing program has consistently reprinted rare documents without
changes, that is, NO editing. It was deemed that the best way to expose the whole Judge Case was to present
the issues, as they unfolded, by using direct quotations from as many original sources as possible and letting
the facts tell the story.
To facilitate this, the Chronology section has been arranged into three columns. The first column states the
date that the event occurred and represents one file. The center column first mentions the title of the article
or identifies the item from which the quotations are extracted. Titles are in quotation marks and sometimes,
additionally, in italics or in capital letters depending on original source. All quotations, taken from the
contents of that file, are extracted to reveal the central idea. Titles of books, pamphlets and other publications
are in bold letters throughout, except when found within a quotation. On occasion, titles first published as
an article are in quotation marks, and appear in bold after they were reprinted as a pamphlet.
Where NOTE appears in the center column, it indicates either extra references to support the quotation or
where other information can be found relating to it, providing the reader a thread to follow the topic. I have
occasionally added comments, which are clearly identified as such.
The third column indicates the sources of the quotations. These are in bold lettering, except as indicated
above. This format was used, rather than italics, to make the titles more visually distinct. To assist the reader
not familiar with the material presented, full titles, or as much of them as possible were used rather than
abbreviations or acronyms. Vol. indicates volume and Supp. signifies Supplement. Wherever possible,
original pamphlets, circulars and letters have been included as reference sources.
Care was taken to place the source directly opposite the quotations, although this was not always feasible.
Exceptions arise in the cells containing biographical sketches of some of the main characters. In these
instances, the source may not necessarily be directly aligned with the material found in the center column.
A biographical sketch might be a synopsis of events or, in many circumstances, simply quoted in part but not
necessarily indicated as such by the use of quotation marks. However, all the sources from which the
information was drawn are included in the third column.
For quick reference at the end of the Chronology, a List of the Biographical Sketches (in alphabetical order)
is provided for the forty-nine main characters featured. A detailed sketch of H.P. Blavatsky is not included
here, although information regarding her death is mentioned, as biographical information on H.P.B. is readily
available elsewhere.
The Chronology has been compiled as its name implies: chronologically. Documents used in this section
have been in the public domain for some time, most from the time they were written. In the Supplement,
however, I have imparted my perspective on this highly interesting period of theosophical history. The
Supplement includes facts and documents which came my way over the years, but which have not necessarily
been generally accessible and/or available for perusal in the past. Some of these documents and observations
may alter perception of this history.

xvi

Explanatory Notes

The Supplement is followed by: Index to Supplement, Works Cited, Bibliography of Works by and about
William Q. Judge, and Illustrations: Sources. The legend of title abbreviations used throughout this volume
consists of the first column of Works Cited. Publications reproduced by Edmonton Theosophical Society
have additionally been indicated by ETS (in superscript) after the title.
Part 2 consists of appendices which contain some of the documents most pertinent to The Judge Case.
Some are fairly rare while others are crucial enough to the Chronology and Supplement to warrant their
presence within this volume. The reader is thereby provided with access to documentation in its original
context and the opportunity to investigate the evidence themselves. Each appendix includes a detailed Table
of Contents.
Appendices A to J have been assembled, some with an introduction or analysis, and one, Appendix J,
comprises a fresh look at Judges horoscope through commissioned work recently completed by two
professional astrologers.
Mahatma or Master are terms used throughout this work. A definition is included below as it is important
to understand what these words imply in the context of this work.
Mah~tman. (Sanskrit) Great Soul or Great Self is the meaning of this compound word (mah~
great; ~tman self). The Mahatmas are perfected men, relatively speaking, known in theosophical
literature as Teachers, Elder Brothers, Masters, Sages, Seers, and by other names. . . . They are men,
not spirits men who have evolved through self-devised efforts in individual evolution, always
advancing forwards and upwards until they have now attained the lofty spiritual and intellectual
human supremacy that now they hold. They were not so created by any extra-cosmic Deity, but they
are men who have become what they are by means of inward spiritual striving, by spiritual and
intellectual yearning, by aspiration to the greater and better, nobler and higher, just as every good man
in his own way so aspires. They are farther advanced along the path of evolution than the majority
of men are. They possess knowledge of Natures secret processes, and of hid mysteries, which to the
average man may seem to be little short of the marvelous yet, after all, this mere fact is of relatively
small importance in comparison with the far greater and more profoundly moving aspects of their
nature and life-work. G. de Purucker, Occult Glossary, Theosophical University Press, Pasadena, CA,
(1933) 1972, p.92.

Ernest E. Pelletier
Date: April 13th, 2004

THE JUDGE CASE

CHRONOLOGY

Chronology

Lawyers vs Religion, A Paradox.

Pacific Theos.
By Dr. Jerome A. Anderson.
Vol. 1, No. 2, Dec.
Inasmuch as newspaper writers have alleged that Wm. Q. Judge, 1891; p.2
Vice-President and General Secretary of the Theosophical Society,
was a Methodist exhorter when picked up by Blavatsky at the
formation of the Society in New York; it might be well to say that Mr.
Judge was born in Dublin, Ireland, in the year 1851 and came to
America when he was 14 years old, taking up residence in New York
City. For a time he engaged in mercantile pursuits and then began the
study of law with Delafield Smith, at that time corporation council for
the City of New York. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and was
married 1874. For some years Mr. Judge was a member of the law
firm of Olcott, Mestie and Gonzalez and in 1875 he first met Mme.
Blavatsky and Col. H.S. Olcott. He soon became devoted to
Theosophy and assisted that year in founding the Theosophical
Society. Long intimacy with Mme Blavatsky made him closer to her
than was any other person, and he saw more marvels than any other.
For years the Society made little progress and Mr. Judge had small
encouragement as President of the Aryan T.S. and General Secretary
of the Society. But within three years a wonderful development has
occurred and Theosophy is now spreading everywhere with great
rapidity. Is it not unusual to find a layman traveling to expound a
religion, especially a lawyer at this age of the World?
[William Quan Judge was born in Dublin, Ireland, April 13th, 1851.]
Jan. 16,
1882

Letters of W.Q. Judge, XII

The Theosophist,
Letter from Judge to H.S. Olcott. Judge inquires about Mr. Wimbridge Vol. 52, May 1931;
an English architect/artist who had designed the cover for The pp.191-197
Theosophist and travelled with Olcott and H.P. Blavatsky to India on
Dec. 17, 1878. In this letter Mr. Judge mentions that money is very
scarce and he is frustrated because he has no money and wants to
devote his time to Theosophy. He wrote:
If I was a little harder by nature in my profession, I would perhaps today have a little more to enable me to do good work. I draw a small
pittance from the Mine Co., not over Z16 a week and am living within
the narrowest limits.
In an earlier letter (Jan.7th,1882) to Olcott, Judge mentions that he has
just returned from Venezuela and that [i]f this mining operation
succeeds, I will then have time and money to devote myself to
Theosophy actively.

Mar. 18,
1882

To the New York Theosophical Society

Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Letter from William Q. Judge to Major General Abner Doubleday in Vol. 4, No.1,
which he states that he was willing to meet with him but that he had Sep. 15, 1932; p.8
to go to South America for a month or two. He wrote:
I have been identified with the Theosophical movement from its
beginning. . . .
My dear friends I must earnestly and on my honor assure you that
these men [The Brothers and The Adepts] exist. . . .
[O]ne of these Adepts has written me, saying we can expect nothing
while we fail to do anything ourselves.

The Judge Case

Mar. 15,
1883

Letters of W.Q. Judge, XVI

The Theosophist,
Letter from W.Q. Judge to Olcott. It had obviously been a long time Vol. 52, Sep. 1931;
since the last one. He wrote:
pp.754-756
I am still living, but oh my God, what knocks I have had! . . .
I havent a damn red cent of my own, and none of anyone elses
either. I had to borrow five cents the day before yesterday, in order to
get over the ferry. . . .
Well, here in hell I lift up my eyes to those that are above me and do
not deny them. . . . I feel the thoughts of M and K.H. here in my
head all the time, and cannot if I would, and I would not, drive them
out.

June 11,
1883

Letter from W.Q. Judge addressed to My Dear Damodar.

Damodar, p.76
I have your last. On the back is written in red pencil Better come M
I do not my dear friend know your Chohan but suppose it is M
but I venerate him as you do. Olcott wrote me three days ago begging
me to come also & thus I have a great obligation.

Nov. 4,
1883

Letters of W.Q. Judge, XVII

The Theosophist,
Letter from Judge to Olcott.
Vol. 53, Oct. 1931;
I am trying to start up the Branch and will succeed. [George W.] pp.67-68
Wheat offers his house to meet in, and when [General Abner A.]
Doubleday fixes the day we will try it. But people are dead here, and
it will be uphill work when we begin to ask for dues and so on to
cover expenses. I would like to run a Buddhist religious Society here.
In fact, Olcott, I am totally unfitted for any other business but
Theosophy and Buddhism.
NOTE: In a previous letter (May 15, 1883) to Olcott, Judge wrote:
The Theosophist,
T.S. in New York hangs fire. I have been unable to do anything, and Vol. 52, Sep. 1931;
Doubleday says there seems to be a great opposition in the air, pp.754-756
presumably from India. He said the other day he would like to be
permitted to resign; but thats confidential. Let him write about it
himself.

Dec. 3,
1883

Official Reports
The Theosophist,
THE ARYAN THEOSOPHISTS OF NEW YORK.
Vol. 5, Feb.1884;
The New York Branch of the Theosophical Society has been formed Supp. p.31
with the above title. Officers are: President S William Q. Judge,
Secretary S Mortimer Marble, Treasurer S George W. Wheat. . . .
The Societys objects are
To promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern religions and
sciences, and vindicate its importance; to investigate the hidden
mysteries of Nature, and the psychical powers latent in man; and to
co-operate in the general work of the Theosophical Society.

Chronology

Dec. 4,
1883

THEOSOPHISTS REORGANIZING.
The Theosophist,
THE PEOPLE WHO SET NEW YORK TALKING SEVEN YEARS AGO.
Vol. 5, Feb.1884;
The New York Herald published an account of the meeting held at Supp. p.31
Mr. Wheats house at 355 West, 28th St. N.Y. City.
A most extraordinary meeting was held in a private residence up
town last night, at which a small group of gentlemen gathered together
for the purpose of reviving the work of the Theosophical Society,
started in New York nearly a decade ago, by Madame Blavatsky.
. . .the nucleus has been preserved, and some ten days ago word was
received by several of the initiates that a certain priest would be in
New York, yesterday, and would expect to meet a select few at the
place mentioned last evening.
General Abner A. Doubleday presided, William Q. Judge was
secretary. There were a boss printer, a somewhat noted journalist, a
professional accountant, a retired merchant, a student or two and
others of less note were present.
General Doubleday introduced the Hindoo, not by name, but as the
messenger of the Society. Some of those present recognized him as
the man who was present at the cremation of the Baron de Palm and
at the later ceremony of casting the Barons ashes into the sea. He was
attired with Oriental magnificence, strangely contrasting with the
business suits of the others. On his breast gleamed a jewel wrought
with the mystic word. OM. He spoke very little, but after
announcing that the time had come for the active work of the New
York Branch of the Theosophists, he read in Hindoostanee a short
passage from the Mahabbarat and gave to the acting President
(General Doubleday) a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita. . . .
After delivering his message and the book, the Hindoo disappeared.
No one followed him or asked a question. Immediately after this
event the ones present organized the new Society and elected their
officers and a second meeting was announced for the following
Monday, Dec. 10th.

Dec. 10 and
17, 1883

The Aryan Theosophical Society (New York.)

THE NEW YORK THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY has been formed under the
name of THE ARYAN THEOSOPHISTS of New Yorkthe N.Y. Branch of
the Theosophical Society.
The Third meeting was on [Monday] December 17th, 1883, and
showed an increase of interest. . . .
. . . we expect to get new members. In this we are careful however,
as we do not care to let in inharmonious people, who only wish to rule
and ruin.
NOTE: In an earlier letter (Jan. 16, 1882) to Olcott, Mr. Judge expressed
his concern about a proposed Lodge setting up in Rochester, NY. He
stated:
The people who propose it in Rochester are members of the liberal
league there, and whether they are good or not for the Society I do not
know. What I have always been afraid of is that we might get in some
people who would not do us any good, for here in the U.S. the people
who first run after such an ism as ours are generally the crackbrained
spiritualists and free-lovers, none of whom I care to have in.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 5, Mar. 1884;
Supp. p.54

The Theosophist,
Vol. 52, May 1931;
p.196

The Judge Case

Jan. 21,
1884

Feb. 15,
1884

Presidential Special Order

The day President Olcott left Head-quarters, (for Ceylon via Bombay
then to Marseilles on Feb. 20th on his way to London), he issued a
Presidential Special Order appointing Messrs. R. Raghoonath Row,
Diwan Bahadur; G. Muttusswami Chetty, Garu; P. Sreenivasa Row,
Garu; and T. Subba Row, Garu to supervise and carry on executive
powers of the President while he was away. Their jurisdiction to
cover the financial, executive and supervisory affairs of the Society.
[See Feb. 19, 1884 entry for more information.]
NOTE: H.S. Olcott was to return to Adyar only in July but returned on
Feb. 13th. He met H.P.B. in Bombay on Feb. 18th and sailed from
Bombay for Marseilles on Feb. 20th. He returned on Nov. 15th. [See
Nov. 17, 1884]
On Dec. 17th Olcott met H.P.B. in Colombo. She was accompanied by
C.W. Leadbeater, and Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Cooper-Oakley.[See Dec. 21,
1884 entry.]

The Theosophist,
Vol. 5, Feb. 1884;
Supp. pp.41-42

Hammer on the
Mountain.
pp.328-329

H.P.B leaves Wadhwan for Bombay after her visit with His Highness the The Theosophist,
Thakore Saheb. She was accompanied by Baboo Mohini M. Vol. 5, Apr. 1884;
Chatterjee and Franz Hartmann.
Supp. p.65
Hartmann (An American Buddhist) returned to Adyar on Feb. 29.
Report, p.32
H.P.B., H.S.O, Mohini M. Chatterchi, Burjorji J. Padshah,
S.Krishnamarchari (Babaji) and Babula (H.P.B.s servant) sailed on BCW, Vol. 6, p.xxvi
the 20th, from Bombay for Marseilles, France on the S.S.
Chandernagore.
First Report, p.123

Feb. 19,
1884

Presidential Special Orders.

The Theosophist,
From Camp, Bombay. Three more names are added to the Executive Vol. 5, Mar. 1884;
Committee: St. George Lane-Fox, Esq., Dr. F. Hartmann, and W.T. Supp. p.54
Brown. . . . and the whole will be known as the Board of Control.
NOTE: [See Jan. 21, 1884.]
List of Special Executive Committee appointed by Col. Olcott.

Feb. 20,
1884

Vol. 5, Mar. 1884;

p.154

Madame Blavatsky and H.S. Olcott sail from Bombay for Marseilles, The Theosophist,
France on the S.S. Chandernagore. They were accompanied by Vol. 5, Mar. 1884;
Mohini M. Chatterji, Burjorji J. Padshah, S. Krishnamachari (Babaji) p.154
and Babula, Blavatskys servant.
BCW, Vol. 6, p.xxvi
NOTE: On Feb. 15th Mme. Blavatsky left Wadhwan for Bombay. She was
accompanied by Franz Hartmann and Baboo Mohini M. Chatterjee. The Theosophist,
During their train ride Franz Hartmann describes an interesting Vol. 5, Apr. 1884;
phenomenon which occurred which is similar to the phenomenon that p.65
occurred at the May 27th, 1891, E. S. Advisory Council Meeting. See
May 27, 1891 entry.

Chronology

Feb./Mar.
1884

In the winter of 1884 news came to William Q. Judge in New York that
the long severed relations between himself, H.P.B. and Col. Olcott
were to be renewed, and the pen work resumed just where it had been
laid down at the time of their departure for India in 1878.
NOTE: There is no indication of an exact date for W. Q. Judges arrival
in London. In a letter some time after his arrival he wrote: Since
February 27th I have not met a congenial soul save Thomas. . . . Then
he adds March 20th . . . No further news from Olcott or the rest.

The Word,
Vol. 14, Mar. 1912,
p.324

p.331

Mar. 25,
1884

William Quan Judge arrives in Paris (from where he eventually made his The Word,
way to India). He is told by Madame Blavatsky that the Master had Vol. 15, Apr. 1912;
told her in India, that he was doing, or about to do something with pp.17-18
and for me. Also that he had been ordered by the Masters to stop
here and help Madame in writing the Secret Doctrine.. . .

Mar. 27,
1884

H.P. Blavatsky and H.S.Olcott leave Nice for Paris.

Old Diary Leaves,
We reached Marseilles at 9.30 p.m., and Paris the next evening at Third Series, p.86
11p.m. Mohini, Dr. Thurman, F.T.S. and W.Q. Judge who had left
New York for India met us at the station. . . .

Mar. 27, 1884

continued

Under orders from K.H. the Board of Control gave a months leave, and Report, p.34
money for Mme. Coulomb to buy new clothing, for a vacation from
Adyar at Ooty (Ootacamund).
Hastings, Vol. 2,
p.77
th
th
NOTE: During the period from February 7 up to the 29 , when Hartmann
returned to Adyar, the Coulombs had undisputed possession of
Madame Blavatskys room.

Apr. 24,
1884

Letter from W.Q. Judge, XVII

The Theosophist,
Letter from Judge in Paris to Olcott thanking him for the ^5.
Vol. 53, Nov. 1931;
I am not going to London . . . just to buy a coat. . . . In my letter I was pp.196-197
merely letting out a wishful thought toward Londons cheap coats, as
I am ashamed to go out with my rags; that is all.
He was likely meeting Mrs. Holloway who was coming to London in
May.

Apr. 30,
1884

Letters of W.Q. Judge, XVII

Letter by W.Q. Judge in Paris to Col. Olcott.
I do not know what you know about it, but I will bet my head to a
lemon that I have got now a magnificent coadjutor, if not a successor
to H.P.B. and one who has trained scientific methods of literary work,
as well as psychical abilities of the kind that make H.P.B. so
remarkable. I thought in the street yesterday I heard the Master say
Mrs. H. would be a successor and then they would let H.P.B. vanish.
Two hours after in the parlor in talking to Wagnalls, who extolled the
character of Holloway (though not referring to anything else) H.P.B.
leaned back and said, O my God, if I shall only find in her A
SUCCESSOR, how gladly I will PEG OUT! A curious scientific
coincidence.
NOTE: See The Mahatma Letters To A.P. Sinnett pp.360-361 for what
the Mahatma K.H. thought about Mrs. Holloway.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 53, Nov. 1931;
pp.201-202
O.E. Library Critic,
Vol. 21, Apr. 1932;
p.9

The Judge Case

May 13,
1884

Special Orders of 1884.

From London by H. S Olcott.
On 13 May the President issued a Special Order constituting a
Board of Control to act as a central management for The Theosophical
Society in the United States. He appointed Wm. B. Shelley and Mrs.
Josephine W. Cables (President and Secretary respectively of the
Rochester Branch), G.F. Parsons, Elliott B. Page, T.M. Johnson, Gen.
A. Doubleday and Dr. J.H.D. Buck as members of the Board, leaving
it to them to agree upon a Chairman and Secretary. The latter officer
was to transmit all returns to the Recording Secretary at Adyar, and
the Board was to keep an accurate but private register of all Branches
and their members. Expenses of the Board were to be met by a small
per capita assessment.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 5, July 1884;
Supp. p.100
A Short History of
the T.S., p.200
General Report of
the 21st Anniversary
of the T.S., p.26

NOTE: See Aug. 17, 1884.

June 13,
1884

H.S. Olcott: On the 13th June I returned to London in company with Mr. Old Diary Leaves,
Judge, who had come over from New York to see us on his way out Third Series, p.155
to India, his intended future field of work.

End of June
1884

William Q. Judge leaves London for Bombay.

A Short History of
Mr. Judge left London at the end of June and arrived, 15 July, at the T.S., p.203
Bombay where he was met by Tookaram Tatya and other members.

July 15,
1884

W. Q. Judge arrived in Bombay and delivered his first lecture:

A Short History of
Theosophy and the Destiny of India. He reached Adyar on August the T.S., p.203
10th. Judge had left London at the end of June.
The Theosophist,
Before Judges arrival at Adyar, Master M. wrote a letter to Franz Vol. 53, Dec. 1931;
Hartmann telling him Be friendly towards W.Q. Judge. He is true, pp.307-308
faithful and trustworthy. . . The Masters letter to Hartmann was
about M.s concerns with the investigation brought on by the BCW, Vol. 8, p.448
accusations of fraud against H.P. Blavatsky by the Coulombs.
Mr. Judge was asked to go to India to take charge of the situation. . T.N.C.A.B.
. . [p.491]
pp.489-498
I went to Adyar in the early part of the year 1884, with full power Echoes of the
from the president of the Society to do whatever seemed best for our Orient,
protection against an attack we had information was about to be made Vol. 3, p.204
in conjunction with the missionaries who conducted the Christian
College at Madras.
In a letter dated Feb. 5, 1886, to Brother Padshah, Judge explained Practical
regarding his stay at Adyar: I went there with full authority and from Occultism, p.15
the first moment saw all, had all the keys and took complete charge.
. . .
NOTE: The use of the word true by Master M. to denote Judges
character is not to be taken lightly, as this description is used very
sparingly by the Masters; just as H.P. Blavatsky used the term very
rarely to describe some Theosophists.

Chronology

July 20,
1884

The Poona Theosophical Society.

The Theosophist,
William Q. Judge arrived at Poona where he was received at the Vol. 5, Sep. 1884;
station by several members of the Poona Branch. [Most likely this pp.128-129
receiving committee included the President of The Poona Branch,
Navroji Dorabji Khandalvala.]
On the 23rd he delivered a lecture to 300 persons at the Poona Town
Hall on The West and what India can give it.
On the 25th he arrived at Hyderabad then to Adoni and then to the Echoes of the
Gooty Theosophical Society on Monday August 4th.
Orient,
On the 29th he arrived at Secunderabad and lectured that evening on Vol. 2, pp.74-85
Theosophy and the Destiny of India and the next evening on Is
There A Soul in Man?, both at Mahaboob College.

Aug. 17,
1884

Special Orders of 1884.

The Theosophist,
Another Order from H.S. Olcott, this time from Elberfeld, Germany, Vol. 5, Oct. 1884;
adding to his previous one from London.
Supp. p.139
The following persons are hereby added to the American Board of
Controlcreated by Special Order of the13th of May 1884: Professor
Elliott Coues, M.D., Ph.D., F.T.S., of Washington, D.C. [and] Mr.
Mordecai D. Evans F.T.S., of Philadelphia, Pa.

Sep. 29,
1884

The Madras Mail reports on Mr. Judges address to some Madras Theosophy
students [which] bore the following testimony to Hindu philosophy: Unveiled, p.58
The great Indian nation produced its Sanskrit. Great consideration was
due to this language. It contains Philosophy as refined as Herbert
Spencers and further it used language that Herbert Spencer could not
understand. His very ideas were to be found in Indian philosophy
elaborated to such an extent that Spencer would do well to throw his
books into the sea and apply himself to the study of Hindu
Philosophy.

Nov. 10,
1884

H.S. Olcott arrives in Bombay. He lectures at Framji Cowasji Hall on Ransom, p.204
Theosophy Abroad. He arrived in Madras on the 15th.
He stopped at Poona on the way to consult Judge Khandalawala BCW, Vol. 9, p.78
[N.D.K.] on the Coulomb problem and secured his support for his
policy.
NOTE: N.D.K., Navroji Dorabji Khandalawala was a highly respected
Judge and staunch friend of the Founders, especially Olcott and
Blavatsky. He was initiated into the Theosophical Society on March
9, 1880, and later became President of the Poona Branch of the T.S.

Nov. 16,
1884

THEOSOPHY ABROAD
The Theosophist,
Colonel H.S. Olcott, President-Founder of the Theosophical Society, Vol. 6, Dec. 1884;
delivered a lecture on Sunday evening in Patcheappahs Hall, on Supp. pp.158-159
Theosophy Abroad.

Nov. 17,
1884

After Olcotts arrival at Adyar on the 15th, he dissolved the Board of The Theosophist,
Control, which had been formed by Special Orders of Jan. 21st and Vol. 6, Dec. 1884;
Feb. 19th, 1884 and resumed the executive management of the Society. Supp. p.162

10

The Judge Case

Nov. 26
1884

W.Q. Judge arrives in New York on board the British steamer SS. BCW, Vol.1, p.476
Wisconsin, which had left Liverpool on Nov. 15th.
Cdn. Theosophist,
NOTE: Judge sailed for the U.S.A. from Liverpool on Nov. 15, 1884.
Vol. 20, Apr. 1939;
p.35

Dec. 21,
1884

On Dec. 1st Olcott and Hartmann leave Adyar and sail to Colombo, Ceylon Hammer on the
to meet H.P.B., C.W. Leadbeater, and Mr. and Mrs. Cooper-Oakley Mountain, p.329
and return to Adyar with H.P.B and party on Dec. 21st aboard the S.S.
Navarino.
Vania, pp.242-244

Dec. 27-31,
1884

IMPORTANT ACCESSIONS TO THE HEAD-QUARTERS STAFF.

H.S. Olcott in his report about Head-quarters staff mentions that Mr.
W.Q. Judge, a founder of the Parent Society had been there at Adyar
temporarily.

Official Report of
the Ninth
Anniversary at
Madras, 1884, p.17

Dec. 27-31,
1884
continued

Committees Report.
At the Ninth Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society at
Adyar (Madras), a Committee was appointed to advise Madame
Blavatsky as to the best course to be taken by her with reference to
certain letters published in the September number and the following
numbers of the Christian College Magazine, a sectarian paper
published at Madras under the auspices of the Scotch Free Church
Mission. In this Madame Blavatsky was denounced as being an
imposter and having performed so-called Occult Phenomena in a
fraudulent manner by the assistance of a woman named Coulomb and
her husband, both of which persons had been for some time residing
at the head-quarters of the Society in the capacity of house-keepers
and servants, but who had been recently expelled from the headquarters and from the Society, and on whose evidence the accusations
brought forward by the missionaries rested. . . .
Resolved: . . . it is the unanimous opinion of this Committee that
Madame Blavatsky should not prosecute her defamers in a Court of
law.
Signed by the members of the Committee:
Narandro Nath Sen, Chairman; Franz Hartmann, M.D.; S.
Ramasawmier; Navaraji [or Navroji] Dorabji Khandalawalla, B.A.,
L.L.B.; H.R. Morgan, Major-General; Gyanenedra Nath Chakravarti,
M.A.; Nobin K. Banerji; T. Subba Row, B.A., B.L.; Dewan Bahadur
R. Ragoonath Row; Rudolph Gebhard; P. Iyaloo Naidu; The Honble
S. Subramani Iyer, B.L.; P. Shrinivasa Row; A.J. Cooper-Oakley,
B.A., F.R.H.S., Secy.
The reasons which led the Committee to adopt this resolution are then
listed.

Report of
Investigation, pp.3-4

H.P. Blavatsky leaves India never to return.

She was accompanied by Dr. Franz Hartmann, . . . a Hindu disciple,
Dharbagiri Nath, known also as S. Krishnamachari and Bawajee;
and Miss Mary Flynn. She sailed for Colombo, Ceylon, on the SS
Tibre of the Messageries Co., and thence for Europe on the SS Pei Ho.
She landed in Naples, and settled for a while in Torre del Greco; after
a few months, she left for Wurzburg, Germany.

BCW,
Vol. 6, pp.410-411

Mar. 31,
1885
Wrzberg

Official Report of
the Ninth
Anniversary at
Madras, 1884,
pp.99-106

Theosophia, Vol. 5,
Nov.-Dec. 1948; p.12

Chronology

11

May 1,
1885

Letter from H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge (1 May 1885)

Theos. History,
From Naples, Torre del Greco. In this letter she reveals to Judge the Vol. 5, No. 2, Apr.
true nature of Dr. Franz Hartmann.
1994; pp.48-58
I say he has two men in him. One highly intellectual, fit for an
occultist, a man of the highest intention, the other cunning, lying,
possessed by a Dugpa, in short. There is no reliance to be placed upon
him. Today he is apparently a friend, an hour later he coolly damns
you with one of his infernally cunning lies. . . . [N]o one ought to trust
him.
Thus he spoilt all and ruined the Society.
She spares no criticism of Judge claiming that he was deceived &
bamboozled . . .by. . . our witty Dr. Hartmann! and that the reason
Judge left Adyar before Colonel Olcott and herself had returned on
December 21, 1884 was because he wanted to get rid of you (sic,
these are his words). . . .

May 16,
1885

The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge: Epilogue, Letter from

W.Q. Judge to H.P. Blavatsky, May 16, 1885.
Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P.B. Judge dispels H.P.B.s concerns.
My first surmise was correct. He [Hartmann] seemed bad and
dangerous, but I was lulled by letters from Masters he had received in
which he was commended and I was foolish enough to give him
confidentially, some analyses of your character which I had better
have kept to myself but I was no worse than Olcott. . . .
I did not leave India because I got a message from a Mahatma. I
never got any messages from any Mahatma either pretended or real
while I was in India. That disposes of Hartmann. He couldnt fool me
with anything. . . . If H.S.O. had not been so nearly[?] there I would
not have left. But I had decided long before and only waited this long
so that Hartmann should have no time to do any damage. I was
therefor right. . . .
I tell you neither you, nor Olcott, nor [Laura] Holloway, nor deceit,
nor trick, nor message, nor devil, nor Hartmann, had anything to do
with my departure from India. . . .
I am as staunch a friend as ever. I thank you for your belief in me.
Judge finishes his letter by saying: I have made a contract for six
months expiring Oct. next or before, to work here in a law office.
After that I know not what; and care not.
NOTE: Josephine Ransom explains that Judge was ill and restless at
Adyar. She also says that He and Hartmann did not readily get on
together. [See July 15, 1884 entry.]

Theos. History,
Vol. 6, No. 5, Jan.
1997; pp.164-166

A Short History of
the T.S., p.203

Feb. 5, 1886 Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P.B. in Wurzburg, Germany.

LBS, pp.313-314
Mr. Judge, in writing on the Hodgson Report, refers to letters from
Wrzburg
Master which he has received.
Then as to letters from you know I have many that came to me
which resemble my writing. How will they explain that? Did I delude
myself? And so on.
Mr. Judge also asked H.P.B. to explain the meaning of a message he
had received, through her, from the Master where the Master stated:
I showed intuition by leaving India? If you do not care to bother
with [it], it will not make any difference.

12

Mar. 11,
1886

The Judge Case

THE SO-CALLED EXPOS OF MADAME BLAVATSKY

Theosophy,
Judge wrote this article for the Boston Index, regarding the fact that Vol. 35, Jan. 1947;
while he was in India in 1884 he had not been interviewed by Mr. pp.107-109
Hodgson, the investigator on theosophical phenomena for the
Psychical Research Society. In this article he stated: [I]f an adept
wanted to write to you, the curious circumstance might be found that
the writing would resemble your own. I once saw a message thrown
upon the leaf of a book; and it was in the handwriting of him holding
it, who was as much amazed as any one else. . . .
. . . I received in Paris several letters from American friends, ignorant
of adepts; and inside were pencilled notes in the familiar handwriting
which Hodgson has exploded and proved fraudulent.
NOTE: Judge sent his article to H.P. Blavatsky on Feb. 5, 1886 while she
was in Europe. The article also appeared in the Banner of Light in its
April 3rd issue.

Apr. 1886

First issue of The Path, a magazine devoted to the Brotherhood of The Theosophist,
humanity, Theosophy in America and the study of Occult Science, Vol. 7, June 1886;
Philosophy and Aryan Literature, edited by W.Q. Judge, published pp.604-605
under the auspices of the Aryan Theosophical Society of New York.
Book review of The Path in The Theosophist.
The first number (April) of this magazine has just reached us and
promises well for the future. . . .
The fact that it is edited by Mr. William Q. Judge is in itself a
guarantee that the present standard of excellence will be fully kept up,
and the magazine bids fair to be a most important factor in helping on
the spread of those truths which the Theosophical Society has been
the means of once more bringing before the attention of Mankind.

Apr. 1886
continued

One year later, in her letter from Ostende, Belgium, dated March 19, 1887,
H.P.B. wrote to Judge:
He who does all & the best he can & knows how does enough for
them. This is a message for you. Your Path begins to beat the
Theosophist out of sight. It is most excellent. . . . The Path alone is
your certificate for you in Theosophy.
NOTE: The passage This is a message for you seems to imply that the
message is not hers but rather a message from the Masters for him.

Theos. History,
Vol. 5, No. 4,
Oct. 1994;
pp.125-127

In another letter from H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge she stated:

Irish Theosophist,
If I thought for one moment that Lucifer will rub out Path I would Vol. 3, June 1895;
never consent to be the editor. But listen, then, my good old friend. p.156
Once the Masters have proclaimed your Path the best, the most
theosophical of all theosophical publications, surely it is not to allow
it to be rubbed out. . . . One is the fighting, combative Manas; the
other (Path) is pure Buddhi. . . . Lucifer will be Theosophy militant
and Path the shining light, the Star of Peace. If your intuition does not
whisper to you IT IS SO, then that intuition must be wool-gathering.
No, sir, the Path is too well, too theosophically edited for me to
interfere.

Chronology

Apr. 27,
1886

13

Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.S. Olcott.

Practical
I write to you about an important matter concerning the Board of Occultism, pp.16-20
Control. . . .
When you created the A B of C [American Board of Control] in 1884
it did not have E. Coues upon it. You added him after. I suggested
Cables as Secy and Page as Presidt. They so decided and remained till
July 85. Coues came back here highly recommended by you. They
met in 1885 while I was here and Coues became Prest. and Page Secy
Cables remaining a simple member. Certainly the Boards
functions are only administrative and Executive a small copy of the
Council. I did not care to be on the Board satisfied to work
unceasingly on the lines we so well understand, and satisfied with
you, that any dogmas and mystery are dangerous. . . .
Buck, Cables, Page, Doubleday and the rest are all right. As good as
gold; but if this Coues stays in it S especially at its head, he will wreck
the whole movement, by means of dessension, jesuitical practises,
phenomenalism and all sorts of folly, as you will see. Personally I am
convinced he is a jesuit agent and has worked to that end.
Judge also wrote: I have demanded, privately, from C[oues] his
resignation from the Board. . . . and that Coues was promoting
secrets, astral body business, bells etc etc. . . . Not a word of
philosophy. . . .
NOTE: Judge was proven correct about Coues. Elliott Coues became very
troublesome to the T.S. and especially Madame Blavatsky. For
references to works on, and by Coues see Theosophy in the
Nineteenth Century An Annotated Bibliography [T.N.C.A.B.] by
Michael Gomes, pp.528-534.

May 1886

Reply by Judge to a question regarding the authenticity of letters signed Abridgement of

K.H. received by certain theosophists.
Discussions, No.2
He also said that a disciple of the adepts, whom he met in India,
assured him that those Beings must not be held so cheap as they have
been made by some, and the disciple (an accepted chela) declared that
he would sooner cut off his hand than send a pretended message,
referring also at the time, to the well known rule in occultism that any
occultist, student or adept, who directly by pretended messages or
phenomena, or indirectly by mysterious assumptions or small
deceptions, pretends to have siddhis (powers), or otherwise attempts
to convey the idea that he has made progress in the secrets of
occultism, thereby at once forfeits his progress and throws himself far
back.

June 1886

In reviewing the situation in America, Judge realized that a radical

change was needed in the administration of the Society, if it were to
make any headway. Consequently, he wrote to H.P.B. and Olcott
suggesting that an American Section be formed. This was done in
June 1886, with Judge elected as permanent General Secretary. The
new Section soon prospered under his leadership and new branches
were chartered all over the country.
NOTE: See Judges Report of The General Secretary in Report of
Proceedings, 1888, p.7.

WQJ T. Pioneer,
p.13
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1, p.xxvii
Report of
Proceedings, 1888

14

The Judge Case

June 3,
1886

In a letter to Madam Louise A. Off, Judge commented to her of the Practical

complicated Wants of our civilization [which] compel . . . the larger Occultism, pp.32-37
number of our members to live externally as the world does. He also
indicated what his position was regarding how the Society should be
promoted:
The Masters have said in writing and everybody will soon be
convinced that the Society and its work must prosper on its moral and
philosophical strength and not by phenomena.

June 6,
1886

The Council of the T. S. meets at Adyar and approves Olcotts

recommendation to the effect that the American Board of Control
should be re-organized as a General Council of the Society in
America. Charter granted to the American Section, William Quan
Judge elected permanent General Secretary and Treasurer.
NOTE: See The Theosophist, Vol. 8, Jan. 1887, Supp., p.xxxii.
NOTE: There is an interesting comment by Olcott in his Old Diary
Leaves where he stated:
. . . I got the Council to agree to dissolve the American Board of
Control and replace it by a sectional form of organization, based on
purely republican lines, and having in itself the elements of stability.
NOTE: Which does Olcott want a section or a republic? A republic has its
own President elected by its people and is not subservient to any
other.

July 1886

BCW, Vol. 7, p.xxvi

Old Diary Leaves,
Third Series, p.364

A Short History of
the T.S., p.237
The Theosophist,
Vol. 8, Jan. 1887;
Supp. p.xxxii

A Convention of the American Board of Control was held at Rochester The Theosophist,
New York where various matters relating to admission of members Vol. 8, Jan. 1887;
and other details of organization were discussed.
Supp. p.xxxii
Madame Blavatsky had cabled to Judge to abolish the Board and A Short History of
make a central head.
the T.S., p.237
Olcott in his Old Diary Leaves stated that Blavatsky had written to Old Diary Leaves,
Judge. He wrote:
Third Series, p.379
The Overland mail of August 12th brought me the consoling news
that (of course without the shadow of constitutional authority) she had
cabled our people in New York to dissolve the American Board of
Control to pacify Coues, I presume and she also offered to turn
over her share of the Theosophist to Judge and make him her
successor (one of two or three dozens).
[As it turns out, it was not Blavatsky who sent that telegram to the
American Board of Control. See next cell for more details.]
NOTE: See July 27, 1886 and Oct. 30, 1886 entries.

Chronology
July 1886
continued

While in Elberfeld H.P.B. stayed with the Gebhard family. They had
some business interests in America which their son, Arthur, looked
after for them. (Blavatsky had commented to Judge to keep in touch
with the Gebhards son as she was fond of him.) Arthur, who was
back from America visited Blavatsky in Ostende. It was at this time
that [Arthur] sent a terse telegram to the American Board of Control
in July on the eve of their annual meeting in her name advising them
to abolish the Board. (Blavatsky gives her own version of this
message in a letter to Elliott Coues . . . which was published in The
Canadian Theosophist, Nov./Dec. 1984)
Blavatsky also wrote to Arthur Gebhard on July 13th from Ostende.
This letter is reprinted in The Theosophical Forum (New Series)
Vol. 5, Dec. 1933, pp.107-108.
NOTE: In a letter dated May 28, 1886, to Mrs. Waters, Mr. Judge
commented:
Now that Arthur [Gebhard] is going away I am left so to say with no
one to act near to me, and so perhaps my mind may be getting active.

15

Theos. History,
Vol. 5, No. 3, July
1994; p.86.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 65, pp.110-116

Practical
Occultism, p.27

July 27,
1886

H.P. Blavatsky wrote Mr. Judge; I know that you could do a lot of good A Short History of
in India. Take my place Judge. You will make up in devotion what the T.S., p.237
you lack in occult knowledge. I will give you my share of The
Theosophist . . . Replace me at Adyar . . . Even if I am dead you can
always get 10% from The Secret Doctrine and The Theosophist.

Aug. 22,
1886

Letter from H.P.B. to W.Q.J. from Ostende Rue dOuest 17.

Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Mme Blavatsky is very cross with Olcott. She wrote:
Vol. 5, Nov. 1933;
I hold to Masters original programe, he is fast running the pp.87-88
Society into a Salvation Army business, with FUND & etc. The
permanent Fund humbug must cease. . . . Olcott will have to pay
your Kali Z50 monthly & have you at Adyar or I publicly renounce
my connection with the Society since MASTERS original programme
is departed from, which is brotherhood in act & deeds, not in show
of blue elephants, paraphernalia Boards of Control & flapdoodle
generally. I wrote to him & put my ultimatum. I am tired of hearing
him criticized, laughed at & very justly I am sorry to say.

Aug. 22, 1886

continued

Mme. Blavatsky was also very concerned that she had not been getting Theos. Forum (P.L.)
her royalties for her Isis Unveiled from J.W. Bouton, her publisher in Vol. 5, Nov. 1933;
New York. In this same letter she asked Judge to contact Bouton and pp.87-88
correct this problem. She wrote:
If the money is sent to Olcott I PROTEST. I am here, ISIS is mine I have
enough lost on it let me have, at least, the little I can get. . . . At any
rate say to Bouton that [if] he wants to have the Secret Doctrine he has
to deal directly with me not with Olcott, or any one else.
NOTE: In her Oct. 3rd, 1886 letter from Ostende, Mme. Blavatsky offers
more details about her dealings with Bouton. [See Oct. 3, 1886 entry
for references.]

16

Oct. 3, 1886

The Judge Case

Letter from H.P. Blavatsky (in Ostende) to W.Q. Judge:

The trouble with you is that you do not know the great change that
came to pass in you a few years ago. Others have occasionally their
astrals changed & replaced by those of Adepts (as of Elementaries)
& they influence the outer, and the higher man. With you, it is the
NIRMANAKAYA not the astral that blended with your astral. Hence
the dual nature & fighting.

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 3, Aug. 1932;
pp.251-253
BCW, Vol. 7, p.138
WQJ T. Pioneer,
p.19

NOTE: At time of publication in Theos. Forum, the original letter was in

the Archives of the Theosophical Society, Point Loma, California.
Theosophia, Vol. 7,
Mar.-Apr. 1951; p.7
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1, p.xxxv
Oct. 30,
1886

During a Convention held at Cincinnati, at the residence of Dr. J.D. The Theosophist,
Buck, there was a meeting of members of the American Board of Vol. 8, Jan. 1887;
Control and Presidents of American Branches. . . .
Supp. p.lv
. . . the Convention voted to organize the American section of the
General Council of the Theosophical Society, in succession to the late
Board of Control. . . .
Mr. W.Q. Judge was, upon motion of Mr. E.B. Page, seconded by Dr.
Buck, unanimously elected General Secretary and Treasurer.
Judge was elected permanent General Secretary and Treasurer, the
sole official of the American Section of the General Council of the A Short History of
Theosophical Society.
the T.S., p.237

Mar. 19,
1887

During the spring of 1887 while at Ostende, H.P.B. became gravely ill.
Her kidneys were badly infected and she was unconscious for hours
at a time.
During this time she had received a message of kindness and
sympathy from a well-wisher (not identified here), sent through W.Q.
JUDGE, to which she took time to answer. Having heard from my
dear old W.Q. Judge how kindly disposed you are toward me, and
having received from him several messages on your behalf, let me tell
you how grateful I feel for your kind expression of sympathy.
Yes, the work has brought upon me contumely, ignominy of all
kinds, hatred, malice and slander. Were it only from the outsiders I
would mind very little. But, sad to say, it is the Theosophists chiefly
who tear me to pieces.

BCW, Vol. 7, p.301

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
pp.76-77

Chronology

17

Mar. 19, 1887

continued

The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge: Part III: Letter Dated 19
March 1887.
H.P.B. also wrote a letter to Judge from Ostende on the same day.
This letter was to give advice on how to handle the emerging
difficulties with the formation of the American Section of the T.S. In
regards to independent branches, H.P.B. stated:
Let the Branches be all as free as every state is in America. . . . Make
a rule that any fellow found out slandering another SS be expelled
after the second warning. Make the rules strict and foremost of. Let
every one either peg out of the Society or hold his tongue & mind
his own business.
NOTE: This letter from H.P.B. likely contributed to Mr. Judges decision
in issuing By Masters Direction. [See Nov. 3, 1894 entry.]

Theos. History,
Vol. 5, No. 4,
Oct. 1994;
pp.125-127

Apr. 24,
1887

REPORT OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY, AMERICAN SECTION,

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
In the report to the Thirteenth Convention and Anniversary of the
T.S.,(held at Adyar, Dec. 1888) W.Q. Judge stated:
The first American Convention, subsequent to the dissolution of the
Board of Control, was held in New York, April [24] 1887, and then a
constitution was adopted under which we are now at work. That
instrument declares autonomy and reiterates allegiance to the General
Convention.
In the MINUTES OF A CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN SECTION OF THE
THEOSOPHICAL SECTION. Held at New York, on Sunday, April 24, 1887.
A letter from the Cincinnati Theosophical Society was . . . read
containing the following suggestions:
1st. That the Cincinnati Branch recommends a continuance of the
present relations between the Parent Society and the American
Section.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 10, General
Report, p.24

The Esoteric Section

Letter from William Q. Judge to H.P.B.
Please reply to this. So many people are beginning to ask me to be
Chelas that I must do something, so I have drawn up the enclosed
paper which you can send me with some formalities on it as you think
right to do so SS or whatever I ought to have. If you do not think so,
then please tell me in what way I had best proceed.
[See Judges draft paper in BCW 12, p.480.]

BCW,
Vol. 12, p. 479

May 18.
1887

NOTE: This enclosed paper drawn up by Mr. Judge was included in his
E.S.T. circular entitled By Masters Direction. See Nov. 3, 1894
entry.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 8, July 1887;
Supp. p.cvii

Theos. Movement
1875-1925, pp.138140

18

Apr. 3,
1888

The Judge Case

Letter from H.P.B. to W.Q.J.,which she requested be read at the American Letters That Have
Convention on Apr. 22nd:
Helped Me, 1946
My Dearest Brother and Co-Founder of the Theosophical Society: ed., pp.276-283
We were several to call it to life in 1875. Since then you have
remained alone to preserve that life through good and evil report. It
is to you chiefly, if not entirely, that the Theosophical Society owes
its existence in 1888. . . . [M]y voice is but the feeble echo of other
more sacred voices, and the transmitter of the approval of Those
whose presence is alive in more than one true Theosophical heart, and
lives, as I know, pre-eminently in yours.
NOTE: Also reprinted in H.P. Blavatsky to the American Conventions,
(TUP) 1979, p.3, and Five Messages from H.P. Blavatsky to the
American Theosophists, 1922, p.3.

Apr. 4,
1888

A typewritten letter from H.P. Blavatsky to William Q. Judge, General Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Secretary of the American Section of the Theosophical Society, and Vol. 5, Dec. 1933;
first Vice-President of the Theosophical Publication Society.
p.108
Dear Sir and Brother,
I hereby grant to you as agent for the Theosophical Publication
Society the exclusive right to print and publish all or any part of my
forth-coming work entitled THE SECRET DOCTRINE during the
whole term of the copyright in the same; reserving to myself one half
of the net profits accruing from the said work, on account of which
profits the sum of ^10 [ten pounds] per month shall be paid to me in
advance out of the funds of the Theosophical Publication Society,
beginning six weeks after the date of publication; any further balance
due to me to be paid from time to time as may be agreed on between
us; the other half of the net profits to be for the use and benefit of the
Theosophical Publication Society.
I further agree to confirm this letter by a formal agreement to the same
effect whenever called upon to do so by you or by any other
authorized agent of the Theosophical Publication Society.
H.P. Blavatsky
[Blavatskys signature is in purple ink.]
On the letter there is a note written and signed in pencil by W.Q. Judge.
The ^10. monthly is only suggestion as I propose to pay her a royalty
which is better & not burdensome
Judge
NOTE: See March 9, 1890 for another notice from Blavatsky.

Chronology

Aug. 22,
1888

Letter from Master K.H. to Olcott received on board S.S. Shannon the day
before reaching Brindisi. [See NOTE]
Since 1885 I have not written, nor caused to be written, save through
her [H.P.B.s] agency, direct or remote, a letter or a line to anybody
in Europe or America, nor communicated orally with, or thro any
third party. Theosophists should learn it. You will understand later the
significance of this declaration, so keep it in mind.

19

BCW, Vol. 10,

pp.xxiv-xxv
Letters from the
Masters of the
Wisdom, 1st series,
1919, 1st ed.,
pp.52-53

Part of K.H.s letter to Olcott is quoted in the October 1888 issue of Lucifer, Vol. 3, Oct.
Lucifer.
1888, pp.146-147
Theosophy, Vol. 10,
Feb. 1922; p.103
NOTE: According to the records of Lloyds of London, the steamer
arrived in Brindisi August 23rd, at 7:30 a.m., leaving for London an
hour later.
Oct. 9, 1888

THE ESOTERIC SECTION OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Lucifer, Vol. 3,
The Esoteric Section was formed by an order, from H.S. Olcott. Oct. 1888; p.176
Attest: H.P. Blavatsky.
BCW,
Owing to the fact that a large number of Fellows of the Society have Vol. 12, p.481
felt the necessity for the formation of a body of Esoteric students, to
be organised on the ORIGINAL LINES devised by the real founders Theos. History,
of the T.S., the following order has been issued by the President- Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan.
Founder: . . .
1996; p.11

Oct. 19,
1888

British Section of the T.S.

The Path, Vol. 3,
Included in Theosophical Activities in the EUROPE segment is a Nov. 1888; p.263
report regarding the newly formed British Section of the T.S.
The only observable difference between this and the American
Section is that we declared ourselves autonomous, and at the same
time announced our adherence and fidelity to the Indian Council,
reserving to ourselves the right to manage our own affairs in
accordance with the general rules. However, the English and the
American mind differ in method, but the general idea under the new
arrangement is the same as ours.
The adjourned meeting was held at Conduit Street on October 19th, Lucifer, Vol 3, Nov.
Col. Olcott in the chair. Dr. Archibald Keightley was elected General 1888; pp.260-263
Secretary pro tem.
The Meeting had been adjourned on October 8th.
The T.S., 4 pages
NOTE: See April 24, 1887 entry on autonomy.

20

The Judge Case

Nov. 15,
1888

Col. Olcott, who had left London on Oct. 22nd, reached Adyar with his The Theosophist,
party of friends. The party included Charles and Vera V. Johnston, Vol. 10, Dec. 1888,
Richard Harte of New York, Mr. E. Douglas Fawcett and Baroness Supp. pp.xxvii-xxviii
Kroummess.
Old Diary Leaves,
NOTE: Richard Harte, a member of the Society since 1877, was an old Fourth series, p.68
friend of the Founders from New York where he had been on the staff
of the New York Telegram. Col. Olcott needed Hartes journalistic
experience at Adyar, as acting Editor, to replace Alfred J. CooperOakley who had resigned on April 1st. (He had edited Vols. VI, VII,
VIII, and part of IX.) While Olcott was away in Europe he had asked
Mr. C.W. Leadbeater, whom he had recalled from Ceylon, to fill in as
temporary editor of The Theosophist.

Nov 27,
1888

W.Q. Judge and Dr. Keightley visit Dublin Lodge.

[Mr. Judge was in Europe on E.S. matters.]

The Path, Vol. 3,

Mar. 1889; p.393

[From A REMINISCENCE.]
Irish Theosophist,
W.Q. Judges message to the Dublin Lodge:
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
The first and the vital object of the Society was the establishment of pp.79-81
the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity.
Dr. Keightley, in the course of his remarks, said: . . . . he was glad to
see that Dublin Lodge had recognized the fact by placing the notable
quotation from Lucifer (November 1887) which was the utterance
of a Master upon its walls. [He who does not practise altruism; he
who is not prepared to share his last morsel with a weaker or poorer
than himself; he who neglects to help his brother man, of whatever
race, nation or creed, whenever and wherever he meets suffering, and
who turns a deaf ear to the cry of human misery; he who hears an
innocent person slandered, whether a brother Theosophist or not, and
does not undertake his defence as he would undertake his own is
no Theosophist.] It was necessary to remember that we should be
absolutely united in the furtherance of such principles as were
contained in that utterance.
Dec. 1888

Comments by Dr. Archibald Keightley acknowledging that Judge wrote

The Book of Rules of the E.S.T. and that he and Mr. Hargrove:
[H]ave both seen the original manuscript in Mr. Judges handwriting,
with written additions in H.P.B.s handwriting. This manuscript is in
the possession of Mr. Judge. H.P.B. further told me that all the
Instructions should be studied in the light of The Book of Rules. I
have seen letters from H.P.B. to Mr. Judge which show that he
originated the idea of E.S.T.
[Issued as a Circular dated January 12, 1895]

Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1; p.xxxii
BCW,
Vol. 12, p.484

Judge was in Dublin, Ireland and . . . went from there to London and
assisted H.P.B. in the formation of the Esoteric Section.
BCW,
Vol. 1, p.479

Chronology

Dec. 14,
1888

21

In certain official documents H.P.B. is quoted as describing W.Q. Judge Irish Theosophist,
as being then a chela of thirteen years standing, with trust reposed Vol. 4; May 1896;
in him, and the chief and sole agent of the Dzyan (Lodge) in pp.142-143
America.
Theos. or NeoSpecial order by H.P. BLAVATSKY.
Theos., p.58
As head of the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical Society, I hereby
declare that William Q. Judge, of New York, U.S., in virtue of his Theos. History,
character as a chela of thirteen years standing, and of the trust and Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan.
confidence reposed in him, is my only representative for said section 1996; p.12
in America, and he is the sole channel through whom will be sent and
received all communications between the members of said Section and H.P.B. A Great
myself, and to him full faith, confidence and credit in that regard are Betrayal (1922)
to be given, Done at London this the fourteenth day of December, by A. Cleather,
1888, and in the fourteenth year of the Theosophical Society. pp.84-85
[Signed and sealed by] H.P. Blavatsky
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
Apr. 1915; p.275
NOTE: This appointment by H.P.B. was reprinted by Annie Besant and
W.Q. JUDGE in an E.S.T. circular, To All Members of the E.S.T., Echoes of the
from the Eastern School of Theosophy, May 27, 1891; 8pp., London. Orient,
[See May 27, 1891.]
Vol. I, p.xxxii
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.159
BCW, Vol. 1; p.479

Dec. 14, 1888

continued

Facsimile of H.P.B.s special order appointing JUDGE as her only

representative for said Section in America and as the sole channel
through whom will be sent and received all communications between
the members of said Section and myself [H.P.B.] and she did so in
virtue of his character as a chela of thirteen years standing.

BCW, Vol. 10;

pp.194-195
WQJ T. Pioneer
p.17
Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Vol. 25, No. 12, Dec.
1947; [facing p.641]

Dec.27-29,
1888

Thirteenth Convention and Anniversary of the T.S.

The Path, Vol. 3,
Early report from Adyar that W.Q. JUDGE has been selected as Vice Feb. 1889; p.362
President.

22

Jan. 7, 1889

Jan. 10,
1889

The Judge Case

Before Col. Olcott left for his trip to Japan he issued a number of orders
on this date. One such order was to appoint three Commissioners with
the power to represent him while he was absent. The Order stated:
I hereby delegate to the undernamed persons, jointly and severally,
under the Rules of the Society, the Custody and Management of the
Head-Quarters, and of the Correspondence and Funds of the Society,
and of the Organization of the New Sections, and, generally, to
exercise my Executive Functions in my name and on my behalf.
Namely, to:
Dewan Bahadur R. Ragoonath [Ragunatha] Row
Dewan Bahadur P. Sreenevasa [Srinevasa] Row
Mr. Richard Harte.

General Report of
the 13th
Anniversary of the
T.S. Dec. 1888; p.67

The Presidents Japanese Tour.

Colonel Olcott sailed for Ceylon in the Clan Macpherson on the 10th
January, and took the French Mail Steamer for Japan on the 17th.
Col. Olcott returned to Adyar on July 11th, 1889.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 10, Feb. 1889;
Supp. pp.xxxviixxxviii

The Theosophist,
Vol. 10, Feb. 1889;
Supp. pp.xxxix-xl
Apr. 1889; Supp.
p.lxv

NOTE: This was Col. Olcotts first tour of Japan and he had taken Mr. The Theosophist,
Dharmapala Hevanitarana with him as his companion.
Vol. 10, Aug. 1889;
Supp. p.cxlv
End of
March 1889

Madame Blavatsky invited Cheiro [pseudonym for Count Louis Hamon] Greatest Occultists
to come for a visit. On his second visit, the next day, she asked him to by Cheiro, pp.170read her palm. She said, I want to have some of my own theories 180
confirmed. Nothing you can say will be of any shock to me. Perhaps
it will be of help to me. Under such conditions will you not make the
effort?
Cheiro re-counts, Picking up a pencil she pointed to where the Line
of Health appeared to cut through the Line of Life. That is the end,
she said, but give me the exact year, or at least as near as you can.
After the reading Mme. Blavatsky thanked him and said, Your
warning will do me good, for I will now put my papers in order and
prepare in earnest for the short time that lies before me.
NOTE: From this episode, one would expect that Mme. Blavatsky would
have written another Will and Testament.

Chronology

May 10,
1889

In a lecture at the Convention of the Theosophical Society, Charles

Johnston, who married H.P.B.s niece in late summer of 1888, stated:
Mrs. Besant joined the Society, I believe, on May 10 of that year. .
. . But Mrs. Besants close contact with Mme. Blavatsky began only
in the early summer of 1890, ten months before Mme. Blavatskys
death; and of these ten months Mrs. Besant was absent from London
for two or three months*, lecturing in this country, and was in fact
absent at the time of Mme. Blavatskys death.
* Annie Besant left Liverpool on April 1st, 1891 for New York therefore
she was gone for 5 or 6 weeks.

23

Theosophical
Quarterly, Vol.24,
July 1926, p.14
Borderland, Vol.1,
Oct. 1893; p.175

Theosophy, Vol. 3,
May 1915; p.323

Mrs. Annie Besant joined the Theosophical Society in 1889 and became
a pledged member of the Esoteric Section.
Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.156-157
NOTE: also in: H.P.B. and The Present Crisis in The Theosophical Pamphlet, 1894,
Society, by Constance Wachtmeister
(12 pages); p.4
NOTE: According to A Besant Diary of Principal Events Annie Besant The Theosophist,
met Blavatsky on May 10th, 1889, but she actually joined the Vol. 69, Oct. 1947;
Theosophical Society on May 21st.
p.85
June 1889

Centres of The Theosophical Movement

In 1889, Mr. Judge submitted an article to The Theosophist under the
above title which was withheld from publication by Col. H.S. Olcott
for reasons set forth in an article of the same name which was
published in the September issue.
My friend and colleague and co-Founder of the Society, Mr. William
Q. Judge, has sent me a long article taking exception to certain ideas
embodied in two articles which appeared in June Theosophist. They
are respectively entitled Applied Theosophy, and The Situation.
The criticism of Mr. Judge is marked by his usual force and
directness, but at the same time contains passages of far too personal
character for me to admit them.
Mr. Judges article, was published as originally submitted, from a
copy of the original which is preserved in the Covina T.S. Archives.
NOTE: Olcott was away from Jan. to July 1889. See Jan. 10, 1889 entry.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 10, Sep. 1889;
pp.703-710

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 38, July 1950;
pp.385-391

24
June 1889
continued

The Judge Case

APPLIED THEOSOPHY. by Richard Harte.

The Theosophist,
Judge criticised this article in Centres of The Theosophical Vol. 10, June 1889;
Movement. One of the statements he objected to was:
pp.515-524
Adyar is not a place only, it is a principle. It is a name which ought
to carry with it a power far greater than that conveyed by the name
Rome. Adyar is the centre of the Theosophical Movement . . . Every
loyal Fellow has in his heart a little ADYAR, for he has in him a spark
of the spiritual fire which the name typifies. ADYAR is the symbol of
our unity as a Society, and so long as it exists in the hearts of its
Fellows, the power of the enemy can never prevail against the
Theosophical Society.
NOTE: This unsigned editorial has been attributed to Col. Olcott* but was
written by Richard Harte who was acting editor while Col. Olcott was
away in Japan. In his article Centres of The Theosophical
Movement Col. Olcott stated, regarding the article APPLIED
THEOSOPHY:
Reading the article now for the first time, what I see is that the writer The Theosophist,
meant to imply that our movement should have an ideal as well as an Vol. 10, Sep. 1889;
executive centre. . . . He further stated:
p.704
I know the writer in question to be a man as loyal to the core as Mr.
Judge or myself to the Theosophical cause, its projectors, and their
agents.
* [APPLIED THEOSOPHY was republished as an Adyar Pamphlet No. 143 in
Nov. 1930 and in a book titled Applied Theosophy and Other
Essays, by The Theosophical Publishing House, (1975) and credited
to Col. Olcott. It was also republished in The American Theosophist,
June 1981, and again wrongfully credited to Olcott.]
NOTE: See Aug. 15, 1889.

June 1889
continued

THE SITUATION.
Judge also criticised this article in Centres of The Theosophical
Movement. He claimed that this article was intended to support and
enforce the first.
NOTE: This article was written by F.T.S., who was Richard Harte.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 10, June 1889;
pp.565-568

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 38, July 1950;
NOTE: See May/June 1989 entry for DID THE JUDGE CASE BEGIN pp.385-391
WHILE H.P.B. WAS ALIVE?

Chronology

Aug. 15,
1889

Aug. 26,
1889

25

A PUZZLE FROM ADYAR.

H.P.B. charges the acting editor (Richard Harte) of the Theosophist
of abnormal fancies and defends herself. Commenting on extracts
from Bertram Keightleys letter (to one of the Commissioners) which
were published in The Theosophist as A Disclaimer H.P.B. wrote:
1st. The Esoteric Section . . . is a Section entirely apart from the
exoteric body, and independent of it. . . .
2nd. It is pure nonsense to say that H.P.B. . . . is loyal to the
Theosophical Society and to Adyar (!?). H.P.B. is loyal to death
to the Theosophical CAUSE, and those great Teachers whose
philosophy can alone bind the whole of Humanity into one
Brotherhood. . . .[T]he degree of her sympathies with the
Theosophical Society and Adyar depends upon the degree of the
loyalty of that Society to the CAUSE. Let it break away from the
original lines and show disloyalty in its policy to the CAUSE and
the original programme of the Society, and H. P. B. calling the
T. S. disloyal, will shake it off like dust from her feet.
Continuing on the subject of loyalty to Adyar H.P.B. made the
following important statement:
Why not loyal to the compound or the bath-room of Adyar? . . .
There is no longer a Parent Society; it is abolished and replaced by
an aggregate body of the Theosophical Societies, all autonomous, as
are the States of America, and all under one Head-President, who,
together with H.P. Blavatsky, will champion the CAUSE against the
whole world. Such is the real state of things.

Lucifer,
Vol. 4, Aug. 1889;
pp.506-509

Letter from Richard Harte to H.P.B. from Adyar, Madras. Harte rather
condescendingly describes what he interprets to be the effects of
pledge fever upon Judge, and thinks that bringing to focus the
karma of such a good man as Judge has been to confuse all his ideas
of right and wrong, loyalty and rebellion, truth and falsehood.

WQJ T. Pioneer
p.23

BCW, Vol. 11,

pp.378-384

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 5, Jan. 1934;
pp.130-131
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1, p.xli

26

Sep. 12,
1889

The Judge Case

H.P.B. replied to R. Harte.

Nevertheless your wicked and untheosophical denunciation of Judge,
which is as false as it is untheosophical falls flat again in its
application to the E.S. Judge has never pledged himself, never signed
anything; for as in the case of Olcott, my confidence in him is
sufficient to trust him without any Pledges. The numerous letters I
receive from really good theosophists such as Buck, Mrs. Ver Planck,
do not show their disgust for Judge. But they show me most
decidedly from your tactless writings in the Theosophist and the
showers of letters you inundate them with. If the American Section
breaks with Adyar it will be your doing. . . .
. . . The Theosophist my dear sir, belongs to myself and Olcott only.
It is not the organ of Adyar or the T.S. and you have no right to depart
in it from our policy, or make of it your private dustbin to be filled
with your liver and spleen purgations. I will not permit Judge to be
lowered or humiliated in it. Judge is one of the Founders and a man
who has ever been true to the Masters. . . . And Judge will be the
President of the T.S. after our death or the T.S. will die with us.

WQJ T. Pioneer,
pp.23-24
Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Vol. 5, Jan. 1934;
pp.132-133
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1, p.xli

NOTE: See Appendix B for Judges E.S.T. circular, By Masters

Direction, where he states that his pledge was to the Masters direct.
Sep. 15,
1889

WHY I BECAME A THEOSOPHIST.

Lucifer,
Annie Besant answers questions following her lecture on the subject. Vol. 5, Sep. 1889;
pp.47-53

Oct. 1889

INCORPORATION.
The Theosophist,
Mr. William Q. Judge, Genl. Secy. of the American Section, wrote Vol. 11, Oct. 1889;
lately that he and some of the other leading Fellows had determined Supp. p.v
to incorporate the T.S. in America, and that this step had been already
taken in some of the States. . . . The Society, or a society called The
Theosophical Society and Universal Brotherhood. had then actually
been thus incorporated in the States of New York and Missouri; no
further information however has been received at Head-quarters, and
we cannot inform our readers . . . whether the Founders have been
placed on the list of incorporators, Mr. Judge holding, we believe, the
power of attorney of both of them.

Chronology

Oct. 23,
1889

H.P.B. wrote a private letter to W.Q. Judge (who had considered

withdrawing from his position as her agent):
H.P.B. would give 7 dozens of Bridges, 77 dozens of Noyeses and
the whole esoteric brood in the U.S.A. for one W.Q.J. who is part of
herself since several aeons. . . .
The Esoteric Section and its life in the U.S.A. depends on W.Q.J.
remaining its agent & what he is now. The day W.Q.J. resigns, H.P.B.
will be virtually dead for the Americans.
W.Q.J. is the Antaskarana [the bridge, the link] between the two
Manas(es) the American thought & the IndianSSor rather the transHimalayan Esoteric Knowledge.

27

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 3, June 1932;
pp.192-193
Theos. History,
Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan.
1996; p.15
Theosophia, Vol. 7,
Mar.-Apr. 1951;
pp.8-9

DIXI
H.P.B.
PS. W.Q.J. had better show, & impress this on the mind of all those Letters That Have
Helped Me, pp.277whom it may concern H.P.B.
278
NOTE: Theosophia includes a reproduction of the original letter.

Theosophy,
Vol. 3, June 1915;
pp.371-372

Dec. 25,
1889

In 1889, Col. H.S. Olcott made a protracted visit to Europe, during which BCW,
he saw H.P.B. for the last time. The day before he left London for Vol. 12, p.484
Colombo, Lank~, she handed to him the following document:
I hereby appoint Colonel H.S. Olcott my confidential agent and sole
official representative of the Esoteric Section for Asiatic countries.
. . . (Signed) H.P. Blavatsky.

1890

WHY I DO NOT RETURN TO INDIA.

Written to the Indian members of the Theosophical Society by H.P.
Blavatsky, addressed TO MY BROTHERS OF RYVARTA.
In Europe and America, during the last three years I have met with
hundreds of men and women who have the courage to avow their
conviction of the real existence of the Masters, and who are working
for Theosophy on Their lines and under Their guidance, given through
my humble self.
In India, on the other hand, ever since my departure, the true spirit of
devotion to the Masters and the courage to avow it has steadily
dwindled away.

BCW, Vol. 12,

pp.156-167
Theosophy
Exposed, by J.
Murdoch; p.35
HPB Theos.
Articles, pp.106-114

NOTE: WHY I DO NOT RETURN TO INDIA was an Open Letter written in BCW, Vol. 12,
April 1890 by H.P.B. and was sent to India by the intermediary of pp.156-157
Bertram Keightley who left London for India, at H.P.B.s special
request, sometime in the Summer of 1890, reaching Bombay August
31, 1890. This letter was not published in the Theosophist until
January 1922 although it had been quoted by N.D. Khandalavala in
his article H.P. Blavatsky and Her Masters (Theosophist Vol. 20,
Oct. 1898, pp.23-24). Shortly after B. Keightleys arrival in India,
with the letter, Col. Olcott expressed that he wished to resign as
President of the T.S. [See Oct 7, 1890.]

28
1890
continued

The Judge Case

E.S. PRELIMINARY EXPLANATIONS TO NO. III OF THE INSTRUCTIONS.

In it H.P.B. warns the Members of the School to defend W.Q. Judge.
I can always take care of myself personally, and really need no ones
defence, though I shall feel always thankful to those who have offered
it. But I mean by helpers such as William Q. Judge; and I now call
upon all those who will remain true to their pledges to do their duty
by both, when the time comes. . . .

BCW, Vol. 12,

pp.593-595
Theosophy,
Vol. 3, June 1915;
pp.371-372

Speaking of difficulties in America at the time, H.P.B. added:

I shall illustrate the point by citing the case of W.Q. Judge. He is one
of the three founders of the Theosophical Society, the only three who
have remained as true as rock to the Cause. . . .
Brother Judge refuses to defend himself, even more than I have
refused to defend myself after the Coulomb conspiracy. No man who
knows himself innocent ever will. But is that a reason why we should
let him go undefended?
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
July 1915; p.417
Letter from H.P.B.
Referring back to the comments made about Judge in the preliminary Letters That Have
to the Third E.S. Instruction, H.P.B. wrote:
Helped Me - J.N.;
Let them read Masters letter in the preliminary (to the Third pp.116-117
Instructions). All that which I said about W.Q.J. was from HIS words
in HIS letter to me. . . .
BCW, Vol. 12, p.594
Jan. 1890

A series of articles on Theosophy started appearing in Kate Fields Lucifer,

Washington, beginning with the January number, under the title, Vol. 7, Sep. 1890,
Echoes from the Orient. The articles were signed Occultus a nom p.86
de plume adopted by W.Q. Judge at the suggestion of Miss Field.
They deal with Theosophy in a style which has attracted many
people who never read our literature, and are at the same time full of
information and sound Theosophy.
We have read the Echoes carefully and can fully recommend them
to our readers as a clear, succinct and correct summary of Theosophical philosophy. We have never been able yet to satisfactorily express
our admiration of the good work of W.Q.J. Words are too clumsy.

Jan. 1890
continued

MUDDLED RULE-MAKERS.
The Theosophist,
Richard Harte, acting editor for The Theosophist while Col. Olcott Vol. 11, Jan. 1890;
is away from Adyar, admonished the President of a newly chartered Supp. pp.lxxv-lxxvi
Washington branch for their wording of their Constitution and Byelaws calling it tomfoolery and calling upon Mr. William Q. Judge,
General Secretary of the American Section of the Theosophical
Society for some explanation thereof.

Feb. 1890

MUDDLED MEDDLERS.
Lucifer,
H.P. Blavatsky reproached Richard Harte for his very untheosophical Vol. 5, Feb. 1890;
and undignified SS attack made by one officer of the T.S. on another pp.517-518
officer of the same. . . .
Such harsh expressions . . . are not only objectionable on account of
their offensive character, but detrimental and dangerous to the T.S.
NOTE: See May/June 1989 entry.

Chronology

Feb. 27,
1890

Shortly after Col. Olcotts return from Europe he issued a SPECIAL The Theosophist,
NOTICE.
Vol. 11, Mar. 1890;
The undersigned resumes the responsible direction of the Supp. p.cv
Theosophist; at the same time thanking Mr. Richard Harte most
sincerely for his valuable services during the period of the absence of
the undersigned from India.
Col. Olcott arrived in Adyar from Japan on July 11th, 1889, only to
sail again for Europe on August 8th, returning on Feb. 5th, 1890. On his
return to India he was accompanied by two valuable recruits.
Dr. J. Bowles Daly,LL.D., and Mr. E. Douglas Fawcett, in addition
to Mr. Harte, will henceforth be members of the Editorial Staff. Their
articles will be signed with their full names or initials. By a friendly
arrangement with Madame Blavatsky, a certain class of important
articles contributed to either Magazine will appear in both Lucifer and
the Theosophist.
NOTE: See Jan. 10, 1889 entry.
NOTE: From the above statement by Col. Olcott it would appear that
Mme Blavatsky had a serious discussion with Col. Olcott while he
was in London regarding unsigned Editorials which appeared in the
Theosophist. See June 1889 for APPLIED THEOSOPHY by Richard
Harte and Aug. 15, 1889 for A PUZZLE FROM ADYAR.

Mar. 9,
1890

In a letter dated Feb. 9, 1890 H.P. Blavatsky writes: I send you another Theos. History,
legal script & gave to the Countess one to the same effect.
Vol. 6, No. 2, Apr.
The legal script she mentioned has not been found but the following 1996; p.48
notice exists in the Archives of the Theosophical Society, Pasadena.
I hereby authorize Mr. W.Q. Judge editor of the Path & proprietor
of the Path Office & Library, to render the accounts of my books
the Secret Doctrine The Key to Theosophy and The Voice of
the Silence, on sale in the said office, to the Theosophical Publishing
Society, of 7 Duke Street, and to pay the Countess C. Wachtmeister
the manager of that office, all monies owing to me now, or what may
[be] owed in the future, from the sale of my books, as specified
above.
NOTE: See Apr. 4, 1888 entry.

29

30

Apr. 1890

The Judge Case

The Paths Fifth Year.

The Path,
In his opening editorial to the fifth volume of Mr. Judges magazine, Vol. 5, Apr. 1890;
The Path, he wrote on the occult significance of the number Five and pp.1-2
concluded with a prophecy.
Let us press forward with new energy in the work of the next four
years, for when the second fifth is reached an important era for
theosophists and the world will be at hand, when the result of again
being weighed in the balance of events will be more serious than it is
now.
NOTE: See April 28th, 1895 and April 29th, 1895 where the American
Section declared its autonomy and T.S. in America was formed,
resulting in much controversy.
NOTE: At the time that Mr. Judge wrote the above Editorial, Col. Olcott
was intermeddling in Paris Branch disturbances; the battle with Elliott
Coues was culminating; and Bertram Keightley was visiting America.
Keightleys visit prompted H.P.B. to issue a Notice in response to
his personal speculative utterances in E.S. meetings [which] were
taken by many members to be expressions of H.P.B.s inner
teachings and accepted as authoritative.
The Notice stated:
Theosophy,
I have neither written, issued, nor sent through Bertram Keightley Vol. 9, Aug. 1921;
any orders or instructions whatever respecting the above matter. pp.305-306
H.P.B. had received several letters from American members of the
E.S. who had misconstrued what was said to them by Mr. Keightley.
[See August 9, 1890.]

June 1890

William Q. Judge published first issue of Department Of Branch The Path,

Work. They contain valuable suggestions for Theosophical work. Vol. 5, July 1890;
These were papers delivered before the Aryan T.S. New York. Forty- p.136
six were issued. The first issue was Bertram Keightleys address
before the Aryan T.S. in Nov. 1889 titled, The Second and Third
Objects of the Theosophical Society as Related to the First.

July 1890

In July 1890 the New York Sun published an article by Dr. Coues, in A Short History of
which gross charges were made against the character of H.P.B. and the T.S.,
charging Olcott and Judge with assisting H.P.B. in fraud and living pp.273-276
upon The Society.
NOTE: See Sep. 26, 1892, also see Sep. 12, 1890 for H.P.B. letter to Mrs
J. Campbell ver Planck.
NOTE: For more valuable information on the Coues-Sun case, see The
Canadian Theosophist, Vol. 66, No.6, Jan.-Feb. 1896, pp.127-130;
137-138.

Chronology

July 9, 1890

H.S. Olcotts letter to the Theosophical Society, Executive Offices.

Lucifer,
To secure a better management of the Societys affairs throughout Vol. 7, Sep. 1890;
Europe than I can give from this distance, I do hereby depute to my p.77
co-founder, H.P. Blavatsky, full authority to come to an agreement
with the Branches of the United Kingdom . . . and other Continental
countries for the consolidation of the whole into one section of the
Theosophical Society to be designated as the European Section. . . .
NOTE: See Aug. 25, 1890 for H.P. Blavatskys letter, To THE
THEOSOPHISTS OF EUROPE.

Aug. 9,
1890

Notice from H.P.B. Strictly Private and Confidential, E. S. T. S. Theosophy,

Any report or statement by any one of orders or instructions alleged Vol. 3, Apr. 1915;
to be by me in any other form than through William Q. Judge or pp.276-279
those which I myself sign my name to with my physical hand are and
shall be false.
Full text of Notice from H.P.B.

Theosophy,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1921;
NOTE: See April 1890 and Aug. 31, 1890, re: Bertram Keightleys pp.306-307
American tour.
Aug. 25,
1890

Letter from H.P. Blavatsky To THE THEOSOPHISTS OF EUROPE.

Lucifer,
After fifteen years of persistent refusal to take office in the Society, Vol. 7, Sep. 1890;
I have at last been persuaded to assume the duties of the President of pp.77-78
a new section of the Theosophical Society, to be known as The
European Section. My reasons for this new departure are as
follows:
She lists three reasons and concludes with some prophetic comments.
It is hoped that the formation of the European Section is the
beginning of the ascending arc of the evolution of the Theosophical
Society in Europe, and that the day may soon dawn when each
European country will have a section of its own. For were such a
happy result to be achieved, and were the units of these sections to
work together for the moulding of European thought, as only those
who have a right conception of Theosophy can work, then should we
surely have advanced a decided step in the direction of that ideal of
Universal Brotherhood, which we have set before us as our first
object.
NOTE: See Olcotts letter of July 9, 1890.

31

32

Aug.31,
1890

The Judge Case

Bertram Keightley in India.

The Theosophist,
This now widely-known and thoroughly respected young member of Vol. 12, Oct. 1890;
the Blavatsky Lodge Theosophical Society and of the British Section, Supp. pp.ii-iii
had hardly finished his long American tour and got back to London,
when he was sent off to India to render me [HSO] any needed
assistance and attend the December Convention as European
Delegate.
NOTE: As a result of B. Keightleys American tour it was H.P.Bs special
request that B. Keightley go to India. He left London in mid-summer
1890.
In a little while Mr. Keightley, finding that the American members Theosophy, Vol. 10,
looked up to him as one who had been close to H.P.B. for years, began May 1922; p.200
to speak as an occultist upon the many problems treated of in
H.P.B.s Instructions to the Esoteric Section. These interpretations
of Mr. Keightleys were taken by many as authoritative. and
Keightley was considered as the representative of H.P.B. This
finally compelled H.P.B. to issue the Notice of August 9, 1890, which
the student will do well to bear firmly in mind, for it is the key to the
aberrations in the Society and its Esoteric School. [This August 9,
1890 Notice from H.P.B. was republished in Theosophy, August
1921, p.306.][See April 1890 and Aug. 9, 1890 entries.]

Chronology

Sep. 12,
1890

33

Letter from H.P. Blavatsky to Mrs. J. Campbell ver Planck regarding the Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Vol. 4, Sep. 1932;
Coues/New York Sun suit.
I of course have no desire to impose any authority upon the E.S. pp.7-8
members of the Aryan in this libel affair. If members in supporting
Judge act contrary to their convictions, then such half-hearted
support is worse than no support at all. The matter is quite simple: the
libel suit has not been instituted to defend personalities, but to defend
the Society, the honour of every member of which has been attacked.
Theosophically & occultly, a libel suit which would have been
untheosophical & selfish if instituted to defend a person, becomes not
only a Theosophical action but a Karmic duty if the welfare of the
Society is thereby being protected. If Judge is abandoned by any of his
fellow-Esotericists because their convictions are contrary to the
above view, theirs will be the Karma. If it is impolitic to bring a suit,
then Judge & myself must be wrong & we do not know what we are
about & we are untheosophical & ignorant.* But if, on the contrary it
is not only politic, but a necessary duty, then it is the duty of every
Esotericist to support in every way this action, for remember that the
more people protest, the more grave will be the offence of slandering
so many innocent people: and it is necessary that the public should
learn that the members of the T.S. are not people of no reputation,
who may be covered with mud with impunity.
For myself I care not a jot; neither have I any desire to be unjust to
a single member of the E.S.: but you must admit that when the
convictions of my pupils are contrary to my own, I have not much
hope of their listening to my teachings.
Very Sincerely,
(Sgd.) H.P.B.
* In my own case I do not defend myself but (1) a dear friend &
Theosophist, who cannot defend himself; & (2) the Head of the
Section, who would dishonour you all otherwise.
NOTE: The above Letter from H.P. Blavatsky to Mrs J. Campbell ver
Planck is important because it establishes both H.P.B.s and W.Q.J.s
positions in defending against slander.

Sep. 30,
1890

Annie Besant was elected President of the Blavatsky Lodge at the Annual
general meeting which was held in the Lecture Hall, Theosophical
Headquarters, 19, Avenue Road, Regents Park, N.W.:
The following officers were elected 1890-91: President, Annie
Besant; Vice-President, William Kingsland; Secretary, Claude F.
Wright; Assistant-Secretary, Sydney V. Edge; Treasurer, Countess
Wachtmeister.

Lucifer,
Vol. 7, Oct. 1890;
pp.164-165
Mrs. Annie Besant
A Modern Prophet,
pp.168-169

34

Oct. 7, 1890

The Judge Case

Col. Olcott wrote to H.P.B., telling her he wished to retire as President of A Short History of
the Theosophical Society.
The T.S., p.271
At the Xth Anniversary, it will be remembered, I asked permission to The Theosophist,
retire, that I might enjoy needed rest after my long and arduous service Vol. 12, Dec. 1890;
in the Tropics. The privilege was unanimously refused, with such Supp. p.xiv
touching expression of personal affection that I continued in Office.
I have now given five more years of service, and feel that I must insist
upon my right to withdraw into privacy, and devote myself to certain
literary work long contemplated.
NOTE: See 1890; Dec. 27, 28, 29, 1890 and Jan. 21, 1892 entries.

Dec. 1890

The Theosophical Society and H.P.B.

Lucifer,
By Annie Besant as co-editor. She printed this article without first Vol. 7, Dec. 1890;
submitting it to H.P.B. for her approval. Besant had defined pp.275-280
Blavatskys position, claiming that the article expressed the views of
the members of the Theosophical Society as to the role H.P.B. played
in the Theosophical Society.
Besant presented 5 points with regards to H.P.B.s credibility,
including:
1.) Either she is a messenger from the Masters, or else she is a fraud.
2.) In either case the Theosophical Society would have no existence
without her.
NOTE: See Jan. 7, 1891 entry for H.P.B.s Comments.

Dec. 27, 28,

29, 1890

General Report of the Fifteenth Convention and Anniversary of the The Theosophist,
Theosophical Society.
Vol. 12, Jan. 1891;
Constitution and Rules of The Theosophical Society. [Revised]
Supp. pp.65-72
Article XIII (2):
No Fellow, Officer or Council of the Theosophical Society, or of any
Section or Branch thereof, shall promulgate or maintain any doctrine
as being that advanced or advocated by the Society.
NOTE: See also July 9-10, 1891 entry for Constitution and Rules.

Dec. 27, 28,

29, 1890
continued

President Olcotts Vacation.

The Path,
Yielding to the warm remonstrances of Madame Blavatsky and all Vol. 5, Mar. 1891;
his friends against the resignation which shattered health seemed to p.393
necessitate, Col. Olcott withheld it and accepted the proposal by
Convention of a years vacation for rest.

Dec. 27, 28,

29, 1890
continued

At the Fifteenth Anniversary of the T.S. Bertram Keightley suggested that

an Indian Section be established to relieve Col. Olcott of his heavy
burden. This Section would compare with the ones in the West.
Constitutional rules were drafted then adopted and Bertram
Keightleys appointment as its first General Secretary was ratified.

General Report of
the 15th
Anniversary of the
T.S., pp.31-57
The Theosophist,
Vol. 12, Dec. 1890;
Supp. p.xiii

Chronology

35

Jan. 1, 1891

EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
The Theosophist,
Dated Adyar 17th November 1890" from H.S. Olcott.
Vol. 12, Dec. 1890;
In compliance with the above suggestion, the President-Founder Supp. p.xiii
hereby declares that, from and after the 1st January 1891, the present
four Indian Sections shall be merged into one, to be called the Indian
Section of the Theosophical Society, with its Head-quarters at Adyar.
Bertram Keightley, Esq., M.A. (Cantab), F.T.S., is hereby appointed
General Secretary of the Indian Section, subject to the approval of
Mdme. H.P. Blavatsky, to whose staff he is now attached.

Jan. 1, 1891
continued

W. Q. Judge Gen. Secy American Section published the first issue of the
Oriental Department, pamphlets consisting of Sanskrit and other
Oriental Scriptures specially translated for students of theosophy.
Published by Theosophical Society, American Section. P.O. Box
2659, New York.

Jan. 7, 1891

Comments on the Theosophical Society and H.P.B..

Lucifer,
H.P.B.s comments on The Theosophical Society and H.P.B. Vol. 7, Feb. 1891;
Needless to say that Mrs. Besants article would not have appeared pp.451-455
had I seen it before publication. . . . [T]he Esoteric Section has no
official or corporate connection with the Exoteric Society.
Henceforth it will be called the Esoteric School of Theosophy,
simply. [rather than the Esoteric Section of the Theosophical
Society.]
Mr. H.T. Patterson objected to A. Besants article The Theosophical
Society and H.P.B. He wrote that the T.S. held no position binding
membership to belief in H.P.B. Even a recognized authoritative
leader may be dangerous. H.P.B. herself is always inculcating selfreliance, and discouraging any dependence upon others, herself
included.
[see Dec. 1890 entry]
NOTE: H.P.B. makes reference to Lucifer, Oct. 1886 but it actually Pamphlet, 24 pages
appeared in Lucifer, Vol. 7, Dec. 1890.
A pamphlet was Reprinted from Lucifer, December 1890, by desire T.N.C.A.B.
of H.P.B. and titled The Theosophical Society and H.P.B., Three Item 690, p.210
Articles, by Annie Besant & H.T. Paterson, and including H.P.B.s
comments.

Mar. 12,
1891

THE WILL OF W.Q. JUDGE with Memorandum.

W.Q. Judge signed his will on this date, appointing E. Aug.
Neresheimer of New York, as Executor and my wife, Ella M. Judge,
as Executrix of this my will.
Memorandum attached stipulated where assets were located (money,
insurance policy, pictures) and that he owned The Path magazine.
Judge bequeathed, The Path Magazine and business now carried on
by me in New York, and of which I am the sole owner, and all my
business therewith connected, to my friends and fellow-students, Mrs.
J. Campbell Ver Planck and E. August Neresheimer . . . trusting that
they will carry it on. . . .

Future of the Theos.

Publishing Co. (Feb.
1898) by Julia
Keightley;
(35 pp.), pp.1-3
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
pp.lxv-lxvii

36

Mar. 27,
1891

The Judge Case

H.P.B. to W.Q. Judge, regarding A. Besant:

UNSELFISHNESS AND ALTRUISM ISM is Annie Besants name, but
with me and for me she is Heliodore, a name given to her by a Master,
and that I use with her, it has a deep meaning. It is only a few months
she studies occultism with me in the innermost group of the E.S., and
yet she has passed far beyond all others. She is not psychic nor
spiritual in the least SS all intellect, and yet she hears the Masters
voice when alone, sees His Light, and recognises His Voice from that
of D____. Judge, she is a most wonderful woman, my right hand, my
successor, when I will be forced to leave you, my sole hope in
England, as you are my sole hope in America.

H.P.B. and the

Present Crisis in the
T.S. by C.
Wachtmeister; p.4
O.E. Library Critic,
Vol. 18, July 1929
Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.159, 249
H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922) by
A. Cleather, p.73
Theosophy,
Vol. 3, May 1915;
pp.323-324
Theosophists:
Reunite! (1958)
by F.P. Spinks, p.38

Apr. 1 1891
(est)

H.P.B. to Besant: Child, your pride is terrible; you are as proud as Annie Besant An
Lucifer himself.
Autobiography,
p.311 (1893)
p.442 (1939)
T.P.H. Adyar
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
May 1915; p.323

Apr. 1,
1891

E.S. Order. H.P.B. document to A. Besant:

Minutes of Council
I hereby appoint in the name of the Master, Annie Besant Chief E.S.T.,
Secretary of the Inner Group of the Esoteric Section and Recorder of Nov. 1894; p.5
the Teachings. [Signed] H.P.B.
H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922)
by Alice Cleather,
p.85
Theosophy, Vol. 3
Apr. 1915; p.277
Annie Besant left [London] for Liverpool this morning, to embark for
New York.
The Path, Vol. 6,
May 1891; p.57

Apr. 9,
1891

Mrs. Besant reached the States on April 9th, after a stormy voyage in the The Path, Vol. 6,
City of New York.
May 1891; p.53
Mrs. Besant accepted the hospitality of Mr. E.A. Neresheimer. . . .
On April 13th she delivered her first public lecture. . . .

Chronology

37

Apr. 9, 1891
continued

Mrs. Besant meets Judge for the first time.

The Case Against
I met Mr. Judge first in April, 1891, when sent to America by W.Q. Judge by A.
Madame Blavatsky to make his acquaintance and to carry a message Besant (1895); p.9
from her to the American Convention.

Apr. 26-27,
1891

Theosophical Society, American Section, Fifth Annual Convention held Report of

Proceedings, 51 pp.
at Boston. Report of Proceedings
On the evening of the 26th, The evening will be used for papers, The Path, Vol. 6,
discussions, and an address from Mrs. Besant.
Apr. 1891; p.32
H.P.B.s letter to the Convention, read by her messenger and Lucifer, Vol. 8, June
representative, Annie Besant. [Letter dated Apr. 15, 1891]
1891; pp.343-345
H.P.B., in her additional message to the Convention, wrote:
I have purposely omitted any mention of my oldest friend and fellowworker, W.Q. Judge, in my general address to you, because I think
that his unflagging and self-sacrificing efforts for the building up of
Theosophy in America deserve special mention.
[H]e who has proved in a thousand ways his entire loyalty to the best
interests of Theosophy and the Society. [Also in Report of
Proceedings, pp.22-23.]

Apr. 26-27,
1891
continued

It Was a Borrowed Body

Cyrus Field Willard narrates his first hand testimony when at the
Boston Convention of 1891 W.Q. Judge changed his appearance.
At an E.S. meeting in the large double parlours of the Parker House.
...
. . . As he started to call the meeting to order, he leaned toward her
[Annie Besant] who stood on his right hand, and I heard him say to
her in a low voice, Sound the Word with the triple intonation,. She
replied in the same low voice, I dont dare to, or I dont care to, but
I think it was the first. I heard him say in a firm tone, Then I will. He
had been twirling his gavel in his hand but laid it down . . . and
stepped to the side of the pedestal, facing his audience . . . and said:
I am about to sound the Word with the triple intonation, but before
I do so, I have a statement to make which I do not care to have you
speak to me about later, nor do I wish you to discuss among
yourselves. I am not what I seem; I am a Hindu.
Then he sounded the Word with the triple intonation.
Before my eyes, I saw the mans face turn brown and a clean-shaven
Hindu face of a young man was there, and you know he wore a
beard.
NOTE: See: May 1932 entry.
Comments by Albert E.S. Smythe on Willards article.

BCW,
Vol. 13, p.176
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
Apr. 1915; p.276
Theos. or NeoTheos. by Margaret
Thomas, p.57
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 13, May 1932;
pp.65-67
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. I,
pp.xxxv-xxxvii

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 13, May 1932;
pp.69-70

38

May 6,
1891

The Judge Case

On the 6th Mrs Besant sailed for England in the City of Chicago, Dr. and The Path, Vol. 6,
Mrs. J.D. Buck of Cincinnati accompanying her.
June 1891; p.90
On 6 May Mrs Besant, Mr. Judge and Dr. and Mrs. J.D. buck left A Short History of
New York for England.
The T.S., p.280
NOTE: The compiler Josephine Ransom erroneously included Mr. Judge
as having sailed with Annie Besant on the 6th. Mr. Judge sailed for
England on May 13th, 1891. [See May 13th, 1891 entry.]

May 8,
1891

The Departure of H.P.B.

Our beloved teacher and friend H.P.B., left us at 2:25 on the
afternoon of Friday, May 8th.
During the last few moments of her present incarnation, H.P.B. was
sitting in her own arm-chair, her head supported by Miss Laura M.
Cooper, and her hands clasped by Walter R. Old and Claude F.
Wright. After the change, the face, we know so well, wore an
expression of the most complete serenity and dignity.

The Vahan IS,

No. 12, May 15,
1891; pp.1-2
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.158

Death was caused by a clot of albumen touching the heart.

The Path, Vol. 8,

June 1891; p.95

In Memoriam by Archibald Keightley.

Lucifer, Vol. 8, July

1891; pp.362-364

May 8, 1891
continued

Chronological Table of Events in The Life of Madame Blavatsky.

May 8, 1891
continued

H.P.B. left us and her last message for the Society was given to Mrs. The Path, Vol. 9,
Oakley the night but one before she died. At three a.m. she suddenly July 1894; p.124
looked up and said Isabel, Isabel, keep the link unbroken; do not let
my last incarnation be a failure.

May 8, 1891
continued

The Real H.P.B.

(1928) by Wm.
NOTE: See also H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston, pp.xiii-xv, for Chronology. Kingsland,
pp.251-252
See also the Notes of events pp.557-616

But Mrs. Besant was not in England when H.P.B. died, quite
unexpectedly, and with only three of her pupils present, namely, Mr.
Claude Wright, Mr. Walter Old and Miss Laura Cooper (now Mrs.
G.R.S. Mead.)
In a footnote Mrs. Cleather adds:
How unexpected was the manner of her passing may be gathered
from the fact that she was, at that very time, building a little occult
room next to her own . . . in which each of her pupils was to sit
alone for development. . . .

H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922) by
A. Cleather,
pp.81-84

Chronology

May 9,
1891(est.)

39

In reply to the announcement of H.P.B.s death . . . Mr. Judge promptly Isis Very Much
cabled to Do nothing till I come.
Unveiled, pp.27-28
NOTE: In a written testimony (March 5th 1998) by Mr. Dallas Ten Broeck,
recalling his experiences while living in India, stated that on several
occasions he heard Mr. B.P. Wadia saying that when W.Q. Judge had
received the cable of H.P. Blavatskys passing that he (Judge)
immediately cabled London to Seal her rooms. I am sailing
immediately. [Similarly, this compiler heard Emory Wood (past
President of Edmonton Theosophical Society and a dedicated student
of history, known for his excellent memory for detail) on many
occasions utter the same details about this event. Mr. Wood
corresponded with Mr. Wadia and other individuals and likely picked
up this information through these contacts.]

May 11,
1891

Last Hours of Madame Blavatsky.

The Path,
The cremation of H. P. Blavatsky took place at Woking, 25 miles from Vol. 6, June 1891;
London.
p.95
NOTE: W.Q. Judge was not present.

May 13.
1891

General Secretary W.Q. Judge sailed for London on the S.S. City of New The Path,
York.
Vol. 6, July 1891;
p.128

May 15,
1891

A DECLARATION.
Lucifer,
Signed by twelve Fellows of the Theosophical Society (and members Vol. 8, May 1891;
of the Inner Group of the E.S.), at the stake of our personal honour p.247
and reputation, hereby declare:
That we have fully investigated all the accusations and attacks which
have been made against the personal character and bona fides of H. P.
Blavatsky, and have found them in the vast majority of cases to be
entirely false, and in the few remaining instances the grossest possible
distortions of the simple facts. [A Declaration follows My Books
an article by H.P.B. which deals with accusations of plagiarism, want
of method and inaccuracy against her works.]

May 19,
1891

The Press.
Updating readers regarding bad press which H.P.B.s passing had
generated; signed by ten prominent members of the T.S.: Annie
Besant, C. Carter Blake, Herbert Burrows, Laura M. Cooper, Isabel
Cooper-Oakley, Archibald Keightley, G.R.S. Mead, Walter R. Old,
Constance Wachtmeister, and W. Wynn Westcott.
We do not propose to attempt any answer in detail to libels as
monstrous as they are vile, libels which deal, moreover, with supposed
events laid in distant quarters of the world, without any evidence
being adduced to substantiate the allegations.

Lucifer,
Vol. 8, June 1891;
pp.319-320
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1; p.xxiii

40

May 21,
1891

The Judge Case

W.Q. Judge arrived in London.

Letter to The Theosophist from A.L.V.[sic] [C. (Cleather)].
Mr. Judge will remain in England until Col. Olcotts arrival early in
July; his presence with us at such a sad time is most welcome, for all
who have the privilege of knowing the Vice-President and Co-founder
of the Theosophical Society will at once realise how we must value
the sense of strength, courage and hope, which he inspires wherever
and with whomsoever he is.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 12, July 1891;
p.634
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1; p.xxiii

May 23,
1891

Circular, 4 pages
Consultative Emergency Council.
Consisting of the European Advisory Council and the British Section
Council; held in the Lecture Hall at Headquarters, London, May 23rd,
1891, at 8 p.m.
William Q. Judge, as Vice-President T. S., in the Chair.
Lucifer,
Vol. 8, June 1891;
Resolved, that under the authority of this Council, a notice be sent p.336
out by the General Secretaries to all the Branches and unattached
members, informing them that a Convention is to be held, and
containing the order of business to be decided upon by this council;
and that the Convention be held at Headquarters, London, on
Thursday and Friday, July 9th and 10th, 1891.

May 27,
1891

W.Q. Judge convened a meeting of the Advisory Council of the Esoteric Theos. Movement
Section.
1875-1950, p.159
To All Members of the E.S.T.
The Council passed the following minute:
In virtue of our appointment by H.P.B., we declare:
That in full accord with the known wishes of H.P.B. . . . we primarily
resolve and declare that the work of the School ought and shall be
continued and carried on along the lines laid down by her, and with
the matter left in writing or dictated by her before her departure. . . .
That it was resolved and recorded that the highest officials in the
School for the present are Annie Besant and William Q. Judge, in
accordance with the . . . order to William Q. Judge of December 1888,
and with the order of April 1, 1891 to Annie Besant, as well as with
the written declaration of H.P.B. in a letter to William Q. Judge dated
March 27th, 1891. . . .
This segment ends with:
. . . and that from henceforth with Annie Besant and William Q.
Judge rest the full charge and management of this School.

Pamphlet, 8 pages

Theosophy,
Vol. 3, Apr. 1915;
pp.277-279
May 1915; p.325
July 1915; pp.425426
H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922)
by A. Cleather,
pp.84-85

NOTE: See Nov. 3rd,1894, E.S.T. circular issued at New York by W. Q.

Judge, or Appendix B for the full text of By Masters Direction.
NOTE: See Dec. 14, 1888 entry.
NOTE: See Apr. 1, 1891 entry.
NOTE: See March 27, 1891 entry.
Complete verbatim appointments reprinted from original order.

Theos. or NeoTheos. by Margaret

Thomas, p.58

Chronology

41

May 27, 1891

continued

The assumption, by Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge, of the office of Outer H.P.B. Her Life and
Head in succession to H.P.B. was, therefore, the beginning of all Work for
subsequent trouble.
Humanity, p.120

May 27, 1891

continued

Mrs. Besant included with her letter to Mrs. Ver-Planck (Mrs. Keightley)
in New York, the following signed declaration (together with the slip
of paper bearing the message W.Q. Judges plan is right):
I took from William Q. Judge, on the afternoon of May 27th, 1891,
certain papers selected from a number of letters in his possession.
These I took one by one, read them, folded them up, tied them into a
packet, and said I would read them myself to the Council, as they
concerned Bro. Judge. I opened this packet myself in the Council
meeting, in my place as chairman. I took up the papers one by one
and read them (or parts of them) aloud, and on raising one of them
saw a piece of paper lying between it and the next that was not there
when I tied them together. After reading those remaining I took it up,
and found it was a slip bearing some words written in red and signed
with s initials and seal. The words were: W.Q. Judges plan is
right. The paper is attached hereto.
(Signed) Annie Besant.

E.S.T. circular
by A. Keightley,
pp.3-4
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
p.97
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.147-148
Theosophy, Vol. 10,
Apr. 1922; p.176
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
July 1915; p.426

NOTE: See July 6, 1891 entry. The Message W.Q. Judges plan is right
Theosophy, Vol. 10,
was not included in the E.S.T. circular sent to E.S. Members.
Mar. 1922; p.148
According to Archibald and Julia Keightley, Besant claimed that no
one could have had access to those papers other than herself.
May 27, 1891
continued

A. Besant states Only as They have put us together, I have no power to The Path, Vol.10,
stand aside. [Letter dated July 2, 1891]
June 1895; p.100

May 27, 1891

continued

Eastern and Western divisions of E.S. were established with Besant Theosophy, Vol. 3,
in charge of the Eastern division and Judge in charge of the May 1915; p.325
Western division (American).

42
May 27, 1891
continued

The Judge Case

Pamphlet (1895)
The Case Against W.Q. Judge
A. Besants version, four years later, of how W.Q. Judge became Co- by Annie Besant,
Head with her and on the paper containing the words W.Q. Judges pp.82-83
plan is right.
Mr. Judge, who was sitting close beside me while I picked out the
letters, must have slipped the scrap into the bundle without my
noticing his action; at the time, being void of all suspicion of his good
faith, I accepted it as genuine.
Claude Falls Wright, in a signed statement dated April 24, 1895, Reply by William
wrote:
Q. Judge, pp.22-23
th
[O]n the afternoon of Wednesday the 27 of May, 1891, a message
from the Master among documents read by Annie Besant was found
by her in full sight of all present. Annie Besant was sitting at a small
table several feet distant from the group of Councillors, who sat
opposite her while she read the documents. William Q. Judge was not
seated by her at the time, but among the group and on the left side of
the hall.
NOTE: Claude Falls Wrights statement can be found in Appendix A, No.
13.

May 27, 1891

continued

NOTE: For details on precipitation of letters see Mar. 1893 entry. H.P.
Blavatsky on Precipitation and Other Matters.

May 28-29,
1891

The beginning of troubles relating to Master Ms SEAL.

Items relating to this include:
Pamphlet, Dec. 23,
The Theosophical Society and The Westminster Gazette
Bertram Keightley wrote to The Westminster Gazette to add to 1894 (16pages);
Mrs. Besants exhaustive reply to Mr. Garrett. . . . He mentions a pp.14-15
letter from W.Q. Judge dated May 29, 1891 bearing the seal.
. . . [T]he presence of the seal was not necessarily traceable to Mr.
Judge, though its appearance did raise a doubt in my mind.
Isis Very Much Unveiled by Edmund Garrett.
Pamphlet, 2nd ed.
W.Q. Judge quoted:
I have long ago denied all knowledge of Masters seal either genuine (132 pages);
pp.126-127
or imitated. I do not know if he has a seal. . . .

Chronology
May 28-29,
1891
continued

43

Letter of Wm. Lindsay to Countess Wachtmeister dated London, Feb.17, Irish Theosophist,
1895 (posted March 1st):
Vol. 3, May 1895;
What you told me was, that before H.P.B. died she showed you a box p.141
wherein was Masters seal and that immediately after H.P.B.s death
you took the box with the Masters seal in it into your keeping, and
that the box was not in anyone elses hands till given over by you to
Annie Besant on her return from America. When the box was opened
by Annie Besant the Masters seal was not to be found in it, and all
that took place before Mr. W. Q. Judge came to England [May 21,
1891].
Letter of C. Wachtmeister, addressed to G.R.S. Mead re: Wm. Lucifer,
Lindsays letter in which she stated:
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
H.P.B. never sh[o]wed me the seal above named. I did not even know pp.164-165
of its existence. I had seen the impression of the seal during H.P.B.s
life-time, but not the seal itself, and I believed these impressions to
be from a genuine seal belonging to the Master.
In The Case Against W.Q. Judge Annie Besant quotes from a
statement from Colonel Olcott that on Nov. 13, 1883, he had an
imitation seal made in brass of Master Ms seal while he was
passing through the bazaar in Lahore, Punjab, India.

Pamphlet (1895),
88pp., pp.12, 19, 3031, 41, 43, 53, 69,
71, 73-75, 83-84

June 10,
1891

W. Q. Judge came from London to attend a Dublin Lodge meeting. On The Path,
another evening at the Rotunda Lecture-hall, Liverpool, both Mr. Vol. 6, July 1891;
Judge and Mrs. Besant lectured jointly to an audience of 1800. The pp.134-135
lecture was entitled Theosophy what it is, and what it is not.
[Mr. Judge] proposed to speak to them of what Theosophy was not.
In the first place Theosophy was not Spiritualism, nor Buddhism, nor
Brahminism, nor Mohammedanism, nor Christianity, nor atheism, nor
materialism. Theosophy was the reformer of the religion of the East,
and the opponent of materialism in the West. . . . Mrs. Besant
continued the subject, dealing with the metaphysical aspect of
Theosophy.

July 2, 1891

Letter by Mrs. Besant to esotericists who did not wish to accept her as co- The Path, Vol. 10,
head of the E.S.T.
June 1895; p.100
If I could, I would say to you, my dear , sign only to Mr. Judge.
I should be quite content, for indeed there is no reason why you
should have any confidence in me. Only as They have put us together,
I have no power to stand aside.

July 4, 1891

After having reached Marseilles on the 2nd, Olcott arrived in London at BCW,
about 6 p.m. where he was met by Judge. After reaching Vol. 13, p.xxv
Headquarters, [Olcott] meditates together with Annie Besant in
H.P.B,s bedroom.
He [Olcott] went at once to Avenue Road, where he and Mrs. Besant A Short History of
visited H.P.B.s room together and pledged themselves to be true to the T.S., p.278
the Cause and to each other.
NOTE: See Nov. 18th, 1891 for more details on Olcott.

44

July 6, 1891

The Judge Case

A letter from Annie Besant in London to Mrs. Julia Campbell-Ver Planck

at New York City.
[S]oon after that Council Meeting of May 27th, 1891 . . . Mrs. Besant
sent to Mrs. Ver-Planck (now Mrs. Keightley), in New York, the slip
of paper bearing in red the Council message, W.Q. Judges plan is
right, and initialled by Master M. With it was sent [the declaration]
written out in full by Mrs. Besant, and signed:
NOTE: See May 27, 1891 entry for text of declaration.
NOTE: See Dec. 6,1891entry. Meeting at Astor House.

July 9-10,
1891

E.S.T. circular
by A. Keightley,
p.3
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Oct. 1922;
p.402
Theos. Movement
1875-1925, p.646

The Theosophical Society in Europe, First Annual Convention.

The Path,
The Convention was held at the Lecture Hall of the Blavatsky Lodge, Vol. 6, Aug. 1891;
(Headquarters, Avenue Road, Regent Park) London, at 10 A. M. H.S. pp.166-167
Olcott, W.Q. Judge, and A. Besant were present.
Resolution to institute an H.P.B. Memorial Fund.
[T]he two sections, British and European, unanimously resolved to
combine into one. Then the new Constitution for the European Section
was adopted, almost exactly on the lines of the American Section.
G.R.S. Mead elected General Secretary, W.R. Old elected Librarian
and E.T. Sturdy, Treasurer.
In his closing statement Olcott praised Judge.
[America] was almost a graveyard of Theosophy when Mr. Judge felt
what you may call the divine afflatus to devote himself to the work
and to pick up the loose threads we had left scattered there and carry
it on. The result shows what one man can do who is altogether
devoted to the cause.

Report of
Proceedings T.S. in
Europe, 1891; p.49
BCW, Vol. 1, p.477

The London Lodge . . . was not represented either by Mr. Sinnett as

President, or by any proxy. The London Lodge held itself aloof from Theos. Movement
the general activities of the Society.
1875-1950, p.160
July 9-10,
1891
continued

European Section of The Theosophical Society. Constitution and Pamphlet, 20 pages

Rules. List of Officers and General Information. Also contains the
Constitution and Rules of the Theosophical Society as revised at
Adyar Dec. 27, 1890.

July 17 &
27, 1891

Two Executive Orders from H.S. Olcott.

Lucifer,
July 17th order: The death of H.P. Blavatsky necessitates certain Vol. 8, Aug. 1891;
changes, among which are the following:
pp.514-516
1. The office of Corresponding Secretary remains vacant. . . .
2. The name of H.P.B. disappears from Charters and Diplomas. . . .
July 27th Order: As the survivor of the two principal Founders of the
Theosophical Society, I am called upon to state officially the lines
upon which its work will henceforth be prosecuted.
Also a Notice signed by H.S. Olcott, W.Q. Judge, Bertram Keightley,
G.R.S. Mead and A. Carroll giving details of the H.P.B. Memorial
Fund.

Chronology

Aug. 1891

45

Article by Jasper Niemand A Theosophical Education, was preceded The Path,

with a quotation from the Master.
Vol. 6, Aug. 1891;
pp.137-138

INGRATITUDE IS NOT ONE OF OUR FAULTS. WE ALWAYS HELP THOSE

WHO HELP US. TACT, DISCRETION, AND ZEAL ARE MORE THAN EVER

NEEDED. THE HUMBLEST WORKER IS SEEN AND HELPED.

Positive comments on the article.

NOTE: W.Q. Judge was then in the U.K. and had not seen the article Lucifer,
Vol. 9, Sep. 1891;
when it was published.
pp.86-87
Aug. 1891
continued

Olcott questioned the message from the Mahatma in Jasper Niemands

article. Judge replied in what was later published as An Interesting
Letter. Olcotts name was not mentioned. The letter was subtitled
Written to an Indian Brother. In it Judge asserted:
I did not write the article you quote. I am not Jasper Niemand. Hence
I did not get the message he printed a part of in his article. Jasper
Niemand is a real person and not a title to conceal my person.

Lucifer,
Vol. 12, Apr. 1893;
pp.101-104

Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Apr. 1922;
pp.180-183

NOTE: See April 15, 1893 entry.

Theos. Movement
1875-1925, p.426
Aug. 6,
1891

W.Q. Judge left London.

Lucifer,
William Q. Judge, whom we had comfortably assimilated as a Vol. 8, Aug. 1891;
working member of the staff. . . . sailed for New York on August 6th, p.518
in the City of Paris, carrying with him the warmest good wishes of
all who met him here, and from those of us who had the privilege of
working with him the most grateful thanks for strong help rendered in
a time of sore need.

Aug. 21,
1891

Both Bertram Keightley, Gen. Sec. of the Indian Section, and Sydney V. Lucifer,
Edge sailed for Adyar; Mr. Edge to join the Headquarters staff and Vol. 8, Aug. 1891;
help the General Secretary of the Indian Section. . . .
p.518
The Vahan,
Sep. 1891; p.7

46

Aug. 30,
1891

Aug. 30, 1891

continued

The Judge Case

Lecture by Annie Besant delivered at the Hall of Science in London

entitled 1875 to 1891: A Fragment of Autobiography in which she
claimed to have received messages from the Masters after the death
of H.P.B.
You have known me in this hall [the Hall of Science, in London] for
sixteen and a half years. You have never known me to tell a lie. [No,
never! and loud cheers.] I tell you that since Madame Blavatsky left
I have had letters in the same handwriting as the letters which she
received. [Sensation.] Unless you think dead persons can write, surely
that is a remarkable fact. You are surprised; I do not ask you to
believe me; but I tell you it is so. All the evidence I had of the
existence of Madame Blavatskys teachers, of the so-called abnormal
powers, came through her. It is not so now. Unless every sense can at
the same time deceive me, unless a sane person can at the same time
be sane and insane, I have exactly the same certainty for the truth of
the statements I have made as I know that you are here. I refuse to be
false to the knowledge of my intellect and the perceptions of my
reasoning faculties.
NOTE: The text of the New York Sun article and Besants pamphlet vary
slightly.
NOTE: Also see Aug. 4, 1894 entry for criticism by F. W. Read.
For the New York Sun article on The Brass Seal see Appendix A.

New York Sun,

Nov. 25, 1894
Pamphlet,
(1891) (14 pages)
by Annie Besant;
pp.1, 10, 11, 14
Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.165-166
Lucifer, Vol. 9,
Sep. 1891; p.175

In Character Sketch: . . . Mrs. Annie Besant, W.T. Stead, the editor of Review of Reviews,
Vol. 4, Oct. 1891;
Review of Reviews wrote:
One of the most difficult things in writing these sketches is the pp.349-367
attempt to delineate the character of ones personal friends. W.T.
Stead quotes from Besants final speech in the Hall of Science, Aug.
30, 1891, and added:
To me the essential miracle is the conversion of Mrs. Besant from
Materialism to a firmly based belief in the reality of the spiritual
world. . . . To have secured Mrs. Besant for Theosophy is an
achievement much more wonderful to me than the duplication of any
number of teacups or the tinkling of whole peals of astral bells.
Mrs. Besant has not only abjured Materialism, she has repudiated her
advocacy of neo-Malthusianism.
NOTE: See Nov. 15, 1895 for more on Annie Besant by W.T. Stead.

Chronology
Aug. 30, 1891
continued

47

A. Besants public claims to have received messages from the Masters as Theosophy,
well as the message in Jasper Niemands article in The Path, Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
aroused a furore in the world and particularly amongst Theosophists pp.148-149
[b]ecause . . . it was . . . inferred that she herself was in
communication with the Masters and this inference was
strengthened by the fact that she made no denial, and by her
subsequent statements to various newspaper interviewers and by other
direct statements. . . .
NOTE: See Aug. 1891 entry.
[T]he press has taken up Annie Besants statement that she was in Lucifer, Vol. 9,
direct communication with the Masters.
Sep. 1891; p.83
In a section titled Additional Matter is found Statement of Annie
Besant (dated April 24, 1895) on messages she received from the
Masters after H.P.B.s death and before her lecture at the Hall of
Science. She wrote:
I add now an account of the messages received from Mr. Judge by
me; in which she claims Judge was responsible.

The Case Against

W.Q. Judge by A.
Besant (1895);
pp.81-84

Sep. 1, 1891 The Vahan announced that Annie Besant proposes to visit India for a The Vahan, Vol. 1,
lecturing tour during the cool season, leaving the London Sep. 1891; pp.7-8
Headquarters about the end of November. . . . Miss F.H. Mller
proposes to accompany Annie Besant.
H.S. Olcott hopes to induce Mrs. Besant to join him at Head- The Theosophist,
quarters for the annual Convention at Adyar and make at least a Vol. 12, Sep. 1891;
short cold-weather tour in India.
Supp. pp.civ-cv
NOTE: Mrs. Besant did not go to India at this time. [See Oct. 1891 and
Nov. 18, 1891 entries.]
Sep. 8, 1891 The General Secretarys Tour.
The Path,
[W.Q. Judge] was to have started for the West upon the very day Vol. 6, Oct. 1891;
when the death of Madame Blavatsky caused him to sail for Europe, p.230
and upon his return the new date was fixed for Sep. 5th, but sickness
caused postponement till the 8th, at which time he left for Omaha.
Sep. 15,
1891

Some Words on Daily Life (Written by A MASTER OF WISDOM.)

Lucifer,
Republished by A. Besant.
Vol. 9, Sep. 1891;
Theosophy . . . expects and demands from the Fellows of the Society pp.5-7
a great mutual toleration and charity for each others shortcomings,
ungrudging mutual help in the search for truths in every department
of nature moral and physical. And this ethical standard must be
unflinchingly applied to daily life. [Originally published in Lucifer,
Vol. 1, Jan. 1888, pp.344-346.]

48

Sep. 16,
1891

The Judge Case

Col. Olcott sails from Liverpool for the U.S.A. Arrives at New York Sep.
23rd, where he is for the first time since 1878, and is met by Fullerton,
Neresheimer and his sister, Mrs. Belle Mitchell. Gives one lecture.
On Sep. 28th, takes the overland train and stops at Sacramento and San
Francisco where Judge meets him.

BCW
Vol. 13, p.xxvi

NOTE: Col. Olcott was en route to Japan. [See Oct. 7, 1891.]

The Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Dec. 1891;
Supp. pp.xxvi-xxvii

A Short History of
the T.S., pp.283-84

Oct. 1891

In a letter to Judge, Vera Jelihovsky, H.P.B.s sister, details that in Oct. The Path,
1891 she had written a letter to her daughter, Vera Johnston in Vol. 10, Apr. 1895;
London, asking her to transmit to A. Besant that Mrs. Besant must pp.25-26
not go to India, because the results of her voyage would be bad,
dangerous, harmful, and disastrous to the extreme. In the same time
I felt conscious that I was in duty bound to warn her.
She felt the impression had come from H.P.B. So I resolved to write
to my daughter . . . asking her to transmit to Mrs. Besant my profound
conviction it would not be safe for her to go over to India, or to
interfere with any other branch of the Theosophical Society elsewhere
than in England, for I Knew for sure that my sister Helen was against
it.
. . . Mrs. Besants answer [was] . . . I am ordered to go.
Mrs. Jelihovsky added: I thought then and there that she was
mistaken (now [1895] I am sure of it!) . . .
NOTE: See April 27, 1893, for more details as they relate to Bertram
Keightley. [Annie Besants statement I am ordered to go was
uttered by her only after Mr. Chakravartis visit to London in August
1893.]
Lucifer, Vol. 9,
NOTE: See Nov. 27, 1891, about Besants health.
Dec. 1891; p.344

Oct. 7, 1891

Pamphlet (1895),
The Case Against W.Q. Judge by Annie Besant
(88 pages), p.72
W.Q. Judge and H.S. Olcott met in San Francisco.
O. put the question direct to J. if he had written the letters, for the
good of the T.S. and to help vindicate H.P.B.s memory; telling him
that he (O.) knew of his (J.s) remarkable talent for imitating
handwriting, that he had heard of his imitating some at Adyar. . . .
W.Q.J. denied emphatically that he had written the letters, or any of
the sort.
RE: Rosicrucian Jewel

pp.76-78

Chronology
Oct. 7, 1891
continued

Col. Olcott, the President Founder, in California. When it

became known that Col. Olcott was to pass through San Francisco en
route to Japan, preparations were at once made to give him an
appropriate welcome. . . .
Col. Olcott . . . was met . . . by a delegation led by Mr. Judge, who
had returned to San Francisco, having changed route and dates of his
own tour especially to meet and welcome his worthy colleague, the
President-Founder.

49

Lucifer,
Vol. 9, Nov. 1891;
pp.259-260
Pacific Theos.
Vol. 1, No. 1,
Nov. 1891; p.8

The Path, Vol. 6,

A reception was given to the President-Founder. As the proceedings Nov. 1891; p.260
were about to start, Col. Olcott said to [Judge]: Take your seat by my
side as you did at New York in 1875: we were one in the work then Echoes of the
and are now.
Orient, Vol. 1,
pp.xxiii-xxiv
The next day Col. Olcott and Mr. Judge were photographed in
different positions, singly and together. . . . also an 8 x10 size of the The Theosophist,
Col. and Mr. Judge standing together.
Vol. 13, Dec. 1891;
Supp. p.xxvii
Nov. 1,
1891

AN OLD MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER.

Irish Theosophist,
Message from Master M. for A.P. Sinnett sent through W.Q. Judge. Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
Judge forwarded it to A.P. Sinnett from Wyoming. We sent him to pp.84-85
London and made him stay so long in order to lay down currents
which have since operated. . . .
A.P. Sinnett denies its genuineness, Feb. 26, 1895.
Irish Theosophist,
In reference to an article by Mr. Judge in the last number of The Irish Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
Theosophist, I feel reluctantly compelled to deny that I regard the pp.106-107
message he sent me as genuine.

Nov. 15,
1891

A 3rd volume of The Secret Doctrine to be produced.

Lucifer,
The first two volumes of the Secret Doctrine are practically out of Vol. 9, Nov. 1891;
print, and a new and revised edition has to be at once put in hand. The pp.254-255
third volume has also to be brought out.
Also, an IMPORTANT NOTICE. A REVISED EDITION OF THE SECRET DOCTRINE. p.261
issued by Annie Besant and G.R.S. Mead regarding a third edition to
be published soon. Every effort is being made to thoroughly revise The Path, Vol. 6,
the new edition, and the editors earnestly request all students who may Dec. 1891; p.296
read this notice to send in as full lists of ERRATA as possible.
Verification of references and quotations, errors of indexing,
indication of obscure passages, etc., etc., will be most thankfully
received.

50

Nov. 18,
1891

The Judge Case

Visit of Mrs. Besant.

The Path, Vol. 6,
A telegram from Mrs. Annie Besant announcing her sudden sailing Dec. 1891; p.296
for America . . . Reaching New York on the 27th or 28th . . . sailing for
England on Dec. 9th.
NOTE: For information regarding why Mrs. Besant went to see Mr. Judge The Vahan , Vol. 1,
at this time, see Dec. 1895 for The Resignation Mystery, 1892. See Jan. 1892; pp.7-8
Jan. 1906 entry for NOTE in Miss Mllers biographical sketch for
further details.
Theos. Movement
1875-1925,
pp.326-333
Theosophy,
Vol. 9, Oct. 1921;
pp.371-377
NOTE: Olcott visited America after H.P.B.s death. He left Liverpool on
Sep. 16th and then sailed from San Francisco for Japan on Oct. 8th. He
sailed for Colombo, arriving on Nov. 29th from Japan (at the same
time that Besant reached New York). He arrived at Adyar on Dec.
13th, 1891.

Hammer on the
Mountain, p.330
The Vahan, Vol. 1,
Jan. 1892; p.7

NOTE: See July 4th, 1891 regarding Olcotts arrival in London.

Nov. 21,
1891

Theosophical News.
Pacific Theos.
Wm. Q. Judge reached home November 21st. The long trip has been Vol. 1, No.2, Dec.
more or less a strain upon his constitution.
1891; p.8
NOTE: Mr. Judge left Sep. 8th for his western tour. See Sep. 8, 1891 entry.

Nov. 27,
1891

Visit of Mrs. Annie Besant.

The Path, Vol. 6,
Mrs Besants visit to the States lasted only 12 days, for she arrived Jan. 1892; p.325
on November 27th and left Dec. 9th. . . .
On Tuesday evening, Dec. 8th, Mrs. Besant attended the Aryan
meeting. . . . on Sunday evening, scores asked the honor of touching
her hand.
Annie Besant lectured twice in New York once at Philadelphia and The Vahan, Vol. 1,
once at Fort Wayne, Ind. . . . A fifth lecture was delivered on the S.S. Jan 1892; pp.7-8
City of Paris on the return journey. . . . [She arrived back in London
on Dec. 16th.]
Annie Besants Indian Tour. Annie Besant has been compelled to
postpone her visit to India for this season, her physician having
forbidden her to make the visit this year, and recommended a brief
holiday; she has utilized this by a brief visit to New York.
NOTE: See Dec. 1895 entry for the actual reason for Besants urgent visit
to New York.

Lucifer, Vol. 9,
Dec. 1891; p.344
The Vahan, Vol. 1,
Dec. 1891; p.8

Chronology

Dec. 1891

GENERAL REPORT OF THE SIXTEENTH CONVENTION AND ANNIVERSARY

OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
In his address H.S. Olcott warns against any idolatry of H.P.B.:
If she had lived, she would have undoubtedly left her protest against
her friends making a saint of her or a bible out of her magnificent,
though not infallible writings. I helped to compile her Isis Unveiled
while Mr. Keightley and several others did the same by The Secret
Doctrine. Surely we know how far from infallible are our portions of
the books, to say nothing about hers.

51

The Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Jan. 1892;
Supp. pp.3-4
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.167
Lucifer, Vol. 10,
Apr. 1892; p.96

NOTE: See Mar. 27, 1895 entry for more on H.P.B. by Olcott.
Echoes of the
NOTE: See Dec. 15, 1893 entry for references to Blavatskianism In and Orient, Vol. 2,
Out of Season by W.Q. Judge.
pp.53-58
Dec. 6,
1891

Mrs. Besant attended an E.S.T. meeting at Astor House in New York.

Present were Robert Crosbie, Henry Turner Patterson, Thaddeus P.
Hyatt and William Main. All four gentlemen testified afterwards that:
Mrs. Besant stated in the most positive and unqualified manner that
the message from the Master which she found at a meeting of the
Council of the E.S. [May 27, 1891] in London amongst other papers,
could not have been placed there by Mr. Judge or anyone else.
NOTE: See May 27, 1891 and July 6, 1891 entries for Mrs. Besants letter
and declaration to Mrs. Julia Campbell VerPlanck (Mrs. Julia
Keightley). Also see Appendix A, No. 10.

Theosophy, Vol. 10,

Oct. 1922; pp.402403
Theos. Movement
1875-1925,
pp.646-647

Dec. 9,
1891

Mrs. Besant embarked on the City of Paris to return to England, The Path, Vol. 6,
(arriving on Dec. 16th ).
Jan. 1892; p.325

Dec. 10,
1891

Col. Olcott returns to Adyar, after ten days in Ceylon

BCW,
Vol. 13, p.xxvii

NOTE: A Short History of the T.S. p.284, has Olcott arriving in Adyar
on Dec. 12th.
1891, Late

1891, Late
continued

Claimants to being H.P.B.s successor:

Madame Marie Caithness, Duchess of Pomar.
Within a week from the death of H.P.B. the Paris press announced Theosophy,
that Madame Marie Caithness, Duchess of Pomar, had been chosen Vol. 10, Jan. 1922;
by H.P.B. as her successor. The Duchess had been a long time friend pp.79-80
of H.P.B., who had been her guest during the stay in Paris in 1884; she
was psychic; she was greatly interested in the occult.
Mr. Henry B. Foulke.
The Path, Vol. 7,
A rubbishing report is circulating to the effect that H.P.B. chose Mr. June 1892; p.91
Foulke of Philadelphia as her Successor, and ratified her act by
appearing in a Spiritualist circle and painting for him her portrait.
Lucifer,
Vol. 11, Nov. 1892;
Letter by William Q. Judge to Editor Times, where this claim first pp.182-183
appeared in which he stated:
Madame Blavatsky has no successor, could have none, never Lucifer,
contemplated, selected, or notified one.
Vol. 10, Mar. 1892;
pp.81-83

52
1891, Late
continued

The Judge Case

Mrs. Annie Besant. [i.e. after H.P.B.s death]

Not till nearly four years later did Mrs. Besant make her assertion of
successorship, and then only after Mr. Judge, in fulfilment of
H.P.Bs circular of August 9, 1890 SS and any member acting on any
other sort of order (i.e. than through William Q. Judge or those which
I myself sign my name to with my physical hand) will be expelled
from the SectionSS had, under Masters direction, declared Mrs.
Besants headship in the E.S.T. at an end.

Theosophy, Vol. 3,
Apr. 1915; p.279
Theosophy,
Vol. 3, May 1915;
pp.323-325

Early in 1895 the Countess Wachtmeister issued a circular entitled,

H.P.B. and the Present Crisis in the Theosophical Society in which Theosophy, Vol. 3,
she attempted to bolster Annie Besant's claim of successorship. . . . Apr. 1915; p.279
NOTE: Annie Besant had been appointed only as Chief Secretary of the
Inner Group of the Esoteric Section and Recorder of the Teachings,
on April 1, 1891, only one month before H.P.Bs death.
It is upon such statements written by H.P.B. privately to individuals,
and alleged verbal statements to others that Mrs. Besants claim to be
the occult successor to H.P.B. is based. Quotes from H.P.B. about
Besant: She is a most wonderful women, my right hand, my Theosophy, Vol. 3,
successor. . . .
May 1915; p.324
NOTE: See Mar. 27, 1891 entry.
1891, Late
continued

William Q. Judge:
Theosophy, Vol. 10,
In America . . . Mr. Judge was considered the foreordained Jan. 1922; p.80
successor. But when . . . reporters sought to interview him, he
received them in a body and made them the succinct statement:
Madame Blavatsky was sui generis. She has and can have no
successor.

1892

Cleather stated that Annie Besant visited mediums to try to communicate

with H.P.B.
In 1892, only one year after her [H.P. Blavatskys] death, my
colleague Mr. Basil Crump, Barrister-at-Law, was investigating the
phenomena of a certain trance medium shortly before he joined the
T.S. He was present at a private sitting with this medium in the studio
of an artist friend, to which Mrs. Besant came with another Member
of H.P.B.s Inner Group, Miss Emily Kislingbury, in order to speak
with her deceased teacher. An intelligence calling itself Madame
Blavatsky controlled the medium, and Mrs. Besant held a
conversation with it.

1892
continued

Theosophy magazine examines MASTERS AND THEIR MESSAGE, THE CAUSES Theosophy,
Vol. 3, June 1915;
OF THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST WM. Q. JUDGE.
pp.369, 374-375
July 1915;
pp.422-423, 426

H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922) by
A. Cleather,
pp.57-58

Chronology
1892
continued

On H.P.B.s seal, and Masters messages.

H.P.B. used the seal . . . upon her letter paper and envelopes as early
as June, 1875. The Society was founded in November, 1875, so that
she was using the symbol for four months before we adopted it. . . .
her private symbol became our public corporate seal. . . . the symbol
precisely as printed in February Path. . . . [p.387]

53

The Path,
Vol. 7, Feb. 1893;
pp.343-344, 358
Mar. 1893; p.387

Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Oct. 1922;
Summarizes Panjab seal controversy and Judges statement (April pp.400-403
1893) that he knew nothing about the seal meaning thereby the
Panjab seal but interpreted by Olcott as denial as he believed Judge Theosophy, Vol. 10,
had in fact been using it on bogus messages. [pp.401-402]
Apr. 1922; p.174

NOTE: See Mar. 20, 1895 entry for Countess Wachtmeister and Wm. English
Lindsay on H.P.B.s seal
Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Nov. 1899;
pp.161-165
The Lamp, Vol. 3,
Dec. 1899; p.157
1892
continued

Footnote by C. Jinarajadasa, referring to H.P.B.s ring.

The Rosicrucian Jewel of the 18th Degree, which H.P.B. possessed,
and which is now the property of Dr. Annie Besant. It is said to have
belonged to Cagliostro.

Letters from the

Masters of the
Wisdom, (1973),
2nd series; p.46

1892
continued

The Case Against W.Q. Judge by Annie Besant

References to the seal

Pamphlet (1895),
(88 pages), pp.12, 19,
30-31, 41, 43-44, 46,
53, 63, 69-77, 83-84

Jan. 21,
1892

RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENCY T.S. BY COL. OLCOTT.

H.S. Olcott resigned as President in a letter to W.Q. Judge, VicePresident of the Theosophical Society:
I have obtained permission to carry out the wish SS expressed by me
in the convention of 1886 and reiterated in that of 1890 SS and retire
from the Presidency. My health is now too uncertain for me to count
upon having the ability to travel and work as I have done until now.
...
In parting with my colleagues, I beg them to regard me, not as a
person worthy of honor, but only as a sinful man, erring often but
always striving to work his way upward and to help his fellow-men.

The Path,
Vol. 6, Mar. 1892;
pp.406-407

NOTE: Olcotts letter, which also appeared in the Theosophist, was dated
January 1st, 1892.
NOTE: See Mar. 9, 1892 and Sep. 1910, and Oct. 7, 1890 entries.

Lucifer, Vol. 10,

Mar. 1892; pp.1-3

The Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Mar. 1892;
Supp. p.xliv

54
Jan. 21, 1892
continued

The Judge Case

While Col. Olcott attributed his retirement to ill-health, the real reason
came to light several years later, in a letter by Herbert Burrows to the
English Theosophist for November, 1895. . . . Mr. Burrows referred
to the accusations of grave immorality against Col. Olcott, laid before
him by Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge, and in consequence of which the
Colonel resigned his presidency.

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.190
English
Theosophist, Vol. 1,
Nov. 1895; p.22

NOTE: See Dec. 23, 1894, Jan. 11, 1896 and Oct. 2, 1895.
NOTE: See Oct. 2, 1895 for Mr. Herbert Burrows and the T.S.
Jan. 21, 1892
continued

In California the newspapers last month chose to inform the public Lucifer, Vol. 10,
that although Colonel Olcott had resigned the Presidentship of the Apr. 1892; p.169
Theosophical Society on the plea of ill-health, yet his real reason was
his dislike for the idolatry of H.P.B. practised by its members.

Jan. 21, 1892

continued

Col. Olcotts retirement has stirred up no bitter comments from the The Path, Vol. 7,
press, but the Chronicle printed his letter in extenso with a tolerably Apr. 1892; p.30
complete notice of his career. Other papers printed paragraphs. The
best wishes of all will go with Col. Olcott in his retirement from
official cares.

Jan. 21, 1892

continued

Explanation by William Q. Judge of Charges About Messages. (at The Path, Vol. 10,
the Boston Convention)
May 1895; p.68
He went into the question of the real reason for Olcotts resignation,
showing that Mrs. Besant was the person most involved in the demand
for that, and then, referring to the poison interview message showed
that charges of that sort had been circulated against Olcott in London
and not by Mr. Judge. . . .

Jan. 21, 1892

continued

Note and Comments by the Editor.

We have here an important contribution towards the clearing up of
the Resignation Mystery of 1892. It dovetails exactly into the
statement made by Mr. Judge, which was confirmed by Mr.
Neresheimer, supported by Mr. Burrows, and denied by Mrs. Besant.

English
Theosophist,
Vol. 1, Mar. 1896;
pp.51-52

Comment re: Notes and Comments in The English Theosophist

dealing with Col. Olcotts resignation in 1892.
Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, Apr. 1896;
NOTE: See Jan. 11, 1896 entry. In the Indian Mirror for Jan. 11th Mrs. p.29
Besant replies to Herbert Burrows. Also see Dec. 1895 for The
Resignation Mystery, 1892"
Circular, 5 pages
Feb. 1, 1892 To The Fellows of The Theosophical Society.
Letter by H.S. Olcott advising members of his resignation and
bidding you an official farewell. . . .
Lucifer, Vol. 10,
Mar. 1892; pp.3-5
Circular included vote slip which read:
Having read the official documents connected herewith, I am of the
opinion that _________ should be elected to succeed Col. H.S. Olcott
as President of the Theosophical Society.

Chronology

Feb. 1892

ASCETICISM. by H.S. Olcott

No delusion is more common among aspirants to the higher
knowledge than that the end can be attained with reasonable certainty
by physiological restraint. Gave an example given him by H.P.B. of
how the external habits of a person do not necessarily reflect their
inner-self.
mentioned . . .

Feb.11,
1892

EXECUTIVE CIRCULAR. by Olcott.

In January last . . . I carried out a purpose long entertained and sent
the Vice-President my resignation of Presidentship. . . .
On the 11th February, however the familiar voice of my Guru chided
me for attempting to retire before my time, asserted the unbroken
relation between Himself, H.P.B. and myself and bade me prepare to
receive further and more specific orders by messenger, but without
naming time or place.
NOTE: See Aug. 21, 1892 and Nov. 1892 entries.

Feb. 22,
1892

55

The Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Feb. 1892;
pp.257-261

The Path,
Vol. 7, Apr. 1892;
pp.27-28
The Vahan, Vol. 2,
Oct. 1892; p.6
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Nov. 1921;
pp.22-24
The Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Sep. 1892;
p.xci

Letter from W.Q. Judge to Col. Olcott in response to Olcotts resignation. The Path,
I beg to acknowledge the receipt, on the evening of the 19th of Vol. 6, Mar. 1892;
February, 1892, of your resignation of the office of President of the p.407
Theosophical Society, to take effect on the first of May, 1892. . . .
Having received this from you it is my duty, as Vice-President, to
notify the various sections of the Society of the fact of your
resignation and of its cause. This I will do at once.
NOTE: This is the third time that Col. Olcott attempted to resign his office
as President of the Society. In Judges letter to Olcott he states, . . .
have compelled you to carry out the wish for retirement which you
expressed in 1886 and repeated in 1890.

Mar. 1892

H.S. Olcott begins his critiques of H.P.B in Old Diary Leaves, in The The Theosophist,
Meeting of H.P.B. and Myself.
Vol. 13, Mar. 1892;
pp.323-336
Comments from Old Diary Leaves:
Olcott . . . was proclaiming that H.P.B. was the subject of distinct Theos. Movement
mental evolution; that she knew nothing of reincarnation until 1879, 1875-1950,
when she was instructed in this doctrine in India.
pp.202-203
NOTE: See entry for June 1895, H.S. Olcott vs H.P.B.

[Continued in next cell.]

Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Jan. 1922;
pp.82-87, 105
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
June 1915; pp.375378, July 1915;
pp.418-419

56
Mar. 1892
continued

The Judge Case

VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT has been made by circular . . .

that Col. Olcott will begin in March Theosophist a series of articles
entitled Old Diary Leaves, being reminiscences of the origin and
vicissitudes of the Theosophical Society, and personal anecdotes and
recollections of Madame H.P.Blavatsky, her phenomena and friends,
collected during the past seventeen years. [April 1892]

The Path, Vol. 7,

Apr. 1892; p.28
May 1892; p.57
July 1892; p.126
The Path, Vol. 10,
Apr. 1895; p.2

Appended to Old Diary Leaves [May 1892] is this request:

I shall be under great obligations to any friend who wishes well to
this historical sketch, if he (or she) will give or lend me for reference
any interesting documents, or any letters written them during the years
1875, 6, 7, and 8 by either H.P.B. or myself, about phenomena, the
occult laws which produce them. . . . One ought not, at the age of 60,
to trust too much to ones own memory, although mine seems not to
fail me as yet. [July 1892, p.126]
Mar. 9,
1892

Pamphlet issued from the General Secretarys Office of the Theosophical Pamphlet, 7 pages
Society, European Section.
The Presidents Resignation issued by G.R.S. Mead, Includes:
1. Letter of Resignation from the President-Founder to the VicePresident [Jan.21, 1892]
2. The Vice-Presidents reply [Feb. 22, 1892]
3. Letter from the Vice-President to the G.S. of the European Section
(G.R.S. Mead), stating facts and procedures according to the
Constitution. [Feb. 22, 1892]
4. Letter from the V.P. to the G.S. of the European Section with
further information as to procedure according to the Constitution.
[Feb. 22, 1892]
G.R.S. Mead concludes:
It is therefore necessary that every member of the Theosophical
Society should record his or her opinion as to who is the fitting person
to succeed Colonel H.S. Olcott as President of the Theosophical
Society.

Mar. 10,
1892

Annie Besant [h]aving put pressure on Mr. Judge to request Olcott to Theos. Movement
resign, she returned to London and there advocated the election of Mr. 1875-1950, p.192
Judge to the Presidency. On March 10, 1892, she sent to all members
of the Esoteric Section a circular letter urging the choice of Judge as
Olcotts successor. She did this without Mr. Judges knowledge. . . .
NOTE: See modified circular to E.S. dated Aug. 1, 1892.

Mar. 11,
1892

Circular, 1 page
To The Members of the Blavatsky Lodge.
Annie Besant issues an E.S. Circular as President of Blavatsky Lodge.
I . . . frankly say to you that, in my view, the present Vice-President,
and remaining co-Founder of the Society, William Q. Judge, is the
most suitable person to guide the Society, and the one who cannot
with justice be passed over. He is not only the Vice-President and a
Founder, but he was the trusted friend and colleague of H.P. Blavatsky
from 1875 until she passed away.

Chronology

Mar. 25,
1892

57

Appointment and Order.

The Path, Vol. 7,
Letter signed by W.Q. Judge as Vice-President, Acting President of May 1892; p.59
T.S. sent To The Various Sections T.S.:
I hereby appoint as my representative at the Headquarters in Adyar
Brother Bertram Keightley, now General Secretary of the Indian
Section, and in case he cannot serve by reason of absence, I appoint
Brother Sydney V. Edge; said appointments to take effect from and
after the 1st of May, 1892.
NOTICE BY VICE-PRESIDENT T.S.
The Path , Vol. 7,
W.Q. Judge explained that:
June 1892; p.97
In May PATH a document was published by me, appointing a
representative at Adyar, India, and referring to other matters arising
upon the then contemplated retirement of President H.S. Olcott Its
appearance together with the resolution of the American Convention
refusing Col. Olcotts resignation. . . . the said appointments must
remain in suspense . . . until the President replies definitively to the
American resolution. If he [HSO] does not retire, the appointment
falls; if the contrary, then it stands with full effect.

Apr. 2,
1892

In a letter from Mr. [Kavasji] M. Shroff to Annie Besant . . . Mr. Shroff Theosophy Exposed
says that Brother W.Q. Judge is strongly suspected of having forged by J. Murdoch,
all along letters in the name of the Masters after H.P.B.s departure. Dec. 1893; p.34
In Mrs. Besants reply of April 22nd, she says, I know that Col.
Olcott has made random statements to that effect (that Judge forged
the letters), as he made random statements about H.P.B. committing
frauds. In Mr. Judges reply to Mr. Shroff, . . . he says that Olcott
should be asked for the proof of the charges against him (Judge), for
he is the one who has given them out and is their sole author.
NOTE: Theosophy Exposed by J. Murdoch. Murdoch includes William
Emmette Colemans paper, Critical Historical Review (pp.21-37)
which was read at the Chicago Psychical Science Congress of 1893,
which was officiated by Elliott Coues. It is from Colemans paper that
the above quote is taken. [See Works Cited section.]

58

Apr. 24, 25,

1892

The Judge Case

Sixth Annual Convention of the American Section Chicago

Annual Convention, American Section.
The Path, Vol. 7,
The Annual Convention will be held April 24 and 25, Sunday and Apr. 1892; p.32
Monday, at the Palmer House Assembly Rooms, in Chicago, Ill. The
program will include resolutions regarding H.P. Blavatsky, and also
in respect to Col. H.S. Olcotts resignation of the Presidency.
Col. Olcotts resignation as President of the Society was read as well The Path,
as the reply of the V.P., together with H.S. Olcotts circular to the Vol. 7, May 1892;
Society.
pp.65-68
G.R.S. Mead received a letter from W.Q. Judge giving details of the action
taken at the American Convention on the resignation of Colonel
Olcott. [Quoted from Lucifer]
a. Refusal of Colonel Olcotts resignation.
b. Declaration that Colonel Olcott should remain President, even if
not working.
c. Declaration that William Q. Judge should be chosen as President
for life to succeed to the Presidency when it ultimately becomes
vacant.
d. Request to Colonel Olcott to suspend his action and revoke his
resignation.
e. Direction to William Q, Judge to notify Colonel Olcott and the
other Sections of these Resolutions.
f. Relection of William Q. Judge as General Secretary of the
American Section.

Lucifer,
Vol. 10, May 1892;
pp.181-182
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.191
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.149-150

No detailed report of the proceedings at the American Convention The Theosophist,

has yet been received, but the General Secretary of the American Vol. 13, June 1892;
Section has forwarded copies of the following resolutions for Supp. pp.lxviii-lxix
publication: regarding The Presidents Retirement.
Judge, declining the Presidency by securing revocation of Olcotts Theosophy, Vol. 10,
Mar. 1922; p.149
resignation. . . .
In a letter from Col. Olcott (through the Recording Secretary, S.E.
Gopalacharlu) read at the Convention:
The President Founder requests you to enter the text of his
resignation and explanatory letter in the Official Report of your
Convention, and to kindly say to his American brothers that the
withdrawal from office is merely the relinquishment of an official
position which, for reasons public and private, he felt he had no longer
the moral right to retain.
Apr. 24, 25,
1892
continued

Report of
Proceedings, (1892),
pp.39-40
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Nov. 1921;
pp.10-16

Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.S. Olcott.

The Case Against
The reason for my work against your resignation is found in Masters W.Q. Judge by A.
order and naught else.
Besant (1895); p.32
NOTE: See Aug. 30, 1893 entry

Chronology

Apr. 27,
1892

May 1,
1892

59

The Presidents Retirement. EXECUTIVE ORDERS.

H.S. Olcott delaying his retirement.
Notice is therefore given that without again vainly trying to fix an
actual date for my vacating office, I shall do my utmost to hasten the
completion of all legal business, so that I may hand over everything
to Mr. Judge, my old friend, colleague, and chosen successor.

The Path,
Vol. 7, July 1892;
pp.128-130

The New Headquarters.

After May 1st all letters to the General Secretary, the PATH, the editor
of the Forum, the Aryan Press, and F.T.S. should be addressed to
144 MADISON Ave, New York City, P.O. Box 2659 and the rooms at
132 Nassau St. being then vacated.
The Aryan T.S. has purchased the house, 144 Madison Avenue
between 31st and 32nd streets, which is built of brown stone and four
stories.

The Path, Vol. 7,

Apr. 1892; p.32

Lucifer,
Vol. 10, June 1892;
pp.333-334

Pacific Theos.
Vol. 1, Mar. 1892;
p.8, July 1892; p.2

May 8,
1892

In the address at Adyar on White Lotus Day, and in a slip affixed to the The Path, Vol. 7,
June issue [of The Theosophist], the way is cautiously, and somewhat Aug. 1892; p.163
dexterously, opened for the withdrawal of the Presidential resignation.
If Col. Olcott[s] . . . Teachers should order him to cancel his
resignation and remain in office till the end of his life, he will obey,
health or no health.

May 13,
1892

A LETTER FROM DR. F. HARTMANN TO W.Q. JUDGE.

Theos. Forum (P.L.)
I have just been informed of Your election to the presidency of the Vol. 4, Jan. 1933;
T.S. as successor to Col. Olcott, and I wish to congratulate You.
pp.131-132

May 24,
1892

MR. JUDGES REPLY to Dr. Hartmann.

Theos. Forum (P.L.)
H.S.O. has offered his resignation and the Society has practically Vol. 4, Jan. 1933;
declared me as successor, but the U.S. has asked him to revoke, India pp.131-132
asks him to remain in action as Prest with me as Actg. P., and Europe
is to be asked in July what it has to say. However it remains
suspended.
For myself I would never wish this office as it is very troublesome
and thankless, but H.P.B. in whom I never lost faith asked me
to take it if O. went out or died.

May 25,
1892

NOTE FROM COL. OLCOTT TO THEOSOPHISTS

Issued from Gulistan, Ootacamund, (in the Nilgherry Hills) India.
I have just received a digest of the Resolutions passed by the
American Convention relative to my retirement. . . . As my resignation
was not thoughtlessly offered nor without sufficient reasons, I shall
not cancel it . . . until a long enough time has been given me to see
what effect the invigorating air of these lovely mountains will have
upon my health, and I become satisfied that a return to executive work
is essential to the welfare of our movement.
NOTE: See Apr. 24-25, 1892 re: Olcott receives copies of resolutions.

The Path,
Vol. 7, Aug. 1892;
pp.167-168
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Nov. 1921;
p.16

60

The Judge Case

June 15,
1892

William Q. Judge, one of H.P. Blavatskys oldest and most trusted Lucifer,
friends, will be among us on English soil once more . . . [H]e is to be Vol. 10, June 1892;
the Societys next President, and, if the past may count for anything pp.271-272
in judging of the future, no hands could be found to which to confide
its destinies more loyal, more strong, and more true. . . . He will reach
England . . . the first week of July, so as to be present at the Second
Annual Convention of the European Section.

July 14, 15,

1892

The Theosophical Society, European Section.

Second Annual Convention . . . Agenda

Notice, 4 pages

European Section Convention.

On motion of Mrs. Besant, Bro. William Q. Judge was elected
chairman.
The chairman . . . explained the American resolutions about Col.
Olcott. . . .
Bro. Mead took the chair at 11:50 a.m. and put the vote on the
succession to the presidency of the Society, which was unanimous for
William Q. Judge. [to succeed H.S. Olcott]

The Path,
Vol. 7, Aug. 1892;
pp.169-172

Convention of the European Section. Detailed report . . .

July 14, 15,
1892
continued

Lucifer,
Vol. 10, Aug. 1892;
pp.509-515

A letter of greeting from the American Theosophists, signed by Mr. Theos. Movement
Judge, was presented to the European Section . . . This letter referred 1875-1950, p.191
to Col. Olcotts resignation:
At our Convention in April last we asked to unite with us in a request
to Colonel Olcott to revoke his resignation. This we did in candour
and friendship. . . .
NOTE: Also included in Apr. 24,25, 1892]

July 14, 15,

1892
continued

An article from Mr. Judges address at the close of the Convention The WQJ T. Articles,
Promulgation of Theosophy.
Vol. 1, pp.73-76

July 21,
1892

Dr. Hbbe-Schleiden on the Master's Certificates as to their part in the

authorship of The Secret Doctrine received by him from Them
independently.
On the night of my last parting from H.P.B., the two certificates,
which were printed for the first time in the last April number of The
Path, page 2, were given to me. At least I found them in my copy of
Hodgsons S.P.R. Report after I had left Her. I am the person who
showed them to Mr. Judge in London last August. From the advice
given me in the one signed K.H. I was not to publish them, but Mr.
Judge was authorised to do so by the instructions which he received.

Reminiscences of
H.P.B. by C.
Wachtmeister; p.113

Rebirth of The
Occult Tradition by
B. de Zirkoff;
pp.12-23, incl.
photos, plates, etc.

NOTE: See April 1893 entry on AUTHORSHIP OF SECRET DOCTRINE by

W.Q. Judge.
NOTE: See Oct. 1893 entry on Masters influence on writing of The
Secret Doctrine
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
NOTE: The date of this entry is originally from Judges diary.
pp.324-326, 329

Chronology
July 21, 1892
continued

July 29.
1892

[A]t the time when Dr. Hubbe-Schleiden received the two

certificates from the Masters [Jan.1886] copies were given from the
same source to others for use in the future, as is stated by William
Quan Judge in The Path (New York), Vol. VIII, April, 1893, p.2,
where he published the text of these copies.
. . . They were precipitations (or re-precipitations) themselves.
According to Mr. Judges own entry in his Diary, made in London
under date of July 21, 1892, H.P.B. sent him these copies. . . .
The precipitated copy of the letter from Master M. made for Mr.
Judge. . . . is not absolutely identical . . . It does not vary from it as far
as the text is concerned, but its arrangement line for line is different.
...
The copy of the letter from Master K.H. made for Mr. Judge, was
precipitated in the usual blue crayon. . . .
Master M.s diagonally written letter in red crayon has been
precipitated on the back of the sheet which bears Master K.H.s letter
in blue crayon.
. . . The text of the letter sent to W.Q. Judge from Master K.H. reads
as follows:
The certificate given last year saying that the Secret Doctrine would
be when finished the triple production of Upasika, M and myself
was and is correct, although some have doubted not only the facts
given in it but also the authenticity of the message in which it was
contained. Copy this and also keep the copy of the aforesaid
certificate. You will find them both of use on the day when you shall,
as will happen without your asking, receive from the hands of the very
person to whom the certificate was given, the original for the purpose
of allowing you to copy it. . . . [signed] K.H.
Below the letter from K.H., the following was added:
. . . Go on and fear nothing. I am beside you when you least expect
it. . . . [signed] M

61

Rebirth of The
Occult Tradition,
pp.17-18

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 26, Apr. 1948;
p.226

When W.Q. Judge learned of Mrs. Besants E.S. circular of March 10th Theos. Movement
endorsing him as successor to the Presidency, he quickly prepared a 1875-1950,
Circular containing an Important Notice which read as follows. This pp.192-193
notice was signed by both Mr. Judge and Mrs. Besant.
The E.S.T. has no official connection with the Theosophical Society.
When first organized it was known as a section of the T.S. but it
being seen that the perfect freedom and public character of the
Society might be interfered with, H.P.B., some time before her
departure, gave notice that all official connection between the two
should end, and then changed the name to the present one.
This leaves all T.S. officials, who are in the E.S.T. perfectly free in
their official capacity, and also permits members if asked, to say with
truth that the School has no official connection with the T.S. and is not
a part of it.
Members will please bear this in mind.

62

Aug. 1,
1892

The Judge Case

Failure by the European Section to ask Col. Olcott to reverse his decision Theos. Movement
regarding his resignation led to suspicion of a political maneuver by 1875-1950,
Mr. Judge to gain the Presidency. Mrs. Besants E.S. circular of pp.193-194
March 10th, urging that Judge be elected, seemed to confirm this
supposition. . . . Another Circular issued by Mrs. Besant, and signed
also by Mr. Judge, was sent to all E.S. members on August 1, 1892 in
which Mrs. Besant affirmed that her previous Circular (of March 10),
expressing the hope that the choice of the Society would fall upon
William Q. Judge, as President, had not been made by her as one of
the Outer Heads, of the E.S.
NOTE: See Mar. 10, 1892 on E.S. Circular issued by A. Besant.

Aug. 21,
1892

EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
From H.S. Olcott, P.T.S. to W.Q. Judge, Esq. Vice-President T.S.
The restoration of my health and other important considerations
induce me to revoke my letter of resignation of office, and I beg to
hand you herewith an Advanced Copy of the Executive Circular
notifying the fact, which will appear in the September number of the
Theosophist.

Lucifer,
Vol. 11, Oct. 1892;
pp.165-167
The Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Sep. 1892;
Supp. p.xci

EXECUTIVE CIRCULAR.
From H.S. Olcott, P.T.S.
The Indian Section had, as early as February last, unanimously The Path,
agreed to recommend that if I were really compelled to retire the Vol. 7, Oct. 1892;
Presidential office should not be filled during my lifetime, but my pp.235-236
duties performed by the Vice-President, acting as P.T.S. . . .
The London Convention of the American Section, held in July, also
unanimously declared its choice of Mr. Judge as my successor, and
adopted complimentary Resolutions about myself, but abstained from
passing upon the question of my retaining office under the
misapprehension how caused I know not SS that I had definitively
and finally refused to revoke my January letter of resignation. The fact
being that the terms of my May note upon the subject (printed with the
June Theosophist) left the question open and dependent upon the
contingencies of my health and the proof that my return to office
would be for the best interest of the Society.
. . . I hereby give notice that I revoke my letter of resignation and
resume the active duties and responsibilities of office; and I declare
William Q. Judge, Vice-President, my constitutional successor and
eligible for duty as such upon his relinquishment of any other office
in the Society which he may hold at the time of my death.
Aug. 21, 1892
continued

Summary explanation of H.S. Olcotts resignation and revocation.

The Path,
Vol. 7, Nov. 1892;
pp.249-250

More detailed information on the RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENCY T.S. BY COL. Theos. Movement
OLCOTT.
1875-1925,
pp.326-333, 646-647
NOTE: See also Sep. 26, 1892 entry Two Theosophical Events.

Chronology

63

Aug. 30,
1892

Col. Olcotts Revocation.

The Path,
Together with his letter addressed To the Members and Branches of Vol. 7, Oct. 1892;
T.S. in U.S., Judge publishes an EXECUTIVE CIRCULAR (dated 21st pp.235-236
Aug., 1892) from Olcott in which Olcott revokes his letter of
resignation. Judge had received a telegram to this effect on August
30th, advising him to expect an official letter (which was received
September 24th).

Sep. 26,
1892

New York Sun repudiates Coues articles attacking H.P.B.

Retraction issued. The Esoteric She of W.Q. Judge published. The
retraction reads:
We print on another page an article in which Mr. William Q. Judge
deals with the romantic and extraordinary career of the late Madame
Helena P. Blavatsky, the Theosophist. We take occasion to observe
that on July 20, 1890, we were misled into admitting to the Suns
columns an article by Dr. E. F. Coues, of Washington, in which
allegations were made against Madame Blavatskys character, and
also against her followers, which appear to have been without solid
foundation. Mr. Judges article disposes of all questions relating to
Madame Blavatsky as presented by Dr. Coues, and we desire to say
that his allegations respecting the Theosophical Society and Mr. Judge
personally are not sustained by evidence, and should not have been
printed.

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.154
Lucifer,
Vol. 11, Oct. 1892;
pp.95-96

The Libel on H.P. BLAVATSKY.

On Sep. 26th the New York Sun published a general retraction of the The Path,
libel emitted by it in July, 1890, which was written by Dr. E. Coues. Vol. 7, Oct. 1892;
p.236
NOTE: See the article The Esoteric She written by Mr. Judge and
published in the New York Sun, September 26, 1892. This article was
reprinted in Echoes of the Orient Vol. 3, pp. 207-214; also in
Theosophical Articles (ULT) Vol. 2, pp.27-36; and included in a
booklet, The Esoteric She, by Point Loma Publications.
Sep. 26, 1892
continued

The importance of this case lies in the fact that it constituted an absolute H.P.B. A Great
vindication of H.P.B., for every slander ever circulated directly or Betrayal (1922) by
indirectly was covered by it.
A. Cleather, p.59fn.

Sep. 26, 1892

continued

Two Theosophical Events.

A LIBEL RETRACTED COL. OLCOTT STILL PRESIDENT.
Two events of importance occurred, the one removing a cloud,
[Judges article The Esoteric She] the other reassuring the Society
that its President Founder [H.S. Olcott] would remain in office.
In July, 1890 the Sun . . . published a news article in which gross
charges were made against the character of H.P. Blavatsky . . . and
charging also Col. Olcott, William Q. Judge, and many others with
assisting her in fraud and with living upon the Society.
NOTE: See Aug. 21, 1892 on Olcotts resignation.

The Path,
Vol. 7, Nov. 1892;
pp.248-249
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.189-190

64

The Judge Case

Sep. 26, 1892

continued

The Esoteric She, THE LATE MME. BLAVATSKYA SKETCH OF HER CAREER. Theos. Movement
The article written by Mr. Judge . . . at the invitation of the New 1875-1950, p.154
York Sun, received editorial sanction from the words, Mr. Judges
article disposes of all questions relating to Madame Blavatsky as
presented by Dr. Coues.
[New York Sun, September 26, 1892]

Oct. 21,
1892

A. Besant explains why she did not travel to India in 1891/1892.

Lucifer,
Last year I promised to visit India, if possible, but there were two Vol. 11, Nov. 1892;
conditions necessary of fulfilment: (1) That my health would bear the pp.251-252
climate; (2) that . . . enough money be raised in India to cover the cost
of the tour, and to pay towards the maintenance of Headquarters that
which I should have paid out of my earnings if I were working in
Europe or America. Neither of these conditions was fulfilled.
NOTE: See Nov. 27, 1891 for ANNIE BESANTS INDIAN TOUR and Dec.
1895 The Resignation Mystery, 1892.

Nov. 1892

Tribute from Col. Olcott to Mr. Judge:

Though so very much my junior in both age and experience, I liked
him from the first; and have always fully appreciated his excellent
qualities, as they developed themselves in the course of time. The
crowning proof of my regard has just been given in my accepting him
as my successor in office; which I hope he may fill even more
acceptably than I have.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, Nov. 1892;
p.73
Report of
Proceedings T.S. in
America, 1895; p.23

NOTE: Originally published in The Theosophist as a series, titled Old

Diary Leaves.
NOTE: See also Feb.11, 1892 and Aug. 21, 1892 entries.
Nov. 1892
continued

Walter Old . . . goes to our Masters Motherland to serve its peoples.

He joined Sidney V. Edge in India who had left with Bertram
Keightley on Aug. 21st, 1891. Both Old and Edge were members of
the Esoteric School. Old had joined while H.P.B. was alive and Edge
after she died.
Both . . . entered at once into the work of the Indian Section and the
affairs at Headquarters, and were active contributors to the pages of
the Theosophist. . . .
NOTE: See entries: Apr. 15, 1893, June 15,1893, Aug. 1893 and see
Dec.21, 1892 for Notice of Olds arrival at Adyar.

Lucifer, Vol. 11,

Nov. 1892; p.184
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.139, 172-175

Chronology

Nov. 30,
1892

65

Mrs. Besant arrived in New York City from London for her American The Path, Vol. 7,
Tour. Her tour included speaking engagements in New York, Toledo, Jan. 1893; p.329
Fort Wayne, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Minneapolis (where
she found the cold intense), Sioux City, Omaha, Portland, Oregon;
Tacoma, Seattle and San Francisco.
Judge showed Besant his correspondence with H.S. Olcott including Theosophy, Vol. 10,
the letter concerning the August 1891 Jasper Niemand article in The Mar. 1922; p.139
Path. [see Aug. 1891 entry]
Theos. Movement
NOTE: This was Mrs. Besants third visit to America. See February 25, 1875-1950, p.200
1893, entry, the date she departed.

Dec. 21,
1892

NOTICE. from H.S. Olcott, P.T.S.

Prasnottara, Vol. 1,
Mr. Walter R. Old arrived at Headquarters, Madras. He reported for No. 24, Dec. 1892;
duty with Head-quarters Staff . . . and detailed to the Indian Section p.192
as an Assistant Secretary.
Almost immediately there was an interchange of confidences Old Diary Leaves,
between us, which for the first time opened my eyes to the treacherous Fourth Series, p.507
policy that Mr. Judge had been following up with regard to the
Society and myself in the matter of his relations with the Masters.

1893

H.S. Olcott and The Esoteric School, 1888.

The Theosophist,
In an 1893 letter to W.Q. Judge H.S. Olcott expressed his hostility and Vol. 53, Aug. 1932;
his suspicions about the Esoteric School and its influence.
p.608
My position . . . is this. (1) The E.S. and especially the I.G.[Inner
Group], Svastika and other rings within rings I consider a danger and
a possible source of great wrong and evil. . . . So long as the E.S. does
not work against the Const[itution] of the T.S. I shall not oppose it,
but when it does then I fight.
. . . I have said I preferred Annie to you as my successor because (1)
of her superior education; (2) of her splendid public record; (3) of her
literary and forensic ability; (4) of her ardent, martyr-like devotion to
truth.

1893
continued

While a member of the E.S. and one of its Co-Heads, Mrs. Besant joined Theos. Movement
the London Lodge and took part in the experiments of Messrs. Sinnett, 1875-1950, p.261
Leadbeater and the rest of their coterie thus violating her pledges and
pursuing two absolutely antithetical systems of occult development.
NOTE: It is doubtful that Besant joined London Lodge at this time
because she was still President of Blavatsky Lodge. I have not seen
any other references to support that she did join but she certainly had
close relations, and more than likely engaged in various psychic
practices with Leadbeater. Besant did give a lecture at the London Transactions of the
Lodge on June 5th, 1894. Her lecture was The Culture of the Soul on L.L., No. 22,
Indian Methods of Spiritual Self Culture. [See Sep. 30, 1890]
June 1894

66

Jan. 1893

The Judge Case

In Mr. Bertram Keightleys Reply (December 23rd, 1894, Lucifer), to Lucifer,

The Clash of Opinion, he refers to evidence being collected against Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
pp.505-507
W.Q. Judge by Annie Besant and H.S.Olcott:
In January, 1893, thanks largely to additional facts supplied by Mr.
W.R. Old, I felt that sufficient evidence was available upon which to
take public action, and I very strongly urged upon Colonel Olcott the
duty of doing so.
Mr. Keightley and Mr. Edge were taken into our counsels, and Old Diary Leaves,
helped to compare the documents mutually submitted by Mr. Old and Fourth Series, p.508
myself. On the arrival of the Delegates to the Convention [Dec.27, 28,
29, 1892] at the usual time, we submitted the papers to our respected
colleague Judge Khandalavala, of Poona, who decidedly advised me
to prosecute the case, as it was too serious a menace to the Societys
prosperity to allow it to go on.
NOTE: See Appendix A for the complete letter by B. Keightley.

Jan. 1893
continued

Mrs. Annie Besant in San Francisco.

Mrs. Besant arrived in San Francisco on Jan. 1st. . . .
Mrs. Besant left San Francisco for Southern California Jan. 8th.

Pacific Theos.
Vol. 2, Feb. 1893;
p.4

Annie Besant declared in San Francisco, that she could and would Pacific Theos.
believe no ill of Brother Judge, and that if he were to be accused she Vol. 5, Apr. 1895;
would await his explanation before attempting to act. [Editorial by p.149
Jerome Anderson]
Jan. 22,
1893 (circa)

Faces of Friends.
The Path,
In his biography about Bertram Keightley, Mr. Judge mentions that Vol. 8, Aug. 1893;
Mr. Keightley left Adyar in January 1893.
pp.143-144

Jan. 26,
1893

Major General Abner Doubleday died of heart failure at his home in

Mendham, New Jersey. (Born on June 26, 1819 at Ballston Spa, New
York.) He entered West Point as a cadet in 1838 and graduated in
1842. He was commissioned in the artillery and served through the
Mexican war and later in the Seminole campaign. He was promoted
to first lieutenant in 1847 and captain in 1855,then to general in 1862.
He also took part in the battle of Gettysburg. He was given a series of
promotions up to Brevet Major General on March 13, 1865. On Dec.
11, 1873 he was retired from the active list of the U.S. Army at his
own request. Almost immediately after the Theosophical Society was
formed, in New York, he joined its ranks, attending meetings
regularly, often meeting with Mme. Blavatsky, Col. Olcott and W.Q.
Judge. He was made President pro tem in America on the arrival of
Olcott and H.P.B. in India in 1879. A letter from H.P.B. dated April
17, 1880 informed him of his election as Vice-President of the T.S.
Doubleday translated into English, Eliphas Lvis Dogma and Ritual
of High Magic and Fables and Symbols.

The Path,
Vol. 7, Mar. 1893;
pp.372-374
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.454-456
Lucifer, Vol. 12,
Mar. 1893; p.82
Sunrise, Vol. 40,
April/May 1991;
pp.151-157

Chronology

Feb. 25,
1893

67

Mrs. Besant departed on Saturday from New York, on the New York, Pacific Theos.
Vol. 2, Apr. 1893;
for London.
p.4
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.139-140
Theosophical Activities: American Section; Annie Besants American Lucifer,
Tour.
Vol. 12, Mar. 1893;
pp.81-82

Mar. 1893

Mar. 23,
1893

Speeding the Message by Annie Besant, detailing her American tour.

Apr. 1893; pp.104108

H.P. Blavatsky on Precipitation and Other Matters.

The following is the greater part of a letter written by H.P. Blavatsky
some years ago at a time when, subsequent to the Psychical Research
Societys Report on Theosophical phenomena, not only the public but
fellow members of the Society were doubting her, doubting
themselves, doubting the Adepts.

The Path,
Vol. 7, Mar. 1893;
pp.381-385
Theosophy,
Vol. 3, Jan. 1915;
pp.161-164

Col. H.S. Olcotts Letter.

Report of
Letter from H.S. Olcott President of the Theosophical Society to The Proceedings, (1893),
Delegates of the American Section in Convention Assembled We p.4
have but one danger to dread and guard against. This is the
subordination of general principles to hero-worship, or admiration of
personalities.[Read at the Seventh Annual Convention in New York,
April 23-24, 1893.]
This was the second formal pronouncement by the President-Founder Theosophy,
with all the authority of his official sanction, ostensibly to warn the Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
members of the Society against dogmatism, authority, and hero- pp.140-141
worship; actually, to reduce H.P.B. to the level of a dead person in
place of a still potent and vital factor as the Teacher of Theosophy.
Olcotts first attempt in this direction was at the Annual Anniversary
at Adyar in Dec. 1891, in his Presidents Address where he stated:
I deplore our intolerance, counting myself a chief offender, and I do
especially protest against and denounce a tendency which is growing
among us to lay the foundations of new idolatry.
NOTE: Olcotts concerns may have been directed more towards W. Q.
Judge than to other members of the Society. He also adds that Not
one word was ever spoken, transmitted or written to me by the
Masters that warranted such a course. . . .
[Also see April 23-24, 1893 entry.]

General Report of
the 16th
Anniversary of the
T.S., Dec. 1891; p.3

68

Apr. 1893

The Judge Case

W.Q. Judge published, AUTHORSHIP OF SECRET DOCTRINE which included The Path, Vol. 8,
letters from the Masters. It is attributed to ONE OF THE STAFF.
Apr. 1893; pp.1-3
NOTE: See July 21, 1892 entry.

Apr. 5,
1893

Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
pp.321-329

TO THE BRAHMINS OF INDIA.

The Path,
An open letter by W.Q. Judge in response to an article by Rai B.K. Vol. 8, May 1893;
pp.52-56
Laheri in Lucifer, Feb. 1893.
[A] suspicion is spreading through the Brahmin community that the
Theosophical Society is losing its impartial character as the equal
friend to all religions and is becoming distinctly Buddhistic in its
sympathies and affiliations.
Lucifer,
India. A TRUMPET CALL AT A CRISIS. by W.Q. Judge. Article similar Vol. 12, Apr. 1893;
to above.
pp.143-147
The Letter to the Brahmans. by W.Q. Judge.
Further to the letter in The Path of May 1893, Judge stated: Rai B.K.
Laheri . . . himself a Brahman and an F.T.S., went to . . . Delhi in
November 1893 . . . and laid before them [orthodox Brahman pandits]
the letter referred to. They discussed it and the T.S., and he reports
that they passed a resolution to help the T.S., and showed they were
satisfied that the Society is not a Buddhist propaganda.

Lucifer,
Vol. 14, Mar. 1894;
pp.72-74
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, p.274
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
pp.403-404

Chronology

Apr. 15,
1893

An Interesting Letter.
(Written to an Indian Brother) [Olcott] by W.Q. Judge.
In Aug.1891 Jasper Niemands article A Theosophical Education
appeared in The Path, preceded by a quote from the Master. Olcott
questioned this message. W.Q. Judges letter was published in
Lucifer Apr. 1893. W.Q.J. states:
I find it perfectly proper for me to assert, as I do, in accordance with
my own knowledge and belief, that our true progress lies in fidelity to
Masters as ideals and facts. Regarding Jasper Niemand, W.Q.J.
wrote:
I did not write the article you quote. I am not Jasper Niemand. Hence
I did not get the message he printed a part of in his article. Jasper
Niemand is a real person and not a title to conceal my person. In
reply to questions on the Masters Seal:
Whether He has a seal or uses one is something on which I am
ignorant. In my experience I have had messages from the Master, but
they bear no seal and I attach no significance to the point. A Seal on
other messages of His goes for nothing with me; the presence or
absence of a seal is nothing to me; my means of proof and
identification are within myself and everything else is trumpery.

69

Lucifer,
Vol. 12, Apr. 1893;
pp.101-104
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Apr. 1922;
pp.180-183
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.43-47

NOTE: See comments and criticism by W.R. Old and S.V. Edge
THEOSOPHIC FREETHOUGHT. July 1893 entry
NOTE: See THEOSOPHY IN THE WEST comments by Navroji Dorabji
Khandalvala [N.D.K.]. July 1893 entry
Apr. 15, 1893
continued

Article by Jasper Niemand in The Path, titled: A THEOSOPHICAL The Path,

Vol. 6, Aug. 1891;
EDUCATION and which begins:
pp.137-141
Ingratitude is not one of our faults. . . .; referred to in above article Theos. Movement
by Judge.
1875-1950,
pp.169-170, 200
NOTE: See Aug. 1891 entry.

Apr. 15, 1893

continued

Apr. 15, 1893

continued

An Indian Brother was Olcott . . .

Theosophy, Vol. 10,
This letter was, according to the restriction imposed by Mr. Judge, Mar. 1922; p.171
not published as to Col. Olcott, but as to An Indian Brother, and was
given by Mrs. Besant the caption, An Interesting Letter.
Theos. Movement
1875-1925, p.426
Mr. Judge declares that Whether He (the Master) has a seal, or uses Isis Very Much
one, is something on which I am ignorant.
Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
It was on this statementwhich involves a total lapse of memory on p.57
Mr. Judges part of events narrated . . . that he was challenged in The
Theosophist of April [actually July]1893, in an article [Theosophical
Freethought] signed by Messrs. W.R. Old and S.V. Edge. . . .
NOTE: See July 1893 entry for article by Old and Edge.

70
Apr. 15, 1893
continued

The Judge Case

Further comments on Masters messages after H.P.B.s death:

Annie Besant [August 30, 1891]: . . . .since Madame Blavatsky left, Theosophy,
I have had letters in the same writing and from the same person, i.e., Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
from the Mahatma from whom the messages transmitted by H.P.B. pp.148-149
during her life-time had been believed by Theosophists to emanate.
N.D.K. [N.D. Khandalava] objects very strongly to Mr. Judges
saying that he knows out of his own experience of the existence of Theosophy,
Masters and suggests that Mr. Judge systematically and exhaustively Vol.10 Apr. 1922;
bring forward his experience for the benefit of us all. . . . There is no pp.170-171
virtue whatsoever in boldly making an assertion, and withholding the
evidence upon which the assertion has been based. Most
objectionable of all to N.D.K. is Mr. Judges statement that his
means of identifying a message is within himself, and not by
means of external evidences such as signatures, seal, etc.

Apr. 15, 1893

continued

Apr. 23-24,
1893

THEOSOPHY IN THE WEST, THE TENDENCY TOWARDS DOGMATISM. by N.D.K.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, July 1893;
pp.623-628

Annie Besant praises W.Q. Judge after her return from her American
Tour.
I want to place on record here my testimony to the splendid work
done in America by the Vice-President of our Society, the General
Secretary of the Section, WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. H.P.B. knew well what
she was doing when she chose that strong quiet man to be her second
self in America. . . .

Lucifer, Vol. 12,

Apr. 1893; p.89

Col. H. S. Olcotts letter.

Read at the Seventh Annual Convention T.S. American Section to The
Delegates of The American Section in Convention assembled:
We have but one danger to dread and guard against. This is the
subordination of general principles to hero-worship, or admiration of
personalities. I shall not excuse myself for frequent recurrence to this
theme, for I am convinced that, if the Society should ever disintegrate,
this will be the cause. The Masters wrote in Isis that men and parties,
sects and schools are but the mere ephemera of the Worlds day; and
following the precedent of their great recognized exemplar, Buddha
Sakyamuni, they taught me to believe nothing upon authority, whether
of a living or a dead person. I pray you to keep this ever in mind. . . .

Report of
Proceedings,
held at New York
Apr. 1893; p.4

Theosophy, Vol.10,
Mar. 1922; p.140

Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.140-141

Chronology
Apr. 23-24,
1893
continued

Apr. 27,
1893

71

THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS. Incidents of the Congress.

In a letter to Mr. George Wright in September 1892, W.Q. Judge had
hinted:
Why cant we be represented at the Worlds Fair? Acting upon this
suggestion I [George Wright] immediately sought an audience with
Mr. Charles C. Bonney, President of the Worlds Congress Auxiliary.
. . . Meanwhile Mr. Judge had forwarded a statement of the Societys
condition and aims, which I enclosed to Mr. Bonney, together with a
formal application signed by myself as President of the Chicago
Branch.

Lucifer, Vol. 13,

Oct. 1893; p.160

In reply to Judges telegram, the European Section gave its support

and that Mrs. Annie Besant will attend on her way to India.
Mr. Judge also received a letter of endorsement, cooperation and
concurrence from Bertram Keightley, General Secretary Indian
Section T.S., on behalf of that section.

Report of
Proceedings,
held at New York
Apr. 1893; p.17

Notice of Annie Besants plans to travel to India, by letter to Col. Olcott.

As I regretted sincerely that I was prevented from going to India
under our previous agreement, I have much pleasure now in saying
that, barring unforeseen accidents, I shall be able to make the Indian
tour this autumn.

Lucifer, Vol. 12,

June 1893; p.272

The Path, Vol. 8,

May 1893; p.61

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, June 1893;
Supp. p.lix

NOTE: Mrs. Besants decision to go to India was confirmed only after

Bertram Keightleys arrival in London sometime at the end of Feb. or
beginning of March 1893. [See Jan. 22, 1893 (circa).]
May 1893

Theosophy at The Worlds Fair, September 15-16, 1893. INFORMATION Pamphlet, 8 pages
FOR MEMBERS OF THE T.S..
Outlined the steps to procure an assignment of the Society to a date
in the PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS so as to present the subject of
Theosophy. . . . It included the proposed program.

May 17,
1893

Letter from H.S. Olcott to W.Q. Judge.

If you want separate T.S. Societies made out of Sections, have them
by all means: I offered this years ago to H.P.B., and even to A.P.
S[innett].
In July, 1894, at London, he enunciated the same idea and plan to
W.Q. Judge and Dr. Buck, after the dismissal of the Committee.

The Path, Vol. 10,

May 1895; p.59

NOTE: From April 23 to Oct. 28, 1893 Olcott was at Adyar.

The Lamp, Vol. 1,

May 1895; p.150

NOTE: See May 15,1895.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 4, Mar. 1923;
p.11

Report of
Proceedings T.S. in
America, 1895; p.23

72

May 27,
1893

The Judge Case

EXECUTIVE NOTICES. by H.S. Olcott.

[T]he undersigned . . . hereby deputes W.Q. Judge Vice-President,
T.S., to represent him [at the Worlds Parliament of Religions]. . . .
The undersigned also deputes Mrs. Annie Besant as a special
Delegate from the President, to address the meetings in question on
behalf of the whole Society. . . .
Olcott also stipulated, on T.S. neutrality:
Of course, it is to be distinctly understood that nothing shall be said
or done by any Delegate or Committee of the Society to identify it, as
a body, with any special form of religion, creed, sect, or any religious
or ethical teacher or leader; our duty being to affirm and defend its
perfect corporate neutrality in these matters.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, June 1893;
Supp. p.lix
The Path, Vol. 8,
July 1893; p.128
Lucifer, Vol. 12,
July 1893; p.517

NOTE: See April 23-24, 1894.

Comments by Judge on H.S.O.s statement on: T.S. neutrality: This
goes directly to the point, and was meant, as intimated to me by the The Path,
President, to cover precisely the existence of the Mahatmas under the Vol. 9, June 1894;
word teacher and to prevent any fixing of the T.S. to H.P. Blavatsky pp.99-100
by means of the use of the word leader. [To which Mr. Judge
concurs.]
NOTE: See March 12 and 14, 1894.
June 1893

Annie Besant published H.P. Blavatskys letter of Oct. 23,1889 re: W.Q.
Judge [W.Q. Judge is the antaskarana . . .]
[T]he document of October 23, 1889 . . . was published to the
members of the E.S. by Annie Besant in her Answers to
Correspondence for June, 1893.

Theosophy, Vol. 3,
June 1915; pp.371372, Apr. 1915; pp.
276, 279

In April Lucifer Mrs. Besant says referring to W.Q. Judge: H.P.B. Irish Theosophist,
knew well what she was doing when she chose that strong quiet man Vol. 1, Aug. 1893;
to be her second self in America. . . . In him we find the rare p.119
conjunction of business quality of the skilful organizer and the
mystical insight of the Occultist. . . .
Annie Besants Autobiography quoted H.P.B.: Child. . . your Theosophy, Vol. 3,
pride is terrible; you are as proud as Lucifer himself.
May 1915; p.323
June 1893
continued

Countess Wachtmeister is busily engaged on a book that is to be issued The Path,

in the early Autumn, How the Secret Doctrine was Written.
Vol. 8, June 1893;
p.92
NOTE: See Nov. 1893. The Path printed a short biography of Countess
Nov. 1893;
Wachtmeister, Faces of Friends
pp.246-247

Chronology

June 15,
1893

At Taplow, England, on the evening of June 15, 1893, Mrs. Besant met Theos. Movement
and talked with Dr. and Mrs. Keightley on the subject of this [E.S. 1875-1925, p.647
Advisory] Council meeting. . . . No action had as yet been taken in the
E.S.T. on Mr. Olds and Mr. Edges actions [THEOSOPHIC
FREETHOUGHT article in The Theosophist]. In discussion they asked
Mrs. Besant what she had done with the parcel of letters between the
time when she read and tied them together (in the afternoon) and the
moment of taking them into the Council with her (in the evening).
She replied that she had locked them in a drawer in her room, where
no one could have access to them, and took them from there into the
Council Meeting, and that they were not out of her possession for a
moment.
NOTE: See May 27 and July 6, 1891 entries.

June 17,
1893

The General Secretary.

The Path, Vol. 8,
th
Mr. Judge sailed for England in the City of New York on June 17 , July 1893; p.125
purposing to attend the Annual Convention of the European Section
on July 6th and 7th. . . . Towards the close of July Mr. Judge will return
to the States.

June 24,
1893

The American General Secretary, Bro. Judge, arrived at Southampton The Path, Vol. 8,
June 24th, where Dr. and Mrs. A. Keightley met him, and he got to Aug. 1893; p.155
Headquarters on the evening of the same day.

July 1893

H.S. Olcott on Ms handwriting resembling H.P.B.s. stated:

The Theosophist,
I think that . . . an inquiry will result in proving that such writing, Vol. 14, July 1893;
when as closely analyzed as were the alleged Mahatmas writings by pp.577-578 fn
the S.P.R., always resembles that of the intermediary to a greater or
lesser extent, and without carrying the implication of bad faith on his
or her part.
Jasper Niemand (Julia Keightley) made reference to Olcotts The Path, Vol. 9,
description of the handwriting of letters received by H.P.B. (in the Apr. 1894; p.16
Theosophist for July 1893.), . . . where he says that communications
from high occult sources received through H.P.B. always resembled
her handwriting.
NOTE: See Appendix A for Reply by William Q. Judge To The
Charges. . . . under sub-section Precipitation where Mr. Judge
quotes more of Col. Olcotts own words describing his observations
on the subject.

73

74

July 1893

The Judge Case

THEOSOPHIC FREETHOUGHT.
The Theosophist,
Comments and criticism by W.R. Old and S.V. Edge in response to Vol. 14, July 1893;
W.Q. Judges statements in An Interesting Letter: As to Masters pp.606-611
seal, about which you put me the question, I do not know. Whether
he has a seal or uses one is something on which I am ignorant, they
wrote in a footnote:
In regard to this statement we can only remark that Mr. Judges
memory must be seriously defective. We must therefore remind him
that a very important step in connection with the re-organization of the
Esoteric Section of the T.S. was taken, after the death of H.P.B., on
the authority of a certain message, purporting to come from one of the
Mahatmas, and which bore, as Mr. Judge will now remember, a sealimpression, said by him to be that of the Master. No doubt Mr.
Judge will take the opportunity of either rectifying his statement or of
showing how his acting upon the authority of the Masters seal at
one time, and professing ignorance of it at another, may be regarded
as consistent.
NOTE: See Apr. 15,1893 entry for Judges remarks which generated this
article from Old and Edge.
THEOSOPHY IN THE WEST. THE TENDENCY TOWARDS DOGMATISM..
Comments by N.D. Khandalavala on Judges article An Interesting
Letter:
Mr. Judge asserts that our true progress lies in fidelity to Masters as
ideals and facts; that a constant reliance on Masters as such ideals and
facts or either will lead the T.S. on to greater work. . . .
N.D.K. stated:
Does not the Christian missionary come canting after us with exactly
the same words?
Most objectionable of all to N.D.K. is Mr. Judges statement that
[H]e does not care one iota for all the external evidence. . . . He
informs us that the means of proof and indication are located within
himself.

July 1893
continued

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, July 1893;
pp.623-628

Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Apr. 1922;
p.171

A PLOT AGAINST THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The Path, Vol. 8,
Describes the current plot to erode H.P.B., to minimize her writings, July 1893; p.111
and to question her position as a Messenger of the Mahatmas.
Feb. 1894; p.352
William Kingsland explores various authors analyses and critiques on The Real H.P.B.
how they perceived Mme. Blavatsky obtained both her theories and (1928) by Wm.
her unacknowledged information.
Kingsland,
pp.168, 173

July 6-7,
1893

CONVENTION EUROPEAN SECTION.

The Third Annual Convention of the European Section assembled in
the Hall of the Blavatsky T.S. in London at 10 a.m., July 6th. Bro.
G.R.S. Mead as General Secretary called the meeting to order. . . .
Bro. William Q. Judge, Vice-President T.S., was elected Chairman
of the Convention.

The Path,
Vol. 8, Aug.1893;
pp.156-157
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 1, July 1893;
p.106

Chronology
July 6-7, 1893
continued

75

Closing Speech of William Q, Judge.

Theosophy,
As Chairman of the European Convention, Mr. Judge in his closing Vol. 9, July 1921;
speech addressed the fear of a dogmatic tendency.
pp.257-259
But those who have spoken of dogmatism, have mistaken energy,
force, personal conviction and loyalty to personal teachers and ideals
for dogmatism. Such are not dogmatism. One has a perfect right to
have a settled conviction, to present it forcibly, to sustain it with every
argument, without being any the less a good member of the Society.
Dogmatism in the T.S., SOME OPINIONS OF ITS MEMBERS
Letters to the Editor of The Path by J.D. Buck, Jerome A. Anderson, The Path,
Wm. Main, J.C. Keightley, George D. Ayers, E. Aug. Neresheimer, Vol. 7, Nov. 1892;
Alexander Fullerton, Geo. E. Wright, Robert Crosbie, Edward B. pp.251-254
Rambo and A.P. Buchman in reply to the question:
To what extent, if any, is there in our literature or in the words of
Theosophical leaders a dogmatic spirit or a tendency to demand a
belief in any writers or teachers views?
NOTE: Annie Besant made an editorial note to Mr. W.F. Kirbys article
French Spiritism in Lucifer May 1893 and again in the WatchTower in Lucifer August 1893, where she reiterated her own Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
convictions:
The keynote of the work for each of us is that of devotion to the pp.143-145
MASTERS, as the great Servants of Humanity. . . .
NOTE: See also Aug. 15, 1893 and Oct. 1893 entries.

July 6-7, 1893

continued

A. Cleathers report on the third Convention dated from London, July The Theosophist,
1893, praised Judge:
Vol. 14, Sep. 1893;
Short though the time has been during which he was able to be with pp.763-766
us, it has been unusually profitable; his presence always brings with
it such a strong sense of solidarity and loyalty; and the feeling of unity
and harmony was exceedingly strong this year. . . .

July 15,
1893

THE OCEAN OF THEOSOPHY.

Lucifer,
Notice of publication of The Ocean of Theosophy by W.Q. Judge. Vol. 15, July 1893;
This little volume forms the most concise and clear statement of p.516
Theosophic teachings yet given to the world, and we heartily
commend it to all who are seeking for an elementary book to place in
the hands of the would-be student.
NOTE: See Sep. 1893.

July 15, 1893

continued

Mr. Judge was obliged to leave for New York on the 15th. . . .

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, Sep. 1893;
p.764

76

July/Sep.
1893

The Judge Case

Sinnett claimed independent communication with the Masters within the Theos. Movement
last few months vindicating him regarding Mars and Mercury 1875-1950,
controversy.
pp.196-197
W.Q. Judge in a letter to H.S. Olcott:
The Case Against
[Y]ou have erred in saying in print that once H.P.B. gone, the W.Q. Judge by A.
precipitated writing must alter. That is incorrect, as can be shown Besant (1895); p.30
from precipitation by mediums. . . . Why even Sinnett now has a
medium or clairvoyant he calls K.H.s chela who gives him new socalled instruction in the old hand of K.H.

Aug. 1893

Circular, To All members of E.S.T. (dated July 14, 1893, London) from
A. Besant and W. Q. Judge suspending Walter R. Old and Sidney V.
Edge from their membership in the E.S.T. for violating their pledge
of secrecy in the footnote of their article, THEOSOPHIC FREETHOUGHT, which criticized Judges An Interesting Letter. [See
April 15, 1893 entry]
NOTE: See July 1893 entry.

Circular, dated
London July 14,
1893, included in
To All Members of
E.S.T., 4 pages

And as on messages from the Master received by Brother Judge

himself the seal does not appear, the seal-impression added to the
message to the Council was regarded by him as not increasing the
validity of the communication nor detracting from it. . . .
Letter from W.R. Old regarding his suspension and A. Besants
reaction to the evidence he showed her in the winter of 1893 regarding
the Judge Case.
For this act of mine, I was suspended from my membership in the
Esoteric Section, under the authority of the joint signatures of
William Q. Judge and Annie Besant, Outer Heads of the E.S.T., and
my name was dishonourably mentioned before the members of the
E.S., among whom I numbered many an old colleague and friend. The
mandate somehow found its way into the public Press. However, there
was one advantage. After her official action in suspending me from
membership Mrs. Besant was, of course, bound to hear my
justification. This happened at Adyar in the winter of 1893. Mrs
Besants first remark to me after reading the case and examining the
documents was, You were perfectly justified by the facts before
you.

Isis Very Much

Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
pp.57, 85

Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.237-238

Chronology

Aug. 15,
1893

77

Mrs. Besant published Gurus and Chelas, an article by Mr. Sturdy in Lucifer,
which he was taking aim at Mr. Judges belief in the Masters and the Vol. 12, Aug. 1893;
communication of letters. Besant took exception to a few paragraphs pp.550-555
and printed the article excluding them.
On The Watch-Tower [in this same issue]:
It may be as well to remind the readers of LUCIFER that one of the
lines laid down by H.P.B. for the conduct of this magazine and she
would not have adopted and carried on a policy in antagonism to the
wish of her MASTER was the admission to its pages of articles with
which she totally or partially disagreed, where the articles raised
questions bearing on Theosophical teachings or interests.
Mrs. Besant then quoted H.P.B.: Keeping strictly in its editorials, and
articles by its individual editors, to the spirit and teachings of pure
Theosophy, it (LUCIFER) nevertheless frequently gives room to articles
and letters which diverge from the Esoteric teachings accepted by the
editors. . . .
She then continued:
This is the policy followed still by LUCIFER, and it should be
understood that the publication of such articles, say, as those of Mr.
Sinnett [Esoteric Teaching] and of Mr. Sturdy [Gurus and Chelas]
in the present issue, by no means implies any agreement with the
views put forward on the part of my colleague G.R.S. Mead or of
myself.

p.531
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.145-148

NOTE: See Oct. 1893. Olcott reprinted the same article in The
Theosophist with the insistence from Mr. Sturdy that the expurgated
paragraphs be added.
Aug. 26,
1893

Annie Besant left England for her fourth trip to the United States in a First Five Lives of
little over two years. . . .
Annie Besant, p.391
Mrs. Annie Besants passage for the States has now been taken in the The Path, Vol. 8,
City of Paris, which leaves Southampton Aug. 26th.
July 1893; p.125

78

Aug. 30,
1893

The Judge Case

Personal letter from W.Q. Judge to Col. Olcott quoted in full by A. Besant
in The Case Against W.Q. Judge. [pp.29-35]
In this letter Judge deals with his relations with Masters and
happenings in the T.S. of which he was made aware by Master. The
work and position of the E.S. holding the T.S. together after the death
of H.P.B. is also included.

The Case Against

W.Q. Judge by A.
Besant (1895);
pp.29-35,48-54

pp.30-31, 32
Re: seal and passwords, Judge quoting from Master:
Yes, Olcott made it as a joke and a very childish one, but we have the
right to adopt the seal if we like and to use it; and it has been used
even on a letter to him not as validating the message but to show him
if he wants to see that we have the object now.
Re: H.P.B.s Rosicrucian Jewel . . .

pp.44-46

Use of the seal by Mr. Judge . . .

p.53. . .

pp.32, 48
W.Q. Judge on H.S. Olcotts resignation:
The reason for my work against your resignation is found in Masters
order and naught else. [NOTE: See Apr. 24-25, 1892]
Revoking of resignation mentioned.

Sep. 1893

Sep. 1893
continued

p.46

On Masters plans . . .
NOTE: See Appendix A for The Case Against W.Q. Judge.
NOTE: See Sep. 28, 1893 for Olcotts reply to Judges letter.

p.33

INDIA AND HER THEOSOPHISTS.

W.Q. Judge called on the Brahmins to work for the spiritual
regeneration of India.
Have those Indian Theosophists who believed that the Mahatmas are
behind the Theosophical movement ever asked themselves why those
Masters saw fit to start the Society in America and not in India, the
home of the Adepts?
Footnotes by H.S. Olcott opposing certain of Judges views:
Mr. Judge should not convey the false impression that the Mahatmas
find the spiritual aura of India worse than those of Europe and
America. . . .

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, Sep. 1893;
pp.723-725
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.267-279

The Theosophist,
Olcott reviewed The Ocean of Theosophy.
I wish I could unqualifiedly praise his present work; but I cannot. It Vol. 14, Sep. 1893;
pp.762-763
contains some errors that are flagrant.
NOTE: See July 15, 1893.

Sep. 2, 1893 PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS, ARRIVAL OF THE FOREIGN DELEGATES.

The Path,
Mrs. Besant, Prof. Chakravarti, Mr. Dharmapala, and Miss Mller Vol. 8, Oct. 1893;
reached New York in the City of Paris. . . .
pp.223-228

Chronology

Sep. 15-16,
1893

79

Annie Besant in Chicago for Worlds Fair, Parliament of Religions, Theos. Movement
Theosophical Congress. Included in the party was G.N. Chakravarti, 1875-1950, p.202
a Brahmin member of the T.S. from Allahabad, and a Hindu scholar.
INCIDENTS OF THE CONGRESS by Geo. E Wright.
Mr. Wright had been appointed Chairman of the Committee of Lucifer,
Organization by the Parliaments Religious Committee to organize Vol. 13, Oct. 1893;
a separate T.S. Congress of our own, with facilities and opportunities pp.160-164
equal to those enjoyed by any of the great religious denominations.
The Path,
NOTE: Some years later Leoline Leonard Wright wrote Vignettes from Vol. 8, Nov. 1893;
the Worlds Congress of Religions which gives insight on some of pp.239-245
the individuals attending the Congress.
[See Dec. 1938 entry]

Sep. 15-16,
1893
continued

The Theosophical Congress at Worlds Fair.

Mentioned at the SEVENTH ANNUAL CONVENTION of American
Section.
PROGRAM AND OUTLINE OF TOPICS.
The sessions will be held in the Art Memorial Building in the Park
on the Lake Front, September, 15-16, 1893".

The Path,
Vol. 8, May 1893;
p.62
Aug. 1893;
pp.158-159

THEOSOPHY AT THE WORLDS FAIR

Sep. 1893;
pp.191-192

CONVICTION AND DOGMATISM by Annie Besant and A WORD ON THE

SECRET DOCTRINE (a letter by K.H.) relating to conduct and

Oct. 1893;
pp.199-204

expectations at the Parliament.

FACES OF FRIENDS (Chakravarti at the Parliament)
Summary of sessions
Account of events at the Parliament of Religions.

pp.204-206
pp.223-229
Nov. 1893;
pp.247-249, 259

NOTE: Mrs. Besant left New York, on Sep. 27th, for London on City of
Paris.
Sep. 15-16,
1893
continued

On the Watch-Tower
Lucifer,
Unofficial programme of topics and presenters at the Parliament of Vol. 13, Sep. 1893;
Religions.
pp.1-2.
THEOSOPHY AT THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS.
Oct. 1893; pp.95-96
It was described in one of the Chicago papers as a rival to the
Parliament itself, so great was the interest excited.
NOTE: For all the Lectures, Report and Documents; see The
Theosophical Congress held by the Theosophical Society at the
Parliament of Religions, Worlds Fair of 1893, at Chicago, ILL.,
Sep. 15,16,17. Report and Documents. 195 pp. [Reprinted by Edmonton
Theosophical Society, 1988]

80
Sep. 15-16,
1893
continued

Sep. 15-16,
1893
continued

The Judge Case

I went to America in September, 1893. Some words and acts of Mr.

Judge awoke again in me a fear, for he spoke in a veiled way that
seemed to imply that he was going to use Masters authority where no
such authority had been given. The result was that I made a direct
appeal to the Master, when alone, stating that I did feel some doubt as
to Mr. Judges use of His name, and praying Him to endorse or
disavow the messages I had received through him. He appeared to me
as I had so often before seen Him, clearly, unmistakably, and I learned
from Him directly that the messages were not done by Him, and that
they were done by Mr. Judge.

The Case Against

W.Q. Judge by
Annie Besant (1895);
p.13

Chakravartis influence on Annie Besant.

H.P.B. A Great
[W]hen she went to India in 1893, became an orthodox Hindu, and Betrayal (1922) by
was induced to entertain . . . doubts of her teacher [H.P.B.] . . . Bound A. Cleather, p.70
up with this failure the doubt of the Teacher was her attack on
her fellow chela, Mr. Judge.
A REPLY FROM W.Q. JUDGE. to the Editor of the Westminster Isis Very Much
Gazette.
Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
But you were right when you say that Mrs. Besant made a p.124
remarkable change in respect to me. That is true, and Mr. Chakravarti
whom you name is, as you correctly say, the person who is
responsible for it. Before she met Chakravarti she would not have
dreamed of prosecuting me. This is a matter of regret. . . .
The Passionate Pilgrim, A life of Annie Besant. By Gertrude Marvin Passionate Pilgrim,
Williams.
pp.210-214, 236-255
Williams describes the influences that Chakravarti had over Annie
Besant and as C. W. Leadbeater also had later.
In a statement by Annie Besant written April 24th , 1895:
The Case Against
I am not able to produce documentary evidence; immediately after I W.Q. Judge by A.
learned from the Master, in Sept., 1893, that Mr. Judge had deceived Besant (1895); p.82
me, in the shock of the disgust I felt, I destroyed the messages,
except those written on the margins of letters. Nearly a year later . . .
I destroyed all the letters I had received from Mr. Judge, as I could not
carry them with me round the world, and would not risk their falling
into the hands of others, in case of my death.

Sep. 15-16,
1893
continued

Sep. 27,
1893

Archibald Keightley on Annie Besant.

The Path,
Mrs. Besant told us at Richmond that she had had no order from the Vol. 10, June 1895;
Master except take action. That she took orders through Mr. p.98
Chakravarti as coming from the Master. That it was Mr. Chakravarti
who told her Master ordered her to mail the letter requesting Mr.
Judge to resign. And she admitted occult ties with a group of
Brahmins in India, such ties being prohibited by the rules of a private
body to which we and she then belonged.
Mrs. Besant, Prof. Chakravarti, Mrs. I. Cooper-Oakley, and Miss F.H. The Path,
Mller, who had all been delegates at the Parliament of Religions in Vol. 8, Oct. 1893;
Chicago, boarded the City of Paris on the evening of the 26th,and left p.224
New York early on the 27th for England.

Chronology

Sep. 28,
1893

Letter from Olcott in response to Judges letter of August 30th, 1893.

Theos. History,
Olcott outlined his perspective on the points put forward in Judges Vol. 10, No. 1, Jan.
letter, among them: Judges occult training, Elliott Coues, the E.S., 2004; pp.39-42
precipitated writings, the Seal, the presidency, religion. He expressed
his suspicions on various points and stated:
I have not and do not believe you to be in any such relation with the
as H.P.B. was . . . but am ready for the proof, which the Masters
can give me if they choose any day or hour.
NOTE: See Aug. 30, 1893.

Oct. 1893

A WORD ON THE SECRET DOCTRINE, AN OLD LETTER REPUBLISHED.

The Path,
Reprint of a letter from K.H. received in mid-ocean by Col. Olcott, Vol. 8; Oct. 1893;
P.T.S. and was originally published with his consent in a small pp.202-204
pamphlet entitled An Explanation Important to all Theosophists
issued by H.P.B. in 1888, regarding the influence of the Mahatmas
in the writing of The Secret Doctrine.

Oct. 1893
continued

Olcott reprinted Gurus and Chelas by E.T. Sturdy but with the three The Theosophist,
expurgated paragraphs included, and which stated in part:
Vol. 15; Oct. 1893;
Of concrete things and persons we need concrete proofs. Of concrete pp.27-32
letters and messages from living men, we need concrete evidence; not
metaphysical or mere argumentative proof. . . .
All such is glamour: there is no false mystery in chelaship; all
nonsense about developing intuition is merely making excuses for
what cannot be proven and is the same in the end as the Christian
faith.
NOTE: See Aug. 15, 1893 entry. See also July 6-7, 1893.
In October Lucifer, Mrs Besant writes over her signature an article in Theosophy,
reference to Gurus and Chelas and took a strong stand against the Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
spirit and logic of Mr. Sturdys article.
pp.145-148
NOTE: See Aug. 15, 1893 for Mrs. Besants editorial comments where Lucifer,
she quotes H.P.B. on editorial policies.
Vol. 13, Oct. 1893;
pp.147-149

Oct. 6, 1893

In Oct. and Dec. 1893 Lucifer published Some Modern Failings by Irish Theosophist,
Chew-Yew-Tsang (E.T. Hargrove).
Vol. 3, June 1895;
In Mr Hargroves letter of May 14, 1895 he stated that the meeting p.160
mentioned by Dr. Keightley in Luciferian Legends and Mrs.
Besants version of that same meeting, where she discovered the
identity of Che-yew-Tsang (E.T. Hargroves pseudonym), was held on
Friday Oct. 6th , 1893.
[See May 1, 1895 entry for Besants version.]
NOTE: Luciferian Legends is part of the text in The Plot against the
Theosophical Society pages 44-62. [See April 3, 1895]
NOTE: See Appendix E Mr. Hargroves letter.

81

82

The Judge Case

Oct. 19,
1893

THEOSOPHICAL CORRESPONDENCE CLASS: PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS AND NOTICE.. The Path,

W.Q. Judge decided to start a CORRESPONDENCE CLASS as part of the Vol. 8, Nov. 1893;
work of the American Section T.S., to enable those members desiring pp.263-264
to avail themselves of it to pursue their studies in Theosophy more
systematically. . . .
Lucifer,
Also published in Lucifer.
Vol. 13, Dec. 1893;
pp.347-348
NOTE: After the successes from the Parliament of Religions, Worlds
Fair of Sep. 1893, Mr. Judge saw a need to help newcomers who
wanted to join the T.S. get a proper, systematic Theosophical
education. The American Section already published the Branch
Papers, The Theosophical Forum and The Path but he felt that
these were limited in area of influence, so a Theosophical
Correspondence Class was started.
Very soon after the first notice was given members began to come in,
and at this date, December, one hundred and forty-six persons have The Path,
Vol. 8, Jan. 1894;
joined, coming from all parts of the Section.
p.320
NOTE: See Feb. 1, 1894 entry.

Oct. 20,
1893

Annie Besant departured for her first visit to India.

First Five Lives of
Mrs. Besant . . . left London . . . and dashed across France to catch Annie Besant, p.395
the mail steamer Kaiser-i-Hind at Marseilles; the Countess
Wachtmeister had used her title and influence to delay the vessel till
her friend could get there.

Oct./Dec.
1893

Some Modern Failings.

By Chew-Yew-Tsang (E.T. Hargrove).

Lucifer,
Vol. 13, Oct. 1893;
pp.97-100

Some Modern Failings (Part 2)

Lucifer,
NOTE: See March 1895 for Besants comments on the above article and Vol. 13, Dec. 1893;
his later pamphlet, A Forgotten Pledge.
pp.321-327
See Oct. 6, 1893 and also Feb. 3, 1895.
Nov. 1893

The Path, Nov. 1893, printed a short biography of Countess The Path,
Wachtmeister, in FACES OF FRIENDS
Vol. 8, Nov. 1893;
pp.246-247
Announcement: Reminiscences of H.P. BLAVATSKY and The Secret The Path, Vol. 8,
Doctrine by Countess C. Wachtmeister is now out.
Nov. 1893; p.259
NOTE: See Nov./Dec. 1893 entry for book reviews.

Chronology

Nov. 10,
1893

83

ANNIE BESANTS TOUR.

The Theosophist,
Mrs. Besant, accompanied by Countess Wachtmeister, arrived in Vol. 15, Dec. 1893;
Colombo on the 10th November and at once commenced the work of Supp. p.xiii.
her tour. . . .
On the 15th we sailed for India. . . .
. . . Mrs Besant set foot on Indian soil on the 16th Nov. at 10h. 24m.
A.M.
The Theosophist,
The tour will conclude at Bombay on or about March 10th [1894]. Vol. 14, Aug. 1893;
NOTE: See Dec. 1893-Dec. 25 entry for her itinerary and March 13, 1894 Supp. p.lxxix
entry.
The Theosophist,
We are looking forward to welcoming back [to London] some of our Vol. 15, Nov. 1893;
delegates to the Parliament of Religions next week. . . . [N]ext p.121
Wednesday, October 4th . . . Mrs. Besant and our brother G.N.
Chakravarti are only birds of passage, en route for India. . . .
Vol. 15, Dec. 1893;
NOTE: Chakravarti left for India a week before Mrs. Besant who left on p.194
October 20th. Countess Wachtmeister was to join her at Marseilles.
Mrs. Besant, accompanied by Countess Wachtmeister, arrived in The Theosophist,
Colombo on the 10th November. They met H.S. Olcott in Colombo Vol. 15, Dec. 1893;
who had been waiting there since Oct. 30th. They sailed for India on Supp. p.xiii
the 15th and Mrs. Besant set foot on Indian soil on the 16th Nov. . . .
Lucifer,
Col. Olcott returned from Ooty to Adyar, and after taking a weeks Vol. 13, Dec. 1893;
rest left for Colombo on October 28th . . . to meet Mrs. Besant and pp.341-342
Countess Wachtmeister. . . .

Nov. 15,
1893

On the Watch-Tower, OUR POLICY.

Lucifer,
Annie Besant and G.R.S. Mead on Lucifers policy towards personal Vol. 13, Nov.1893;
attacks levelled against the leaders, both dead and alive. . . . [W]e are p.177
ready to defend our principles but we have not time to be continually
rebutting personal attacks.

Nov. 23,
1893

WHAT PROOF HAVE WE?

Pamphlet, 8 pages

ADDRESS TO THE BLAVATSKY LODGE, T.S. BY MRS. J. C. KEIGHTLEY.

For the proof of a man is his life. The proof of an Ideal is its life in
the soul.
Nov./Dec.
1893

Reviews, REMINISCENCES OF H. P. BLAVATSKY.

Lucifer,
Vol. 13, Nov. 1893;
pp.248-249

Book Review: Reminiscences of H.P. BLAVATSKY and THE SECRET The Path,
DOCTRINE by Countess C. Wachtmeister, is the little book so eagerly Vol. 8, Dec. 1893;
awaited by the Theosophic world.
pp.285-286
NOTE: See March (Late) 1895 entry. C. Wachtmeister wrote to Claude F. Irish Theosophist,
Wright and suggested that he write a follow-up book on H.P. Vol. 2, Nov. 1893;
Blavatsky since he was there at her last moments.
p.155 (s/b p.23
pagination error by
editor)

84

The Judge Case

Nov./Dec.
1893
continued

In Reminiscences of H.P. BLAVATSKY and THE SECRET DOCTRINE. H.P.B. A Great

Those who were H.P.B.s untiring and unfailing helpers in the Betrayal (1922) by
preparation of The Secret Doctrine for the press in 1887-88, Dr. A. Cleather, p.75
Archibald and Mr. Bertram Keightley, have, fortunately for posterity,
put on record their experiences of those days.

Dec. 15,
1893

Blavatskianism In and Out of Season

W.Q. Judge writing in response to some theosophists wanting to
separate the name of Blavatsky from the T.S.:
Ingratitude is the basest vice of which man can be guilty, and it will
be base for them to receive the grand message and despise the
messenger.

Lucifer,
Vol. 13, Dec. 1893;
pp.303-308
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 2, pp.53-58
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.19-26

Dec. 20,
1893

When Mrs. Besant arrived in Adyar, 20 December, 1893, she was called Ransom, pp.298-299
by the President into consultation with himself, Countess
Wachtmeister, Sturdy, Edge, Old, and Judge Khandalavala. After
many anxious talks, and at the Presidents request, Mrs. Besant
undertook to formulate demands that the accusations against Judge
with reference to certain letters and in the alleged writings of the
Mahatmas should be dealt with by a Committee, as provided by the
Rules which had been specially altered at the Convention (1893), to
meet this or any similar case. They provided for a Judicial Committee
which, by three-fourths majority vote, could deprive the President
or Vice-President of office at any time for cause shown.

Dec. 1893,
Dec. 25th.

Mrs. Besant returned to London [from America] with Chakravarti and a Theos. Movement
little later followed him to India. [Mrs. Besant and Countess 1875-1950, p.203
Wachtmeister arrived in Colombo Nov. 10, 1893] After the December
Convention she toured India until March 1894, when she set sail for
England.
He [Judge] claimed to have given sixteen years (from 1875 to 1891)
of unbroken service to the T.S. and the Masters. . . . It was not until
Christmas, 1893, that I learned that the sixteen years were illusory,
that for the greater part of them little work was done . . . [p.9]
At Adyar I looked over the incriminating documents, and was
startled by the . . . trivial and impossible character of the supposed
messages; it was at once clear why he had steadily opposed my
going to India. . . . [p.14]

The Case Against

W.Q. Judge by A.
Besant (1895);
pp.9, 11, 14

While in India, Mrs. Besant changed her mind about Judge. She
became convinced that she had been deluded [and] that Judge had Isis Very Much
himself written the missives to which she had pinned her faith Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
written them all with his own hand.
p.58
NOTE: Annie Besant went to India against W.Q.J.s advice (relates to
Oct.1891 warning from J. Jelihovsky) See Feb.23, 1895 entry.

Chronology
Dec. 1893,
Dec. 25th.
continued

85

A. Besant formulated The Case Against W. Q. Judge with H.S. Olcott H.P.B. As I Knew
Her by A. Cleather,
and G.N. Chakravarti while she was in India.
p.57
Mrs. Cleathers comments on that period:
In fact, from this date (1889) would seem to have begun the fatal and
treacherous process which led, after H.P.B.s death, first to the
Besant-Judge Split in the T.S., in 1895, and then to the steady
alteration, perversion, and degradation of her teachings by the leaders
of both factions, especially on the Besant side under the guidance,
first of Chakravarti, and then of Leadbeater. A notable fact in this
connection is revealed here by Mr. Sinnett, which supplies the key to
Mrs. Besants subsequent policy and close association with
Leadbeater. He relates that, after Mrs. Besants first visit to India in
1893, where with Chakravarti and Olcott the Case Against W.Q. Judge
was formulated, she joined his circle, having realised the importance
of his private methods of communicating with the Master K.H. then
in full progress.
NOTE: See Oct. 1891 entry for Vera Jelihovskys warning against Besant
going to India that year.

Dec. 1893,
Dec. 25th.
continued

ANNIE BESANTS INDIAN TOUR.

While in India there were reports in current newspapers that Mrs.
Besant had converted and was now a devout Hindu.
In Lucifer April 1894, H.S. Olcott wrote:
[T]here is no foundation whatever for the current newspaper story
that Mrs. Besant bathed daily SS or even once SS in the Ganges at the
late Khumbha Mela at Allahabad.

Lucifer,
Vol. 13, Jan. 1894;
pp.429-432
Lucifer, Vol. 14,
Mar. 1894; pp.79-82
Apr. 1894;
pp.96, 166-171
The Theosophist,
Vol. 15, Apr. 1894;
pp.442-449

Olcott also sent The Path a CARD, denying the same, which was The Path, Vol. 9,
published as a NOTICE titled A MISTAKE CORRECTED
May 1894; p.65
NOTE: See April 1894 for more on Besants Lecture tour in India.
Prasnottara,
A complete itinerary of her lecture tour in India was posted as a Vol. 3, No. 34, Oct.
Supplement to Prasnottara Vol. 3, No. 34, Oct. 1893, pp. v to vii. 1893; p.vi
[which appears to be accurate.]
Besant lectured for an hour and a half at Allahabad, on January 31,
1894, where she was met by Professor G.N. Chakravarti, and lodged
at a bungalow in his compound. (Lucifer March 1894, p.81)
According to her schedule Besant stayed or was with Chakravarti for
the most part from January 26 or 27 to February 1st, 1894.

86

Jan. 11,
1894

The Judge Case

Annie Besant wrote to W.Q. Judge threatening exposure of abuse of Theos. Movement
Masters names if he did not resign from the Vice-Presidency and Co- 1875-1950, p.231
Headship of the E.S.
A. Besants letter quoted in THE PERSECUTION OF WILLIAM Q.
JUDGE, THE OBJECT IN VIEW by W.Q. Judge.
You must resign the outer headship (of E.S.T.) held jointly with
myself, or the evidence which goes to prove the wrong done must be
laid before a committee of T.S. . . . And you must resign the position
of President-elect.
Mr. Judge denied the charges and refused to resign.
NOTE: See March 1895 (late) entry.

The Path, Vol. 9,

Mar. 1895; p.432
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Mar. 1893;
p.104
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
July 1915; p.428

Letter to the Editor by Archibald Keightley detailing his observations The Path,
regarding Besant and Chakravarti:
Vol. 10, June 1895;
It is with sincere regret that I find myself obliged to make public pp.98-100
denial of the truth of Mrs. Besants statement that she told me that the
Master had informed her of Mr. Judges guilt. Mrs. Besant never so
told me.
Besant: I wrote to Mr. Judge . . . privately, so that by a voluntary The Case Against
resignation he might free the Society, and thus prevent the necessity W.Q. Judge by A.
of taking public action against him.
Besant (1895);
pp.14, 18
Jan. 12,
1894

Letter by Annie Besant (in Calcutta) to a committee of five:

The Path,
Last summer it came to my knowledge that certain letters, and Vol. 10, June 1895;
comments on letters, in M.s writing, were not His. To prevent pp.98-100
mistaken judgement let me here say to you but in strictest
confidence for if this matter should become public, I will not have
Masters name bandied about in controversy, but will take the
responsibility of my judgement on my own shoulders SS that the fact
itself rests to me on Masters own communication, made when no
third person was present, but He and I only were face to face. The
details were not given to Him directly. . . .
Dr. A. Keightley commented after quoting this letter in a letter to the
Editor of Path:
I ascertained that this interview with Master was said to have taken
place in Mr. Judges own room in the New York Headquarters and
that Mr. Chakravarti was the giver of the details [. . . Just as H.P.B.
had helped Mrs. Besant to see the Master during her life-time (when
Mrs. Besant had no psychic or spiritual qualities) so I believe Mr.
Chakravarti made visible to Mrs. Besant the image she had herself
formed in her own aura; this is one kind of evocation.]
NOTE: See June 1895.

Chronology

87

Feb. 1894

W.Q. Judge cabled A. Besant refusing to resign as Vice-President.

I [Annie Besant] wrote to Mr. Judge first privately, in January, 1894,
asking him to retire, otherwise the charges must be officially made. He
telegraphed refusal in February and I then applied to Colonel Olcott
for a Committee of Enquiry. . . .

Feb. 1, 1894

G.R.S. Mead, as General Secretary of the European section, attempted to The Vahan, Vol. 3,
follow the NEW CORRESPONDENCE SCHEME as inaugurated in the Feb. 1, 1894; p.5
American Section, however, As scarcely a dozen members have
replied to this announcement the scheme will not be adopted in this
section. . . .

The Theosophical
Society and The
Westminster
Gazette, p.11

NOTE: See Oct. 19, 1893 entry.

Feb. 6-7,
1894

On February 6th last [1894], while at Allahabad, Mrs. Annie Besant

handed the undersigned [Col. Olcott] a written demand that certain
accusations with reference to certain letters and in the alleged
writings of the Mahatmas, injurious to the public character of Mr. W.
Q. Judge, Vice-President of the Society, should be dealt with by a
Committee as provided by Art. VI, Secs. 2, 3 and 4.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 15, May 1894;
Supp. p.xxvii
The Vahan, Vol. 3,
July 1894; [insert]

Annie Besant had written:

As it is to the detriment of the whole Society that such accusations Theos. Movement
believed to be true by reputable members of the Society should 1875-1950,
be circulated against a prominent official without rebuttal and without pp.204-205
investigation, I ask you, as the President of the Society, to direct that
the charges made shall be formulated and laid before a Committee, as
provided by Art. VI, Secs. 2, 3 and 4.
NOTE: See Apr. 27, 1894 entry, re: Olcotts EXECUTIVE NOTICE.
February 7th letter from H.S. Olcott (from Agra, India) to W.Q. Judge:
I enclose herewith a certified copy of Annie Besants formal letter to
me, dated Allahabad, Feb. 6th inst. In it she demands an official
enquiry, by means of a Committee, into the matter of your alleged
misuse of the Mahatmas names and handwriting.
By virtue of the discretionary power given me in Art. VI of the
Revised Rules, I place before you the following options:
(1.) To retire from all offices held by you in the Theosophical
Society and leave me to make a merely general public
explanation; or
(2.) To have a Judicial Committee convened . . . and make public the
whole of the proceedings in detail.
G.R.S. Mead and B. Keightley wrote to H.S. Olcott warning that he
was not following Constitutional procedure. [See Mar. 27, 1894
entry]

88
Feb. 6-7, 1894
continued

The Judge Case

Circular letter from Wm. Q. Judge.

Pacific Theos.
W.Q. Judges answer to H.S. Olcott [Official 4-page letter by W.Q. Vol. 4, Apr. 1894;
Judge to Olcott, dated March 15, 1894]
pp.129-133
[See: Mar. 10, 1894 and Mar. 15, 1894 entries]
H.S. Olcott to the Judicial Committee, July 10, 1894:
Upon the receipt of a preliminary letter from myself, of date
February 7th, 1894, from Agra, India, Mr. Judge, erroneously taking
it to be the first step in the official inquiry into the charges, from my
omission to mark the letter Private, naturally misconceived it to be
a breach of the Constitution and vehemently protested in a public
circular addressed to the members of the Theosophical Society.. . .

Feb. 6-7, 1894

continued

The Path,
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
pp.159-160
Isis Very Much
Unveiled, p.85

H.S. Olcott to the Judicial Committee, July 10, 1894:

The Path,
It having been made evident to me that Mr. Judge cannot be tried on Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
the present accusations without breaking through the lines of our pp.162 [158-168]
Constitution, I have no right to keep him further suspended, and so
hereby cancel my notice of suspension, dated the 7th February, 1894,
and restore him to the rank of Vice-President.
NOTE: See July 10, 1894 entry.
NOTE: As the February 7th letter does not contain any notice of
suspension, Olcott may have meant the March 20th letter. (See March
20, 1894 entry)

Feb. 8, 1894 Annie Besants personal letter (from Agra) to W.Q. Judge.
The Path, Vol. 9,
As you know, I refused the offer to nominate me as President; since Mar. 1895; p.432
then I have been told not to oppose, so I remain passive and wait.
[Judge asks: by whom?]
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
NOTE: See Feb.14, 1894, March 1895 (late), June 1895 entries.
p.104
Dr. A. Keightley quotes part of this same letter of Mrs. Besant to The Path,
Judge: My one hope is, my very dear brother, that you will have the Vol. 10, June 1895;
heroism to say frankly the wrong has been done under a mistaken pp.98-99
view, UNSELFISHLY SAYING WHAT YOU KNEW WAS MASTERS WILL
THOUGH NOT DIRECTLY WRITTEN BY HIM, and that you may thus make
it possible for us to remain co-workers.
Feb. 14,
1894

Excerpts from letters by Annie Besant (in Delhi) to W.Q. Judge.

He [Chakravarti] endorsed the idea that I should take sole charge of
the School. . . . Indeed, he told me last summer . . . that it had to be so
presently. . . .
That you had made an intellectual blunder, misled by a high
example. [Judge indicates that this meant H.P.B.]
NOTE: See March (late) 1895 entry for Judges comments on this.

The Path, Vol. 9,

Mar. 1895; p.432
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
p.104

Chronology

Mar. 8,
1894

Letter by Annie Besant regarding the note Judges plan is right found by The Path, Vol. 10,
her at the May 27th Meeting in London in 1891:
June 1895; p.100
Masters approval in the message is just one of the very things
challenged as not Masters. From my standpoint, no tie was made by
Them in this matter.
[Very different from what she wrote on July 2, 1891]

Mar. 10,
1894

In response to Olcotts letter of February 7th, 1894, Judge cabled:

Charges Against
Charges absolutely false. You can take whatever proceedings you see William Q. Judge.
fit; going [to] London [in] July.
4 pages
NOTE: See Mar. 15, 1894 entry.

Mar. 12,
1894

Letter addressed to W.Q. Judge, General Secretary, American Section The Path,
T.S., from Elliott B. Page (as a member of the Council of T.S.). Letter Vol. 9, June 1894;
stated that the Society should not have an investigation to determine pp.98-100
whether the sending of messages purporting to come from a Master,
or Masters, is untheosophical and that to do so would only tend to
raise a dogma in the Society. . . .
NOTE: See replies by Judge April 23-24, 1894 and May 27, 1893.

Mar. 13 to
17, 1894

ANNIE BESANTS TOUR.

Prasnottara, Supp.
Annie Besant arrived in Poona and spent a few days there then left for Vol. 3, No. 34, Oct.
Bombay on the 15th or 16th. She sailed for England on the 17th.
1893; p.vi
On the 20th (March). . . . embarked on the Peninsular. . . . At 5 p.m. Old Diary Leaves,
the ship sailed and bore away dear Annie Besant and with her the Fifth Series, pp.149heart of all India.
150

Mar. 14,
1894

Letter from Judge in response to Elliott Pages March 12th letter.

The Path,
Judge stated that, it is not possible under its constitution for the T.S. Vol. 9, June 1894;
to do this. It is a personal matter as in the case of H.P.B., Olcott, pp.99-100
Besant or Sinnett stating they had communications from the Masters,
and violates no clause of the T.S. Constitution or Rules. If a judicial
decision is made, then it would be fixing a dogma on the T.S., which
is prohibited.
Judge quoted from the EXECUTIVE NOTICE of May 27, 1893 by Col.
Olcott where he stated the word teacher could not be attached to
Mahatma nor could the word leader be used to attach the T.S. to
H.P.B.
NOTE: See April 23-24, 1894 and May 27, 1893 entries.

89

90

Mar. 15,
1894

The Judge Case

W.Q. Judge issued 5,000 copies of his printed statement To all Members
of the Theosophical Society: giving all details and copies of letters
exchanged so far.
(Pamphlet called Charges Against William Q. Judge)
NOTE: See Feb. 6-7, 1894 entry.
The charge is made against me as Vice-President: I have replied as
an individual and shall so continue, inasmuch as in my capacity of
Vice-President my duties are nominal. . . . The only charges that could
be made against the Vice-President would be those of failing to
perform his duties, or misusing the office. . . . On the face of this very
vague charge, then, it is evident that there is nothing in it relating to
the official Vice-President.
Judge objected to making the question of the Mahatmas a matter for
judicial decision in the TS:
The Society has no dogma as to the existence of such Masters; but
the deliberations of an official committee of the Society on such a
question . . . would mean that the Theosophical Society . . . is
determined to . . . affix it to the Constitution of the Society. To this I
will never consent. . . .
He reasserted that he had personal communications from the Masters:
[N]ot only have I received direct communications from Masters
during and since the life of H.P. Blavatsky, but that I have on certain
occasions repeated such to certain persons for their own guidance, and
also that I have guided some of my own work under suggestions from
the same sources, though without mentioning the fact.
NOTE: See April 1894 for Editorial notes on DO MAHATMAS EXIST?
JUDGES DECLARATION

Mar. 19,
1894

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.206

WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, p.299
Pacific Theos.
Vol. 4, Apr. 1894;
pp.129-133
The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
pp.159-160
Isis Very Much
Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
p.85

MR.

Letter from Robert Crosbie, President of Boston T.S., George D. Ayers,

President of Malden T.S., and M.L. Guild, President of Cambridge
T.S. (and the Secretaries), to President H.S. Olcott deploring his
illegal actions. They list eleven points stating H.S.O.s actions violate
sections of the T.S. Constitution, are unconstitutional, ill-advised,
injudicious, and unfair.

New England
Theosophical
Corporation,
2 page circular

Chronology

Mar. 20,
1894

91

Two letters issued by H.S. Olcott, President Theosophical Society:

1.) To the General Secretary American Section T.S.
I enclose herewith a copy of certain charges preferred against [Judge]
by Mrs. Annie Besant F.T.S.; which charges will be laid before a
Judicial Committee, to be convened at our London Headquarters on
the 27th June next. . . .
Upon receipt of this you will kindly take the orders of your Executive
Committee for the nomination of two members of the said Judicial
Committee, to sit as representatives of the American Section. . . .
2.) To William Q. Judge, Esq., Vice President T.S.
I have to request that you will nominate to me the two additional
members of the Committee whom you wish to sit and adjudge the case
as your personal representatives. . . .
Pending the decision of the Judicial Committee, I hereby suspend
you from the office of Vice President T.S. as required by our Revised
Rules.

Report of
Proceedings of the
Eighth Annual
Convention
Apr. 22-23, 1894;
p.23
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.221
Theosophy, Vol. 10,
July 1922; p.275

NOTE: See also February 6-7, 1894.

Mar. 24,
1894

CHARGES AGAINST WILLIAM Q. JUDGE V.P., T.S.

Reply by William
While on the S.S. Peninsular, Indian Ocean, Annie Besant signed Q. Judge, p.6
and dated her paper of so-called charges. She left Bombay on Mar.
20th for England.
NOTE: See Mar. 13 to 17, 1894 entry.

Mar. 26,
1894

TO THE FELLOWS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

by George W. Russell.

Circular, 8 pages

Replying to Besants charge that Judge wrote the letters from the T.N.C.A.B.
Masters, Russell queries Who can say what was behind the hand that Item 1995, p.546
wrote, the will of the Adept or the will of Mr. Judge? Calls the
motion by the Indian Section for Judges explanation or expulsion a
violation of the principles of freedom in our ranks, and I call upon all
true men and women to rise up and protest against it.
NOTE: Reprinted as Appendix A in The Descent of the Gods, edited by
Raghavan & Nandini Iyer, pp.659-664.

92

Mar. 27,
1894

The Judge Case

G.R.S. Mead and Bertram Keightley (as General Secretaries for the
Europe and Indian Sections respectively) issued a circular, For the
information of the Members of the European and Indian Sections of
the Theosophical Society. Both commented on Olcotts letter of Feb.
7th, 1894, to W.Q. Judge and warned that H.S. Olcott was not
following the procedure as laid out in the Constitution for charges
against the Vice-President.
It appears to us that such an attitude is inconsistent with that strict
impartiality and justice which ought to characterize at least the official
actions of the President of the T.S., and that it is calculated to bring
discredit upon the Society by laying its chief executive officer open
to the charge of condemning a colleague without even giving him a
hearing.

Theosophical
Society, European
Section, 4 pages

Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.209-211
The Path,
Vol. 9, May 1894;
pp.65-67

[Answered from Adyar by H.S. Olcott on May 13, 1894 and circulated
to members from London on June 15, 1894]
NOTE: See Apr. 27, 1894 for further observations from Colonel Olcott
found in Austral Theosophist.
Mar. 31,
1894

Mirror of the Movement.

The Path, Vol. 9,
The Countess Wachtmeister and Mr. Ernest T. Hargrove, May 1894; p.60
representing respectively the Indian and the European Section, arrived
in New York by the Lucania on [Saturday] March 31st. The Countess
became the guest of Mrs. Eliz. C. Mayer, and Mr. Hargrove of Mr.
Alex. H. Spencer. On the following Tuesday both spoke at the regular
meeting, the Countess giving an account of her late tour in India, and
Mr. Hargrove discussing Theosophical topics. Great pleasure was
given to the large audience by both addresses. On Thursday the 5th the
General Secretarys party started for San Diego.

Apr. 1894

Letters to Jasper Niemand published in Letters That Have Helped Me. The Path, Vol. 9,
They [the Letters] were written for me and Dr. Keightley and for Apr. 1894; p.16
the use of others later on by W.Q. Judge, at the express wish of
H.P. Blavatsky.
The recipient of the Letters, Jasper Niemand (Mrs. Julia Keightley) is
featured in FACES OF FRIENDS in The Path.
Announcement that authorship of Letters That Have Helped Me is Lucifer, Vol. 14,
Apr. 1894; p.95
now made public.

Chronology
Apr. 1894
continued

93

H.S. Olcott warned delegates to the Worlds Parliament of Religions not Lucifer, Vol. 12,
to identify the T.S. with any form of religion, creed, sect, or any July 1893; p.517
religious or ethical teacher or leader; our first duty being to affirm and
defend its perfect corporate neutrality in these matters. [May 27,
1893]
In ANNIE BESANTS INDIAN TOUR H.S. Olcott wrote:
Apr. 1894; p.167
True, she has declared herself virtually a Hindu in religion almost
from the beginning of the Indian part of her tour. What of that? [See The Theosophist,
Dec. 1893, Dec. 25th entry]
Vol. 15, Apr. 1894;
pp.442-449
MRS. BESANT AND INDIAN CIVILISATION.
Wm. Emmette Coleman (San Francisco, CA) wrote:
Light, Vol. 14, Apr.
Mrs. Besant has publicly embraced the Hindu religion as a whole, 14, 1894; pp.176-177
and requested that she be called by her new Hindu name of Anna or
Ani Bai, instead of her European one. She tells the people that she
was and is a Hindu, that in her prior incarnation she was an Indian
pandit, and she is now visiting her own land after a sojourn in the
West, where she was re-incarnated to know the nature of the
materialistic civilisation of those regions.

Apr. 1894
continued

ANNIE BESANTS INDIAN TOUR.

The Theosophist,
In the story as to Mrs. Besants bathing in the Ganges there was not Vol. 15, Apr. 1894;
a word of truth; it was a pure invention of hostile Anglo-Indian pp.442-449
newspapers. Nor has Mrs. Besant appeared anywhere in Hindu dress.
Nor has she been converted to Hinduism since she came to India, nor
changed her position towards it. The story of the festival over her
conversion is also a myth. Dinners were given to us as in many other
places, and as in every Hindu house Prasad sandalwood paste,
rose-water and betel leaves was invariably offered to the guests
after the repast. . . . [fn. p.443]
In an interview by The Westminster Budget on May 3rd, 1895, in The Westminster
the private room in Avenue-road, where in years gone by Madame Budget, May 3,
Blavatsky received the privileged visitor Mrs. Besant presented 1895; p.14
herself in [c]reamy white silken stuffs and a pearly grey shawl of the
East enwrap the slender figure of Mrs. Besant. . . . [The article, titled
MRS. BESANT AND THE MAHATMAS, HOW THEY LOOK AND HOW THEY ARE
SCENTED:, has a picture of Mrs. Besant dressed with what appears to
be a shawl wrapped around her in an eastern way. The photo is by O
Shannessy and Co., Melbourne and is reprinted in Fohat Vol. IV, No.
4, Winter 2000, p.83.]

94
Apr. 1894
continued

The Judge Case

DO MAHATMAS EXIST? MR. JUDGES DECLARATION.

Borderland,
Editorial notes:
Vol. 1, Apr. 1894;
A belief in the existence of the Mahtmas is supposed by many to be p.356
the corner-stone of the Theosophical Society. To such persons it will
be somewhat of a surprise to learn on the authority of Mr.W.Q. Judge,
. . . that a belief in the existence of Mahatmas has never been a dogma
of the Theosophical Society.
And, on THE ACCUSATION AGAINST MR. W.Q. JUDGE:
It seems that some persons in India have accused Mr. Judge to Col.
Olcott of being guilty of writing the names and handwriting of the
Mahatmas. Col. Olcott thereupon called Mr. Judge either to resign or
demand a judicial committee in order to have an official inquiry into
the whole subject. Mr. Judge refused to do either. He states his
unqualified, explicit, exhaustive denial of the charges and asserts most
unreservedly that it has no foundation. He states his readiness to be
tried by a judicial committee in London next July, but he refuses to
demand a committee, for by making such a demand he would pave the
way to the formulating of a dogma as to the existence of the
Mahatmas.
Article continues with headings: WHY HE OBJECTS TO THE INQUIRIES;
MAHATMAISM NOT A DOGMA; THE SOCIETY AGNOSTIC ON THE QUESTION; I
BELIEVE IN THE MASTERS; BECAUSE THEY HAVE GUIDED ME.

NOTE: See March 15, 1894.

Chronology

Apr. 23-24,
1894

Eighth Convention of The T.S. American Section in San Francisco.

95

Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.213-215

Dr. Anderson proposed to submit resolutions in support of Judge and The Path,
that H.S.O.s actions were uncalled for, unconstitutional, illegal, and Vol. 9, May 1894;
improper.
pp.64-66
Aug. 1894;
Olcotts comments [July 10, 1894] . . .
pp.160-162
Letter from E. Page to Judge read. Stated that the Society should not The Path,
have an investigation to determine whether the sending of messages Vol. 9 June 1894;
purporting to come from a Master, or Masters, is untheosophical and pp.98-100
that to do so would only tend to raise a dogma in the Society.
Report of
NOTE: For W.Q. Judges reply on T.S. neutrality see May 27, 1893.
Proceedings of the
T.S. American Sec.,
NOTE: See entries of March 12 and 14, 1894 for more details.
Apr. 1894; pp.21-25
Resolutions were passed at the Convention. One read:
Pacific Theos.
That, in the opinion of this Convention, the action of the President, Vol. 4, May 1894;
Col. Olcott, in calling a judicial Committee to consider such charge pp.150-151
was uncalled for, unconstitutional, illegal and improper.
Another read:
That this convention hereby declares its unswerving belief in the
integrity and uprightness of the Vice-President of the T.S., Wm. Q.
Judge and expresses to him the most cordial thanks of the Section
for his unrecompensed and self-sacrificing years of labor on behalf of
the T.S. as a whole.
Confidence in W.Q. Judge was expressed by several west coast Vol. 4, Apr. 1894;
lodges.
pp.141-144
Apr. 23-24,
1894
continued

Countess Wachtmeister then addressed the Convention on behalf of

the Indian Section. . . . She described the coming removal of Indian
Section Headquarters from Adyar to Allahabad, which she said would
practically get rid of Adyar which was really useless in her opinion
except for one week during Convention. She also proposed that
America send William Q. Judge as General Secretary to India to next
Anniversary. Applause greeted her remarks, and in reply to a question
as to what she thought her proposal would lead to she said, Well, to
get rid of Adyar (laughter).

The Path, Vol. 9,

May 1894; p.65
July 1894;
pp.135-136
Sep. 1894;
pp.194-195
p.65

She then further explained that Col. Olcott had agreed to transfer of p.66
Indian Headquarters to some other place.

96

Apr. 27,
1894

The Judge Case

H.S. Olcott issued an EXECUTIVE NOTICE. Detailed steps taken to date

regarding the charges against W.Q. Judge:
Mr. Judge having cabled a denial of his guilt, the first prescribed by
the Constitution for such cases was then taken, viz., the ordering of a
Judicial Committee as provided for under Art.VI; the official
notification of the same to the accused and the members of the
General Council; and the serving upon each of a copy of the detailed
charges and specifications, then drafted by Mrs. Annie Besant as
Accuser. . . .
The Judicial Committee is notified to meet in London on June 27th
and the undersigned finds himself compelled to attend, contrary to his
wishes and expectations. . . . [H.S. Olcott left Adyar for London on
May 14.]
NOTE: See Feb. 6-7, 1894 entry. Both Col. Olcott and Mrs. Besant were
in Allahabad.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 15, May 1894;
Supp. p.xxvii
Theosophy, Vol. 3,
July 1915; p.428
The Vahan, Vol. 3,
July 1894; p.11
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 2, June 1894;
p.121

NOTE: Judicial Committee postponed to July 10, 1894, see July 7th, 1894
entry.
Light, Vol. 14,
May 26, 1894; p.245
Light published Olcotts EXECUTIVE NOTICE, issued from Adyar, dated
April 27, 1894, under the title MRS. BESANTS CHARGE Theos. Movement
AGAINST W. Q JUDGE.
1875-1950, p.220
Apr. 27, 1894
continued

Quotes from Executive notice issued by Olcott which give a brief outline Austral Theos.
Vol. 1, July 1894;
of affairs to this point, including:
Colonel Olcott observes that he Deplores that his colleagues, Mr. p.97
Mead and Mr. Keightley, should have acted in such haste as to have
committed the indiscretion of censuring him for breaches in procedure
and a violation of Constitution of which he was not guilty. He regrets
also that the fact of Mrs. Besant being the accuser of Mr. Judge should
not have been mentioned, if the public was to be taken into confidence
at all at this preliminary stage.
NOTE: See March 27, 1894 entry

Chronology

May 1894

Circular titled COUNTESS WACHTMEISTER REFUTES HERSELF.

Letter dated June 2, 1895 from L.A. Russell, Secretary, Santa Cruz
T.S. to Dr. Buck in which she gave her testimony.
In May, 1894, during the lecture tour the Countess Wachtmeister
made though California, I had the pleasure of accompanying her from
Santa Cruz to Watsonville. She claimed Wachtmeister said:
Do you not know that W.Q. Judge is the greatest living occultist
known to the Western world since H.P.B.s death?

97

Circular, dated June

10, 1895, by J.D.
Buck, 1 page
The Path, Vol. 10,
July 1895; p.129

Irish Theosophist,
NOTE: See June 2, 1895 entry and June 10, 1895 for Dr. Gambles letter Vol. 3, July 1895;
of April 16, 1894 (Gambles letter should be dated 1895) to J.D. pp.181-182
Buck.
The Path,
C. Wachtmeister denied having said that.
Vol. 10, Dec. 1895;
pp.291-292
NOTE: C. Wachtmeister apparently admitted to a friend that she had H.P.B. As I Knew
made a mistake in following Annie Besant after H.P.B.s death Her by A. Cleather,
and had subsequently left the Society. On her death-bed she stated p.22
she had wept long and bitterly over the ruin which Mrs. Besant
had wrought to H.P.B.s work.
May 13,
1894

For the information of the Members of the European Section of the

Theosophical Society, from H.S. Olcott to G.R.S. Mead (General
Secretary, European Section) and B. Keightley (General Secretary,
Indian Section) re: their letter of protest dated March 27, 1894.
[H.S. Olcott attempts to justify his position re: W.Q. Judge, and his
letter of Feb.7, 1894 to Judge].
Also included a comment by Mead and Keightley that exception may
be taken to several important points in [the President-Founders
reply.]

Theosophical
Society. European
Section.
No. 2, 2 pages

NOTE: The detailed reply to Messrs. Mead and Keightleys letter, that
the Notice [of April 27th, 1894] states is in preparation and will be Theos. Movement
circulated to all Branches was never, so far as we know, either 1875-1925,
prepared or circulated. All that Olcott issued was a plea in pp.502-504
extenuation, similar to the above quoted Notice.
Resolutions were passed by an unanimous vote They voice in no
uncertain tones the united protest of American Theosophists against Pacific Theos.
the introduction of dogmas into Theosophy and their faith in and Vol. 4, May 1894;
loyalty to our beloved General Secretary, Wm. Q. Judge.
pp.150-152

98

May 20,
1894

The Judge Case

Illness of G.R.S. Mead.

The Vahan, Vol. 3,
By H.T. Edge, Asst. Sec. European Sec.
June 1894; p.6
We much regret to announce that our able and energetic editor has
been very ill. An attack of influenza has been followed by complete
prostration. He has been over-working himself for many months, and
Mr. Herbert Coryn now forbids any letters or communications being
received by him. Mr. Mead was moved down to the country on May
20th, and it is hoped that the change may speedily restore him.
NOTE: See July 7, 1894 and March/April 1964 entries.

June 1894

W.Q. Judge (as General Secretary, American Section T.S.) gave an The Path, Vol. 9,
official answer on the authentication of Messages from Masters in June 1894; pp.98-100
a letter dated March 14, 1894 to Elliott B. Page (in response to his
letter of March 12, 1894).
NOTE: See March 12 and 14, 1894 entries.
The Path, Vol. 9,
Olcott on same, in PROCEEDINGS OF THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF THE Aug. 1894;
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
pp.161-162

June 1894
continued

Trouble at Headquarters. JUDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED.

Austral Theos.
By H.W. Hunt. He provided a summary, to date, of the Judge Case Vol. 1, June 1894;
including a letter from Annie Besant in Allahabad, dated February 6, pp.89-90
1894, based on a private letter received from W.Q. Judge.
The trouble began in India, by the publication in the Theosophist [see
July 1893 entry] of certain statements by two members of the Indian
Section, sharply criticising a private letter from Mr. Judge to one of
them in which the Mahatmas were referred to, and Mr. Judge was
there by implication charged with inconsistency in certain statements
he made in that letter, compared with statements he had on some other
occasion made (or was alleged to have made) in the presence of these
two members.
Trouble at Headquarters. To the Editor of the AUSTRAL Austral Theos.
THEOSOPHIST. by C.F. Langier. I fail to find evidence anywhere July 1894;
that Mr. Judge has been prejudged, Messrs. Mead and Keightl[e]y to pp.97-98, 104
the contrary notwithstanding.

June 12,
1894

The President-Founder arrived in Paris, where he met Annie Besant and Lucifer, Vol. 14,
Miss H.F. Mller, on June 12th, and presided at the lecture given by July 1894; p.432
the former in the beautiful hall of the residence of the Duchesse de
Pomar on June 13th. The party then returned to England and after a
brief stay in London the President-Founder left for Germany to
endeavour to found there a Lodge of the T.S. in concert with Dr.
Hubbe Schleiden. He returned to London on July 4th, to arrange with
the secretaries of the Indian, European and America Sections for the
holding of the Judicial Committee on July 8th.
NOTE: See July 7, 1894, for more details on delays in reaching a
compromise. The General Council of the T.S. met on July 7 and the
meeting of the Judicial Committee was actually held on July 10, 1894.

Chronology

July 1894

B. Keightley claimed in a letter To the Members of the Indian Section

that the American Section has made a proposal to move the
Headquarters from India.
I shall then also ask you to record a most emphatic protest against the
proposal of the American Section to remove the Head-Quarters of the
Theosophical Society as such, away from the sacred soil of India, the
motherland of spiritual science and philosophy. . . . and I shall ask you
to support me in strenuously resisting any such proposal.

99

The Theosophist,
Vol. 15, July 1894;
Supp. pp.xxxvixxxvii

Denied by W.Q. Judge in letter of Aug. 3, 1894 to the Editor of The The Path,
Theosophist, in which he explained the proposal was made by C. Vol. 9, Sep. 1894;
pp.194-195
Wachtmeister.
In a letter by C. Wachtmeister dated Aug 7, 1894, she wrote:
Take away the words American Section replace them by the
Countess Wachtmeister and the paragraph is correct.
It is quite true that I made this suggestion to the American
Convention [San Francisco in April 1894], because I think that Adyar
is useless to the Society as a whole, being in such a remote corner of
the globe.
NOTE: See entry for April 23-24, 1894.
Letter from William Q. Judge, Gen. Sec. American Section, to B. Prasnottara, Vol. 4,
Keightley, Gen. Sec. Indian Section, T.S., August 3rd, 1894 regarding Sep. 1894; p.149
the proposal of the American Section to remove the Head-quarters
of the Theosophical Society as such, away from the sacred soil of
India. Permit me to say that the American Section has not proposed
anything of the kind. . . .
NOTE: See Aug. 3, 1894 entry for letter and Sep. 9, 1894 for Bertram
Keightleys retraction and apology.
July 4, 1894

W.Q. Judge arrived in London. and at once demanded, first, copies of The Path,
letters, and second, an inspection of all the evidence. Mrs. Besant Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
promised these but did not perform.
pp.433-434
Only Dr. J.D. Buck accompanied Judge to England. Later Dr. A. Lucifer, Vol. 16,
Keightley also was witness with them.
Mar. 1895; p.65
E.T. Hargrove stated:
Theosophical
He arrived at Southampton, accompanied by Dr. J.D. Buck of Quarterly, Vol. 29,
Cincinnati, several days before the Committee was due to assemble. Oct. 1931; p.107
Dr. Archibald Keightley and I met them at the dock and travelled with
them to London. Judge was obviously very tired and frail.
NOTE: See March 1895 (Early) and July 19, 1894 entries.

100

July 7, 1894

The Judge Case

General Council of the T.S. meets in London:

Present were Olcott, who presided, Mr. Bertram Keightley, who was
chosen as Secretary of the Council meeting, W.Q. Judge, Mr. G.R.S.
Mead.
The President-Founder arrived promptly in London, but the Enquiry
was not held on the date set, June 27. The time until July 7 was
occupied in various abortive attempts to reach a compromise that
would obviate official disposition, but Mr. Judge insisted that since
the whole procedure up to date had been taken officially by the
President-Founder, with himself as defendant against charges of
dishonorable conduct, and with issues raised prejudicial to the Society
as well as himself, it could only properly be disposed of by formal
official action. Accordingly, Col. Olcott summoned a meeting of the
General Council on July 7.

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.218
Lucifer, Vol. 14,
July 1894; p.432
Neutrality of the
T.S., pp.8-10

NOTE: A report of the July meeting of the General Council is contained

in the pamphlet, THE NEUTRALITY OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. The text
of which was published in Lucifer (August,1894), Vol. 14, p.449, and
in The Path (August, 1894), Vol. 9, p.158.
[See July 10,1894; July 21, 1894; Aug. 15, 1894.]
NOTE: G.R.S. Mead had just returned to work after his enforced Lucifer,
absence. . . . [See May 20, 1894 and March/April 1964 entries for Vol. 14, July 1894;
more on Meads health.]
p.433
July 7, 1894
continued

THE NEUTRALITY OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
(Highlights were reprinted in The Path.)
The President read a letter from William Q. Judge, stating that in his pp.158-159
opinion he was never elected Vice-President of the T.S., and was not
therefore, Vice-President of the T.S., whereupon the President
informed the Council that at the General Convention at Adyar, in
1888, he then, exercising the prerogatives which he then held,
appointed William Q. Judge as Vice-President of the T.S. . . .

July 7, 1894
continued

Mr. Judges defense is that he is not guilty of the acts charged; that
Mahatmas exist, are related to our Society and in personal contact
with himself; and he avers his readiness to bring many witnesses and
documentary proof to support his statements.

July 7, 1894
continued

PROCEEDINGS

The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug.1894;
pp.161-162;
Mar. 1895;
pp.433-434

The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
The meeting was worth holding for several reasons. . . . because we pp.161-162
have come to the point of an official declaration that it is not lawful
to affirm that belief in Mahatmas is a dogma of the Society, or
communications really or presumably from them, authoritative and
infallible. . . . under our Rules, an officer or member cannot be
impeached and tried. . . . the successorship to the Presidency is again
open . . . and at my death or at any time sooner liberty of choice may
be exercised in favor of the best available member of the Society.
OF THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,

OPENING ADDRESS AND OPINION OF THE PRESIDENT-FOUNDER.

Chronology
July 7, 1894
continued

[Olcott] It having been made evident to me that Mr. Judge cannot be tried
on the present accusations without breaking the lines of our
Constitution, I have no right to keep him further suspended, and so
hereby cancel my notice of suspension, dated the 7th February, 1894,
and restore him to the rank of Vice-President.
NOTE: Also found in The Neutrality of the Theosophical Society. AN
ENQUIRY Into Certain Charges Against The Vice-President, Held in
London July, 1894 published July 21, 1894.
NOTE: See Feb. 6-7, 1894 and Mar. 20, 1894 entries.

101

The Path, Vol. 9,

Aug. 1894; p.162
Lucifer, Vol. 14,
Aug. 1894; p.454

July 7, 1894
continued

The question was then raised whether the charges against Mr. Judge Theos. Movement
should be included in the printed report. . . . However, when the 1875-1950, p.226
assembled delegates came to see the full iniquity of officially
spreading broadcast a series of charges after having denied the
accused the opportunity of meeting and rebutting them, this motion
was too much for even the most prejudiced to be responsible for. The
report says: On being put to the vote the resolution was not carried.

July 10,
1894

Judicial Committee met, 11 members present.

Col. Olcott as President-Founder, in the chair; Messrs. G.R.S. Mead
and Bertram Keightley as General Secretaries of the European and
Indian Section; Messrs. A.P.Sinnett and E.T. Sturdy as delegates of
the Indian Section; Messrs. Herbert Burrows and Wm. Kingsland as
delegates of the European Section; Dr. J.D. Buck and Archibald
Keightley as delegates of the American Section; Messrs. Oliver Firth
and E.T. Hargrove as special delegates representing the accused all
as provided for under the revised Rules adopted at the Adyar
Convention in December preceding. Also present were Mr. Judge as
the accused and Mrs. Besant as the accuser.
In view of the fact that the General Secretary of American Section
(W.Q.J.) could not vote, an extra delegate was appointed (James M.
Pryse).
Highlights of the Meetings of July 7, 10 and 12 (Evening session)
Summary of events and evidence produced.

July 10, 1894

continued

Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.220-221

The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
pp.158-163
Theosophy,
Vol. 3, July 1915;
pp.428-429

Three protests were made by W.Q. Judge and submitted to H.S. Olcott: Neutrality of the
1. That W.Q.J. was never elected to office of Vice-President.
T.S., pp.4-5
2. If he were V.P., tribunal can only try charges as V.P.
3. The principal charge . . . cannot be tried without breach of the
constitutional neutrality of the Society in matters of private belief
. . . and especially as to belief in the existence, names, powers,
functions or methods of Mahatmas or Masters.

102

The Judge Case

July 10, 1894

continued

Resolutions moved at the conclusion of the Judicial Committee:

Neutrality of the
Having heard the above statements, the following resolution was T.S., p.16
moved by Mr. Bertram Keightley, seconded by Dr. Buck, and carried
nem. con.
Resolved: that this meeting accepts with pleasure the adjustment
arrived at by Annie Besant and William Q. Judge as a final settlement
of matters pending hitherto between them as prosecutor and
defendant, with the hope that it may be thus buried and forgotten, and

Resolved: that we will join hands with them to further the cause of
genuine Brotherhood in which we all believe.

July 10, 1894

continued

Dr. A. Keightley in TRUTH AND OCCULTISM stated:

Irish Theosophist,
[T]he action of Mr. Mead in canvassing the European Section, and Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
that of Mrs. Besant in Lucifer publications . . . . together with personal pp.94-95, 97-98
attacks, by letter and otherwise, upon almost all those who openly
express belief in Mr. Judges innocence, compel me to break . . . my
silence before the general public. [p.97]
After details regarding 78 vs 12 pieces of evidence, he states:
Mr. Judge has not even seen all the evidence. None of that which is
the property of Mr. Bertram Keightley was even shown to him!
[p.94]
Mrs. Besant . . . promised Mr. Judge, in the presence of Mr. Mead,
Dr. Buck, Mr. B. Keightley, Mrs. A. Keightley and myself, that he
should have copies of all the evidence. Why did she so promise if, as
is now [1895] said, Mr. Judge had knowledge of every document and
copies of the evidence before leaving America? [p.94]
Mr. Judge is being asked to reply to charges based upon letters and
telegrams beginning 1875 down to the present day, often very vaguely
specified . . . part of which he has not even seen. And when he makes
his very natural and necessary demand, untrue statements are made in
regard to him. [p.95]
Everyone must know that carefully selected extracts can be made to
prove almost any villainy. It is significant that Mrs. Besant admitted
to many persons in July, 1894, that she was aware these charges could
not be actually proven against Mr. Judge. [p.95]

July 10, 1894

continued

W.Q. Judge compelled H.S. Olcott to show him the evidence before he The Path, Vol. 9,
left London. He was shown it July 19th, 1894, in J.D. Bucks presence, Mar. 1895; p.434
but was not given time to copy it.
Mrs. Besant stated:
He made no complaint at the time that he was hurried in his
inspection. As to copies, no duty lies on me to supply Mr. Judge with
copies, still less with copies of long letters on various subjects, in
which perhaps only a few sentences are cogent to the charges made.
. . .
NOTE: Reprinted in The Case Against W.Q. Judge, April 1895.
See also July 4 1894, July 19, 1894 and March 1895 (Early).

The Case Against

W.Q. Judge by A.
Besant (1895); p.9
Lucifer, Vol. 16,
Apr. 1895; p.65

Chronology
July 10, 1894
continued

103

W.Q. Judge gave an official view of decisions about the authenticity of The Path, Vol. 9,
messages and the position of the T.S.
June 1894; p.99
NOTE: See June 1894, Mar. 12, 14, 1894 for letters from and to Elliott B.
Page.

July 10, 1894

continued

The Path, Vol. 10,

Correspondence from The Path: COL. OLCOTT AND SUB JUDICE.
Dear Sir: What does Col. Olcott mean by talking of the Judge July 1895; p.128
Case as Sub judice?
W.Q.J. Answered: Do not know what he means, but it is certain that
what he says about it means nothing. The case is not sub judice. It was
settled and disposed of last July by decision of Council and
Committee. Sub judice means that the case is alive and under
consideration by the court, and that is not the fact here. If Col. Olcott
had said that the case was sub judex or under Judge, he would have
been right, for all the bad Latin.
NOTE: Sub judice means under or before a judge or court.

July 10, 1894

continued

TRUTH BEFORE AND IN ALL THINGS.

Lucifer,
Vol. 14, Aug. 1895;
Annie Besant in editorial, Lucifer, accused W.Q. Judge.
The following declaration is aimed at an opinion too often finding pp.441-443
expression among would-be Occultists of an untrained type, that what
is falsehood on the material plane may in some Occult way be truth
on a higher plane, and that the plea of Occultism excuses conduct
inconsistent with a high standard of righteous living. The spread of
such views would demoralize the Society, and would tend to degrade
the lofty ideal of Truth and Purity which it has been the effort of every
great religious teacher to uphold and to enforce by example.
This is followed by a statement To Students of Occultism titled
OCCULTISM AND TRUTH signed by H.S. Olcott, A.P. Sinnett, Annie
Besant, Bertram Keightley, W. Wynn Westcott, E.T. Sturdy, C.W.
Leadbeater.
A. Besant in her July editorial of Lucifer stated:
I shall have a few words to say on the accusations against Mr. Judge, Lucifer, Vol. 14,
which . . . will have been laid before a Judicial Committee of the T.S. July 1894; p.353
The Committee will have spoken, and then my lips will be unsealed.
Ever since I took the initial steps in this matter SS now six months ago
SS I have kept silent, save to a few who had a right to some
explanation of my action, and excepting two brief letters to the press
defending my colleagues SS Colonel Olcott in one case, Messrs.
Keightley and Mead in another.
Lucifer,
Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
The Neutrality of the T.S. An Enquiry published in Lucifer.
pp.449-463
NOTE: See July 21, 1894, Aug. 11 and 15, 1894.
Pamphlet, published
by the Womens
Pamphlet by A. Besant:
[W.Q.J.] claimed that the Masters wrote through him, using him as Printing Society,
Their medium for writing, and dictating letters to him which he then (Date and page
number unknown)
wrote down.

104

The Judge Case

July 10, 1894

continued

NOTE: See Dec. 15, 1894 and Feb. 1895 entries Lucifer, Vol. 15, Feb.
1895; pp.500-514 [Statements by G.R.S. Mead, Bertram Keightley,
Alexander Fullerton, and various lodges: The Clash of Opinion, To
the Editor of Lucifer]

July 10, 1894

continued

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The Path, Vol. 10,
W.Q. Judge raised the point that he had never been elected but only May 1895; p.59
appointed Vice-President by H.S. Olcott:
An examination of the records from the beginning to the end of 1893
shows that there is no record whatever of the election of William Q.
Judge as Vice-President of the T.S. In July, 1894, at London, Col.
Olcott and the Indian General Secretary [B. Keightley] upon Judges
raising the point, decided that they would assert that the record was
defective and could be cured by stating the fact that such VicePresident had been elected in India many years before, and it was so
ordered in Council. But as the meeting at which said election took
place if it ever did was not one participated in by those who
could bind the whole Society, and as the real T.S. existed in New
York, if anywhere, it follows that William Q. Judge was not regularly
elected Vice-President. . . .
The Theosophical Society was formed at New York in 1875, never
had any legal existence outside of the United States and cannot have
except upon amendment of the By-Laws.
NOTE: See entry for Aug. 15, 1894 for The Neutrality of The
Theosophical Society. AN ENQUIRY Into Certain Charges Against
The Vice-President. Held at London, July 1894 (Condensed version).
NOTE: Also see July 21, 1894, The Neutrality of the Theosophical
Society. AN ENQUIRY Into Certain Charges Against The VicePresident (date released). Provides an account of the Judicial
Committees proceedings held July 10, 1894.

July 10, 1894

continued

Ernest T. Hargroves Letter To the Editor of The Irish Theosophist Irish Theosophist,
(dated April 17, 1895) disputed Bertram Keightleys article on facts Vol. 3, May 1895;
and statements which he used to disqualify Dr. Archibald Keightleys pp.137-140
letter in Lucifer (Vol. 16, April 1895):
But Mr. B. Keightley, in his letter to Lucifer, is particularly careful
to controvert nothing. He vaguely disputes Dr. Keightleys account of
the legal procedure which Mrs. Besant did not follow, but does not
say which item set forth by Dr. Keightley who had been
professionally advised in regard to what he wrote is, in his own
opinion, incorrect; nor does he give what he considers to be the proper
procedure.
NOTE: See entry for April 17, 1895.

Chronology

July 12,
1894

Mrs. Cleather wrote:

I practically lost all faith in Mrs. Besant when she dissimulated and
tried to mislead the Inner Group Council on her return from her first
visit to India in 1894. She then informed us that she had been ordered
by the Master to accuse Judge. On being closely cross-examined,
however, she finally admitted that she had not received this Order
direct, as she would have had us believe, but through the Brahmin
whom she then followed blindly. . . .

105

H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922) by
A. Cleather,
pp.55-56

Cleather compared A. Besants handling of The Case Against W.Q.

Judge vs her handling of the evidence against C.W. Leadbeater in
1907 [i.e., no confession = acquittal for C.W.L. vs no confession =
assumption of wrongdoing for W.Q.J.]
July 12, 1894
continued

At the time of the London Convention of the European Section of the Theos. Movement
Society [July 12-13]:
1875-1950, p.228
Mrs. Besant proposed to Dr. J.D. Buck that a Jury of Honour be
impaneled to pass on the charges. She suggested the names of
Messrs. Sinnett, Bertram Keightley, Sturdy, Burrows, and Firth for
membership on such a jury. This was declined on the grounds that Mr.
Judge had not yet been supplied with certified copies of the
documents alleged to contain the evidence against him; that he
would need time to produce witnesses and documents in rebuttal;
finally, that the majority of the names submitted were those of men
known to be already prejudiced against him. . . .
The Theosophical
Society and The
Annie Besant stated that Burrows proposed the Jury of Honour. [Also Westminster
mentioned by Thomas Williams in his letter to Light, Feb. 16, 1895.] Gazette, p.12
MRS. BESANTS STATEMENT, Read by herself, at the Evening Session
of the Convention. [Path p.164]
As this left the main issue undecided, and left Mr. Judge under
stigma of unproved and unrebutted charges, it was suggested by Mr.
Herbert Burrows that the charges be laid before a Committee of
Honour. [Neutrality of The T.S., Appendix, statement by Annie
Besant.]

July 12, 1894

continued

The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
pp.163-166
Lucifer, Vol. 14,
Aug. 1894; p.459

Annie Besant stated that certified copies of the evidence and charges were The Case Against
not supplied to W.Q.J. Added he was shown them July 19th (after W.Q. Judge by A.
meetings of July 7, 10, and 12).
Besant (1895); p.9
W.Q. Judge asked for the evidence every day, from July 4th or 5th to Lucifer, Vol. 16,
19th. [Two different dates are recorded as to when W.Q.J. arrived in Mar. 1895; p.65
London; Lucifer has the former and The Path has the latter date.]
The Path,
NOTE: See also: July 19, 1894 entry.
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
pp.432-434
WILLIAM Q. JUDGES STATEMENT, Read by himself, at the Evening
Session of the Convention.
The Path,
I repeat my denial of the said rumored charges of forging the said Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
names and handwritings of the Mahatmas or of misusing the same. pp.166-167

106
July 12, 1894
continued

The Judge Case

Lucifer ,Vol. 14,

Annie Besants editorials in Lucifer:
Ever since I took the initial steps in this matter SS now six months July 1894; p.353
ago SS I have kept silent, save to a few who had a right to some
explanation of my action. . . .
Had Mr. Judge succeeded to the Presidency, according to the election Lucifer ,Vol. 14,
of 1892, with these charges hanging over him, India would have Aug. 1894; p.441
rejected him and the Society would have been rent in twain. . . .

July 12, 13,

1894

The Convention of the European Section was held at 19 Avenue Road, The Path, Vol. 9,
London, in the Blavatsky T.S. hall on July 12th and 13th, 1894.
Aug. 1894; p.167

July 12, 13,

1894
continued

WILLIAM Q. JUDGES STATEMENT at the Evening session of the

Convention.
All this has been causing great trouble and working injury to all
concerned, that is, to all our members. It is now time that this should
be put an end to once for all, if possible.

The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
pp.158-168
p.166

Resolution by B. Keightley:
p.167
That this meeting accepts with pleasure the adjustment arrived at by
Annie Besant and William Q. Judge as a final settlement of matters Lucifer, Vol. 14,
pending hitherto between them as prosecutor and defendant with the Aug. 1894; p.463
hope that it may be thus buried and forgotten.
The apparent trouble in the Society, of which our enemies have made Pacific Theos.
so much, all disappeared, as every one thought it would, when the Vol. 5, Aug. 1894;
leaders of the Society came together face to face.
pp.10-11
A resolution was moved and carried without dissenting voice by the Theosophy, Vol. 3,
Convention, accepting with pleasure the adjustment arrived at as a July 1915; p.430
final settlement of the matter, with the hope that it may be thus buried
and forgotten.
Theos. Movement
On all sides those who had been rent by partisan emotions, those who 1875-1950, p.237
had endeavored to remain neutral and impartial, leaders and followers
alike joined in mutual congratulations and felicitations over what
seemed to be a complete restoration of unity.

Chronology
July 12, 13,
1894
continued

The statement of Mrs. Besant recited in effect that she had only brought
the charges in an effort to destroy injurious rumors regarding Mr.
Judge that were afloat; that she believed him to be in communication
with Masters; that the rumors of the charges had greatly exaggerated
their actual nature; that accusations were largely inspired by persons
actuated by hatred for Mr. Judge; that the actual issue involved was
that she thought that Mr. Judge had given a misleading material form
to messages received psychically from the Masters in various ways,
without acquainting the recipients with this fact. Mrs. Besant closed
her public statement with these words: For any pain that I have given
my brother, in trying to do a most repellant task, I ask his pardon, as
also for any mistakes that I may have made.

107

Theosophy,
Vol. 3, July 1915;
pp.429-430
The Path,
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
pp.163-166
[see above]

Statement by Wm Q. Judge:
It is now time that this should be put an end to once for all if
possible. I repeat my denial of the said rumoured charges. . . . I admit
that I have received and delivered messages from the Mahatmas and
I assert their genuineness.
July 12, 13,
1894
continued

The Annual Convention by C. Corbett.

Northern Theos.
[Summary of events and proceedings at the Fourth Annual Convention Aug. 1894;
pp.67-68
of the European Section, T.S.]
NOTES BY THE WAY.
What seems to stand out clearly above everything else is the fact that Irish Theosophist,
Mrs. Besant starts out on a long fatiguing tour, saying, their [sic] is no Vol. 2, Aug. 1894;
price too high to pay to serve the Great Ones of the White Lodge, and p.153
W.Q. Judge, from the day he held Lodge meetings by himself in New
York, till to-day, when Theosophy, mainly by his exertions, stretches
across the whole American Continent, has served these Great Ones in
the same devoted spirit.

July 18,
1894

E.S. circular issued by Annie Besant and W.Q. Judge as Co-Outer H.P.B. A Great
Heads quoting H.P.B.s statement of Oct.23, 1889:
Betrayal (1922) by
The Esoteric Section and its life in the U.S.A. depends upon W.Q.J. A. Cleather, p.87
remaining its agent and what he is now. The day W.Q. Judge resigns
H.P.B. will be virtually dead for the Americans. W.Q.J. is the
Antaskarana between the two Manas(es), the American thought and
the Indian SS or rather the trans-Himlayan esoteric knowledge. Dixi.
H.P.B.

108

July 19,
1894

The Judge Case

LETTER TO EUROPEAN GENERAL SECRETARY.

This is the date on which W.Q.J. managed to be shown evidence.
In a letter to G.R.S. Mead, G.S., European Section, Judge wrote:
I arrived in London July 5th, 1894, and at once demanded, first copies
of letters, and second, an inspection of all the evidence. Mrs. Besant
promised these, but did not perform. . . . Each day until the second day
before departure I made the request and met the same promise
followed by failure to perform. The Judicial Committee met and I then
made the same demand, and at the meeting Mrs. Besant and others
said, Oh, of course Mr. Judge should have copies of the proposed
evidence. But the papers were neither copied nor shown me up to
July 19th, almost a week after Convention, and when I was packing my
trunk. All this time until the 19th Mrs. Besant had the papers. On the
19th I formally and peremptorily demanded them. She said she had
given them to Col. Olcott, who said they had been just sent off to the
mail to go to India; this I repeated to Mrs. Besant and said I would
publish the fact to the public. She hastened to Col. Olcott, and he said
he had made a mistake, as the papers were in his travelling case. He
then, in Dr. Bucks presence, in a great hurry, as I sailed on the 21st,
allowed me a hasty look at the papers on July 19th, I taking a copy of
one or two short ones. But several being lengthy, and especially the
one by which they hoped to destroy my general credibility, I could not
copy them. Col. Olcott then promised to send copies; Mrs. Besant
declared herself quit of the matter. Up to this date the promises made
have not been fulfilled. I am without copies of the documents on
which the charges are based.
Mrs. Besant, as prosecutor, never fulfilled her promise nor her duty.
I then believed and still believe that they never intended to give me
copies nor to permit inspection, but hoped to hurry me into a trial
unprepared in every respect.

The Path,
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
pp.432-434
The Plot Against
The Theosophical
Society (pamphlet)
by A. Keightley et al,
pp.3-4
Lucifer, Vol. 16,
Mar. 1895; p.65

NOTE: See July 4, 1894 and March 1895 (Early) entries.

NOTE: The above letter dated Jan. 25, 1895 from Mr. Judge is printed in Pacific Theos.
part in the Jan. 25, 1895 entry.
Vol. 5, Jan. 1895;
Summary of events in Editorial THE PARTING OF THE WAYS by J.A. pp.111-112
Anderson re: evidence not given to W.Q. Judge.

Chronology
July 19, 1894
continued

Besant: The complaints of Mr. Judge that he has been refused copies of
the documents are not true, nor is it true that I promised him copies of
the documents. I refused to show him the documents because he had
copies in the statement of those I was going to use, and I did not care
to run any risks with the originals. These were, however, shown to
him afterwards by Colonel Olcott at my request, and he took his own
time in scrutinising them; all the more important ones bear his own
endorsement, Seen, July 19th, 1894, W.Q.J. He made no complaint
at the time that he was hurried in his inspection. As to copies, no duty
lies on me to supply Mr. Judge with copies, still less with copies of
long letters on various subjects, in which perhaps only a few sentences
are cogent to the charges made; I have not the time to make copies,
nor am I inclined to undertake the cost of having them transcribed; if
Mr. Judge chooses to appoint a trustworthy copyist, such a person can
come and make copies of all the documents, used and not used. Since
the Spring of 1894, he has had, as given in the appended presentment
of the case, a copy of all the written evidence I was going to use.
What he has not had is a copy of all the irrelevant parts of the letters
from which the relevant passages are taken.

109

The Case Against

W.Q. Judge by A.
Besant (1895);
pp.8-9

His attempts to get rid of the evidence, first to browbeat me into The Case Against
handing it over to him, and then to persuade me to destroy it, W.Q. Judge by A.
compelled me to think that he had no defence and feared the future Besant (1895); p.20
publication of the documents. The efforts made to win over Colonel
Olcott, flagrantly in face of former conduct by Mr. Judges friends,
roused my suspicions, and when Mr. Judge left England, refusing to
the last all explanation, not only to me, with whom he was grimly
angry, but to those who had stood by him throughout, I felt that the
obvious judgment arising on the prima facie case was the only one
possible, and that the darker charges of fraud and forgery were true.
In Statement of Annie Besant, Written April 24th , 1895.:
The Case Against
I am not able to produce documentary evidence; immediately after I W.Q. Judge by A.
learned from the Master, in Sept., 1893, that Mr. Judge had deceived Besant (1895); p.82
me, in the shock of the disgust I felt, I destroyed the messages,
except those written on the margins of letters. Nearly a year later, just
ere leaving for Australia, I destroyed all the letters I had received from
Mr. Judge as I could not carry them with me round the world, and
would not risk their falling into the hands of others, in case of my
death.
July 19, 1894
continued

In letter to the Editor Irish Theosophist: THE CHARGES AGAINST Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. dated Jan.25, 1895, Judge stated:
I have not been furnished with copies of the documentary evidence pp.85-86
by which the charges are said to be supported. These documents
being letters written by myself and some of them ten years old have
been in the possession of Mrs. Besant from about February, 1894 to
July 19th, 1894, and open enemies of mine have been allowed to make
copies of them, and also to take facsimiles, but they have been kept
from me, although I have demanded and should have them.

110

July 21,
1894

July 21, 1894

continued

The Judge Case

William Q. Judge sailed for New York.

The Path,
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
pp.432-434

Theosophical Activities. by Mrs. Alice Cleather.

Mr. Judge and Dr. Buck left for New York last Saturday. . . .

The Theosophist,
Vol. 15, Sep. 1894;
p.777

The Neutrality of the Theosophical Society. AN ENQUIRY Into Certain Pamphlet,

Charges Against The Vice-President, Held in London, July, 1894. 16 pages
[Published on this date]
[Provides an account of the Judicial Committees proceedings held
July 10, 1894. It was decided that the whole matter would be dropped
as there could be no jurisdiction over the private acts of an individual.
Olcott rescinded his suspension of W.Q.J. as Vice-President as it was
found he had not acted as such in this matter. Resolution of accord
and settlement passed. Harmony between Mrs. Besant and Mr. Judge
restored and noted.]
[Mr. Judges statement is given on pp.15-16]
The Neutrality of the Theosophical Society. AN ENQUIRY Into Certain Lucifer,
Charges Against The Vice-President, held in London, July, 1894.
Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
Minutes of the July 10th, 1894 Judicial Committee Meeting.
pp.449-464
The Neutrality of the Theosophical Society. AN ENQUIRY Into Certain The Path,
Charges Against The Vice-President, held at London, July, 1894.
Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
NOTE: See July 7, 1894 entry.
pp.158-168
Supplement to The Theosophist, September 1894. EXECUTIVE NOTICE. The Theosophist,
Minutes of A Judicial Committee of The Theosophical Society, Held Vol. 15, Sep. 1894;
at 19, Avenue Road, London, on July 10th, 1894.
Supp. pp.xlii-liii
NOTE: See July 10, 1894.

July 22,
1894

Walter R. Old wrote a letter to Col. Olcott, which H.S. Olcott requested Lucifer,
be published in Lucifer, regarding Olds objection to A. Besants Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
statement that because of personal hatred for Mr. Judge and the T.S., pp.463-464
Messrs. Old and Edge had repeated charges against Judge.
NOTE: Brief background explanation of events:
Old had been under suspension from the E.S. . . . since August 1893, Theos. Movement
because of a statement in the Freethought article [published in The 1875-1950,
Theosophist attacking Mr. Judge], violating the rule of occult secrecy pp.237-238
to which he was pledged.
NOTE: See April 15, 1893 entry.

Chronology
July 22, 1894
continued

111

Cheiro mentioned that Madame Blavatsky had introduced Annie Besant Greatest Occultists
to him and that he took impressions of her hands on July 22nd, 1894. by Cheiro, p.181
NOTE: For a study of Annie Besants palm print and delineation see
Fohat Vol. IV, No.4, Winter 2000 and Vol. V, No. 1, Spring 2001 for
ANNIE BESANT: HER PASSIONS AND HER RELATIONSHIPS.

July 25,
1894

Theosophical Activities. by Alice Cleather,

The Theosophist,
and today (25th) Mrs. Besant leaves us again for her projected Vol. 15, Sep. 1894;
lecturing tour at the antipodes, going on to India for the Adyar p.777
Convention.
Austral Theos.
Mrs. Besant leaves England for Australia. . . . The tour will last Vol. 1, July 1894;
about three months altogether. . . .
pp.97-98
Mr. Bertram Keightley, the General Secretary of the Indian Section, Prasnottara, Vol. 4,
is expected to arrive in India . . . He is a passenger in S.S. Peshawar July 1894; p.122
with Mrs. Besant, who goes to visit the Australasian branches. . . .

July 28,
1894

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND MR. WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

Light, Vol. 14,
The threatened inquiry into certain charges against Mr. Judge, the July 28, 1894; p.357
Vice-President of the Theosophical Society, has ended in a fiasco.
[Extracts from statements by Mr. Judge and Mrs. Besant at the inquiry
are noted. The article seems to entice reproach by the membership of
the T.S. by concluding:]
We have no wish to add to the pain which a noble-minded and
truthful woman like Mrs. Besant must naturally feel at finding herself
associated, even by proxy, with what she regards as illegitimate
methods; so we say no more beyond noting the gratifying fact that she
had the courage to deliver her conscience by some plain speaking, and
by the honest confession that she herself had in some instances been
unwittingly deceived. As to Colonel Olcott, too, it must be admitted
that his conduct all through seems to have been perfectly
straightforward and honest. But it is difficult to believe that either
Colonel Olcott or Mrs. Besant can be completely satisfied with so
impotent a conclusion of a really serious matter.

112

The Judge Case

Aug. 3,
1894

CORRESPONDENCE.
Prasnottara,
Letter from W.Q. Judge as Gen. Sec., American Section, to Bertram Vol. 4, No. 45, Sep.
Keightley, Gen. Sec., Indian Section, T.S.
1894; p.149
I request you to give as much publicity to this letter as you have to
your own. In the July issue of Prasnottara B. Keightley had asked
for a protest against the proposal of the American Section to remove
the Head-quarters of the Theosophical Society as such, away from the
sacred soil of India. Mr. Judges reply to this was:
Permit me to say that the American Section has not proposed
anything of the kind and up to this date none of its workers, to my
knowledge, has thought of doing so. The proposition to which you
refer was made by your own delegate from India at the American
Convention and was noted down in a resolution drawn by myself . . .
and written in terms which would be most polite to your own delegate.
We depreciate hasty statements like these in your paragraph, since
they tend to raise unnecessarily questions and feelings which ought to
have no existence.
NOTE: See July 1894 and Sep. 9 1894 entries.

Aug. 4,
1894

Letters from the Masters. by F. W. Read.

Light, Vol. 14,
Referring to Annie Besants sensational announcement at the Hall of Aug. 4, 1894; p.370
Science, F.W. Read insinuates deception on the part of Annie Besant,
stating she claimed to have received communications from
Mahatmas in some supra-normal way.
NOTE: See Aug. 30, 1891 for more on Annie Besants statement.

Aug. 4, 1894
continued

Colonel Olcotts Judgement. by Gilbert Elliot.

Light, Vol. 14,
In a letter to the Editor dated July 29, 1894, Elliot pointed to Aug. 4, 1894; p.372
contradictions in Annie Besants teachings versus Colonel Olcotts.
He claimed [Besant] once wrote: If there be no Masters, the
Theosophical Society is an absurdity and there is no use keeping it up.
But if there are Masters, and H.P.B. is their messenger, and the
Theosophical Society their foundation, the Theosophical Society and
H.P.B. cannot be separated before the world. Still Colonel Olcott
assures us:[in a quote from The Neutrality of the T.S. p.7] Nobody,
for example, knows better than myself the fact of the existence of the
Masters, yet I resign my office unhesitatingly if the constitution were
amended so as to erect such a belief into a dogma.

Chronology

113

Aug. 11,
1894

The Charges Against Mr. W. Q. Judge. by A.F.C., from Canterbury. Light, Vol. 14,
A.F.C. gave a brief summary of the results from the judicial inquiry Aug. 11, 1894; p.383
held on July 10, 1894 and wrote that:
Mrs. Besant has repeatedly stated in public that she has received
Mahatmic letters since the death of Madame Blavatsky in the same
script as those previously received, thus establishing to her
satisfaction Madame Blavatskys bona fides. She now states that in
those recent letters she has been mistaken, and in turn misled the
public. I now know that they were not written or precipitated by the
Master, and that they were done by Mr. Judge.
A.F.C. also commented that:
[T]he Mahatma, or Mahatmas, implicated should themselves have
been privately interviewed as to the genuineness or otherwise of the
writings attributed to them by Mr. Judge . . . they might have cleared
up much more satisfactorily the charges against the Vice-President.

Aug. 15,
1894

To Students of Occultism. OCCULTISM AND TRUTH.

Lucifer,
Signed by H.S. Olcott, Annie Besant, A.P. Sinnett, Bertram Keightley, Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
and four others. [London, July 1894]
pp.442-443
[A statement, without naming names, that shows suspicion against
W.Q.J. has continued. It was as if the settlement at the Judicial
Committee had settled nothing.]
APPENDIX.[to The Neutrality of the T.S.]Statement by Annie Besant.
Lucifer,
Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
And now I must reduce these charges to their proper proportions, as pp.459-460
they have been enormously exaggerated, and it is due to Mr. Judge
that I should say publicly what from the beginning I have said
privately. . . .
Further I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not charge and
have not charged Mr. Judge with forgery in the ordinary sense of the
term, but with giving a misleading material form to messages received
psychically from the Master in various ways, without acquainting the
recipients with this fact.
I regard Mr. Judge as an Occultist, possessed of considerable
knowledge and animated by a deep and unswerving devotion to the
Theosophical Society.
NOTE: Also in The Neutrality of The Theosophical Society.
READ FOR THE INFORMATION OF MEMBERS AT THE THIRD SESSION OF THE EUROPEAN
CONVENTION OF THE T.S., JULY 12TH, 1894.

Aug. 15, 1894

continued

A THEOSOPHICAL TRIBUTE TO TRUTH. Mrs. Besants Last Manifesto. Review of Reviews,

Before Mrs. Besant left for Australia she sent to the press for Vol. 10, Oct. 1894;
publication in Lucifer a remarkable but characteristic declaration p.358
directed against the practice of paltering with truth which had found
a lodgment in some of the Theosophical lodges. . . . and it is almost
admittedly prompted by the result of the inquiry into the charges made
against Mr. W.Q. Judge, who was at one time regarded as the
President Elect of the society.
NOTE: The Manifesto referred to is the Statement by Annie Besant READ
FOR THE INFORMATION OF MEMBERS AT THE THIRD SESSION OF THE EUROPEAN
CONVENTION OF THE T.S., JULY 12TH, 1894.

See above cell for details.

114

The Judge Case

Aug. 15, 1894

continued

The Path,
OCCULTISM AND TRUTH reprinted in The Path.
Vol. 9, Sep. 1894;
Mr. Judge added comment:
The general propositions found in the above as to morality and the pp.184-185
higher type of Occultism are so old and have been so widely spread,
so often dwelt on in the work of the Theosophical Society, that one
would hardly suppose any member was unacquainted with them; but
a good thing cannot be too often repeated, and hence all must instantly
concur. The circular was issued in London for distribution, and a copy
having been sent to New York it is published according to the desire
of the signers.

Aug. 15, 1894

continued

J.D. Buck wrote a letter of objection to OCCULTISM AND TRUTH.

The Path,
My contention is that the circular Occultism and Truth was not only Vol. 9, Jan. 1895;
unnecessary but was in its essential part untrue and was also a breach pp.320-321
of good faith.
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Jan. 1895;
pp.66-68

Aug. 15, 1894

continued

Onward. An editorial by G.R.S. Mead.

Lucifer,
Mead believed the T.S. crisis has passed.
Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
Had the fortress of the T.S. been built on sand, it would have been pp.509-511
swept into ruins; fortunately for us it was built on rock, and the waves
were sent back the way they came. . . .

Sep. 1894

A Memory of Old Days.

Lucifer,
Annie Besant published a Note by H.P.B. to the Theosophical Vol. 15, Sep. 1894;
Publishing Company re: independence and authority of the Editors p.6
over Lucifer from the outset (1887).
The editors who have been chosen to conduct the new magazine wish
to express to the Theosophical Publishing Company their conviction
that they can only carry on their work if they are not interfered with
in any way by members of the Company. . . . From the moment the
work begins they alone must have the responsibility and authority.

Sep. 1894
continued

T.S. SOLIDARITY AND IDEALS. by H.S. Olcott.

I call upon every loyal member of the Society to do what he can to
strengthen its solidarity.
[Article gives his view of the history and evolution of the T.S; Plea for
the centralization of Adyar as the heart of the T.S.; Constitution
brought the T.S. through the recent crisis; Greater unity brought
about; Each to work in unity with others where he is.]
[Extract only in Lucifer]

Sep. 1894
continued

The Path,
Vol. 9, Oct. 1894;
pp.201-207

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Sep. 1894;
pp.26-30

Executive Notice. From H.S. Olcott, P.T.S.

Lucifer,
The undersigned . . . hereby appoints Mrs. Isabel Cooper-Oakley to Vol. 15, Sep. 1894;
the office of Federal Correspondent, hereby created as a partial p.81
substitute for that of Corresponding Secretary, which was abrogated
after the death of H.P.B.

Chronology

115

Sep. 9, 1894 Bertram Keightley published a retraction and an apology for an earlier Prasnottara, Vol. 4,
article in Prasnottara in which he stated that the American Section Sep. 1894; p.150
had made a proposal to move the Head-Quarters from the sacred soil
of India to America.
I regret extremely that the mistake should have arisen and desire
sincerely to apologise for the same and especially for the delay in its
correction.
NOTE: See July 1894 and Aug. 3, 1894 entries.
Sep. 18,
1894

Mrs. Besant arrived in Sydney, Australia.

Sep. 19,
1894

The President-Founder, H.S. Olcott, arrived in Adyar in the morning, via Prasnottara,
Bombay.
Vol. 4, No. 45, Sep.
1894; p.154

Sep. 27,
1894

EXECUTIVE NOTICES.
The Theosophist,
th
Adyar, 27 September, 1894. Issued by H.S. Olcott.
Vol. 16, Oct. 1894;
Mr. Walter R. Old notifies the undersigned officially that, being Supp. p.ii
unable to accept the official statement in regard to the enquiry held
upon the charges preferred against the Vice-President of the T.S., he
resigns the offices of Treasurer and Recording Secretary. He will
continue working, but in the private capacity of a member of the
Birmingham Lodge. [We] regret to lose Mr. Olds agreeable and
profitable companionship in India. . . .

Oct. 1894

Westminster Gazette began publishing a series of articles by Edmund The Path,

Garrett, entitled Isis Very Much Unveiled: The story of the Great Vol. 9, Jan. 1895;
Mahatma Hoax. The material for these articles was supplied by W.R. p.322
Old who had copies of the evidence. Mr. Judge replied to these attacks
in the New York Sun.
NOTE: See Nov. 25, 1894 entry.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Jan. 1895;
p.39

It was published as a pamphlet before Mr. Judges response had been

received, But that reply was printed in full by the New York Sun.
The pamphlet is a monument of assumption, presumption, and
ignorance, combined with malice and falsehood.
Oct. 1894
continued

Isis Very Much

In Isis Very Much Unveiled, 2nd edition, Old states:
It will, therefore, be clear to all members of the T.S. and the public Unveiled, 2nd, ed.,
generally that I am responsible for the facts occurring in Mr. Garretts p.87
articles only so far as they apply to the charges against Mr. Judge, and
for these I have documentary evidence produced under a legal hand,
and duly witnessed.

116
Oct. 1894
continued

The Judge Case

NOTE: See Dec.25-28, 1894 for a reply by Walter R. Old to Annie

Besants speech given at the Nineteenth Anniversary of the
Theosophical Society in Adyar on December 25, 1894.
In a letter to the Editor of Lucifer Mr. Old wrote:
The published facts are just those which came into the evidence of
Col. Olcott and Bertram Keightley, and upon which the charges were
based and action taken; and they are, moreover, part of a body of
evidence, which, from the outset, it was decided to publish.
I take the whole Karma of my own action, and I affirm that it is
wholly independent of connivance or instigation on the part of
anyone.

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Dec. 1894;
p.338
Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.238-239

NOTE: Such copies in detail had not been given to Mr. Judge as the
accused in the case.
Oct. 1894
continued

Annie Besant and B. Keightley replied Dec. 23, 1894 in pamphlet:

The T.S. and the Westminster Gazette
NOTE: See Dec. 23, 1894 entry.

Oct. 1894
continued

New York Sun published an Editorial on Mr. Judge.

NOTE: See Nov. 25, 1894 entry.
Mr. Judges reply to the Editor of The Sun.
NOTE: See Nov. 26, 1894 and Dec. 3, 1894 entry.

Oct. 13,
1894

Mrs. Tingley joined the Theosophical Society. She was accepted into the Sunrise, Special
Esoteric Section a few weeks later.
Issue, Apr./May
1998; p.101
It appears to be at about this time that Mr. Judge and Mrs. Tingley
visited Cheiro for a palm reading. Cheiro wrote briefly about the Greatest Occultists
attack on W.Q.J.s reputation then stated:
by Cheiro,
At about the time of this dispute, I was living in New York, when pp.185-189
one afternoon William Q. Judge accompanied by a remarkably
handsome woman appeared in my waiting room and requested an
interview. . . .
I was, however much struck by his magnetic dominant personality
and pleased him by stating that at that period of his life he had reached
the climax of whatever his ambition was; . . . you have already
reached the last chapter in your life.
Cheiro stated about Mrs. Tingley:
If it should be that this lady is in any way associated with whatever
your work is, she will take your place and carry on that work to even
greater success than you could do. She will also live to a very great
age.
NOTE: Cheiro claims Katherine Tingley left impressions of her hands
with him, at his request. She consented and apparently signed and
dated the copies on May 30, 1896. This does not appear to match the
timing of the above mentioned visit to his office in New York.

Chronology

Oct. 25,
1894

THE VERACITY OF MR. W.Q. JUDGE.

Review of Reviews,
Letter to Editor of Review of Reviews by Archibald Keightley and London, Nov. 1894;
E.T. Hargrove regarding an article, Theosophical Tribute to Truth p.468
(which dealt with the Manifesto), correcting what led W.T. Stead
into unconsciously committing an injustice.:
You there associate the issuing of a circular entitled Occultism and
Truth with the result of the inquiry into certain charges brought
against Mr. Judge.
Mrs. Besant who originated the circular, was asked directly whether
it was connected with the charges or whether it was in any way aimed
at Mr. Judge. She gave an emphatic denial to both questions to many
who took the same view expressed by you.
Signed by Ernest T. Hargrove (Member of Committee of
Investigation.) and Archibald Keightley (Member Executive
Committee European Section T.S., and of Investigation Committee.)
NOTE: See Aug. 15, 1894.

Oct. 29,
1894

Isis Very Much Unveiled: The Story of the Great Mahatma Hoax. Was 132 pages, 2nd ed.,
published initially in the Westminster Gazette of Oct. 29, 1894 and (1895)
nine succeeding issues.

Nov. 1894

W.Q.J. issued Minutes of Council E.S.T. held in London, May 27, 1891. Pamphlet, 8 pages
NOTE: See May 27, 1891 entry for details.

Nov. 3,
1894

117

STRICTLY PRIVATE AND ONLY FOR E.S.T. MEMBERS., E.S.T., from William Pamphlet,
12 pages
Q. Judge.
By Masters Direction. A private pamphlet issued by W.Q. Judge,
New York, to the members of the E.S.T.
Declares Mrs. Besants co-headship of the E.S. at an end under T.N.C.A.B.
Masters direction and himself sole head. Gives a brief history of the Item 1968, p.540
E.S., and warns of a plot by Black Magicians against the T.S. and
E.S.T. working through certain Brahmans of India.
NOTE: See May 18, 1887 entry.
[Judge] issued an E.S. circular letter, headed By Masters Order, in Theos. Movement
which he deposed Annie Besant from her Co-Headship in the Esoteric 1875-1950,
School because of her breach of secrecy that she was pledged to.
pp.241, 243, 245
NOTE: See Mar. 19, 1887 entry.
NOTE: See Jan.-Mar. 1938 for CONCERNING BOOKS.

118
Nov. 3, 1894
continued

The Judge Case

I declare Mrs. Besants Headship at an End!

Isis Very Much
The pamphlet closes with the following E.S.T. ORDER, dated Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
November 3, and signed in manuscript:SS
p.115
I now proceed a step further than the E.S.T. decisions of 189[1], and
solely for the good of the E.S.T. I resume in the E.S.T., in full, all the
functions and powers given to me by H.P.B. and that came to me by
orderly succession after her passing from this life, and declare myself
the sole head of the E.S.T. Signed by William Q. Judge
NOTE: See Appendix B for reprint of the full text of By Masters
Direction, and details re: correction from 1894 to 1891. Also see May
27, 1891 entry.

Nov. 3, 1894
continued

A Commonsense View of Mr. Judges Circular of November 3,

1894 issued by Bertram Keightley in London
NOTE: See Feb. 1895 and Apr. 1895 entries.

Nov. 3, 1894
continued

Comments on B. Keightleys circular, A Commonsense View of Mr.

Judges Circular of November 3, 1894 by Kalekamiyuen in Atmas
Messenger
NOTE: See Feb. 1895, and April 1895 entries.

Chronology
Nov. 3, 1894
continued

Annie Besant under the influence of Chakravarti.

Theos. Movement
The record shows, instead, that her suspicions against Judge dated 1875-1950, p.249
from her meeting with Chakravarti, in the summer of 1893; that it was
he, as described by Dr. Archibald Keightley in the Path (June 1895),
who was responsible for Mrs. Besants new-found intimacy with the
Master, and that, finally, the charges against Judge were outlined,
and the first accusing letter of Olcott, dated Feb. 7, 1894, to Judge,
was written, in Allahabad SS Chakarvartis home.
Annie Besant: [T]he unprovoked attacks on Mr. Chakravarti in the The Case Against
circular of Nov. 3rd, 1894, and since, and the pretence of inner W.Q. Judge by A.
knowledge. . . The attacks are the more unworthy in that Mr. Besant (1895); p.16
Chakravarti did nothing to invite them, and had only stepped out of
his quiet and silent life for the sake of doing a great service to the T.S.
as its delegate at a very heavy cost to himself.
A. Keightley: [S]he admitted occult ties with a group of Brahmins in The Path,
India, such ties being prohibited by the rules of a private body to Vol. 10, June 1895;
which we and she then belonged. . . .
pp.98-99
Mr. Chakravarti intoned a mantram, made sweeping passes in the air,
then fell into a semi-trance, when a message on Peace was given
through him apparently by audible telepathy. Mrs. Besant claimed . .
. that the voice was the Masters and that she saw his presence. She
was the only one who did so.
Edmund Garrett: Mr. Judge, Mrs. Besant, Mr. Chakravarti, and Isis Very Much
others, giving the most contradictory messages from the same Tibetan Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
source. . . .
pp.109, 115
Mr. Bertram Keightleys Reply in The Clash of Opinion where he Lucifer,
corrects some facts published by Garrett in The Westminster Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
Gazette.
pp.505-507
NOTE: See Dec 23, 1894 and Feb. 1, 1895 entries.
B. Keightley in The Clash of Opinion. A COMMON-SENSE VIEW OF MR. Lucifer,
JUDGES CIRCULAR OF NOVEMBER 3RD, 1894" criticized Judge for Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
publishing his Nov. 3rd E.S.T. circular By Masters Direction
pp.58-64
NOTE: See March 15, 1895.

Nov. 15,
1894

Lucifer started a series of articles by Vera Jelihovsky (H.P.B.s sister) Lucifer, Vol. 15,
called HELENA PETROVNA BLAVATSKY
Sep. 1894; pp.202208, 273-279, 361364, 469-477
NOTE: See Dec. 1894 entry, The Path publishes Letters that were written Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
pp.44-50, 99-108
by Blavatsky to her family.

119

120

Nov. 19,
1894

The Judge Case

A circular by Laura M. Cooper and Herbert Burrows to (G.R.S. Mead). The Vahan,
A considerable number of the members of the T.S. feel very deeply Vol. 4, Jan. 1895;
the absolute necessity of some reply being made by Mr. W.Q. Judge, p.1
the Vice-President of the Society, to the series of charges which have
lately appeared against him in The Westminster Gazette. Those
members do not of course express the slightest personal opinion as to
Mr. Judges innocence or guilt; but for his own sake as well as for the
sake of the Society of which he is Vice-President, they strongly feel
that he should be invited to make such a reply, or to state his reasons
for not so doing.
NOTE: See Nov. 27, 1894 re: letter enclosed with this circular.

Nov. 20,
1894

THE CHARGES AGAINST WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

Irish Theosophist,
Letter from W.Q. Judge to the Editor dated November 20th 1894.
Vol. 3, Dec. 1894;
The matter of charges against me seems not yet to be at an end, as I pp.47-48,
am informed that The Westminster Gazette has made a long story of
this whole thing. . . .
When the true moment comes I will be able to speak, and then facts
and circumstances will join in speaking for me.
NOTE: See Jan. 25, 1895 THE CHARGES AGAINST WILLIAM Q.
JUDGE.

Nov. 25,
1894

Hunting Down the Mahatmas.

New York Sun,
New York Sun published 4 columns on Mr. Judge and the Nov. 25, 1894
Theosophical Society on the Editorial page.
NOTE: See Appendix A for their analytical description of the events
concerning The Brass Seal.

Nov. 26,
1894

Isis and the Mahatmas. A Reply by William Q. Judge. Issued in 1895

by W.Q.Judge, with correspondence, original articles and portrait.
[Contains letter from W.Q.J. dated Nov. 26,1894 to the editor of The
N.Y. Sun published on Dec. 3, 1894. Also includes Judges reply to
the attack which appeared Dec. 8 and 10 in the Westminster Gazette
under the title Isis Very Much Unveiled] [See Dec. 23, 1894]
I have never denied that I gave Mrs. Besant messages from the
Masters. I did so. They were from the Masters. She admits that, but
simply takes on herself to say that the Masters did not personally write
or precipitate them. [p.6 Isis]
Now I can do no more than deny, as I hereby do absolutely, all the
charges you have been the means of repeating against me. I have
denied them very many times. . . . [p.10 Isis]

Isis and the

Mahatmas, 30 pages
Two Replies by
William Q. Judge,
published by ULT,
pp.5-16

Chronology
Nov. 26, 1894
continued

Isis Very Much Unveiled. A REPLY FROM MR. WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

Isis Very Much
To the editor of the Westminster Gazette. Includes Judges reply Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
dated from New York, Nov. 26 and a letter by Abbot B. Clark (Apr. pp.121-132.
21, 1894) correcting some facts about the circumstances surrounding
a letter he wrote to H.S. Olcott in 1891.
NOTE: See April 29, 1895 entry, W.Q.J.s Reply To Charges, Pamphlet
issued April 29, 1895. Mr. Clarks statement is included in Appendix
A along with the Reply by William Q. Judge To Charges of Misuse
of Mahatmas Names and Handwritings.

Nov. 27,
1894

A letter by Laura M. Cooper and Herbert Burrows addressed To The The Vahan,
General Secretary of the European Section, T.S. (G.R.S. Mead)
Vol. 4, Jan. 1895;
The enclosed circular has been sent by us to a large number of the p.1
members of the European Section, T.S., and, with not more than half
a dozen exceptions, they have expressed their desire that the different
Lodges should be invited by you to express their opinions, as soon as
possible, as to whether Mr. Judge, Vice-President of the Society,
should be requested to reply to the charges lately brought against him
in The Westminster Gazette. [See Nov. 19, 1894 for circular.]
NOTE: See Jan 5, 1895 and Jan. 11, 1895.
NOTE: Also see Dec. 1, 1894 for a list of names supplied by Mr. Smythe
of persons who had indicated their opinion on the matter.

Nov. 28,
1894

A communication from Archibald Keightley as a member of the The Vahan,

Executive Committee of the European Section.
Vol. 4, Jan. 1895;
It is impossible to take action on the vague assertion that a memorial p.2
has been signed by a large number of members.. . . To my personal
knowledge only one of Mr. Judges friends out of thirteen prominent
workers have seen it. . . .
My opinion is that while we are constituted as at present it is not
possible for the Executive Committee under its present powers to take
such action as the memorialists request.
He listed 6 reasons why and concluded:
I may conclude by saying that it seems to me strange that officials of
a Society with such aims as ours should take the position of requesting
its Vice-President to reply to attacks printed in a minor newspaper,
founded on information supplied by a man confessedly perjured in so
doing. It would appear that we are to be asked to suggest that Mr.
Judge go before an outside, self-constituted tribunal, there to try a
case which we ourselves refused to hear on the ground that such
hearing was illegal when he came from America to defend himself
before the Judicial Committee.

121

122

Nov. 29,
1894

The Judge Case

On Nov. 29 Mr. Mead was asked by Mr. H. T. Edge to read the Dublin The Vahan,
Lodge circular at the Blavatsky Lodge. Mr. Mead explained:
Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
I replied that that would be out of order, and on taking the chair I p.2
stated to the Lodge that I had been requested to read the Dublin Lodge
circular, but that I could not do so unless I read all communications
also from other Lodges, and if I did so, I would prevent debate on the
subject. This would be improper at an ordinary public meeting and
without notice, and therefore I would call a special meeting for that
purpose. . . .
Dec. 15 was then called as the date for that special meeting.
Mead continues: Nevertheless, in spite of my ruling, the lecturer of
the evening, Mr. E. T. Hargrove, began to quote the circular in his
speech and I had to rule him out of order
NOTE: See Dec. 15, 1894 for Meads ruling at that meeting.

Nov. 30,
1894

From Fred J. Dick, Circular of support for W.Q.J.:

The Vahan,
It has been suggested that the enclosed circular (sent by some Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
members of the Dublin Lodge to all the Lodges and Centres in the p.3
European Section) should be signed as extensively as possible, and
sent, one copy to the forthcoming Convention at Adyar, the second to
Bro. W.Q. Judge.

Dec. 1894

NOTE: The Path started a series of articles [thirteen parts] by Vera The Path,
Jelihovsky (H.P.B.s sister) called Letters of H.P. Blavatsky. Vol. 9, Dec. 1894,
pp. 265-270; Jan.
William Q. Judge added footnotes to some of the Letters.
1895, pp.297-302;
NOTE: These letters were written by H.P. Blavatsky to her family. These Feb. 1895, pp.329letters provide the reader with an occult perspective on the personal 385; Mar. 1895,
pp.411-415
life of an occultist.
Vol. 10, Apr. 1895,
pp.6-8; May 1895,
pp.33-37; June 1895,
pp.73-78; July 1895,
pp.105-108; Aug.
1895, pp.139-142;
Sep. 1895, pp. 169174; Oct. 1895,
pp.203-206; Nov.
1895, pp.235-240;
Dec. 1895, pp.267270

Dec. 1894

On The Watch-Tower.
G.R.S. Mead accuses The Path of hero-worshipping of H.P.B.

Noted in The Path.

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Dec. 1894;
pp.265-268
The Path, Vol. 9,
Feb. 1895; p.405

Chronology
Dec. 1894
continued

Referring to the allegations against W.Q. Judge in The Westminster Northern Theos.
Vol. 2, Dec. 1894;
Gazette the editor, E.A. Bulmer, remarks:
A clever barrister could throw discredit upon the doings of a saint, p.1
and a skilful journalist can so manipulate facts with his own
inferences and suggestions as to blacken the character of an
archangel.

Dec. 1894
continued

Circular issued by members of the T.S. in New York and Brooklyn, Circular Letter,
through Henry T. Patterson, F.T.S. and is submitted for the signatures 3 pages
of those members desiring to so express themselves.
American members have generally believed that Mr. Judge could and
did have communication with Mahatmas, but that belief is not due to
claims made by him. . . .
We do not think the charges can be proved or disproved. We think
that if we have any confidence in our brother, due to his nineteen
years of service, we must accept his statement that he has never
misused the names and handwritings of the Mahatmas; has never
attempted to mystify anyone; has never used any wrong methods. .
...
And, finally, we believe that Brother Judge was selected for the work
he has done and is doing, by some Power or Intelligence greater than
ours. . . . [Review of charges and events]
NOTE: See January 1st 1895 for the reprinted Circular (8 pp.), TO THE
MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, signed by 121 American
members.

123

124

Dec. 1,
1894

The Judge Case

Circular from the General Secretary (G.R.S. Mead) to the members of the
[Executive] Committee.
I herewith enclose you a copy of the names of the memorialists for
your information. You will at once see that it includes names that give
it great weight. . . .
. . . The memorialists do not demand a trial, they simply ask whether
or not the Lodges wish to invite Mr. Judge in the interests of the
Society to make some reply or state why he cannot. If the Lodges do
not wish it, the matter can then drop. If the Lodges wish it, then their
voice is paramount and the officials of the Section must give ear to it.
...
. . . It is certainly impossible, according to the finding of the
President, General Council and Judicial Committee, to try the VicePresident on the charges formulated against him in July, but it is
possible for the Lodges of the Section and the Sections of the Society
to say whether or not they are prepared to stand or fall by their VicePresident in the public estimation, without raising a finger of protest
against such a dangerous precedent. This we may be sure they will
state sooner or later, and it is better they should do so in order than in
disorder.

The Vahan,
Vol. 4, Jan. 1895;
pp.3-4

The Vahan,
Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
Mead explained the purpose for the List of Memorialists in his p.1
NOTICE of Dec. 31, 1894. He stated:
I should also have been compelled to add that one of the express Light, Vol. 15, Jan.
purposes for which these signatures were obtained was to memorialize 12, 1895; p.21
the late Convention of the Indian Section.

NOTE: Mr. Mead obviously took exception to Archibald Keightleys Nov.

28th, 1894 letter and decided to take action by sending eighty circulars.
Dec. 1, 1894
continued

Albert Smythe, Editor, listed only the English Theosophists who had The Lamp, Vol. 1,
expressed their opinions as to whether Mr. Judge, Vice-President of Feb. 1895; pp.108the Society, should be requested to reply to the charges recently 109
brought against him in the Westminster Gazette.
Among prominent English Theosophists who want an explanation
from Mr. Judge are Herbert Burrows, Laura M. Cooper, Miss Mller,
Dr. Wynn Westcott, W. Kingsland, Hon. O. Cuffe, Dr. Carter Blake,
M.U. Moore, Oliver Firth, Thomas Williams, and Sydney Old. Of
those who consider an explanation unnecessary Dr. Archibald
Keightley, Mrs. J.C. Keightley, Dr. H.A.W. Coryn, F.J. Dick, G.W.
Russell, W.A. Bulmer, E.T. Hargrove, Basil Crump, T. Green, H.T.
Edge, and Alice Cleather are well-known. Others await the acrobatic
feline.
NOTE: See Nov. 27, 1894 entry.

Dec. 3,
1894

To The Members of the E.S.T. from W.Q.J.

E.S.T. Order No. II
In accordance with order received from Master, I hereby declare that of 1894, 1 page
Instructions I, II, III of this School are no longer secret, with the
following exceptions: . . .

Chronology
Dec. 3, 1894
continued

125

The New York Sun printed in full Judges reply to the accusations against The Path, Vol. 9,
Jan. 1895; p.322
him. In Literary Notes (The Path):
WESTMINISTER GAZETTE, hastening to try and gather the pecuniary
profits of its long attack on the T.S., at once, before the reply made by
Mr. Judge had reached it, got out the whole thing in the form of a
pamphlet in which it assumes on what it calls foreknowledge that no
reply would be made. Mr. Judges reply was about 5,000 words long,
and will call for a new edition if the thing is to be printed complete.
But that reply was printed in full by the New York Sun. The pamphlet
is a monument of assumption, presumption, and ignorance, combined
with malice and falsehood. It may be put on the shelf with the S.P.R.
Report on H.P.B. It is not sold by the PATH.
In a letter dated Jan. 25, 1895 to George R.S. Mead, W.Q. Judge
stated:
I have replied to the public newspaper in the only way it deserves. I The Path, Vol. 9,
have still under consideration a full reply to the T.S. respecting the Mar. 1895; p.433
real charges, but I have refused to be hurried until the right time. . . .
I have additional reasons for waiting until all possible innuendos and
distortions shall have come forth. . . .
NOTE: See Nov. 26, 1894 and Dec. 23, 1894 entries.

Dec. 9,
1894

The Clash of Opinion. To the Editor of LUCIFER.

Lucifer,
Letter from F. Hartmann in Hallein, Austria.
Vol. 15, Jan. 1894;
Mr. Garrett seems to think that Theosophy consists in believing what pp.427-428
this or that person says, and that we must therefore be exceedingly
careful to examine into the credibility of such a person, so as not to
fall into the error of believing in the words of the wrong person; but
always take good care to believe only what a person says in whose
veracity we have good reasons to trust. This is, however, just what
Theosophy does not teach; for it teaches that we should seek our
refuge in nothing else but in light of the eternal truth. We ought to
cling for attainment of self-knowledge neither to the turban of a
Mahatma, nor to the coat-tail of Mr. Judge, nor to H.P. Blavatskys or
Mrs. Besants apronstrings. . . .
NOTE: See Dec. 15, 1894 for more detail.

Dec. 10,
1894

William Q. Judge, Outer Head of the E.S.T.

E.S.T. Order No. III
The Council for the Eastern Division of the E.S.T., made up by Mrs. of 1894, 1 page
Annie Besant at London, having met and the majority having formally
notified me that they do not accept the Masters Order, issued by me
Nov. 3rd, 1894; Dr. H.A.W. Coryn, Mrs. A. L. Cleather and James M.
Pryse voting in the minority and accepting said Order; I am compelled
to dissolve the said Council, which I hereby do, and from this date
said Council ceases to exist or to have power.
NOTE: See Nov. 3, 1894, By Masters Direction issued by W.Q.J.

126

Dec. 15,
1894

The Judge Case

Lucifer,
The Clash of Opinion re: Westminster Gazette articles.
Vol. 15, Dec. 1894;
G.R.S. Mead inserted:
I consider it my duty to insert with rigid impartiality the resolutions pp.337-342
of Lodges or expressions of opinion of groups of members, or the
letters of members immediately concerned in the present state of
affairs. Printed letters and resolutions.
The Clash of Opinion. To the Editor of LUCIFER
By Franz Hartmann. Stated he found Garretts pamphlet amusing, Jan. 1895;
however, appears in quite another aspect, if we regard it is an attack pp.427-428
upon the T.S. as a whole.
NOTE: See Dec. 9, 1894 entry.
Includes letters from T. Green, Julia and Archibald Keightley, and pp.429-434
others.
The Clash of Opinion. A LETTER TO THE EUROPEAN SECTION. Letter Feb. 1895;
pp.500-505
by G.R.S. Mead, Feb. 1, 1895, London.
Rightly or wrongly, I have until now considered it my duty to keep
silent on the present condition of affairs in the Theosophical Society.
...
I have hoped against hope that Mr. Judge would, of his own free will,
resign his office and relieve us from all this turmoil. . . .
MR. BERTRAM KEIGHTLEYS REPLY. (to the Westminster Gazette).

pp.505-507

NOTE: See Dec. 23, 1894.

Letter from Alexander Fullerton in which he stated that he had felt an pp.508-509
investigation was imperative, then mentioned that he had received
communications in two parts from the Masters and I now support Mr.
Judges policy. . . .
NOTE: See Jan. 16, 1895.
Dec. 15, 1894
continued

Blavatsky Lodge report by the Secretary, S.M. Sharpe.

The Vahan,
th
A special meeting of this Lodge was held on Dec. 15 to hear and Vol. 4, Jan. 1895;
consider various resolutions and communications concerning the p.14
present crisis in the T. S. The business not concluded, the meeting
stands adjourned until Saturday evening Jan. 5th, at 8 p.m.
Meads explanation as to why he delayed the meeting again until Jan.
5, 1895.
The Vahan,
The Lodge met to consider the matter on December 15th; my ruling Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
on that occasion was of such a nature that I was informed by several p.2
of the representatives of the majority of the Lodge, who were for
discussing the matter and moving resolutions, that I had given the
meeting away.
NOTE: See January 5th, 1895 entry regarding Mead ruling proxy votes out
of order and the resolution moved by Herbert Burrows that the
Blavatsky Lodge ask W.Q. Judge to resign.

Chronology

Dec. 19,
1894

Mrs. Besant arrived in Colombo from Australia on Dec. 18, 1894.

On landing she was met with the series of articles in the Westminster
Gazette, bringing various serious charges against prominent members
of the Theosophical Society. She wrote a letter on the 19th addressed
to the Editor of the Daily Chronicle. In this letter she stated that she
was too busy to reply at that time. Nor can I even now, at this
distance, take up the matter, since anything I say can be contradicted
on the morrow with the certainty of a months interval ere I can again
be heard. Such a struggle is too unequal.

127

Prasnottara,
Vol. 4, Nov./Dec.
1894; p.204
Light, Vol. 15, Jan.
12, 1895; pp.21-22

NOTE: Besant did provide a lengthy reply to the Westminster Gazette

in a letter dated Dec. 23, 1894, thereby contradicting her earlier
position as to her defence. See letter of Dec. 19th in Appendix A.
Dec. 19, 1894
continued

Annie Besant was in Australia at the time that Judge issued his Nov. 3rd, Eastern School of
1894 E.S.T. circular. She arrived at Colombo, Ceylon, on December Theosophy,
18th, on her way to attend the Adyar Convention. In response she 4 page circular
issued a counter-circular For E.S.T. Members Only from Colombo.
In it she stated:
The E.S.T. Order . . . I reject. I shall pursue my work quietly, with
such of the Council left by H.P.B. as think it right to work with me.
Mr. Judge thinks it right to rent the School in twain, and I can only go
on steadily as I have learned. We have come to the parting of the
ways. I recognize no authority in Mr. Judge. Not from his hands did
I receive my work; not into his hands may I surrender it. She closed
by stating members must choose between her and Judge and added:
No member can belong to both schools.
On her way to India . . . she prepared a long article on the Theos. Movement
Westminster Gazette attack, which she gave to the Madras Mail upon 1875-1950,
arriving at Adyar. This article contained a defence of herself and pp.245-249
accusations of Judge.
This public reply by Annie Besant to W.Q.J.s E.S.T. circular of The Path, Vol. 10,
November 3rd, 1894, By Masters Direction, violated the pledge of Apr. 1895; p.1
secrecy and privacy within the E.S. Judge wrote:
The charge is made publicly and privately, as well as in a set of
resolutions offered by Mrs. Besant and passed at a meeting in India in
December. It is based the fact that in a circular issued by me privately
in the E.S.T. I stated that the spiritual crest, the center, of the wave of
evolution is in the West and not in the East.
The Theosophical
Society and The
Annie Besant declared it to be public since part of Judges E.S. Westminster
circular was published in The Westminster Gazette.
Gazette, p.13
A Commonsense View of Mr. Judges Circular of November 3rd, 1894 Pamphlet, 8 pages,
by Bertram Keightley. [printed in Feb. 1895]
p.1
[Reprinted in] The Prasnottara.
NOTE: See Feb. 1895 also Dec. 23, 1894.

Prasnottara,
Vol. 5, No. 52, May
1895; pp.39-49

128

The Judge Case

Dec. 19, 1894

continued

Mr. Bulmers remarks on Judges Nov. 3rd, 1894 Circular which declared Northern Theos.
Annie Besants headship in the E.S.T. at an end.
Vol. 2, Mar. 1895;
pp.25-26
NOTE: See Nov. 3, 1894 entry.

Dec. 21,
1894

TRUTH AND OCCULTISM.

Irish Theosophist,
Letter from Constance Wachtmeister to Dr. Buck.
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
Do you remember telling me that I was right in believing that W.Q. pp.89-90
Judge had acted in a fraudulent and deceitful manner in sending out
spurious orders and messages, that you intended to pull him through
the convention at whatever cost to honour, but that afterwards you
would give him a piece of your mind, telling him that messages must
cease for the future.
NOTE: See Jan. 21, 1895 for Dr. Bucks reply.

Dec. 22,
1894

Letter to the Editor of The Vahan from Julia C. Keightley and Archibald The Vahan, Vol. 4,
Feb. 1895; p.13
Keightley.
A rumour having arisen that William Q. Judge is not himself the
author of Letters that have helped me, we ask your fraternal assistance
in contradicting this report. It is false.
The true account of the authorship of the Letters by Mr. Judge will
be found in the Irish Theosophist for January 1895.
NOTE: The correction appeared in the Feb. 1895 issue of The Irish
Theosophist, pp.87-88. See Jan. 13, 1895 entry.

Dec. 23,
1894

A. Besants and B. Keightleys replies to the Westminster Gazettes

article about the Judge Case.
[Pointed out discrepancies as to facts in Isis Very Much Unveiled by
E.Garrett]
See also entries for Jan. 16 and 19, 1895.
Bertram Keightleys reply criticized Mr. Garrett:
Though I regret the breach of faith and gentlemanly feeling to which
it is due, yet I do not regret in the least the fact that these matters have
been made public. . . . as to publish confidential documents obtained
by breach of faith, to assail the absent where no reply can be made for
months, and to give publicity to such malicious slander as the
statements of Mr. Judge concerning one so universally honoured and
respected in all circles as Mr. G. N. Chakravarti, yet I for one am
thankful that matters have been brought to a definite issue and that the
members of our Society can decide for themselves on which side lies
the right.
Also published in The Clash of Opinion. A LETTER TO THE EUROPEAN
SECTION.
NOTE: See Nov. 3, 1894 and Feb. 1, 1895 entries.

The Theosophical
Society and The
Westminster
Gazette,
16 page pamphlet

Daily Chronicle,
Jan. 16, 1895

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
pp.505-507

Chronology
Dec. 23, 1894
continued

129

Letter From MR. HERBERT BURROWS: A REPLY WE MUST HAVE OR I LEAVE THE Isis Very Much
SOCIETY.
Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
I am a sceptic by nature, and I was then a materialist, and the honest pp.80-84
conclusion that I came to was that the case for the prosecution was far
too weak to warrant a conviction. That opinion I still hold. If I thought
differently I should be outside the Theosophical Society instead of in
it.
NOTE: See Oct. 2, 1895 entry.

Dec. 25-28,
1894

Annual Convention of the Indian Section, and Nineteenth Anniversary of

the T.S.
The Resolution at the Anniversary Meeting at Adyar.
The Vahan,
Resolution passed at the Convention:
Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
That the President-Founder be and hereby is requested to at once call pp.9-10
upon Mr. W.Q. Judge, Vice-President of the Theosophical Society, to
resign the office of Vice-President; it being, of course, open to Mr.
Judge, if he so wishes, to submit himself for re-election, so that the
Society may pass its judgement on his position.
Resolutions of the Indian Section.
The following resolution, being duly proposed and seconded, was
unanimously adopted by the Convention of the Indian Section T.S., on
December 26th, 1894.
In his Presidents Address, Olcott compared Judges position with that
of H.P.B.s during the 1884 Coulomb crisis to see how an individual
accused of the immoral act of deception usually behaves. [p.9]
Olcott also remarked, My objective intercourse with the Great
Teachers ceased almost entirely on the death of H.P.B. . . .
In comments on the Convention at Adyar Mr. Judge wrote: The
untheosophical exhibition ended by the passage of a resolution offered
by Mrs. Besant that the President-Founder be asked to request the
Vice-President to resign. The Indian Section passed a like resolution.
But the Anniversary Meeting and resolution are illegal. There is no
such thing known to the Constitution. The resolution is therefore void
and ineffective. . . . The so-called Anniversaries are simply social or
courtesy meetings when the President, taking advantage of the Indian
Section Convention, read and had read general reports.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Jan. 1895;
pp.8-11
p.10

The Path,
Vol. 9, Feb. 1895;
p.410
Mar. 1895;
pp.438, 442

NOTE: See Appendix A, No. 5, for Olcotts address.

On the following day the Indian Section held its Annual Convention,
and the following Resolution, moved by Tookaram Tatya of Bombay
and seconded by Mr. A. Nilakata Shastri, was unanimously carried. .
. . [p.62]
NOTE: See Jan. 26, 1895 entry for editorial comments from Light.

General Report of
the 19th
Anniversary of the
T.S., 62 pages

130

The Judge Case

Dec. 25-28,
1894
continued

Amendment to Annie Besants Resolution requesting Olcott to call upon

William Q. Judge to resign the office of Vice-President of the T.S.
An amendment was moved by Captain Banon and seconded by Miss
Mller, calling on the President-Founder to take steps to expel Mr.
Judge from the Theosophical Society. [p.51]
The President then put the first amendment, that of Captain Banon,
to the meeting and it was lost. [p.61]

General Report of
the 19th
Anniversary of the
T.S., 62 pages

Dec. 25-28,
1894
continued

Should Mr. Judge Resign?

Speeches by Annie Besant and Bertram Keightley held at the
Anniversary Meeting of the T.S.
In her address at the meeting, Mrs. Besant speaking about Mr. Judge
stated:
[W]hile Australasia may be unanimous against Mr. Judge, you ought
to discount it by the fact that I have been lecturing everywhere with
enormous success, and that influenced many people; and therefore it
may be a momentary rush and not a permanent resolution.
[Reprinted in Lucifer as part II of THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE
PRESENT TROUBLES (p.461).]

Pamphlet,
15 pages, p.8
General Report of
the 19th
Anniversary of the
T.S., p.45
Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
pp.454-468

NOTE: See Apr. 1895, regarding the vote taken by the Australians.
NOTE: See Nov. 25, 1894; Nov. 26, 1894 and Feb 7, 1895 for related
articles in New York Sun.
Dec. 25-28,
1894
continued

From Annie Besants speech against Mr. Judge, at Adyar, Dec. 25, 1894. New England Notes,
I lay before you exactly the facts of the division in Europe and I tell Vol. 1, Jan. 1, 1895;
you my own personal opinions. When I return, there will be a very p.4
strong if not an overwhelming party in favor of the policy of truth, of
absolute honor and uprightness, and unless something is done, some
of our best people will immediately leave the Society and public
propaganda will be rendered well-nigh impossible.
NOTE: See Jan.1, 1895 for W.Q. Judge quoting H.P.B..

Dec. 25-28,
1894
continued

From Annie Besants speech against Mr. Judge.

As part of Annie Besants reasons for submitting that resolution she
mentioned a comment made by Mr. Judge:
New England Notes,
Mr. Judge further takes on himself to say that there are no true Vol. 1, Jan. 1, 1895;
Initiates in India.
p.4
This statement by Judge does not seem to contradict H.P. Blavatskys
position, in 1888, for she stated in Lucifer:
We lived in India for many years, and have never yet met with a
Sanskrit Pundit SS officially recognized as such SS who knew
anything of Occultism. We met with several occultists in India who
will not speak; and with but one who is a really learned Occultist (the
most learned, perhaps of all in India), who condescends occasionally
to open his mouth and teach. This he never does, however, outside a
very small group of Theosophists.

Lucifer,
Vol. 2, Apr. 1888;
p.141
BCW, Vol. 9,
pp.140-141

Chronology
Dec. 25-28,
1894
continued

131

To the Editor of LUCIFER.

Lucifer,
Reply by W.R. Old to Annie Besants speech in which he claimed that Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
Judge did indeed see the documents or even had copies of them. Then p.67
admitted
I am the only person who holds certified copies of the documents.
NOTE: See Oct. 1894 entry.

Dec. 27,
1894

THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY CHRONICLE.

Daily Chronicle,
H.S. Olcott sent advanced proofs of the text of so much of my Jan. 16, 1895
Annual Address for Convention 1894 . . . as relates to the case of Mr.
W.Q. Judge. Upon the merits of the charges of forgery and deception
as regards alleged Mahatmic writings, I am not free to express my
belief, the quasi-judicial function of my office demanding that I
should observe absolute neutrality in all questions in controversy
which may come before me for decision as, so to say, court of appeal.
It goes without saying that if an official who has uttered false
documents should be proved an irresponsible psychic, he or she would
be morally disqualified for continuance in office. But we are not at
that stage of this case at present.

Dec. 30,
1894

E.S.T. circular from

To E.S.T. Members in Europe. from W.Q. Judge.
I have appointed as my agent in the Eastern Division of the E.S.T. an the London office,
Advisory Council. It has elected as its Secretary Dr. A. Keightley. . . 1 page
.

Dec. 31,
1894

NOTICE from The General Secretarys office, by G.R.S. Mead.

The Vahan, Vol. 4,
Claimed H.T. Edge, the assistant secretary of the section, copied the Feb. 1895; pp.1-9
list of names of members of the European Section for Mr. Judges
party, for which he was let go from Meads office; stated J. M. Pryse
refused to issue The Vahan. [p.1]
Mead also stated:
On the 27th of the month I received a copy of some 120 additional
signatures to the circular of the Dublin Lodge. Seeing that THE
VAHAN was already late and that I could not obtain any direct
information for what special purpose the signatures were obtained or
who obtained them, I added a note acknowledging the receipt of the
signatures and promising full publication in the next issue.
NOTE: Additional Signatures to the Dublin Lodge Circular was
published by Mead in the Feb. 1st, 1895, issue of The Vahan.[p.12]
The same circular by G.R.S. Mead appeared in Light under title: Light, Vol .15,
Jan. 12, 1895; p.21
THE DIFFERENCES IN THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
Replies by H.T. Edge, J.M Pryse, Thomas Green, A. Keightley, H. The Vahan, Vol. 4,
Coryn, and A PROTEST. To Members of the Theosophical Society in Feb. 1895; pp.6-7
Europe. by Julia Keightley with 23 others.
NOTE: See Feb. 1, 1895.

132

The Judge Case

Dec. 31, 1894

continued

Letter from James M. Pryse, manager of the H.P.B Press, to G.R.S. Mead. The Vahan, Vol. 4,
As you refuse to insert full list of signatures to Dublin circular, I Feb. 1895; p.5
must therefore insist that all circulars and other matter on the same
subject be stricken from THE VAHAN. As co-editor I refuse to agree to
the publication of the paper in its present falsified and misleading
form, which purports to be an impartial representation of opinions,
when in fact it is only a partizan sheet which excludes one side from
a fair hearing.
Until both sides are published or none, I cannot consent to its
publication.
In a letter of reply to Mr. Meads response to the above:
Further, you announced your intention of breaking your contract with
the H.P.B. Press for no apparent reason.

1895[Early]
Est. Date

Garrett published 3rd edition of Isis Very Much Unveiled, Being the T.N.C.A.B.
Story of the Great Mahatma Hoax. 136 pp. This edition omitted the Item 1960, p.538
letters from Theosophists with Besants reply in the Jan. 15, 1895
Daily Chronicle.

Circa 1895

Circular titled Fellow Theosophists. by A Fellow of The Theosophical Circular, 3 pages

Society. Issued on my own responsibility.
In view of this constant labor in a cause which brings him no
pecuniary or social advantages, no personal gains . . . is it conceivable
that such a man, as Mr. Judges conduct for over 19 years which
stands open to public inspection proves him to be, should stoop to
deception and fraud, SS which said deception and fraud could be no
gain to him. . . .

Jan. 1895

DEAR EDITOR Letter from Thos. Green dated January 1st, 1895.
Irish Theosophist,
The order came from Mrs. Besant and Bertram Keightley [in India] Vol. 3, Jan. 1895;
this morning to close the [H.P.B.] Press [in London]. Accordingly it p.68
is closed, and now regretfully we return the copy of the I.T.
[T]he H.P.B. Press converted into the Irish Theosophist Press. The Path, Vol. 10,
Pryse goes to Dublin. [see Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, Apr. 1895; Apr. 1895; p.28
p.88]
[The H.P.B. Press was set up in 1891. T. Green was in charge along Lucifer,
with James M. Pryse who was the supervisor; managers were Vol. 9, Nov. 1891;
Countess Wachtmeister, Annie Besant, G.R.S.Mead, and E.T. Sturdy.] pp.254-255
At the Fifth Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in
England, August 7th, 1889, Mr. Green spoke of the work of the
H.P.B. Press, which, although not an official activity of the Society,
and quite independent of the Societys funds, existed solely to help the
T.S. The printing-press belonged to Dr. Keightley, and was lent by
him, and the rest of the plant was provided by two members of the
Society.
NOTE: The H.P.B. Press printed most of the theosophical literature. The
closing of the Press may have been intended to cause financial harm
to Dr. Keightley who was a strong supporter of W.Q. Judge.
See An Introduction to Appendix F for more details about the Press.

English
Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Sep. 1899;
pp.120-124

Chronology
Jan. 1895
continued

H.P.B. and the Present Crisis in The Theosophical Society by

Countess Wachtmeister:
[H.P.B.] called me into her room and showed me a letter, written by
W.Q. Judge to her. It began with his own handwriting, which
suddently changed into the handwriting of H.P.B., and so perfect was
the imitation, that I could not detect a single flaw; then he went on
with his own handwriting again to the end of the letter. I looked at
H.P.B. aghast and said, But surely this is a very dangerous power to
possess, to which she replied, Yes, but I do not believe Judge would
use it for wrong or evil purposes. . . .
H.P.B. always told me that her successor would be a woman, long
before Annie Besant had become a member of the T.S.
C. Wachtmeister concluded:
W.Q. Judge has been mainly prompted by personal ambition and
desire to get the whole of the Theosophical Society into his own
hands. . . .

133

H.P.B. and the

Present Crisis in the
T.S., 12 pages
(Jan. 1895, est.)

Brief excerpts were printed in the Theosophic Messenger, Mar. 1905, T.N.C.A.B.
Item 1999, p.548
pp.120-121, and The Messenger, May 1915, pp.467-768.
In letters to the Editor, J. Keightley, E.T. Hargrove, and Roger Hall
[May 25, 1895] repudiate some of the alleged facts.
Irish Theosophist,
Roger Hall wrote:
[H.P.B.] said she knew she must soon leave us. I asked her about the Vol. 3, June 1895;
filling of the void. . . . She answered that W.Q. Judge was her favorite pp.158, 163-165
pupil and would worthily bear her mantle when she was gone. Shortly
after he came over on a visit and she introduced me to him, saying
distinctly that he was her destined successor. After he had gone back
to America she always spoke of him in the same way to me and, I have
no doubt, to others who were seeing her nearly every day.
NOTE: Mme Blavatsky knew she was to die soon. See End of March 1889
entry for details.
NOTE: See May 25, 1895 for more on Roger Halls letter.
Jan. 1895
continued

The Editors Remarks.

Northern Theos.,
By W.A. Bulmer about the latest development of the case against Vol. 2, Jan. 1895;
W.Q. Judge.
pp.9-10
The wisest course to adopt when evidence is conflicting is to suspend
judgement. . . .
. . . in this case heart pleads against head. Heart says he is not and
cannot be the common fraud which a biassed writer, chosing [sic] and
manipulating facts, attempted to make him out to be. Head says I
dont want to take my chances on instinct, I want to know. . . .
. . . As far as average humanity goes, I believe Brother Judge is far
ahead of most of us. . . .

134
Jan. 1895
continued

The Judge Case

Article by W.Q. Judge warning against BOGUS MAHATMA MESSAGES The Path,
Vol. 9, Jan. 1895;
pp.302-303
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
pp.446-448
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 1, pp.369-370

Jan. 1895
continued

A Word to the Wise

Lucifer,
By T. Green quoted testimonials by H.P.B. and A. Besant to the work Vol. 15, Jan. 1895;
done by W.Q. Judge. [Besant quoted from Lucifer, Vol. 12, Apr. pp.429-431
1893, pp.89-90]
NOTE: See Oct. 26, 1895 for Herbert Burrows comments regarding T.
Greens time for pruning is at hand.

Jan. 1, 1895

Circular, TO THE MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, by H.T. Circular, 8 pages

Patterson defending W.Q. Judge. and signed by 121 American
members.
NOTE: See Dec. 1894 for Pattersons first unofficial and individual
declaration of views.

Jan. 1, 1895
continued

A rebuttal by the editor of New England Notes to Besants speech,

against W.Q. Judge, which she gave at Adyar on Dec. 25, 1894,
regarding her statement: Mr. Judge further takes on himself to say
that there are no Initiates in India.
In Lucifer for April 1888, p.141, H.P.B. says:
We lived in India for many years, and have never yet met with a
Sanskrit Pundit officially recognized as such who knew
anything of Occultism. We met with several occultists in India who
will not speak; and with but one who is a really learned Occultist (the
most learned, perhaps, of all in India), who condescends occasionally
to open his mouth and teach. This he never does, however, outside a
very small group of Theosophists.
NOTE: See Dec. 25-28, 1894.

New England Notes,

Vol. 1, No. 1,
Jan. 1895; p.4
Lucifer,
Vol. 2, Apr. 1888;
p.141
BCW, Vol. 9,
pp.140-141

Chronology

Jan. 4, 1895

Letter of Jan. 4, 1895 to A. Keightley from W.Q. Judge. Judge enclosed O.E. Library Critic,
an exact transcript of the Jany 3, 1895" message said to have been Vol. 22, Nov. 1932;
received by him from H.P.B. nearly four years after her death:
pp.6-8
Dr. A. Keightley (for Councillors etc.)
Comrades
Enclosed is an exact transcript of what HPB said to me Jany 3,
prematurely ended by a visitor as usual & as results from European
continual nagging at me. It is word for word. More will be said later.
You can let all worthy & devoted loyalists read this It may be read
in a proper group. Copies not to be made. This is to be with Council
papers.
Fraternally William Q. Judge
Go to no extremes in thought or act hereupon.
NOTE: See Appendix G, No. 7, for the Jany 3 [January 3rd] document
and notes by Dr. Stokes on this matter. This Jany 3" document was
written in Judges own handwriting and verified and declared to be a
copy of the original document, and to be accurate in every respect.
Signed by Joseph H. Fussell, Elsie V. Savage, Margherita Siren,
Helen Harris. Also see March 29, 1896 entry.

Jan. 5, 1895

135

Meeting of The Blavatsky Lodge (which had been adjourned from The Vahan,
December 15, 1894).
Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
Mr. Mead: On Jan. 5th, when an adjourned meeting met to complete pp.2-3
the business, I ruled proxy votes out of order. I have since been taken
to task in an official letter to the Secretary of the Lodge from one of
the objectors to the resolutions, who writes: The refusal of the VicePresident [myself] to accept my proxy was, in my opinion, an
arbitrary, unjustifiable proceeding for which he had no authority.
NOTE: [myself] refers to G.R.S. Mead.
Now the fact is, that I held in my hands twenty-one proxy votes for
the resolutions and three against them. Mr. Burrows also held five
proxy votes for the resolutions. I would not allow these votes because
notice had not been given to the Lodge (consisting of upwards of 300
members) that proxy votes were in order. I leave my Section to decide
what truth there is in these unjustifiable accusations against my
honour, and in which direction partisanship lies.
NOTE See next entry for the results of that meeting.

136
Jan. 5, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

AT A SPECIAL ADJOURNED MEETING. FOR MEMBERS ONLY. Resolution

The Blavatsky
moved by Herbert Burrows that the Blavatsky Lodge (London) ask Lodge of the T.S.,
W.Q. Judge to resign and reply to the charges. Three Resolutions were 1page circular
passed. A copy of these Resolutions was sent to every Lodge in the
Theosophical Society.
A special meeting of the Blavatsky Lodge was held on Saturday last, Light, Vol. 15,
when, on the motion of Mr. Herbert Burrows, it was resolved that, in Jan. 12, 1895; p.22
the interests of Theosophy, Mr. Judge ought definitely to reply to the
charges which had been brought against him, and till he had done so
should cease to hold the office of Vice-President.

Mr. T. Green issued a circular at the door inviting those who did not The Path,
agree with the action taken to unite in forming a new Lodge. . . .
Vol. 9, Feb. 1895;
H.P.B. Lodge is a new Lodge formed in London . . . in consequence pp.408-409
of the foregoing. . . . Some twenty persons signed for the Charter.
NOTE: See Jan. 11, 1895.
Jan. 5, 1895
continued

A letter from W.Q. Judge to Katherine Tingley.

O.E. Library Critic,
W.Q. Judge wrote a letter on Jan. 5, 1895 (estimated), addressed to Vol. 22, Oct. 1932
Purple (Mrs. Tingley) while on the train from New York City to
Chicago. Editor, H.N. Stokes, wrote:
This letter not only shows Judges belief in the supposed H.P.B.
communications, [obviously refers to the letter of Jany 3, 1895] but
indicates an intimate friendship with and confidence in Mrs. Tingley.
NOTE: See Appendix G, No. 6, for Judges letter to Katherine Tingley.
Also see Jan. 4, 1895 entry for Judges letter to A. Keightley and
Appendix G, No. 7, for the Jany 3, 1895 document.

Jan 11,
1895

The formation of the H.P.B. Lodge, a new Lodge in London as a result of The Path,
the passing of resolutions by the Blavatsky Lodge.
Vol. 9, Feb. 1895;
NOTE: see Jan. 5, 1895 entry.
pp.408-409
Apr. 1895; p.31
Announcement by G.R.S. Mead, General Secretary:
I . . . announce the issue of a Charter, under date, January 11th, 1895,
to [list of names] . . . to be known as the H.P.B. Lodge of the The Vahan, Vol. 4,
Theosophical Society.
Feb. 1895; pp.14,16
Archibald Keightley (Pres.), Thomas Green (Vice-Pres.), Henry T.
Edge (Sec.), Basil Crump (Treas.), Mary E. Cuer (Libr.). First meeting
was held on Jan. 14th.
NOTE: See Jan. 15, 1895 regarding the first meeting of the H.P.B. Lodge.

Chronology

Jan. 12,
1895

A. Keightley stated that W.Q. Judge wrote The Book of Rules.

To my knowledge, Mr. Judge wrote The Book of Rules under the
guidance of Master M. and H.P.B. E.T. Hargrove and myself have
both seen the original manuscript in Mr. Judges handwriting, with
written additions in H.P.B.s handwriting. . . . I have seen letters from
H.P.B. to Mr. Judge which show that he originated the idea of E.S.T.
[p.11]

137

E.S.T. circular by A.
Keightley, 17 pages
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
p.xxxii

Calls on members of the Eastern School of Theosophy to stand by T.N.C.A.B.

Judge. Replies to Mrs. Besant and describes her relations with G. Item 1975, p.542
Chakravarti.
NOTE: See Nov. 27, 1894 and Jan. 5, 1895 entries for contrary point of
view.
Jan. 13,
1895

Letter to the Editor from Julia and Archibald Keightley correcting Irish Theosophist,
rumours that Master Hilarion wrote the letters in Letters That Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
pp.87-88
Have Helped Me.
Those of us to whom the Master Hilarion is objectively, as well as
psychically known, have the best of reasons for asserting that these
letters were not from him, and we do so state now and here.
NOTE: See Dec. 22, 1894 entry.

Jan. 15,
1895

J.D. Bucks letter to the Editor with his objections to the article:
Irish Theosophist,
OCCULTISM AND TRUTH which had been published in Lucifer (Aug. Vol. 3, Jan. 1895;
1894, pp.442-443) and reprinted in The Path (Sep. 1894, pp.184- pp.66-68
185).
The Path,
NOTE: See Aug. 15, 1894 for W.Q. Judges added comments in The Vol. 9, Jan. 1895;
pp.320-321
Path.

Jan. 15, 1895

continued

A special meeting of the Aryan T.S. was held in New York while Mr.
Judge was in Cincinnati. Considered resolutions passed at Adyar at
the Annual Convention of the T.S. in India requesting the resignation
of Mr. Judge.
The Aryan T.S. passed a resolution requesting William Q. Judge not
to resign from the office of Vice-President of the T.S. and further
resolving that there is no necessity for the further investigation of the
charges made against William Q. Judge. It was further Resolved,
that the Trustees sign these relations on behalf of the Aryan Branch as
having been unanimously passed by a called meeting of the Branch,
notice of which was sent to every member; and that they be sent to all
the Branches of the Theosophical Society.
It was signed by all Trustees except Mr. Judge.
[Under Rules and By-Laws of the T.S., a member was responsible
only to his local Branch and tryable only by that Branch.]

The Path,
Vol. 9, Feb. 1895;
pp.409-410
The Path, Vol. 10,
Apr. 1895; p.29

138
Jan. 15, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

To Each Branch of the Theosophical Society Throughout The

World. John M. Pryse, Clerk of Meeting.
Mr. E.A. Neresheimer had offered the resolutions in total support of
W.Q. Judge. Another resolution by Neresheimer requested the Sec. of
the Aryan Branch [A. Fullerton] to draft a letter to accompany the
resolutions passed that evening, and send it together with an abstract
of the minutes to all Branches of the T.S., signed by the Trustees.

Circular, 1 page
Letter from the
Board of Trustees
of the Aryan T.S.
1page
Dated Jan. 18, 1895

Resolutions unanimously endorsed by the Pacific Coast Committee and Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, Feb. 1895;
several branches (list).
pp.112-113
Jan. 15, 1895
continued

The H.P.B. Lodge [London], at a meeting held on the 11th ult., The Path, Vol. 10,
unanimously passed a resolution expressing its entire concurrence in Apr. 1895; p.31
the decision concerning Mr. Judge recorded by the Aryan Lodge of
New York. [and] also passed other resolutions . . . expressive of its
entire confidence in Mr. Judge. . . .
List of Resolutions passed by the H.P.B. Lodge.
Four Dutch members wish to declare that they are in perfect The Vahan,
sympathy with the decision of the Aryan Lodge of New York Vol. 4, Mar. 1895;
concerning Mr. Judge.
pp.5-6

Jan. 16,
1895

TO MY FELLOW-MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Alexander Fullerton wrote about having received a letter from a
Master which changed his views about having the charges against
W.Q. Judge investigated.
Only one consideration could reconcile me to vacating the position
I believed true, the certainty that the message enjoining this was
genuine. . . .
I now support Mr. Judges policy . . . avowedly on the ground of this
message. . . . assuming its authenticity, the message gives precisely the
one fact needed to acquit Mr. Judge . . . the Masters approval.
NOTE: See May 1895 and Apr. 27, 1895 entries.

Circular, 1 page
Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
pp.508-509

Mr. Fullerton of New York has issued a circular in which he states Prasnottara,
that in consequence of a message he has received, believed by him to Vol. 5, Mar. 1895;
be from the Master, he has surrendered his own ideas as to the p.12
necessity of Mr. Judge meeting the charges, and accepts Mr. Judge
completely.
Jan. 16, 1895
continued

Bertram Keightleys letter THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY to the Editor The Daily
of the Daily Chronicle pointed out discrepancies as to facts in Isis Chronicle,
Jan. 16, 1895
Very Much Unveiled by E. Garrett.
NOTE: See Dec. 23, 1894 and Dec. 27, 1894 entries.
NOTE: On Jan 15, 1895, The Daily Chronicle published Mrs. Besants
Dec. 23, 1894 reply from Adyar, Madras. Both Bertram Keightleys
and Mrs. Besants replies were later published as a 16 page pamphlet,
The Theosophical Society and The Westminster Gazette. See
Jan. 19, 1895 for more on Mrs. Besants reply to the Westminster
Gazette.

Chronology

Jan. 17,
1895

Mr. Judge returned to New York after a lecture tour to Fort Wayne on the
6th and 7th of January, Chicago on the 8th and 9th, Cincinnati on the 12th
to 15th. Hargrove commented that:
In 1881, and again in the summer of 1882, he [Mr. Judge] had spent
some time in Carupano, Venezuela, on business, and had suffered
severely from Chagres fever, a malignant type of malarial fever which
often leaves a predisposition to tuberculosis in its trail; but he could
have continued to repel that physical attack with ease, as he had done
for years, if it had not been for a far worse strain on his vitality,
namely, the strain of his resistance to the efforts of the Dark Powers
to kill him, the venomous hatred of his persecutors and slanderers,
once his close associates, supplying the lines of contact for the major
onslaught. These efforts culminated during the winter preceding the
Boston Convention.

139

The Path, Vol. 9,

Feb. 1895; p.407
Letters from Judge
to Hargrove, See
Appendix D

On May 20th, 1895 from Cincinnati, Mr. Judge wrote:

Letters That Have
I am away from home for my health (which is) much hurt by others Helped Me, p.185
hate. * * *
Besant has had what ought to be her last say, and I read to the
delegates at our Convn my explann of the charges my last word.
It will soon be published.
NOTE: See June 14, 1895 for more on Judges stay with Dr. Buck.
Jan. 18,
1895

On Jan. 18th Mr. Judge wrote to E.T. Hargrove:

Letters from Judge
I am so sick just now that I cannot send any letters. . . . My Chicago to Hargrove, See
trip was all right and useful, but this is my ordinary death year, and Appendix D
hence I am just waiting until the Rubicon in passing.
NOTE: For more on Judges health see Feb. 13th, 1895, also see June 14th,
1895.

140

The Judge Case

Jan. 19,
1895

MRS. BESANT AND THE WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.

Light,
The Editor of Light published part of Mrs. Besants Dec.23rd reply Vol. 15, Jan. 19,
to the series of articles which appeared in the Westminster Gazette, 1895; pp.33-34
in relation to certain frauds in the Theosophical Society. Mrs.
Besants reply was printed by the Daily Chronicle on Jan. 15, 1895.
The Editor prefaced Mrs. Besants article by stating:
Mrs. Besant points out a number of error on minor matters into
which Mr. Garrett has fallen, and suggests that perhaps when he sees
how he has blundered on minor matters he may realise that
inaccuracy, on the part of others, does not always mean wilful and
malignant deception. On the more important questions affecting the
trustworthiness of Mr. Judge, Mrs. Besant virtually concedes the point
which Mr. Garrett had raised:
The Editor of Light then concluded with:
This is all very charming, but is it not a little bit too chivalrous on the
part of Mrs. Besant? Nobody doubts her own perfect honesty and
integrity in this, as in all other matters; but is she not here making a
somewhat ostentatious parade of her righteousness at the expense of
the best interests of the Society which she desires to serve? In her
position as one of the heads of the Theosophical Society she needs,
not goodness alone, but wisdom as well; and it is a serious question
whether it is wise, under any circumstance whatever, that she should
be associated with another head whom she believes to have been
guilty of deceit. The reputation of all the heads of the Society,
without exception, should be, like her own, not only without reproach
but beyond suspicion.

Jan. 20,
1895

Letter from A. Besant, written from Benares, to H.S. Olcott asking for the
documents on which the charges against W.Q. Judge were based:
I have to request that you will furnish me with the documents on
which were based the charges preferred by me last July against Mr.
W.Q. Judge.
A proposal has been made to call a Special Convention of the
European Section T.S. on my return to Europe, for the purpose of
discussing the attitude to be taken by the Section towards this case,
and there is a general demand for the production of these papers for
the information and guidance of Members. I therefore request you to
again place them in my care.

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
pp.163-164
The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
Supp. p.xx

Olcott replied from Ootacamund, India, Feb. 21st , 1895, consenting

to furnish Besant with the documents, with conditions.
NOTE: See Feb. 21st, 1895 entry for Olcotts response.
Jan. 21,
1895

NOTICE TO MEMBERS.
Prasnottara,
Mrs. Besant, Countess Wachtmeister and the General Secretary Vol. 5, Feb. 1895;
[Bertram Keightley], took up residence in the new Head-quarters of p.2
the Section at Benares on January 21st [1895].

Chronology
Jan. 21, 1895
continued

141

In TRUTH AND OCCULTISM. Dr. Buck denied the accuracy of Constance Irish Theosophist,
Wachtmeisters quote in her letter of Dec.21, 1894. She wrote: Do Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
you remember telling me that I was right in believing that W.Q. Judge pp.89-90
had acted in a fraudulent and deceitful manner in sending out spurious
orders and messages. . . .
In his response (Jan. 21, 1895) Dr. Buck stated:
Aside from the insulting tone of the letter, which I pass by, I hereby
declare upon my honour that the above statements are from beginning
to end fabrications. There is not a word of truth in any single
statement therein contained.
Mrs. Besant having written Dr. Buck under date of Dec. 25th , 1894,
from Adyar: My poor friend, you told me you would take the karma
of defending Judge even at the cost of truth. Dr. Buck replied,
drawing a line under the words, even at the cost of truth: The
underlined portion is not mine, as you will see by referring to my
letter. . . . That means, if words have meaning, that I would disregard
known truth or wilfully prevaricate to uphold Judge. I never
knowingly did such a thing, or said it, or thought it.
Dr. Buck closed with:
America will disregard all these accusations (not disregard truth and
honour) and support Judge for his splendid work and character as we
know it. The evidence we have for him is far stronger than the
evidence yet brought against him. . . .
Note: See Dec. 21, 1894, Feb. 15, 1895, and Mar. 15, 1895

Jan. 25,
1895

LETTER TO EUROPEAN GENERAL SECRETARY from W.Q. Judge,

Vice-President T.S. to G.R.S. Mead, General Secretary of the
European Section. Discussed the accusations made against him, the
request made for him to resign as Vice-President, and commented on
the evidence not being provided to him by Besant.
In reply to the request that I shall resign the office of Vice-President.
. . . If it is proper I should now resign, it was just as much so in July
when your leading prosecutors had all the alleged evidence in their
possession. I regard resignation as evidence of guilt. If I resigned that
office I could not be in any way tried on any charges, and very soon
after a resignation the same might say I resigned to evade
responsibility. . . .
I cannot make a proper reply to the charges until I have in my
possession a copy of the documentary evidence which it was, or is,
proposed to use in support of the charges.
A Letter from Mr. Judge, with a Reply.
[from G.R.S. Mead, dated February 5th, 1895.]
NOTE: See Feb. 5, 1895 for Meads reply.
+ other letters from various Lodges

The Path,
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
pp.433-434
The Path, Vol. 10,
May 1895; p.61
Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, Mar. 1895;
pp.126-128
Lucifer, Vol. 16,
Mar. 1895; p.65

The Vahan,
Vol. 4, Mar. 1895;
pp.1-12

142
Jan. 25, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

THE CHARGES AGAINST WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

Letter by W.Q. Judge to the editor of the Irish Theosophist and
Lucifer:
I have not been furnished with copies of the documentary evidence
by which the charges are said to be supported. These documents
being letters written by myself and some of them ten years old have
been in the possession of Mrs. Besant from about February, 1894, to
July 19th, 1894, and open enemies of mine have been allowed to make
copies of them, and also to take facsimiles, but they have been kept
from me, although I have demanded and should have them.

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
pp.85-86
Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
p.65

THE JUDGE CASE, FINAL REFUSAL TO GIVE COPIES OF DOCUMENTS TO Irish Theosophist,
ACCUSED.
Vol. 3, May. 1895;
pp.132-133
NOTE: See May 15, 1895 and Feb. 26, 1895 entries.
Jan. 25, 1895
continued

Rebuttal to Judges letter to the Irish Theosophist by Walter R. Old.

NOTE: See Feb. 16, 1895.

Jan. 26,
1895

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
pp.66-67

Editorial notes, from Light, regarding Olcotts address at the Nineteenth Light, Vol. 15, Jan.
26, 1895; pp.37-38
Anniversary of the T.S.:
The rift in the Theosophical lute goes on widening. Mrs. Besants
long manifesto in the Daily Chronicle only makes it more clear that
Mr. Judge has been playing Mahatma. But the next day Colonel Olcott
came to the rescue in a very remarkable way. He, too, seems to imply
that Mr. Judge is guilty, but he opens a gate which promises to lead
into some very curious pastures at which also Mrs. Besant hints. The
suggestion is that Mr. Judge is a psychic or medium, and that he was
only used to produce forged papers. It is a dangerous doctrine, but we
shall hear much of it in the future, and society will have to add this to
its burdens and its puzzles.
NOTE: Mrs Besants long manifesto is found in The Theosophical
Society and the Westminster Gazette, (16 page pamphlet SS See
Dec. 23, 1895 and Jan. 16, 1895 entries).
NOTE: Also see Dec. 25-28, 1894 for more on Olcotts address or see
Appendix A, No. 5, for his entire address.

Chronology

Feb. 1895

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE PRESENT TROUBLES.

By Annie Besant. In her opening comments she stated:
Rightly or wrongly I am inclined to think wrongly I did not
feel justified in saying that I regarded some of these other messages
as deliberately written by Mr. Judge in pursuance of objects he
regarded as desirable for the T.S. and for himself, without a shadow
of authority from any higher source. Debarred from producing the
evidence which would have substantiated the assertion, I shrank from
making in public on my unsupported word a statement so damaging
to the reputation of another; that which I was prepared to prove before
the Committee, I was not prepared to state in public without the right
to substantiate by evidence an assertion so grave. As much of the
evidence has now been published, I feel at liberty to mention the
opinion I formed from it at the time.

143

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
pp.441-467
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.247

NOTE: In Mrs. Besants The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.82, she
stated that she was not able to produce documentary evidence as she
had destroyed it. [See Sep. 15-16, 1893]
Feb. 1895
continued

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE PRESENT TROUBLES.

Lucifer,
Includes: I. THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE WESTMINSTER Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
GAZETTE by Besant and B. Keightley, II. Should Mr. Judge Resign? pp.441-467
and III. LETTER TO THE E.S.T. COUNCIL, EASTERN DIVISION. Also included is
her address, with the proposed resolution for Judges resignation, at
the Nineteenth Anniversary, Dec. 1894.[See Dec. 25-28, 1894]
A. Besant commented on the resolution of the Dublin Lodge Never pp.467-468
to listen without protest to any evil spoken against a brother. She
added: But the rule set up by the Dublin Lodge is distinctly
mischievous. . . .

Feb. 1895
continued

Resolutions from the Indian Section asking W.Q. Judge to resign and from Lucifer,
some European Lodges asking him to reply to the charges made Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
against him.
pp.509-514

Feb. 1895
continued

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS. Editorial by Jerome A. Anderson.

Pacific Theos.,
Many, if not all, of these so-called charges against Wm. Q. Judge Vol. 5, Feb. 1895;
rest upon the evidence of private letters, said to have been written by pp.111-112
him, or by others, into which he had injected fraudulent messages,
etc. He listed a few square FACTS about these supposedly
fraudulent messages found in private letters. He closed with a plea to
keep the links unbroken until this strange frenzy of madness passes
away, and our mistaken brothers once more see clearly the great
wrong they are attempting to do to Wm. Q. Judge, and the infinitely
greater one they are doing to humanity.

144
Feb. 1895
continued

The Judge Case

A Common-sense View of MR. JUDGES CIRCULAR OF NOVEMBER

3RD, 1894, issued by Bertram Keightley in London.
Bertram Keightley stated:
Mr. Judges circular of November 3rd, 1894, to the members of the
E.S.T., is now a public document, both because it has been published
in full in the press of India and of England, and because it has been
formally declared public by Mrs. Besant, the official head of that body
outside of America. Hence there need be no hesitation in discussing
it in public; and therefore, since much confusion seems to exist in
many minds regarding the character of its contents, it may be desirable
to put before our members some purely common-sense considerations
bearing upon it, which, when clearly and plainly stated, may help to
clear away some of that confusion.
Included arguments against various statements made. [Keightley
claimed that Judge was guilty.]

Pamphlet, 8 pages

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
pp.58-64
Prasnottara,
Vol. 5, May 1895;
pp.39-48

[Mr. B. Keightley seems to have forgotten that it was Mrs. Besant

who violated her pledge of secrecy when she replied publicly to the
E.S. circular of Nov. 3, 1894 which caused the press of India and
England to publish the documents.]
Feb. 1895
continued

Comments on B. Keightleys circular A Common-Sense View of Mr. Atmas Messenger,

Judges Circular of November 3rd, 1894. From Atmas Messenger Apr. 1895; p.3
The Point of View by Kalekamiyuen
NOTE: See Nov. 3, 1894 and Apr. 1895.

Feb. 1895
continued

In a letter from Alice Cleather in England, she stated:

The Path, Vol. 9,
Some of us are getting out an antidote to the Westminster Gazette Feb. 1895; p.409
pamphlet in the shape of a reprint of Mr. Judges New York Sun
Reply, with a good deal of additional matter. Our pamphlet is
divided into four parts, as follows: 1, Mr. Judges Reply; 2,
Correspondence; 3, Comments and Criticisms; 4, A Final Word. It
will contain a reproduction of one of Mr. Judges recent photographs,
and is being very well gotten up, with a yellow cover.
NOTE: See Nov. 26,1894.

Feb. 1, 1895 A LETTER TO THE EUROPEAN SECTION.

A Circular issued by G.R.S. Mead on W.Q. Judge stating his position
that he had maintained neutrality up to this point, that he was now
speaking and had decided to go against W.Q. Judge.
Mead stated that W.Q.J. would have no authority in the E.S. in
Europe.
[Issued privately, not as General Secretary, at his own expense]

A Letter to The
European Section
(circular) by G.R.S.
Mead, 6 pages

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
Published in Lucifer under The Clash of Opinion. A Letter to the pp.500-505
European Section.
Theosophy, Vol. 15,
July 1927; p.391

Chronology
Feb. 1, 1895
continued

Letter from Mr. Fred J. Dick, of Dublin, to Branch Presidents of Lodges, The Vahan,
submitted corrections of dates and facts that were posted by Mead in Vol. 4, Mar. 1895;
Feb. issue of The Vahan. Criticized Mead for not posting the list of pp.3-4
names from the Dublin Lodge in support of W.Q. Judge. He claimed
that Mead had the list and refused to publish it. Olcott also refused to
bring the matter up at the Annual Convention at Adyar.
It was an expression of the convictions of many European Fellows
of the T.S. on matters before the Adyar Convention, and which
Colonel Olcott was, in my opinion, bound in honour to read to them.
Meads reply: I have simply to state that I received none of the copies
of the documents Mr. Dick refers to.

Feb. 1, 1895
continued

Feb. 1, 1895
continued

Brixton Lodge unanimously carried resolutions for W.Q. Judge not to Irish Theosophist,
resign and expressing its fullest confidence in William Q. Judge. Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
p.85
A PROTEST. To Members of the Theosophical Society in Europe. The Vahan,
signed by Julia Keightley, A.L. Cleather, and others (24 in total). Re: Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
G.R.S. Meads Notice of Dec. 31, 1894.
pp.6-7
NOTE: See Dec. 31, 1894.

Feb. 1, 1895
continued

Resolutions, etc., from Lodges and Centres as to what to do regarding The Vahan,
the accusations against Mr. Judge as well as Additional Signatures Vol. 4, Feb. 1895;
to the Dublin Lodge Circular. Formation of the new H.P.B. Lodge pp.10-16
was announced (p.14) and officers list (p.16).

Feb. 1, 1895
continued

J.D. Buck to E.S.T. members.

Circular Letter,
I have requested and obtained permission to send this to the E.S.T. 2 pages
members, inasmuch as so much bitterness and constant aggressiveness
have been shown by those who are opposed to Mr. Judge, it seemed
likely that important issues and facts might be overlooked, and also,
as, so far, Mr. Judge does not seem inclined to take active steps
himself.
He concludes with:
I will add some first-hand evidence. In London, in July, 1894, Mrs.
Besant made these assertions to me, not casually, but definitely, and
several times.
(1) That she believed that Mr. Judge was in communication with the
Masters.
(2) That she believed the messages he gave her were from the
Masters, but that she did not think the Master precipitated them.
(3) That she had seen the Master come into the body of W.Q. Judge,
he being conscious, and speak to her.
[J.D. Buck was one of the Judicial Committee that met July 10th, 1894
and had witnessed all the proceedings]

Feb. 1, 1895
continued

W.A. Bulmer received many letters in reply to his Jan. 1895 editorial on Northern Theos.
Judge. Letters eulogistic, letters condemnatory, letters pitying, Vol. 2, Feb. 1895;
blaming, and praising me.
pp.17-18

145

146

The Judge Case

Feb. 3, 1895 A Forgotten Pledge by Che-Yew-Tsang (E.T. Hargrove). Written without Pamphlet, 14 pages
Mr. Judges knowledge or consent, in which he revisited The
Meaning of a Pledge an article said to have been written by Dr.
Archibald Keightley which had appeared in Lucifer Vol. 3, pp.63-67.
Mentioned that Mr. Judge had endured similar attacks by
Theosophists as H.P.B. did.
Who was the centre of the attacks levelled some years ago? That
centre was H.P.B. And as that great conductor of the Societys Karma
is no longer visible here . . . another has to fill the office of scapegoat.
That scapegoat is William Q. Judge. If befoulment is necessary from
without, let it not come from within! The wise bird does not soil its
own nest.
NOTE: See H.P.B. letters to Judge Mar. 19, 1887 and Feb. 15, 1895
entries. See next cell for The Meaning of a Pledge.
Feb. 3, 1895
continued

In A FORGOTTEN PLEDGE by Che-Yew-Tsang, he quoted from The Pamphlet, 14 pages

Meaning of a Pledge.
(1) I pledge myself to endeavour to make theosophy a living factor in
my life.
(3) I pledge myself never to listen, without protest, to any evil thing
spoken of a Brother Theosophist, and to abstain from condemning
others.
(4) I pledge myself to maintain a constant struggle against my lower
nature, and to be charitable to the weaknesses of others.
NOTE: Only three clauses were quoted in Hargroves pamphlet. For all
the clauses see The Meaning of a Pledge in Blavatsky: Collected
Writings, Vol. 12, p.506.

Feb. 3, 1895
continued

Rebuttal by G.R.S. Mead, The Legend of Che-Yew-Tsang:

Lucifer,
The pamphlet is a violent attack on Mrs. Besant. . . . These articles Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
were powerfully written and attracted wide notice. . . .
pp.1-5
NOTE: See Mar. 1895 (early)
Letter by A. Keightley on Meads rebuttal. Mentioned that Mead:
Lucifer,
[Y]ou deliberately and obstinately deceived yourself, asserting that Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
Che-Yew-Tsang must be an Adept, although Mr. Hargrove was pp.160-161
careful to write you that he spoke without the least authority.
He also defended Mrs. Keightleys name that she did not know the
identity of Che-Yew-Tsang when Mead had asked her.
NOTE: See The Plot Against the Theosophical Society by Dr. A.
Keightley, Apr. 3, 1895 and Oct./Dec. 1893.

Feb. 4, 1895 Letter from E.A. Neresheimer addressed to My Dear Lucifer,

Lucifer,
The attitude of the members of the T.S. in America, as far as has Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
been ascertained and expressed, is decidedly and absolutely averse to p.68
a spirit of further persecution. The charges cannot be proved nor
disproved.
Mr. Judge has stated that they were false; our belief in his integrity
is unquestioned, his character and record being beyond reproach
we will not consent to the re-opening of the charges nor to his
resigning the office of Vice-President. . . .

Chronology
Feb. 4, 1895
continued

The Theosophists and Mr. W.Q. Judge.

Light, Vol. 15,
Mr. H. T. Edge takes issue with an article on the Adyar Convention, Feb. 9, 1895; p.71
by Thomas Williams, published in Light, Feb. 2, 1895. Edge defended
W.Q. Judge as a teacher of truth, and stated that Williams had:
fallen a victim to the latest plot to destroy the Theosophical Society,
and become a tool of the plotters whoever they are. . . . You sir, as
a Spiritualist, should be able to sympathise with one who has fallen a
victim to the ruthless and unprincipled tactics followed by outraged
materialism and bigotry, to discredit and destroy a power that menaces
their very existence. . . .
. . . No shred of proof can we obtain as to Mr. Judges guilt from his
accusers; yet we are asked to assume him guilty until he is proved
innocent.
NOTE: See Feb. 16, 1895 for Mr. Thomas Williams reply on other matters
mentioned in H.T, Edges letter in defence of Mr. Judge.

Feb. 5, 1895

Letter from G.R.S. Mead, Gen. Sec. European Section T.S. to W.Q. Judge The Vahan,
in response to Judges letter of Jan. 25, 1895. Accused Judge of Vol. 4, Mar. 1895;
publishing shameful attacks on others.
pp.2-3
It certainly would have been proper for you to resign in July until
you had fulfilled the promise made in your first circular of March 15th,
1894, that you would be willing to have the matter investigated,
though not officially by the Judicial Committee. In July you argued
that the charges did not lie against Vice-President, and now you argue
the exact contrary. The reason for resignation is to avoid friction and
stress in the Society and does not fix guilt upon you. Such resignation
is the invariable custom.
Claimed that Judge was not satisfied with an exact copy of every
word she would have used before the Judicial Committee but that he
wanted the original letters handed over to him.
NOTE: See Jan. 25, 1895 for W.Q. Judges letter.

Feb. 6, 1895 Letter from the Secretary, Fred J. Dick, of The Dublin Lodge to the Irish Theosophist,
Executive Committee of the European Section T.S.
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
At a meeting convened for the purpose of considering a Voting Paper p.85
issued by Mr. Mead . . . held this evening, it was
Resolved: That this Lodge declines to take action by voting either for
or against the suggested Resolution for the following reasons,
namely:
1. That Mr. Mead has exceeded the duties of his office in issuing such
Voting Paper:
2. That the vote would be Unconstitutional:
3. That it calls in question the decision of the Judicial Committee
appointed under the Constitution:
4. And therefore that this Lodge declines to be bound by the result of
any such vote.
NOTE: See Feb. 1, 1895.

147

148

The Judge Case

Feb. 7, 1895 Article to The Sun(New York):

The Sun
W.Q. Judge Asked to Go. The Theosophical Convention at Madras Rules Feb. 7, 1895; p.6
Against Him by Axel Wachtmeister, who was present at the
Nineteenth Anniversary of the T.S., Madras. Wachtmeister stated
how:
[Mrs. Besant] described the reasons why she had first of all felt
convinced that the messages from Mr. Judge under the Masters name
were not what they purported to be; how she had sued the President
to take steps toward holding an official inquiry in London; how at that
inquiry she had been checkmated by Mr. Judge through what is called
a demurrer. . . ; how she then returned the documents pertaining to
the case to their official owner, the President, Col. Olcott, and also
written a protest and declaration to the leading papers; how she had
been impeded in taking further action at the time, because she had the
very next morning to leave England en route for Australia in order to
be in time to keep her lecturing engagement there; how the evidence
in the Westminster Gazette, distorted and vulgarized, but in the main
based on facts, had reached her on her arrival at Colombo . . . and how
she now felt compelled to move a resolution to request the President
to call on Mr. Judge to resign his office of Vice-President until he had
cleared himself from the charges. . . .
This resolution was carried unanimously. . . .
NOTE: See Nov. 25, 1894; Nov. 26, 1894; and Dec.25-28, 1894.
Feb. 13,
1895

Mr. Judge whose health has utterly broken down, left New York on the The Path, Vol. 9,
13th for a months rest and treatment. It is hoped that change of air and Mar. 1895; p.439
relief from work will enable him to rally.
Early in 1895, Mr. Judge went to Mineral Wells, Texas, trying to
regain his health. Katherine Tingley had rented a house for him, and
by taking care of him and acting as his amanuensis when he was too
ill to write himself. . . .
He later returned to New York to prepare for the Boston Convention.

Feb. 15,
1895

THREE GREAT IDEAS.

By W.Q. Judge which should never be lost sight of.

WQJ T. Pioneer,
p.34
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1, p.liii
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
p.73
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 1, pp.242-243

Chronology

149

Feb. 15, 1895

continued

HISTORY REPEATED
Irish Theosophist,
A letter of H.P. Blavatsky, dated Ostende, March 19th, 1887, seems Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
so applicable to the present hour that we have permission to repeat it pp.76-77
thus in print. Ed.
Having heard from my dear old W.Q. Judge how kindly disposed you
are toward me, and having received from him several messages on
your behalf, let me tell you how grateful I feel for your kind
expressions of sympathy.
Yes, the work has brought upon me contumely, ignominy of all
kinds, hatred, malice and slander. Were it only from the outsiders I
would mind very little. But, sad to say, it is the Theosophists chiefly
who tear me to pieces. . . .
Dear and far distant friend, that is private and strictly confidential. I
open my poor old aching heart before you. If Judge has such a great
esteem for you, you must be worth all that he thinks.
NOTE: See March 19, 1887.

Feb. 15, 1895

continued

ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. By (George Russell)

Irish Theosophist,
The intuitive trust which so many members of the T.S. have in Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
William Q. Judge, to my mind shows that he is a real teacher. . . . pp.77-79
When a clamour of many voices arises making accusations, pointing
to time, place and circumstance; to things which we cannot personally
investigate, it is only the spirit within us can speak and decide.

Feb. 15, 1895

continued

A REMINISCENCE of W.Q. Judge and A Keightleys visit to Dublin

Lodge on Nov. 27, 1888.
W.Q. Judge stated:
The first and vital object of the Society was the establishment of the
Universal Brotherhood of Humanity.
Dr. Keightley in the course of his remarks added:
He was glad to see that the Dublin Lodge had recognized the fact by
placing the notable quotation from Lucifer (November 1887) which
was the utterance of a Master upon its walls.
NOTE: See Nov. 27, 1888.

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
pp.79-81

AN OLD MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER by W.Q. Judge.

Re: a letter received Nov. 1, 1891 while Judge was in Wyoming:
This is meant for A.P.S. Have you the courage to send it. [Signed by
M.]
I had the courage, copied it at the time it was received, and sent the
original to Mr. Sinnett by mail from Wyoming. . . .
Very probably Mr. Sinnett will not contest the genuineness of the
message because he sent me, nearly about that time, a letter from
himself addressed to the Master, requesting me to transmit it and
procure the answer, if any.
Rebuttal by A.P. Sinnett dated Feb. 26, 1895:
The letter in question was merely a reply to the message
spontaneously sent. At the time I merely doubted its authenticity and
thought it best to send a reply on the hypothesis that there might be
some genuine origin for the message, however it might have been
distorted.

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1895;
pp.84-85

Feb. 15, 1895

continued

The Path, Vol. 3,

Mar. 1889; p.393

WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.309-310

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
pp.106-107

150
Feb. 15, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

To the Editor of THE IRISH THEOSOPHIST from J.D. Buck.

Irish Theosophist,
Much has been said in regard to a committee of honour, and Mr. Vol. 3, Apr. 1895;
Judge has been charged with evading it. I declare and can prove that pp.126-128
this is not true. He evaded it no more than did those arrayed against
him, for all agreed that it would be useless at that stage of the
proceedings, as the result in any case would be accepted by one party
only. . . . The methods employed from the beginning have been the
most mistaken that could have been suggested. My object in saying
this is not to locate blame . . . but to suggest whether it be wiser to
continue in evil lines fraught already with so much bitterness, or to let
wiser counsels prevail.
NOTE: See Feb. 1, 1895.

Feb. 15, 1895

continued

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE PRESENT TROUBLES.

Lucifer,
Mrs. Besant commented:
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
Before I left England in July I had received from Dr. Buck the p.442
assurance of his conviction SS reiterated by him to Countess
Wachtmeister in America SS that Mr. Judge had received so severe a
lesson that there would be no more of these red pencil missives. . . .
NOTE: See March 15, 1895 for comments by Dr. J.D. Buck

Feb. 16,
1895

The Theosophists and Mr. W. Q. Judge.

Light,
Letter from Thomas Williams in Light. Williams refuted H. T. Edges Vol. 15, Feb. 16,
Feb. 4th letter and claimed, that before Mr. Judge came to England, 1895; pp.82-83
Mrs. Besant did send him an exact copy of the whole statement she
was going to make before the Judicial Committee, including a copy of
every document she was going to use and every argument she was
going to employ. This most unusual course she took because she was
determined not to take even the advantages the law allows the accuser
in such a case. It is, therefore, more quibbling for Mr. Judge to say
that up to date he has received no copies of the alleged forgeries; nor
is it straightforward to say that he entreated daily to be shown copies
of these letters, but his demands were continually ignored, when, as
matter of fact, he did not confine his demand to copies only, but
required that the originals be entirely handed over to him.
NOTE: See March 1895 (Early) entry regarding demands for W.Q.J.s
explanation; Mr. Judge maintained that he still had not received
copies of the documentary evidence. See also Feb. 4, 1895 and July
10, 1894 entries.

Chronology
Feb. 16, 1895
continued

To the Editor of LUCIFER.

Lucifer,
A rebuttal by Walter R. Old to Mr. H.T. Edges Feb. 4th letter in Light Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
pp.66-67
and to Mr. Thomas Williams letter of Feb 16th . He stated:
Not content with this exceptional consideration at Mrs. Besants
hands, it would appear that Mr. Judges request extended to the entire
handing over to him of the original documents, not copies merely.
Quoted Besant as saying she gave Judge a copy of every document
she was going to use, and of every argument she was going to
employ.
Also denied that Judges open enemies have been allowed to make
copies of the evidence. Old added:
I am the only person who holds certified copies of the documents. I
was not allowed to take such copies; I secured such in self-defence at
the time of my handing over the originals to Mrs. Besant; for it must
be remembered that I had already brought charges against Mr. Judge,
which at that date I had not had an opportunity of proving, and I was
determined that if the charges were preferred, the evidence, so far as
I held it, should go along with them, as is only just and right.
NOTE: See Feb. 23, 1895 for Judges reply. Also see Feb. 21, 1895 for
H.S. Olcotts reply to Annie Besants request to return to her the
documents on which the charges against Judge were based.

Feb. 16, 1895

continued

Letter from George W. Russell re: Besants implication that the ethical Lucifer,
principle on which the defence of Mr. Judge was based is contradicted Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
by the teaching of the Master.
pp.68-69
NOTE: Refers to Some Words on Daily Life [see Sep. 15, 1891 entry]
and WHY I BECAME A THEOSOPHIST [see Sep. 15, 1889 entry].

Feb. 17,
1895

Letter of Wm. Lindsay to Countess Wachtmeister from London, (posted Irish Theosophist,
March 1st). Countess Wachtmeister had thought fit to publish in Vol. 3, May 1895;
Lucifer part of Wm. Lindsays letter to her. He therefore sent a copy p.141
of the full text to the Irish Theosophist with a request to publish it.
It read in part:
What you told me was, that before H.P.B. died she showed you a box
wherein was Masters seal, and that immediately after H.P.B.s death
you took the box with the Masters seal in it into your keeping, and
that the box was not in anyone elses hands till given over by you to
Annie Besant on her return from America. When the box was opened
by Annie Besant the Masters seal was not to be found in it, and all
that took place before Mr. W.Q. Judge came to England [May 21,
1891].
NOTE: Refer to Mar. 20, 1895, letter of Countess Wachtmeister and to
April 23, 1895 for letter from William Lindsay.
NOTE: See also May 9, 1891 (est.); May 28-29, 1891; 1892; May 14,
1895 entries.

151

152

The Judge Case

Feb. 18,
1895

DR. HARTMANN ON THE CRISIS.

The Path,
Franz Hartmann wrote to W.Q.J.:
Vol. 10, Apr. 1895;
My conviction is that the T.S. needs a leader who has obtained a pp.17-19
certain amount of Self-knowledge. My conviction that you have found
the Master, the Self, is not based upon any external evidence, but upon
direct recognition of a truth that has been shown to me, and I therefore
say: Do not resign!
[Refers to Lucifer, Vol. 15, Feb. 1895, pp.500-514.]

Feb. 21,
1895

Letter from H.S. Olcott, from Ootacamund, in response to Annie Besants

request to return to her the documents on which the charges preferred
by me last July against Mr. W.Q. Judge. Olcott wrote:
After mature reflection, I have decided to comply with the request
contained in your letter of the 20th ultimo, as it seems reasonable that
the Delegates in the approaching Special Convention of the European
Section should be allowed the opportunity of knowing the evidence
upon which your charges against the Vice-President T.S. were based,
before committing themselves by formal vote to a recommendation to
me of specific official action in the case. I wish it known at the same
time that, since they came into my possession after the abortive
meeting of the Judicial Committee, I have had them under lock and
key and nobody has been allowed to copy or even read them;
furthermore, that the copies and facsimiles made by Mr. Old were
taken while they were in his custody, in the earliest stages of the
inquiry, and published without my consent or by lawful authority. The
issue not having been tried, I considered it improper to give them
publicity unless new and imperative contingencies should arise. Such
is now the fact; and, as it is evident that the case can never be
equitably settled without the circulation of these papers, and as Mr.
Judge complains that he was not permitted to see them, my present
decision is reached.
Before you sail, I shall confide the documents to your custody once
more, on the conditions of their return to me intact on my arrival in
London in June, of your placing your statement and the evidence in
the hands of the General Secretary of the European Section for
distribution to Branches and Members, and of his supplying a certified
copy of the evidence to Mr. Judge for his information and use.
NOTE: See Jan. 20, 1895

The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
Supp. p.xx
Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
pp.163-164

Chronology

Feb. 23,
1895

A Further Communication from Mr. Judge.

The Vahan,
Letter from W.Q. Judge to G.R.S. Mead, General Secretary of the Vol. 4, Apr. 1895;
European Section.
pp.1-2
th
On January 25 , I sent to you as General Secretary of your section,
a general letter replying to several communications from some of your
Lodges, so that you, as the proper officer, might communicate it. But
instead of pursuing the impartial course as required by your office,
you have taken up the position of prosecutor, attorney, and pleader
against me, making a long argumentative reply, full of assertions and
conclusions of your own, and signed officially, so that you might print
it, as you say, with my letter, in THE VAHAN. . . .
You refer me to the fact that Mrs. Besant sent me a copy of what she
meant to say to the Committee, and you attempt to make it appear that
that very amateur attempt at a legal brief contained the testimony and
the documents I require. It did not and does not. I have it. It is a
special plea full of distortions, devoid of evidence, containing scraps
of documents, devoid of documents referred to, and wholly
incompetent. Mrs. Besants intentions as to what she would say, do
not settle matters. . . . Furthermore, I am entitled to have the entire
contents of letters used in evidence, though she sought to introduce
disjointed scraps only.
You say I demanded that my letters be handed over to my possession.
This I could have done but did not. . . . But it is useless for you and
others to try to obscure the fact that no inspection of the documents
was given me until July 19th, nearly six days after the Convention, and
that no copies have been given; and you yourself heard Mrs. Besant
promise in Committee the copies to me. . . .
NOTE: See Jan. 25, 1895 entry.

Feb. 23, 1895

continued

FROM MME. BLAVATSKYS SISTER.

The Path,
Letter from Vera P. Jelihovsky (H.P.B.s sister) claiming that around Vol. 10, Apr. 1895;
1891 she had a very vivid feeling that Mrs. Besant must not go to pp.25-26
India, because the results of her voyage would be bad, dangerous,
harmful, and disastrous to the extreme. . . .
. . . So I resolved to write to my daughter, Mrs. Vera Johnston, in
London, asking her to transmit to Mrs. Besant my profound conviction
that it would not be safe for her to go over to India, or to interfere with
any other branch of the Theosophical Society elsewhere than in
England, for I knew for sure that my sister Helen was against it.
Said she warned Besant but Besant said I am ordered to go. Vera
thought then and there that she [Besant] was mistaken (now I am sure
of it!); that if she was really to perform the will of One whom my
sister loved and venerated so devotedly, I would not have received so
deep an impression to contradict her intention.
NOTE: See Dec. 1893, Dec. 25th entry and Oct. 1891. See also May 5/ 18,
1896.

153

154

Feb. 26,
1895

The Judge Case

FINAL REFUSAL TO GIVE COPIES OF DOCUMENTS TO ACCUSED.

Irish Theosophist,
W.Q. Judge quoted a letter from H.S. Olcott.
Vol. 3, May 1895;
. . . I dont know where you get your law from, but hang me if I ever pp.132-133
heard of an accused who has been furnished with a copy of the
charges pending against him, expecting that the documentary proofs
in the hands of the prosecuting attorney shall be given him before the
issue is on for trial. . . . I have given copies to nobody.
Mr. Judge added: The law requires inspection and copies of letters
if demanded by the accused; Theosophy and brotherhood would not
require less than law.
NOTE: See May 15, 1895.
NOTE: Old had made unauthorised copies before Olcott was in possession
of the evidence. See Dec. 25-28, 1894; also see Oct. 1894 and Jan. 25,
1895 entries.

Feb. 26, 1895

continued

Irish Theosophist,
Letter from Sinnett to The Irish Theosophist.
In reference to an article by Mr. Judge in the last number of The Irish Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
Theosophist [AN OLD MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER], I feel reluctantly pp.106-107
compelled to deny that I regard the message he sent me as genuine.
NOTE: See notes of Feb. 15, 1895.

Feb. 27,
1895

To the Editors of LUCIFER.

Letter from J.D. Buck correcting a statement that Annie Besant had
made concerning him and his attitude on the Judge Case.
I am made to express the conviction that Mr. Judge is guilty as
charged by Mrs. Besant, and that he has been so severely punished
that he will do it no more. I never had, nor have I now, any such
conviction of Mr. Judges guilt, but on the contrary, I believe him
entirely innocent of wrong-doing and the subject of a relentless
persecution, conceived through misapprehension, but followed by a
zeal that is blind and unreasoning, and therefore full of all
uncharitableness.

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
pp.159-160
The Path,
Vol. 10, Apr. 1895;
p.23
Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, Apr. 1895;
p.151

NOTE: See Feb. 1895 entry. THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE
PRESENT TROUBLES.
Mar. 1895
(Early)

THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE JUDGE CASE.

Prasnottara,
The Indian Section has demanded his resignation of the office of Vol. 5, No. 50, Mar.
Vice-President, and has further requested the President-Founder to 1895; pp.10-13
seek at Mr. Judges hands a satisfactory explanation of the charges
against him, and failing such explanation to take steps for his
expulsion from the T.S.
NOTE: See Dec. 25-28, 1894 entry.

Chronology
Mar. 1895
(Early)
continued

CORRESPONDENCE.
The Path,
Letter from E.T. Hargrove explaning why the identity of Che-Yew- Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
Tsang wasnt revealed in the February issue of The Path as promised p.434
in the circular A Forgotten Pledge.
The reason for this silence was that I had intended the article on Our
Overwhelming Virtues to appear in the same number as the letter to
Julius, if the editor would allow it. The article was to have been
signed Che-Yew-Tsang, with the name Ernest T. Hargrove in brackets
beneath. If that arrangement had been carried out there would have
been no need to give the latter name in the letter to which I refer. I
wrote accordingly to the editor before the arrival here of the January
issue. When this arrived I found in it Our Overwhelming Virtues, but
owing to great pressure of work I failed to catch the February issue in
time to make the necessary alteration and arrange for the insertion of
the name in the letter to Julius. That is all.
NOTE: See Feb. 3, 1895 A Forgotten Pledge. Also see in The Path, for
the letter to Julius. Vol. 9, Feb. 1895, pp.401-402
NOTE: See May 1, 1895. A. Besants version on how she came to know
of the identity of the Chinaman.
Also see May 21, 1895.

Mar. 1895

The Legend of Che-Yew-Tsang. By G.R.S. Mead.

Lucifer,
On receiving the first article I was struck by the intimate knowledge Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
possessed by the writer concerning the inner lines of thought of our pp.1-5
intimate circle, and as Mrs. Keightley and all at Headquarters then
expressed the same ignorance of the source of the article, and as I had
implicit confidence in all on such matters, I concluded that the writer
had a knowledge which was not derived by physical contact with us,
and that he was what he claimed to be. . . . a bon fide oriental with a
most intimate knowledge of the Society.
Includes comments on the above articles by E.T. Hargrove and his
later pamphlet, A Forgotten Pledge.
NOTE: See Feb.3, 1895 and Mar. 1895 (early) entries.

155

156

Mar. 5,
1895

The Judge Case

According to Mr. Neresheimer, at 10 oclock a.m., this date, instructions To the Members of
were received through Mrs. K. Tingley (then anonymous as the E.S.T.
Promise) from the Masters. . . . it was through this person that the Apr. 3, 1896; p.16
instruction was given to us. . . . in the following words:
March 5th, 1895. This course should be adopted at the Convention;
it cannot be avoided. If any time is wasted much will be lost; a split
should be declared in such a way that it will leave the door open for
the others when they wish to restore harmony. America must insist
that it can no longer submit to such friction, intolerance and
untheosophical work.
It declares itself independent until the disrupting forces bring the
fight to a close. Unless this is done another year will pass in turmoil
and strife and the chief aims of the Masters work retarded.
You must fix it so that it will be well planned and no mistakes.
Consult with SSSSSSS at once.
San Francisco and Boston will join heartily; others will follow.
Under no circumstances must Mr. Judge know of this.
NOTE: See Nov.25, 1931 entry.

Mar. 5, 1895
continued

A Circular letter to Fellow Theosophists by Robert B. Holt from London. Circular letter,
1 page
Claimed that:
Two things seem to be forgotten by some of us. First that our
allegiance is due to Truth only; secondly, that all pledges are given to
the moral law.
It is because I cannot reconcile these duties with the pretensions of
Mr. Judge that I am compelled to renounce his leadership. . . .
When grave charges were reluctantly formulated against him [Mr.
Judge], instead of meeting them with the frankness proper to a man
conscious of his integrity, he endeavoured to stifle all enquiries with
legal technicalities.

Mar. 11,
1895

To Editor of the Pacific Theosophist: by Alice Cleather.

She expressed her confidence in W.Q. Judge and called attention to
the wording of the notice sent out by Count Leiningen. He was
sending out voting papers to the Vienna Lodge members with the
object of getting votes in favour of forcing Mr. Judge to resign the
office of Vice-President.
It runs as follows: (Translated by Dr. Hartmann.)
W.Q. Judge having been convicted of having practiced cheating for
many years, the matter has become public, and it is our duty to force
him to resign, Please fill out the enclosed voting-blank. . . .
I may add that I have sent an exact copy of the above to the
Theosophist, Lucifer and the Vahan, for insertion in their columns.
[Her letter was never published by these magazines.]

Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, Apr. 1895;
pp.151-152
The Path, Vol. 10,
Apr. 1895; pp.23-24

Chronology

Mar. 15,
1895

A Common-Sense View of MR. JUDGES CIRCULAR OF NOVEMBER Lucifer,

Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
3RD, 1894.
Bertram Keightleys criticism of Mr. Judges E.S.T. circular, By pp.58-64
Masters Direction, of Nov. 3, 1894. Claimed that Judge was
suffering from self-assertion and self-glorification and that this
circular claims to be written by Masters direction and invokes His
authority on every page!
NOTE: See Nov.3, 1894; Jan. 11, 1894 and Feb.1895 entries.

Mar. 15, 1895

continued

Dr. A. Keightleys reply to Besants article THE THEOSOPHICAL Irish Theosophist,

SOCIETY AND THE PRESENT TROUBLES. [See Feb. 1895 entry]
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
He stated that evidence was not sent, that a brief only has been pp.89-98
sent to W.Q.J.
I am told by three persons who have seen this brief that there are
under a dozen pieces of evidence given. . . . It cannot be denied that
Mrs. Besant intended to use against him all the seventy-eight or more
pieces of evidence quoted. . . .
Moreover, Mr. Judge has not even seen all the evidence. . . .
Furthermore, Mrs. Besant at Richmond, in July,1894, promised Mr.
Judge in the presence of Mr. Mead, Dr. Buck, Mr. B. Keightley, Mrs.
A. Keightley and myself, that he should have copies of all the
evidence. [p.94]
Mrs Besant then agreed that the copies should be given. Four of the
seven persons present remembered this as here set forth. The copies
NEVER have been given, and the statement made by Mr. Judge in his
letter, published by Mr. Mead in The Vahan, and in The Irish
Theosophist for February, 1895, is in every particular correct.[p.95]
Mr. A. Keightley also contradicted Besants views about how Judges
E.S.T. circular of Nov. 3, 1894, By Masters Direction, could have
been published in The Westminster Gazette.
[C]opies of a circular sent to Mrs. Besants E.S.T. Council (ten, I
think, in number) and the I.G. . . . These were the only copies signed
and in an unusual manner by Mr. Judge. One of these signed
copies was published in part . . . by The Westminster Gazette, and the
exact signature reproduced. These were the only signed copies except
my own. . . . Therefore one of the remaining members of Mrs.
Besants own E.S.T. Council published the circular to which she
refers. [p.95-96]
B. Keightleys comments I was present at Richmond in July, 1894, Lucifer,
on the occasion referred to by Dr. Keightley. Mrs. Besant did not Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
promise Mr. Judge that he should have copies of all the evidence in pp.161-162
the sense of any undertaking to provide him with such.

157

158
Mar. 15, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

TRUTH AND OCCULTISM.

Irish Theosophist,
Dr. Buck denies the accuracy of Annie Besant and C. Wachtmeister Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
in regard to quoting him.
pp.89-92
NOTE: See Dec. 21, 1894 and Jan. 21, 1895 for C. Wachtmeister letter
and Dr. Bucks reply.
In his response to A. Besants letter of Dec.25, 1894 (and enclosing
a copy of C. Wachtmeisters letter), he wrote:
. . . See how these things go. When will we come to an end of them?
This statement by the Countess is without a single fact to stand on, but
taken with yours will be believed and go against Judge. . . . I never
said to anyone that Judge was guilty or I believed him guilty; but
always I do not know, and defended him solely from what I do
know, viz., his great work and general character, leaving the rest
without prejudice one way or another. It seems to me that you might
understand this position whether you approve it or not.
NOTE: See Feb. 15, 1895 and Dec. 21, 1894; and Jan. 21, 1895.

Mar. 15, 1895

continued

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE PRESENT TROUBLES.

A. Besants long editorial comments on the Judge Case. Includes
alleged comments by Dr. Buck regarding red pencil missives by W.Q.
Judge, as well as resolutions carried at Anniversary Meeting held at
the Headquarters, Adyar, Madras.

Lucifer,
Vol. 15, Feb. 1895;
pp.441, 456 [441468]

NOTE: See issues of the Annual Convention of the Indian Section Dec.
25-28, 1894 and Feb. 15, 1895 and Feb. 1895 for outline of contents.
Mar. 15, 1895
continued

THE T. S. CONSTITUTION. By Fred J. Dick.

Irish Theosophist,
There are a few points in March Vahan . . . it is well to note the Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
admission of our General Secretary [G.R.S. Mead] that last years p.100
Judicial Committee proved the disability of the Constitution to
grapple with the difficulty. The obvious inference . . . is that we have
to go outside the Constitution to grapple with the difficulty (of
keeping up the hue and cry?). This agrees well with Mr. H. Burrows
recent declaration to the Blavatsky Lodge that we make a mistake in
applying theosophical principles to the present crisis.

Chronology
Mar. 15, 1895
continued

159

A MAHATMAS MESSAGE TO SOME BRAHMANS.

Text of the Prayag Letter with comments by W.Q. Judge published
(Mahatma Letters, 2nd ed., pp.461-463, Nov. 4th, 1881; Readers
Guide to Mahatma Letters, 2nd ed., 1988, pp.90-91). [Message from
the Masters through H.P.B. to the Prayag (Allahabad) Branch of the
T.S., of which Chakravarti was a member.]

The Path,
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
pp.430-431

Annie Besant denied the authenticity of the Prayag Letter:

I do not regard the letter as genuine, but I have never attributed it to
H.P.B. . . .
The publication of the letter, if it should be regarded as from H.P.B.,
may do some harm to the Theosophical Society in India, and will
certainly injure her memory, as it is in flagrant contradiction with her
definite and published teachings. The recipients of it wisely kept it to
themselves, and thus little harm was done by it, beyond the shutting
out of the Theosophical Society of a few men who would have been
useful members.
Included are three of W.Q. Judges letters re: the Prayag letter.
[Letters dated London, July 4, 1893; NY, Sep. 28, 1893; NY, Jan. 12,
1894]

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, July 1895;
pp.375-379

Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
p.448 [448-454]

Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.49-52

NOTE: See Besants comments in March 1895 (late) and Feb. 14, 1894.
Mar. 15, 1895
continued

PERSONAL NOTES.
The Lamp, Vol. 1,
Mr. Judges ill-health has rendered a months absolute rest Mar. 1895; p.125
imperative.

Mar. 15, 1895

continued

Note by D.N. Dunlop that in 1889 H.P.B. gave Mr. Judge a photo, on Irish Theosophist,
which are the following words: To my dear and loyal colleague, Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
W.Q. Judge. This bears the Masters signature. I believe Mrs. Besant p.108
has seen it, and declared it to be genuine.

Mar. 19,
1895

Letter by A. Keightley to G.R.S. Mead defending Dr. Zander, H. Coryn The Vahan, Vol. 4,
and himself against allegations made by Mead that they accepted Apr. 1895; pp.4-5
Judge unqualifiedly and they therefore have no choice but to
support Mr. Judge in all his policy.
Also commented on Mead advocating that Besant publish the
prosecutors brief against Judge which is incomplete and onesided while still refusing to furnish Judge with copies of the
evidence.
Meads reply: It is time for all of us to have this document before us. p.6
If it is so unfair, so weak, so paltry, it will be all the easier for Mr.
Judge to refute it.

160

Mar. 20,
1895

The Judge Case

Letter by C. Wachtmeister in response to a letter from William Lindsay to Lucifer,

her. She stated:
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
H.P.B. never shewed me the seal above named. I did not even know pp.164-165
of its existence. I had seen the impression of the seal during H.P.B.s
life-time, but not the seal itself, and I believed these impressions to be
from a genuine seal belonging to the Master.
Followed by endorsements of Wachtmeisters denial by Isabel
Cooper-Oakley and Laura Mary Cooper, and B. Keightley.
Reply by W. Lindsay, dated Apr. 23, 1895, to the above including his Irish Theosophist,
original letter to Countess Wachtmeister dated Feb. 17, 1895 in which Vol. 3, May 1895;
he advised her he was planning to use her statement which she had pp.141-142
given him for use if at any time required.[See April 23, 1895.]
NOTE: See Feb. 17, 1895; May 14, 1895; also see May 28-29, 1891, Re:
Beginning of troubles with Masters seal or H.P.B.s seal.
Mr. Lindsays letter is scarcely less interesting, recounting as it does The Path,
the Countess Wachtmeisters various renderings of the story of the Vol. 10, July 1895;
Masters seal.
p.131
NOTE: See 1892 entry for more on H.P.B.s seal.

Mar. 20, 1895

continued

Circular, 2 pages
To Fellow Theosophists, by Robert B. Holt.
Mrs. Besant gave her entire confidence to Mr. Judge and he betrayed Mar. 20, 1895
it. . . .
Think what it must have cost a woman of her ability and reputation
to have to add, I now know they were not written or precipitated by
the Masters, and that they were done by Mr. Judge. This was publicly
acknowledging herself to be a duped simpleton. But Truth demanded
the avowal and she unhesitatingly made it.
Defends Besants honor, maintaining that she was sincere in bringing T.N.C.A.B.
charges against Judge.
Item 1964, p.539
NOTE: See also Mar. 5, 1895 for Robert B. Holts first Fellow
Theosophists circular.

Chronology

Mar. 27,
1895

161

POSTSCRIPT
The Theosophist,
H.S. Olcotts rebuttal to Judges publication of the Prayag Letter.
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
[Olcott] pronounces the message a false one and if this is likely to pp.475-476
shatter H.P.B.s oft-declared infallibility as the transmitter of only
genuine messages from the Masters, so let it be: the sooner the
monstrous pretence is upset the better for her memory and for a noble
cause. . . . [T]he writer . . . reiterates, for the hundredth time, that
H.P.B. was as human and fallible as either one of us, and that what
she wrote and taught, and what was written through her, should be
judged strictly on its intrinsic merits and by no standard of presumed
authority. . . .
. . . Is it not absurd, then, to imagine that any Master, in even the
most casual relations with the Society, would indulge in this insulting
attack upon Brahmanic philosophy. . . .
NOTE: See Mar. 15, 1895 entry.
H.S. OLCOTT VS. H.P.B. by W.Q. Judge.
Olcott does not like [the Prayag Letter] because he lives in India, and
it is too gallingly true. . . .
The message condemns bigotry. The persons to whom it was sent
were then of the most theologically bigoted families. . . . [T]o their
superstitions, to their upholding idolatry, to the horrors of caste, the
letter adverts. The whole letter rings true and strong.

The Path,
Vol. 10, June 1895;
pp.81-83

DR. HARTMANN READS THE POSTSCRIPT.

It seems almost incredible how anybody, to say nothing of a
president-founder, could misconstrue and confound that message [the
Prayag Letter]. . . . in which the Master asks them to strive to outgrow
their orthodox beliefs and superstitions, faith in gods, or a (separate)
god, and to attain real knowledge.
Great must be the power of Mr. Chakravarti and his orthodox
colleagues, if they can spread so much darkness over Adyar. The very
air in that place seems to be reeking with envy, jealousy, conceit and
above all ingratitude.

WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.332-334

Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.203-204

Theosophy, Vol. 3,
June 1915; p.374
The Path,
Vol. 10, June 1895;
pp.96-97

NOTE: See May 15, 1895 entry.

Mar. 1895
(Late)

A Common-Sense View of MR. JUDGES CIRCULAR OF NOVEMBER Lucifer,

Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
3RD, 1894. By Bertram Keightley.
pp.58-64
NOTE: See Feb. 1895 entry.
Prasnottara,
Vol. 5, No. 52, May
1895; pp.39-48

162
Mar. 1895
(Late)
continued

The Judge Case

THE PERSECUTION OF WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. The Object in View.

By W.Q. Judge.
The design from the beginning was to get me out of the way to the
Presidency of the T.S. Mrs. Besant was to demand my resignation,
after that Col. Olcott was to resign his office, then Mrs. Besant was to
be nominated as President; Vice-Presidency probably to go to Bert.
Keightley, though on that the outer proofs are not yet definite. In
London last July Mrs. Besant said several times that the object of the
proceeding was to prevent me succeeding to the Presidency. But here
are a few samples from her letters:
He quoted from a Feb. 14, 1894 letter:
He (Chakravarti) endorsed the idea that I [Annie Besant] should take
sole charge of the school. . . . Indeed he told me last summer (about
Aug. 1893. J. [Judge]) that it had to be so presently.
NOTE: See also Feb. 8 and 14, 1894 and June 1895 entries.

The Path, Vol. 9,

Mar. 1895; p.432
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, p. 313
Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, Mar. 1895;
pp.125-128
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
pp.103-104
The Path, Vol. 10,
May 1895; p.61

Judge commented on A. Besants accusation in her Feb. 14th, 1894

letter that he was misled by a high example.
The Path, Vol. 9,
In July she told me . . . that her theory was first, that H.P.B. had Mar. 1895; p.432
committed several frauds for good ends and made bogus messages;
second, that I was misled by her example; and third, that H.P.B. had
given me permission to do such acts. She then asked me to confess
thus and that would clear up all. I peremptorily denied such a horrible
lie, and warned her that everywhere I would resist such attack on
H.P.B. These are facts, and the real issue is around H.P.B.
H.P.B. A Great
Cleathers comments on Besants claims that Judge was misled by a Betrayal (1922) by
high example [H.P.B.].
A. Cleather, p.66
Mar. 1895
(Late)
continued

Mar. 1895
(Late)
continued

To the Members, Branches and Sections of the Theosophical Society:

By J.D. Buck. Buck summarized the history of the American Section,
and the attack on W.Q. Judge. He closed by stating:
I therefore urge the American Section to pass unanimously a vote of
separation, and declare their entire autonomy, and to proceed to
organize this Section on this basis, and make it effectual in the best
sense for the promotion of the real brotherhood of man on the lines
laid down by the Master and H.P.B.

Circular, 2 pages,
[date estimated
March 1895 from
Albert Smythes
notes]
T.N.C.A.B.
Item 1949, p.536

THE LAST THREE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF MADAME BLAVATSKY. The Path,
Countess Wachtmeister wrote to Claude F. Wright:
Vol. 9, Mar. 1895;
As my book, the Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky and the Secret p.435
Doctrine, has been read with such interest all over the world, it seems
to me that it would be an admirable plan to follow it up by carrying on
the threads from where I dropped them, through to the end of her life.
To the Readers of the PATH: By C.F. Wright.
Acting on the suggestion contained in the letter from Countess
Wachtmeister, I am at present actively engaged in collecting
reminiscences, personal and otherwise, of H.P.B. during the last three
years of her life. . . .

Chronology

Apr. 1895

163

The Point of View.

Atmas Messenger,
Comments by Kalekamiyuen on B. Keightleys article A Apr. 1895; p.3
Commonsense View of Mr. Judges Circular of November 3, 1894.
This article is neither a review of Mr. Keightleys circular nor an
answer thereto. It is simply the views (upon three apparently
disputable points raised by Mr. Keightley) of a member who believes
in and reveres the Masters and Their agents, and who has received
indubitable personal proofs that Mr. Judge is Their accredited Agent.
. . .
NOTE: See Nov. 3,1894 and Feb. 1895 entries.

Apr. 1895
continued

Isis and the Mahatmas: A Reply by William Q. Judge (approximate Pamphlet, 30 pages
date). Includes W.Q.J.s reply to the New York Sun (Nov. 26, 1894),
also To the Editor of the The Westminster Gazette, and other
correspondence relating thereto and lastly, A FINAL WORD TO THOSE WHO
DEMAND MR. JUDGES RESIGNATION PENDING HIS DETAILED REPLY.
NOTE: See Nov. 26, 1894.

Apr. 1895
continued

LUCIFER for April continues the persecution of Mr. Judge and his friends. The Path, Vol. 10,
. . .
June 1895; p.101
The Clash of Opinion.
Lucifer,
Letters from B. Keightley, Annie Besant, H.S. Olcott, J.D. Buck, A. Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
Keightley, and others published.
pp.159-165
NOTE: See March 1895 (Early) regarding demands by the Indian Section
for explanations from W.Q. Judge.

Apr. 1895
continued

THE JUDGE CASE.

Prasnottara,
Several Lodges and a number of influential Theosophists had been Vol. 5, No. 51, Apr.
asking Besant to publish her evidence against W.Q. Judge, as soon as 1895; pp.23-24
possible, . . . so that there may no longer be the slightest doubt what
are the precise charges against Mr. Judge and the evidence in their
support. In response to this Mrs. Besant will, on reaching England,
publish the statement she drew up last July to lay before the Judicial
Committee, and which contains the evidence establishing the
charges.

Apr. 1895
continued

After her return to England on April 21st, 1894, Annie Besant issued The Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.248
Case Against W.Q. Judge (88 pages) [See April 2, 1895 entry.]
Detailed six charges against W.Q. Judge and reviewed events of the
Judicial Committee Meeting and thereafter. [Published Apr. 29, 1895]
NOTE: The charges and evidence Mrs. Besant advanced were reviewed
in detail by a barrister, Mr. Basil Crump, who offered the opinion that
the case was ill framed and quite inadequate. From preface to
conclusion it would be childs play to pick to pieces and pulverise.
[See his pamphlet, May 5th, 1895. Also see Dec. 1894.]
Theos. or NeoMrs. M. Thomas comparison and analysis of The Case Against W. Theos. by Margaret
Thomas, pp.64-67
Q. Judge.

164
Apr. 1895
continued

Apr. 1895
continued

The Judge Case

THE TRUTH ABOUT EAST AND WEST.

By W.Q. Judge, [regarding the Prayag Letter] in which he stated the
Masters started the Theosophical Movement in the West because of
the Spiritual degradation in India.
Had we waited for them to give us this, we never would have
obtained it. . . .
Let those . . . who can calmly examine facts, see that the West is the
advancing conqueror of human destiny; that the Eastern lands, both
India and other places, are storehouses for the world, holding from the
past treasures that the West alone can make avail of and teach the East
how to use. Let sectional jealousy cease. . . .

The Path,
Vol. 10, Apr. 1895;
pp.1-5
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.284-289
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 1,
pp.454-458

H.S. OLCOTT vs H.P.B. by William Q. Judge.

In the April Theosophist Col. Olcott makes public what we have long
known to be private opinion a private opinion hinted at through the
pages of Old Diary Leaves, that H.P.B. was a fraud, a medium, and
a forger of bogus messages from the Masters.
NOTE: See March 27, 1895 for more about H.P.B. by Olcott.

The Path,
Vol. 10, June 1895;
pp.81-83

MRS. BESANT VS H.P.B.

Mrs. Besant has sent an advance copy of an article to appear in
Lucifer entitled East and West. . . . She says the message is not
genuine, and thus walks beside Col. Olcott in abuse of H.P.B., for
everyone with correct information knows that the message came
through H.P.B.
NOTE: In one of his E.S.T. circulars to members, Mr. Judge issued a
Subsidiary Paper in January 1895 which included a section subtitled
East and West in which he comments about the importance and
destiny of the West.

p.205

Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.203-204

WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.332-334

Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 3,
pp.470-472

NOTE: See letter (Prayag Letter) written from Dehra Dun by H.P.B. to
A.P. Sinnett. The bulk of the letter apparently is a direct dictation of
M. to H.P.B. See Appendix B, No. 1, for Letter No. CXXXIV from
Dehra Dun from The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett 2nd edition
pp. 461-464. Also see Mar. 15, 1895 entry.
Apr. 1895
continued

EAST AND WEST. by Annie Besant.

Lucifer,
Rebuttal to W.Q.J.s article. A MAHATMAS MESSAGE TO SOME Vol. 16, May 1895;
BRAHMANS.
pp.185-194
For years Mr. Judge has been trying to get hold of India, but all his
attempts have failed, and the failure has naturally embittered him
against those he can neither win nor master. But this is a passing and
trivial matter, whereas the spiritual destinies of Humanity are bound
up with India. [p.192]
D.N. Dunlop published a letter MRS. BESANT AS A PROPHET.
Irish Theosophist,
(Dated from Sydney, Australia, Feb. 17, 1895) from T.W. Willans: Vol. 3, Apr. 1895;
In a few words, the whole situation is explained from A.B.s present pp.122-123
position, I am Sir Oracle, and when I speak let no dogs bark.
NOTE: See below for cablegram received on March 26th.

Chronology
Apr. 1895
continued

165

Much indignation is being expressed by some Eastern Branches on Pacific Theos.

account of the action of W.J. Walters, editor of Mercury, in securing Vol. 5, Apr. 1895;
lists of members for the purpose of sending Mercury, and then using p.153
these lists to send attacks upon Mr. Judge instead.
In Refutation. Letter to the Editor by W. J. Walters.
Atmas Messenger,
Mr. William John Walters, Editor of Mercury, denied that he was Apr. 1895 (est.), p.8
collecting lists of members in order to send out attacks on W.Q.J.
About the beginning of February, I sent to the secretaries of the
different branches asking for a list of their members, as I was desirous
of sending them a copy of Mercury.

Apr. 1895
continued

On March 26th . . . . the following cablegram, which, with other Irish Theosophist,
letters of the same [supportive] tenor from New Zealand and Vol. 3, Apr. 1895;
Australia, are in sufficiently amusing contrast with Mrs. Besants pp.123-124
prophecy upon Australian matters as confidently expressed to the
Adyar Convention last December.
Vigilate, London. Sydney Branch votes in confidence Judge.
Foregoing received from Sydney. Reuter.
SOME QUOTATIONS.
Pertaining to EAST AND WEST from K.H., H.P.B., M.M. Chatterji,
and Damodar in contrast to Mrs. Besants prophecy.
NOTE: See Dec. 25-28, 1894. Re: A. Besants assumption that she had
gained the confidence of the Australian Theosophists by her influence.
The Australian Section split after visit from Besant.
Sep. 1895; p.228
In a letter from Mr. Willans, on behalf of twenty-three members in
Australia and two Centres in N. Z., he detailed the methods that were
adopted to obtain the vote and influence of the Australian Section in
favor of Mrs. Besants action in the Case against W.Q. Judge. . . . a
devoted group of workers in Australia and N. Z. . . . have, through all,
remained loyal to Mr. Judge, and who have upheld the principles of
Theosophy.

Apr. 1895
continued

A PROPHETIC MESSAGE. H.P.B. TO THE AMERICAN CONVENTION T.S. Irish Theosophist,

1891.
Vol. 3, Apr. 1895;
D.N. Dunlop quoted H.P.B.s message to the American Convention of pp.125-126
1891:
The critical nature of the stage on which we have entered is as well
known to the forces that fight against us, as to those that fight on our
side. No opportunity will be lost of sowing dissension, of taking
advantage of mistaken and false moves, of instilling doubt, of
augmenting difficulties, of breathing suspicions, so that by any and
every means the unity of the Society may be broken and the ranks of
our Fellows thinned and thrown into disarray.

166

The Judge Case

Apr. 1895
continued

MIRROR OF THE MOVEMENT.

The Path,
It is understood that Mr. Bertram Keightley, Mrs. Besant and others Vol. 10, Apr. 1895;
purpose presenting charges against Mr. Judge of slandering Mrs. p.28
Besant and Prof. Chakravarti, with view to his expulsion from the
T.S.

Apr. 1,
1895

The Result of the Vote.

The Vahan, Vol. 4,
G.R.S. Mead as General Secretary gave results of the voting on the Apr. 1895; p.1
Resolution requesting Mr. Judge to resign or submit himself for reelection. Aye - 578. No - 117.

Apr. 2,
1895

Mrs. Besant left for Bombay en route for England. She delivered two Prasnottara, Vol. 5,
lectures in Bombay, April 4th and 5th, before leaving. She arrived in Apr. 1895; p.31
England on the 21st.
On April 2nd Mrs. Besant left [Benares] for Bombay en route for The Theosophist,
England and delivered two lectures there on April 4th and 5th. . . . She Vol. 16, May 1895;
sailed April 6th.
p.531

Apr. 3,
1895

The Plot Against the Theosophical Society by Dr. A. Keightley & Pamphlet,
others is published. Narrated the facts and the opinions concerning the 89 pages, published
period July 5th - 19th, 1894 using reprinted articles supporting Judge in London
from the Irish Theosophist, The Path, and The Vahan, and E.T.
Hargroves A Forgotten Pledge, as well as Luciferian Legends, by
Archibald Keightley, which appears for the first time.
This pamphlet is issued in defence of various members of the
Theosophical Society who have recently been attacked in Lucifer and
The Vahan. Mr. W.Q. Judge, Vice-President of the Theosophical
Society, has been, and still is, the outer object at which these attacks
have been made, but all who have ventured to say a word on his behalf
have also been singled out for calumny. H.P. Blavatsky is the inner
centre of attack, but behind the Messenger there is the Message, and
it is Theosophy which is really being assaulted.
NOTE: See notes for Apr. 6, 1895.

Chronology

Apr. 6,
1895

Pamphlet with an introduction signed by 10 members from America

supporting W.Q.J. [I]f any of us desire to preserve even a remnant of
a nucleus to carry out the principles of Theosophy as laid down by our
founder H.P.B., it is necessary that the American Section shall take
such decided action as will put an end to friction and intolerance.
Includes:
- Some Words by H.P.B. quoting from an article by H.P.B. titled A
PUZZLE FROM ADYAR [Lucifer, Vol. 4, pp.506-509]
- Some Words on Daily Life (written by a Master of Wisdom)
[Lucifer, Vol. 1, pp.344-346]
- A Forgotten Pledge by E.T. Hargrove [Feb. 3, 1895]
- Letter from C. Wachtmeister to J.D. Buck claiming that he said that
he agreed with her that W.Q.J. was guilty.
- Reply by Buck denying that any such conversation occurred.
- Letter by Buck to A. Besant correcting a statement attributed to him
that he would defend W.Q.J. even at the cost of truth.
NOTE: See March 1895 (early) and Mar. 15, 1895 entries.
- Letter by A. Keightley on the evidence in the Judge Case.
NOTE: See Mar. 15, 1895 entry.

167

New York, Apr. 6th,

1895.
Pamphlet, 34 pages

p.3
pp.4-8
pp.9-22
pp.23-24
p.24
pp.25-27

NOTE: With the exception of: Some Words by H.P.B. and Some pp.27-34
Words on Daily Life by a Master of the Wisdom, the material printed
in this is the same as that found in The Plot Against The T.S. printed
in England. Much condensed.[see Apr. 3, 1895 entry]
Apr. 17,
1895

Letter To The Editor. by E.T. Hargrove.

Point by point rebuttal to B. Keightleys letter (in April Lucifer). Also
commented on Olcotts letter of Feb. 21, 1895 in which Olcott asked
that Judge be supplied with a copy of the evidence against him:
And so Colonel Olcott recognizes the fact that up to the present day
Mr. Judge has no such copies, and that Mr. Judges statement to that
effect is correct.

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, May 1895;
pp.137-140
Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Apr. 1895;
pp.159-162

NOTE: See Jan. 20, 1895 entry for Olcott letter; also Jan. 25, 1895 for
letter from Judge to Mead.
LITERARY NOTES Re: The Irish Theosophist:
The Path,
Letters to the Editor has a striking contribution from Ernest T. Vol. 10, July 1895;
Hargrove, which does not put Mr. B. Keightley in a very pleasant p.131
light. . . .
Apr. 19,
1895

We hear from America that a movement is on foot among Mr. Judges Prasnottara,
supporters in the American Section for the purpose of getting Vol. 5 June 1895;
Resolutions adopted at the coming American Convention, declaring pp.57-59
that the American Section secedes from the Theosophical Society and
no longer remains part of our world organisation.

168
Apr. 19, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

Alexander Fullerton turned against W.Q.J. Letter To the Editors of Lucifer,

LUCIFER. The Editor, Mrs. Besant, commented following the letter: Vol. 16, May 1895;
Mr Fullerton has been the steady centre in Mr. Judges office. . . . It pp.182-183, 252-254
is of the first importance to show that honest men cannot continue to
work with Mr. Judge, unless they are prepared to be betrayed behind
their backs in the work of the Society, and that Mr. Judges own
conduct and his continued deceptions, force us, however, reluctantly
to say: Mr. Judge must be expelled from the Society, for his methods
are dishonest and he corrupts his fellow-workers. Unless America
saves us from the necessity of demanding his expulsion, by seceding
from the present Society, Europe must endorse the demand for
expulsion coming from India and Australasia.
NOTE: See Jan. 16, 1895, Apr. 22, 1895 and Apr. 27, 1895 entries, also
see Apr. 23, 1895 for Albert Smythes response.

Apr. 21,
1895

Mrs. Besant reached England from her tour in India.

She arrived in London on Sunday, April 21st, in the evening. . . .

The Path, Vol. 10,

June 1895; p.104
Lucifer, Vol. 16,
May 1895; p.250

Since I left England in July, I have spent three months in Australasia,

and three months in India; the rest of the time has gone in The Vahan, Vol. 4,
journeyings.
May 1895; p.6
NOTE: Mrs. Besant had left England for Australia on July 25th, 1894.
Apr. 22,
1895

Letter to Miss A. Walsh from A. Fullerton stating he had changed his Pamphlet, 2 pages
mind regarding the stand he had taken in his circular of Jan. 16th. He
indicated he had withdrawn from the E.S.
You are quite right in saying that we, opponents of secession, are the
real F.T.S., and that those who secede simply cut themselves off from
the T.S. itself.
NOTE: See May 14, 1895.

Apr. 23,
1895

Letter from William Lindsay in which he re-affirmed his version of the Irish Theosophist,
facts and addressed Bertram Keightleys endorsement (With regard Vol. 3, May 1895;
to the seal, I was present when the Countess denied having ever seen pp.141-142
it. . . .):
Of course I am not responsible for the truth of the statement made by
the Countess, but only for the correct rendering of such, as told to me,
which I maintain I have done and, after all, the principal point remains
unchanged, viz., that the seal was gone before W. Q. Judge came to
England.
NOTE: See Appendix A for more information regarding the Masters
sealand some of the correspondence relating to it; also see Feb. 17,
1895, and Mar. 20, 1895.

Chronology
Apr. 23, 1895
continued

169

Albert Smythe replied to Alexander Fullertons letter of April 20th.

Letter from Albert
I am practically on the outside of the movement here but it does seem Smythe, 2 pages
to me that we have all been quite too acrobatic in jumping at
conclusions and turning somersaults and generally giving the enemy
occasion to blaspheme. . . . It does seem to me however that we are all
inclined to break what I understand is one of the elementary rules for
the guidance of students To know, To will, To dare, And to be
Silent. So far from being silent, everyone seems inclined to publish
all he knows on the first opportunity. Mrs. Besant commenced by
bragging in public of her relations with Masters, when the Book of
Rules distinctly says that any mention of occult experiences will be
promptly followed by an entire severance of communication. Is this
a rule or is it not? I feel inclined to adhere to it.
NOTE: The letter of the 20th has not surfaced but all indications are that
it is similar to, if not the same as Fullertons letter to Miss A. Walsh
(Apr. 22nd, 1895) and the letter to Lucifer dated April 19th, 1895.
Apparently Fullerton was looking for support but did not receive it Report of
from Smythe; in fact Smythe was so disturbed by Fullertons letter, as Proceedings T.S. in
were the members of Toronto, that he went to the Boston Convention America, 1895; p.30
as an unexpected representative. A further probability is that Fullerton
sent similar letters to all prominent members whose loyalty he thought
he might be able to sway.
NOTE: See Mar. 1938, A Belated Exposure [Disclosure.], regarding
Smythes first-hand experience with Besant during her visit to
Toronto in October/November 1926.

Apr. 26,
1895

LEGAL OPINION OF GEO. D. AYERS COUNSELLOR-AT-LAW, BOSTON, New England Notes,

ON THE STATEMENT OF FACTS RELATING TO THE Vol. 1, Apr. 27,
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
1895; pp.6-7
Mr. Ayers presented 13 facts supporting W.Q. Judges position based
on the records of the T.S. (presented by Mr. Wade at the Convention
at Boston, Apr 28-29, 1895).
What is the Theos.
NOTE: See June 3, 1895; What is the Theosophical Organization?
Organization?
Pamphlet, 20 pages
NOTE: See June 5, 1895 and Aug. 23, 1895

Apr. 27,
1895

A.P. Sinnetts letter to A. Fullerton after Judge published the Prayag Theos. Movement
Letter (under title A MAHATMAS MESSAGE TO SOME 1875-1950, p.258
BRAHMANS), on his suspicions of H.P.B.
. . . I have known for a great many years that many letters in the
Mahatmas handwriting, coming through Madame Blavatsky herself
were anything but what they seemed. (Originally printed by the
Boston Herald on April 27th, 1895.)
Theosophy,
NOTE: See May 1895 and Jan. 16, 1895.
Vol. 3, June 1915;
General comments by the editors of Theosophy on Sinnetts views. pp.376-379
Note: A detailed look at the Mars & Mercury & Earth Chain controversy Theosophy,
which restarted in Feb. 1893 with a rebuttal in The Path by Judge to Vol. 10, Feb. 1922;
pp.101-107,
statements made by Sinnett.

170
Apr. 27, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

NOTICE.
The Path,
Mr. Alexander Fullerton, late Treasurer of the American Section and Vol. 10, May 1895;
member of the Executive Committee, as well as volunteer assistant to p.65
the General Secretary and Editor of The Theosophical Forum, retires
from all official positions at Headquarters upon April 27th.
NOTE: See Apr. 22, 1895 and May 14, 1895 entries.

Apr. 27, 1895

continued

Apr. 28,
1895

Mrs. Besant delivered her first public lecture in St. James Hall, on
Mahatmas as Facts and Ideals.
The next day, Sunday April 28th, Mrs. Besant was to have a meeting
with [a] very strong Committee of the most earnest members in
Europe . . . for the purpose of verifying the documentary evidence in
her hands and attesting the accuracy of all extracts and the fact that no
portion of the contest is omitted from the printed evidence which in
any way bears upon the questions at issue.

Prasnottara, Vol. 5,
June 1895; pp.57-58
Lucifer, Vol. 16,
May 1895; p.251

The Convention of the American Section of T.S. was held at Boston, Theos. Movement
April 28-29, 1895, with the 89 active Lodges all represented by 1875-1950, p.250
delegates in person or by proxy.
The Convention was held at the new Headquarters in Boston.
The Path, Vol. 9,
Feb. 1895; p.406
Ninth Annual Convention of The American Section T.S. and First Convention
Theosophical Society in America held in Boston, Mass., April 28-29, 1895. Pacific Theos.,
Resolved . . . that the American Section, consisting of Branches of Vol. 5, May/June
the Theosophical Society in America, in convention assembled, 1895; pp.155-161
hereby assumes and declares its entire autonomy and that it shall be
called from and after this date The Theosophical Society in Circular, 2 pages
America.
That William Q. Judge shall be President for life. . . .
Resolutions carried 191 for, and 10 against.
Mr. A. Fullerton took the floor against the resolutions and spoke for
half-an-hour. . . . He concluded by asserting that the proposed change
was only a personal matter around Mr. Judge, and that if they would
only wait a month they would have all the evidence to prove him
guilty.
NOTE: Fullertons speech can be read in Report of Proceedings for the
Ninth Annual Convention, T.S. In America held at Boston Apr. 2829, 1895, starting on p.25.

The Path,
Vol. 10, May 1895;
pp.65-72

Theos. Forum (New

Series), Vol. 1, May
1895; pp.1, 15-16

NOTE: Full details in Report of Proceedings of the First Convention

of T.S. in America.
Apr. 28, 1895
continued

The following is the protest presented to the Convention by some of the Lucifer,
minority, who remain loyal to the parent Society: . . .
Vol. 16, May 1895;
We also put ourselves on record as deprecating the methods pp.253-254
employed by Mr. William Q. Judge. . . .
. . . we hereby solemnly protest against any such secession. . . .

Chronology

171

Apr. 28, 1895

continued

Judge quoted Olcott:

The Path, Vol. 10,
He declared it seemed as if all the best brain and energy of the Dec. 1895; p.290
American movement had gone with the vote and with that dreadful
person W.Q.J.

Apr. 28, 1895

continued

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

From the Records of the T.S., from 1875 to the present day.

(prepared by Judge and read by Mr. Wade)

Report of
Proceedings T.S. in
America, 1895;
pp.18-24

NOTE: See Sep. 7, 1895 and Dec. 27, 1896 for Olcotts A Historical
Retrospect.
Apr. 28, 1895
continued

NOTICES.

Apr. 29,
1895

The Case Against W.Q. Judge. Published by Annie Besant at the Offices Pamphlet, 88 pages
of the Theosophical Publishing Society, London, Apr. 29, 1895.

The Path,
William Q. Judges Explanation of the charges made against him Vol. 10, June 1895;
read to the delegates after the April Convention at Boston, is being p.104
printed, and will soon be accessible to all members.

Contains Besants Statement prepared for the July 1894 Judicial T.N.C.A.B.
Committee, along with a breakdown of the six main charges brought Item 1947, p.535
against Judge and evidence by Olcott and B. Keightley. Says if
definite action on Judge is not taken at the July European Convention,
she and G.R.S. Mead will put forth resolutions from Australian,
Indian and European Sections asking Olcott as President to expel
Judge from the Society. A variation of this pamphlet exists as 80 pp.
NOTE: See compilers Introduction to The Case Against W.Q. Judge,
in Appendix A, for an explanation regarding this 80 page edition.
NOTE: See June 1895 for replies by J.D. Buck and W.Q. Judge to a
statement made by Besant on page 13 in The Case Against W.Q.
Judge.
Apr. 29,
1895
continued

Second day of Annual Convention of T.S. in America

Constitution for T.S. in America adopted

Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, May/June
1895; pp.155-161

172
Apr. 29, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

EXPLANATION BY WILLIAM Q. JUDGE OF CHARGES ABOUT MESSAGES.

The Hall was filled again at 3:30. . . . Mr. Judge said his health
would not permit him to read the paper himself but that Dr. Keightley
would do it for him, adding that the explanation had been purposely
kept back until the final action of the Convention should be known.
Dr. Keightley then read the paper, which occupied one hour and an
half . . . The six charges made by Mrs. Besant were given in full and
answered seriatim. Mr. Judge declared various messages and
memoranda to be genuine, except one. . . .
Reply by William Q. Judge to Charges of Misuse of Mahatmas
Names and Handwritings.
NOTE: See Nov 26, 1894.

The Path, Vol. 10,

May 1895; p.68
Pacific Theos.
Vol. 5, May/June
1895; p.161
The Path, Vol. 10,
July 1895; p.136
Pamphlet, 29 pages
Two Replies by
W.Q.J., 53 pages,
ULT Pamphlet

MR. JUDGES REPLY TO THE CHARGES.

New England Notes,
Vol. 1, May 1, 1895;
p.3
Apr. 29, 1895
continued

MORE LIGHT ON THE JUDGE CASE.

Owing to the vigilance, of one of its members, who picked it up out
of a five-cent book box, Sydney Lodge has just come into possession
of a most interesting historical pamphlet and memento connected with
the Judge Case and Countess Wachtmeister. It bears the Countess
signature and was evidently her property. This is a copy of the Reply
by William Q. Judge to Charges of MISUSE OF MAHATMAS NAMES AND
HANDWRITINGS.
Contains notes and some interesting points written by the Countess.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 13, May 1932;
pp.67-68

Apr. 29, 1895

continued

Report of Ninth Annual Convention American Section T.S.

and First Convention Theosophical Society in America.
Includes the Constitution of the Theosophical Society in America.

New England Notes,

Vol. 1, No. 5, Apr.
29, 1895; pp.1-4

Apr. 29, 1895

continued

FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN Irish Theosophist,

AMERICA
Vol. 3, May 1895;
A brief summary of the T.S. in A. First Convention held in Boston on pp.147-148
Apr. 28-29, 1895.

Apr. 30,
1895

Letter from the Independent Theosophists of Boston criticizing the action Circular, 1 page
taken at the Annual Convention of the American Section calling the
members Judgites. Followed by a rebuttal by Kalekamiyuen (A.W. Boston Herald,
Wadhame). [This article was to appear in Atmas Messenger for May Apr. 30, 1895
1895.]
THE JUDGITES. A Theosophical Pope. Independent Theosophists
Protest. (from Boston Herald, Apr. 30, 1895)
Issued from Boston, protesting the formation of the T.S. in America,
election of W.Q. Judge as President thereof, and calling for responses
from those of similar opinion.
By The Independent Theosophists of Boston.

Pamphlet, 29 pages

Circular, 1 page
The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, July 1895;
p.659

Chronology
Apr. 30, 1895
continued

Fellow Theosophists:
The Theosophist,
Hence the wish to secede is not unanimous. . . .
Vol. 16, July 1895;
. . . For practical work, the American Section has always been pp.660-661
virtually independent. Every Branch is, according to the Constitution,
a self-governing body. Like our own United States Government, the
T.S. is a federation of independent centres under one constitution and
one head. Therefore, secession has not been declared for the sake of
independence. Its true purpose is to shield Mr. Judge. . . .
. . . Remember, those who stand firm against secession form the real
T.S.
Very much opposed to the pamphlet dated New York, April 6th, 1895,
in support of W.Q. Judge, but support Mr. Fullertons actions against
secession. Signed by Marie A. Walsh, William John Walters (Editors
of Mercury) and Sven Ryder.

May 1895

Letter from Annie Besant. (Just returned to England Apr. 21, 1895)
The Vahan,
I hold out my hand to all who will stand in the Theosophical Society Vol. 4, May 1895;
for straightforward dealing and honest work, and ask them for help p.6
and support.

May 1895
continued

ONE MESSAGE TO COL. OLCOTT. by Alexander Fullerton.

The Path,
The Theosophical Society has now reached an epoch when it can Vol. 10, May 1895;
boldly proclaim itself a de facto disseminator of Theosophy, and can pp.37-41
distinctly announce the Masters word that the Lodge looks with most
interest on those Theosophists who are best sustaining its operations.
NOTE: See H.P.B.s comments in A PUZZLE FROM ADYAR in Lucifer,
Vol. 4, Aug. 1889, pp.506-509.

May 1895
continued

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. INSIDE FACTS AS TO ITS ORGANIZATION. The Path,

SA DE FACTO BODY.STHE REAL T.S. IN NEW YORK.STHE PRESIDENT STILL A Vol. 10, May 1895;
DELEGATE TO FOREIGN LANDS. AND HOLDING OVER IN OFFICE.
pp.55-60
Article outlining the history of the T.S. by detailing events by dates.
Extracts from a paper read at Annual Meeting (Apr. 28th, 1895) by
Wade, prepared from historical documents and records.
(Also published fully in New England Notes, Boston, Apr. 29, 1895)

May 1895
continued

THE PAGEANT OF THE FIFTH ACT: A Study of Mrs. Annie Besant. Pamphlet, 4 pages
By Herbert Coryn.
Once a fervent Christian, glowing with emotional Christianity; once
pupil of Bradlaugh, and fervent Freethinker; once Fabian Socialist;
once devoted follower of H.P.B.; now Hindu; what next? . . .
After leaving Christianity she tried to destroy it. Then, becoming
Socialist, she opposed herself to the Bradlaughites. Withdrawing from
the next position she took shelter with H.P.B.; now, breaking the
Theosophical Society into halves, she becomes Hindu. . . . A psychic
vision which she thinks to have been the thought-body of the Master,
dissolves the faith in Judge that once was perfect. . . .
. . . She does what in the moment seems to her right, but a wandering
comet can have no place in a system. Her genius is rather destructive
than constructive. [Footnotes have been omitted.]

173

174

The Judge Case

May 1895
continued

A. Cleather on her visit in New York.

She stated that Judge introduced her to Mrs. Tingley for the first time
at the Boston Convention in 1895 although Judge had known her for
some time; that Mrs Tingley was a well-known public medium, that
she had been told by Mrs. Tingley then that Mr. Judge was really the
Master K.H.

May 1,
1895

The Chinaman.
The Vahan,
Annie Besants version of her knowing of E.T. Hargroves Vol. 4, May 1895;
pseudonym. Mrs. Keightley sent word asking me to go up to her pp.4-5
sitting-room, where I found her with Mr. Hargrove and Dr. Keightley;
she said , I have a present for you, here is a Chinaman who will do
you any service. She then said she trusted to my honour not to
mention to anyone that Mr. Hargrove had written under the above nom
de plume, and only told me, trusting to my good faith.

H.P.B. Her Life and

Work for
Humanity,
pp.121-122 fn

NOTE: See Feb. 3, 1895; March 1895 (early); May 14, 1895, May 21,
1895 and June 1895. Also see Hargroves letter in Appendix E.
May 2,
1895

To the Editor of THE IRISH THEOSOPHIST.

Irish Theosophist,
A letter from Gordon Rowe and Walter H. Box, Hon. Secs. (of the Vol. 3, May 1895;
Bow Lodge in London).
p.140
We send you herewith the monthly report of this Lodge. . . .
Unfortunately we are precluded from the pages of The Vahan by the
censorship now being exercised by its editor; for this identical report
was sent to The Vahan for insertion, only to be mutilated, by having
every word that referred, in terms of trust and loyalty, to W.Q. Judge
cut out. . . .
. . . It can no longer be said that The Vahan is an official organ of the
European Section.
NOTE: See May 15, 1895 entry for more details.

Chronology

May 5,
1895

175

Circular, 4 pages
THE CASE AGAINST W.Q. JUDGE. A REVIEW.
By Basil Crump, Barrister-at-Law.
He found Mrs. Besants evidence superficial, unsubstantial, not
based on solid evidence or facts, and therefore, inadmissible in any
court, or before any unprejudiced group.
Poor Mrs. Besant, her Prosecutors brief is a sad failure. . . .
. . . If this case were being tried before a proper tribunal, there would
certainly be no defence required. But alas! it is being tried by lynchlaw. And what proof have we in this brief? . . . THERE IS NO
PROOF. . . From preface to conclusion it would be childs play to
pick to pieces and pulverise. . . .
. . . Of such flimsy arguments and proofs this brief is composed
from cover to cover. Foolish, irrational, and utterly dumbfounding to
those of us who once looked up to Mrs. Besant as one who then
possessed an unusual degree of intellectual power. . . .
. . . No Court of Law would look at an extract, apart from the
document as a whole. It is simply outrageous that these extracts
should be put forward as evidence. . . . [T]he various messages and
letters alleged by Mrs. Besant to have been received by her from Mr.
Judge, have been destroyed by her! I am not able to produce
documentary evidence (p.82) I destroyed all the letters I received
from Mr. Judge. And Mrs. Besant cites these letters as evidence
against him! . . . Extracts have been preserved; the letters themselves
have been destroyed by the prosecutor.
Mr. Crump stated that by 1895 W.Q. Judge had been a Chela for
twenty years, then added:
Why should she be a judge in matters of Occultism? She has only
been in the Theosophical Society for five years, before which she was
an avowed Atheist and Materialist.
NOTE: See Apr. 29, 1895 The Case Against W.Q. Judge. London
Published by Annie Besant.

May 8,
1895

Circular by W.Q.J., President, T.S. in America, to all Branches.

At the ninth Annual Convention of the American Theosophical
Societies [Branches] held in Boston, on the 28th and 29th of April,
1895, the COMPLETE AUTONOMY of the said Societies was declared and
the title The Theosophical Society in America adopted together with
a Constitution. . . .
Ratification of the Resolutions by the Branch is requested, after
which you should at once notify me thereof.
Same information was published in The Vahan.

To . . . Dear Friends:
Circular, 3 pages
The Vahan,
Vol. 4, June 1, 1895;
pp.1-2

176
May 8, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

Secession of Mr. Judge and his Adherents in America from the The Vahan,
Theosophical Society. Including Mr. Judges letter to Col. Olcott Vol. 4, June 1, 1895;
published as Farewell Remarks . . . [See next cell.]
pp.1-2
Col. Olcott supplied the summary of the convention:
The majority of delegates at the late Convention of the American
Section of the Theosophical Society resolved themselves into a new
society as fellows: S
The Resolutions passed at the Boston Convention are then listed.
W.Q. Judge, the President of T.S. in America, sent Colonel Olcott
information of the action of the Boston Convention with copies of the
Resolutions there passed and the Historical Sketch. On June 5th
Olcott issued what he termed an EXECUTIVE NOTICE from Zumarraga,
Spain, abolishing the American Section of the T.S. [See June 5, 1895
entry.]
NOTE: Interestingly this Circular and letter from Mr. Judge to Col. Olcott
appears to have been then forwarded by Olcott to The Vahan and
signed by Col. H.S. Olcott, [as] President-Founder of the T.S. of New
York. [What is interesting and may perhaps be important is why
Olcott would choose to sign in this manner.] [See June 1st, 1895 for
Olcotts travel dates.]
NOTE: See June 5, 1895 entry re: Olcotts Executive Notice.

May 8, 1895
continued

May 14,
1895

Farewell Remarks of Mr. Judge on the Vice-Presidency of the

Theosophical Society.
The Vahan published a Copy of a letter from Mr. Judge to Col.
Olcott.
Last June and July I laid before you the point that I was never elected
Vice-President of the Theosophical Society, consequently that office
was then known to you to be vacant. . . .
A long and bitter fight has been waged by Mrs. Annie Besant and
others, one of the objects of which is to compel me to resign the said
office which I do not hold. I have refused to accede to their request,
and would refuse even did I hold that I was legally the Vice-President.
...
. . . I now beg to again point out to you that I do not hold and never
have held the office of Vice-President of any Theosophical Society of
which I am a member, and that you can consider this my declaration
that I cannot and will not oppose your filling the said so-called office
in any way you may see fit, either arbitrarily or otherwise.
. . . that my signing my name hitherto as Vice-President was in
ignorance of the important facts since ascertained. . . .

The Vahan,
Vol. 4, June 1, 1895;
p.2
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, June 1895;
pp.157-158
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.330-331

Circular, 4 pages
A Narrative by Alexander Fullerton.
His description of events from 1890 to date including his experience Not for Publication
with the seal and Mahatmic communications received through
W.Q.J. Narrated his vacillations, back and forth, in favor of then
against Mr. Judges position.

Chronology
May 14, 1895
continued

To the Editor of THE IRISH THEOSOPHIST.

Irish Theosophist
Two letters from Mr. Hargrove. In the first letter he dealt with the Vol. 3, June 1895;
meeting of Oct. 6, 1893 and Mrs. Besants version of that event. [The pp.160-164
Keightleys claimed Annie Besant did not want G.R.S. Mead to know
the identity of Che-yew-Tsang; Annie Besant denied this.][See May
1st, 1895 entry.]
In his second letter (dated May 31st, 1895):
I wrote a letter to the editor endorsing Dr. Keightleys statement of
fact. . . . Mr. Mead had not the common courtesy to acknowledge the
receipt of this letter, nor, as I now see, did he insert it.
[This refers to The Plot against the Theosophical Society by A.
Keightley (see April 3, 1895) and his letter in The Vahan, April 1,
1895.]
Basil Crump (Barrister at Law)
I certify that I have seen the originals of all the letters quoted or cited p.164
by Mr. Hargrove, and that these quotations are correctly given.
NOTE: See also June 1895 entry.
NOTE: See Appendix E, No. 10, for the two Hargrove letters. The first
letter (May 14, 1895) is too long for this format but quite informative;
the other (May 31,1895) is short and was first sent to the editor of The
Vahan but never acknowledged or printed.

May 15,
1895

Notice of Resolution to expel W.Q.J. prepared by Annie Besant and Lucifer, Vol. 16,
G.R.S. Mead was sent to members of the T.S.
May 1895; p.183
If some definite action with regard to Mr. Judge shall not have been
taken by the European Section before the meeting of its Annual
Convention in July, we the undersigned . . . shall propose and second
at the Convention the following resolution:
Whereas Mr. W.Q. Judge has been called on to resign the office of
Vice-president of the Theosophical Society by the Indian,
Australasian and European Sections, but has not complied with their
request; and
Whereas he evaded the jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee of July,
1894, refused a Jury of Honour, and has since given no full and
satisfactory explanation to the Society in answer to the charges
brought against him;
Resolved that this Convention of the European Section of the
Theosophical Society unites with the Indian and Australasian Section
in demanding his expulsion from the Society, and requests the
President-Founder to immediately take action to carry out the demand
of these three Sections of the Theosophical Society.

177

178

The Judge Case

May 15, 1895

continued

THE JUDGE CASE.

May 15, 1895

continued

Editorial comments by D.N. Dunlop:

Irish Theosophist,
There seems to have been a deliberate and systematic refusal to Vol. 3, May 1895;
furnish Mr. Judge with certified copies of the documents on which the pp.145-146
charges against him are based. Colonel Olcott hands them to Mrs.
Besant in order that she may publish her indictment against Bro.
Judge, stipulating that the General Secretary of the European Section
shall furnish copies, and this after refusing them on Mr. Judges direct
application. . . .

May 15, 1895

continued

ADEPTS AND MEDIUMS. by Basil Crump.

Irish Theosophist,
Colonel Olcott advances the theory, which both he and Mrs. Annie Vol. 3, May 1895;
Besant have already applied to the case of Mr. Judge, that H.P.B. was pp.133-136
a medium not always responsible for what was given through her.
Basil Crump included quotes on the value of occult letters and
added:
Finally Colonel Olcott asserts that the question of this letter to the
Brahmans does not bear upon the issues which (he thinks) he will
have to judicially dispose of in London. I say that it is the fundamental
and only issue, the complaint in both cases being identical at the root,
and the step that the President has now definitely taken shows more
clearly than ever that H.P.B. is the real centre of attack, and through
her the movement she sacrificed so much to call into being.

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, May 1895;
W.Q. Judges reply to H.S. Olcotts letter of Feb. 26, 1895 in which pp.132-133
Olcott stated that Judge had no right to have copies of the evidence
against him. Judge claimed otherwise:
WQJ T. Articles,
The law requires inspection and copies of letters if demanded by the Vol. 2, p.324
accused; Theosophy and brotherhood would not require less than
law.
NOTE: See Feb. 26, 1895.
The Path,
Vol. 10, July 1895;
Article mentioned. . .
pp.130-131
FINAL REFUSAL TO GIVE COPIES OF DOCUMENTS TO ACCUSED.

NOTE: See March 27, 1895 for POSTSCRIPT by H.S. Olcott.

Chronology
May 15, 1895
continued

179

LITERARY NOTES.
The Path,
The editor, in summarizing the May issue of The Theosophist stated: Vol. 10, July 1895;
In the review of the Path we are told that H.P.B.s letters are p.131
inaccurate and misleading to a degree. [In reference to serialized
Letters of H.P. Blavatsky in The Path, started in Vol.9, Dec.1894,
p.265]
In The Theosophist, under REVIEWS. MAGAZINES., in reference to The The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, May 1895;
Path:
If we have the least influence with the Editor of our New York p.527
contemporary, we should beg him not to publish any more of H.P.B.s
letters without the most careful revision. They are inaccurate and
misleading to a degree; trifling incidents of our early days being
distorted and exaggerated beyond recognition.
NOTE: See June 1895, H.S. Olcott vs H.P.B.

May 15, 1895

continued

Comparison by D.N. Dunlop in parallel columns of statements made by Irish Theosophist,

Annie Besant from time to time on W.Q. Judge Case.
Vol. 3, May 1895;
pp.143-144
Also a comparison by E.T. Hargrove (dated Apr. 17, 1895)

May 15, 1895

continued

pp.137-140

THE BOSTON CONVENTION.

The Lamp,
Brief summary of the Boston Convention in 1895 by Albert Smythe. Vol. 1, May 1895;
Partial list of those present, including Mrs. Alice Cleather.
pp.150-151
The main fact to be considered in connection with the convention
and one, which it is to be feared many will not appreciate, lies in the
action of the convention, being entirely one of organization on
constitutional lines, and apart from any personal consideration
whatever. This is in accordance with H.P.B.s action when she last
settled in Europe, founding The Theosophical Society in Europe and
with Col. Olcotts idea expressed in 1893, If you want separate T.S.
Societies made out of Sections, have them by all means. I offered this
years ago to H.P.B.
NOTE: See May 17, 1893.

May 15, 1895

continued

Letter To the Editor of THE IRISH THEOSOPHIST. from G. Rowe and W. Irish Theosophist,
Box of Bow Lodge T.S.
Vol. 3, May 1895;
We send you herewith the monthly report of this Lodge and trust you pp.140-142
will be able to find room for it in your magazine. Unfortunately we are
precluded from the pages of The Vahan by the censorship now being
exercised by its editor; for this identical report was sent to The Vahan
for insertion, only to be mutilated by having every word that referred,
in terms of trust and loyalty, to W.Q. Judge cut out.
The Bow Lodge T.S. report follows.
NOTE: May 2, 1895 entry.

180

May 20,
1895

The Judge Case

Chicago Branch repudiated the action of the Boston Convention which Chicago, May 20,
formed the American T.S. In a letter dated May 20 signed by George 1895, Circular, 1
E. Wright as President, he states:
page
We remain a regularly chartered Branch of the parent Theosophical
Society.
MIRROR OF THE MOVEMENT.
The Path, Vol. 10,
Loyalty Branch T.S.
June 1895; p.103
The Chicago branch split; those supporting American T.S. formed
Loyalty Branch T.S.:
At a meeting of the old Chicago Branch to ratify the action of the
recent Convention not all the members favored it, and to avoid friction
and to have the opportunity of carrying on the work . . . the members
favoring the resolutions . . . withdrew and reorganised themselves into
a society under the above name. . . . A Preamble and Resolutions
concerning the reorganization were adopted at the meeting. . . .
Theosophical Activities, under AMERICA detailed a fraudulent Lucifer,
message ascribed to M, received by George Wright, which included: Vol. 16, June 1895;
The duty of the American group is cut off from the diseased parts pp.344-346
(sic) so that itself can live. . . .
This document was written in the M. script, on heavy rice-paper,
scented with sandal-wood, and was surreptitiously placed in the desk
of Mr. G.E. Wright . . . who was opposed to secession. . . . Mr. Judge,
Mr. Claude Wright and Dr. and Mrs. Keightley pronounced the letter
genuine, and it promptly found its way to the press as having
reached Mr. Wright occultly. . . . the fact being concealed that Mr.
G.E. Wright repudiated the letter, and knew exactly the occult means
by which it had reached his desk.
NOTE: See July 5, 1895 and June 1895.

May 20, 1895

continued

William Q. Judge was staying in Cincinnati with Dr. Buck. In a letter to Letters That Have
a friend he wrote about the state of his own health:
Helped Me, p.185
I am away from home for my health (which is) much hurt by others
hate. * * *
Besant has had what ought to be her last say, and I read to delegates
at our Convn my explann of the charges my last word. It will
soon be published.
NOTE: The letter is included, in chronological order, in Appendix D, Part
V, Letters from W.Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove.

Chronology

May 21,
1895

181

Julia C. Keightley [Jasper Niemand] in a letter To the Editor of THE IRISH Irish Theosophist,
THEOSOPHIST corrected Countess Wachtmeister on the matter of Vol. 3, June 1895;
H.P.B.s reincarnation.
pp.158-159
[T]he Countess Wachtmeister has apparently misunderstood me to
say that I believed H.P. Blavatsky to have reincarnated in a physical
body. I never had and have not such belief. I have no knowledge upon
the subject, one way or the other, but I always inclined and do still
incline to the contrary belief. I also believe H.P.B. to be consciously
working on the inner planes of Being.
In a letter (reprinted in The Irish Theosophist pp.158-159) to the The Vahan,
Editor of The Vahan which appeared under title The Legend of Vol. 4, July 1895;
pp.3-4
Che-yew-Tsang., Julia C. Keightley stated:
When working with or for Mrs. Besant, whether in America or in
England, I always required from her her directions in writing, in order
to guarantee myself against her constant forgetfulness and her
characteristic inability to admit herself to be mistaken. . . . my
experience inclines me to the belief that Mrs. Besant, when she
changes her mental attitude, forgets much of what she thought and
said under the influence of a prior state of consciousness. Also
clarified some facts on the Chinaman controversy.

May 25,
1895

Letter to the Editor of THE IRISH THEOSOPHIST.

Irish Theosophist,
Roger Hall on what H.P. Blavatsky had said of W.Q. Judge, namely Vol. 3, June 1895;
that he was her destined successor.
pp.164-165
[O]ne afternoon . . . I asked [H.P.B.] if she meant to reincarnate
immediately; she answered that she would not do so but would be able
to help in the good work better as a Nirmnakya.
NOTE: See Jan. 1895 for more about W.Q. Judge by Roger Hall.

May 25, 1895

continued

Concerning Masters or Mahatmas.

Transactions of the
On Mahatmas and their communication with others.
Scottish Lodge,
In regards to The Judge Case
pp.164-168
The so-called Masters spoken of by Mr. Judge and Mrs. Besant are
matters of no concern whatever, and moreover, matters on which they
are incapable of forming any conclusion.
The Scottish Lodge stands consistently aloof from the whole
question.

June 1895

H.S. Olcott vs H.P.B. by William Q. Judge.

If for a moment we would accept this view of H.P.B. [that she
cooked up, forged, and humbugged with, a long and important
message to Brahmans at Allahabad in 1881] put forward by Olcott
then there is, as she published herself, no certainty about any message.
. . . He cannot tolerate the idea that H.P.B. was greater than himself,
so he throws around her memory the dirty cloak of tricky and
irresponsible mediumship.
NOTE: See May 15, 1895 Under LITERARY NOTES. . . .

The Path,
Vol. 10, June 1895;
pp.81- 83
WQJ T. Articles,
Vol. 2, pp.332-334

182
June 1895
continued

The Judge Case

Letter from J.D. Buck to the EDITOR PATH on Besants pamphlet, THE CASE The Path, Vol. 10,
AGAINST W.Q. JUDGE.
June 1895; p.97
In referring to a message which she [Besant] says informed her that
Master did not write certain messages and that Mr. Judge did, the
following occurs in parenthesis:
(I informed few people of this last year, but among the few were Mr.
Judge, Dr. Buck and Dr. Keightley, so that they knew on whose
authority my knowledge was based. . . .)
Mrs. Besants memory is entirely at fault on the point; she never told
me that Master made any such declaration to her.
In a conversation with Mrs. Besant in Richmond Park I asked her if
Master ordered her to bring these charges against Mr. Judge. Her
reply was, He ordered me to take action. This is all she said on the
matter. There was not the slightest reference to any previous message
on the subject.
See p.13 of The Case Against W.Q. Judge, which is included in
Appendix A, No. 8. [See April 29,1895.]
NOTE: Also see Sep. 15-16, 1893; March 15, 1895, and Apr. 6, 1895.
Denial by Judge. Most emphatically I state that Mrs. Besant never said p.97
to me that which, on page 13 of the pamphlet Dr. Buck refers to, she
asserts having informed me of last year: i.e. that she had learned from
Master that the messages were not done by Him but by me! [See
April 29, 1895.]

June 1895
continued

EDITOR PATH:

Dr. A. Keightley also addressed Annie Besants statement:

It is with sincere regret that I find myself obliged to make public
denial of the truth of Mrs. Besants statement that she told me that the
Master had informed her of Mr. Judges guilt. Mrs. Besant never so
told me.
Detailed other incidents plus letters and statements including Mrs.
Besants Co-Headship of the E.S. with W.Q. Judge, and concluded
with:
These are a very few of the facts which prevent my accepting Mrs.
Besants statements as I would like as I would only be too happy
to do. The contradictions between her public and private
statements, and between her letters, make it impossible.
NOTE: Also see Jan. 12, 1894 for Dr. A. Keightleys comments.

The Path,
Vol. 10, June 1895;
pp.98-100
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.249

Mrs. Besant told us at Richmond that she had had no order from the
Master except take action. That she took orders through Mr. The Path,
Chakravarti as coming from the Master. That it was Mr. Chakravarti Vol. 10, June 1895;
who told her Master ordered her to mail the letter requesting Mr. p.98
Judge to resign. And she admitted occult ties with a group of
Brahmins in India, such ties being prohibited by the rules of a private
body to which we and she then belonged.
NOTE: See Feb. 8, 1894 and Feb. 14, 1894 entries.

Chronology
June 1895
continued

Editorial by Annie Besant re: H.P.B.s ring

Lucifer,
Disputed Judges claim that he had Blavatskys ring. Besant claimed Vol. 16, June 1895;
that she received H.P.B.s ring after her death and that Judge had the pp.269-270
duplicate ring that she had before.
NOTE: For the full text of her explanation see Appendix A, No. 14. Also
see June 18, 1896 entry.

June 1895
continued

Mrs. J. Keightley, in her letter of May 21, 1895 on misstatements made by Irish Theosophist,
Annie Besant regarding the Chinaman episode, wrote:
Vol. 3, June 1895;
Having read in The Vahan for May, 1895, the statement of Mrs. pp.158-159
Besant in regard to the Chinaman episode, I ask your editorial
courtesy in order to say, definitely and clearly, that that statement, as
such, is wholly incorrect.
Mr. Hargroves long letter of May 31st, 1895, regarding this subject p.164
follows Mrs. Keightleys.
As Mrs. Besants article in the May Vahan, containing the abovementioned incorrect assertions and accusations, required comment in
the same journal, I wrote a letter to the editor endorsing Dr.
Keightleys statement of fact. . . . Mr. Mead had not the common
courtesy to acknowledge the receipt of this letter, nor, as I see, did he
insert it.
Basil Crump (Barrister at Law):
p.164
I certify that I have seen the originals of all the letters quoted or cited
by Mr. Hargrove, and that these quotations are correctly given.
NOTE: See May 15, 1895 for ADEPTS AND MEDIUMS by Basil Crump.
NOTE: See also May 1, 1895, May 14, 1895 and May 21, 1895.
Comments on letters from Mrs. Keightley and E.T. Hargrove in June The Path, Vol. 10,
Irish Theosophist.
Aug. 1895; p.161
The Vahan printed Mrs. J. C. Keightleys letter of May 21st, 1895, The Vahan, Vol. 4,
under title The Legend of Che-Yew-Tsang. Also included are a July 1895; pp.3-5
letter from H. Burrows, and comments by G.R.S. Mead.
NOTE: See June 19, 1895 for H. Burrows letter and Meads comments.

June 1895
continued

Message from Master M to G.E. Wright is quoted:

Lucifer,
The duty of the American group is cut off from the diseased parts Vol. 16, June 1895;
(sic) so that itself can live. Wright repudiated letter.
p.345
NOTE: See May 20, 1895 entry.

183

184

The Judge Case

June 1895
continued

MASTERS AND MESSAGES. by J.D. Buck.

The Path,
If a supposed message flatters ones vanity or agrees with ones Vol. 10, June 1895;
preconceived notion of things, it is loudly heralded as genuine and pp.78-80
as conclusive evidence of the superhuman insight of the Masters; but
if the reverse is the case, and the recipient does not like the message
it is at once declared spurious, even when both messages are
transmitted through the same source, and the messenger that in the
first instance was accorded all praise is now accused of fraud or
mediumship.

June 1,
1895

H.S. Olcott arrived in Madrid, Spain.

Hammer on the
th
th
He left for Bombay on May 5 , and sailed for Marseilles on the 10 , Mountain, p.331
he then left Marseilles for Madrid on the 30th.
p.274
But when he landed at Marseilles on May 30 he received the news,
not altogether unexpected, that W.Q. Judge was no longer a part of the Prasnottara, Vol. 5,
Society.
Oct. 1895; p.130

June 1, 1895
continued

Letter From the Theosophical Society in America to the European

Theosophists, in Convention Assembled as, The European Section of
the Theosophical Society.
Signed by William Q. Judge as President.
Therefore we come to you as fellow-students and workers in the field
of theosophical effort, and holding out the hand of fellowship we
again declare the complete unity of all theosophical workers in every
part of the world.
Also signed by the Members of the Executive Committee. Elliott B.
Page; A.P. Buchman; C.A. Griscom, Jr.; H.T. Patterson; Jerome A.
Anderson; Frank I. Blodgett.

The Path,
Vol. 10, July 1895;
pp.135-136
Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 1, June 1895;
pp.30-31
Northern Theos.,
Vol. 2, July 1895;
p.74

Mrs. Annie Besant . . . declared it a personal attack on herself and an The Path,
insult to those upholding her. . . . [F]ully half the hall arose and Vol. 10, Aug. 1895;
protested against the purblind and fanatical attitude that had brought pp.164-165
about the repudiation of a document intended to draw harmoniously
together for the greater advancement of our cause all workers in the
Movement.
NOTE: See also July 4, 1895.
June 1, 1895
continued

Secession of Mr. Judge and his Adherents in America from the The Vahan,
Theosophical Society.
Vol. 4, June 1, 1895;
The majority of delegates at the late Convention of the American pp.1-2
Section of the Theosophical Society resolved themselves into a new
society as fellows:
Resolutions are listed.
NOTE: See June 5, 1895, entry for Olcotts EXECUTIVE NOTICE from
Spain.

Chronology

185

June 2,
1895

CORRESPONDENCE.
The Path, Vol. 10,
Letter from Franz Hartmann arguing that T.S. in America is the Aug. 1895; p.160
original Society.
The Vahan states that the American Section has seceded from the
main body of the T.S. This is not true in my opinion. I know of no
other T.S. than the one started in America. . . . I acted as the Delegate
of the Parent body of the T.S. to the Indian division at Adyar in 1883
at their anniversary meeting, and I reported back to New York. Thus
the real T.S. in America has merely resserted its original
independence. . . .

June 2, 1895
continued

Letter from Mrs. L.A. Russell quoting Countess Wachtmeister as having

said:
Do you not know that W.Q. Judge is the greatest living occultist
known to the Western world since H.P.B.s death?
[Mrs. Lizzie Arthur Russell was the Secretary of the Santa Cruz T.S.]

The Path, Vol. 10,

July 1895; p.129
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, July 1895;
pp.181-182

NOTE: See May 1894 for more details.

Countess Wachtmeister in a letter to the Editor Path:
The Path, Vol. 10,
I absolutely deny having said that W.Q. Judge is the greatest living Dec. 1895; p.292
occultist. . . .
June 3,
1895

What is the Theosophical Organization?

By Fred. J. Dick included: Historical Sketch of the Theosophical Society
Inside Facts from the Records of the T.S., from 1875 to the Present day.
(pp.1-14)
LEGAL OPINION BY GEO. D. AYERS, COUNSELLOR-AT-LAW, BOSTON, ON THE
STATEMENT OF FACTS RELATING TO THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. Boston April
26, 1895. (pp.14-17)
Constitution of The Theosophical Society in America. (pp.17-20)
NOTE: See April 26, 1895 and Aug. 23, 1895 entries.
See Appendix C, No.1.

Pamphlet, 20 pages

New England Notes,

Vol. 1, Apr. 27,
1895; pp.6-7

186

June 5,
1895

The Judge Case

EXECUTIVE NOTICE.
Issued by H.S. Olcott from Zumarraga, Spain, regarding T.S. in
America. Abolished American Section of T.S., cancelled all charters
and diplomas, asked for all Sectional archives and other property and
explained the legal status of the T.S.
The undersigned notes with regret that the American Convention was
led into the adoption of the wholly false and misleading idea, that the
Theosophical Society, now existing, is not de jure the continuation of
the Society which was formed by H.P.B., the undersigned, and our
colleagues, at New York in 1875, but an adventitious body, the growth
of circumstances, and having no real corporate authority over its
Sections and Branches. There is, however, at Adyar, the original
Record Book of the proceedings of Council, in which, in Mr. Judges
own handwriting, and signed with the name of Mr. A. Gustam, the
then Recording Secretary T.S., is written the report of a meeting of
Council, held early in 1878, at which the President was given full
discretionary powers to establish Headquarters wherever he chose, to
adopt whatever measures he might see fit in the Societys interest, the
Council ratifying in advance whatever he might do. This record is
unfortunately in India at this moment, but it has been written for, and
will be published at the earliest practicable date, for general
information. It will then be seen how unsupported by facts is the
record of the Societys history which was laid before the American
Convention and before the counsellor-at-law, whose professional
opinion was obtained thereupon. . . . As President-Founder, therefore,
the undersigned declares that the Theosophical Society has had an
unbroken existence from the date of its foundation in 1875 to the
present day, and that every charter and diploma issued by it under its
seal and over the Presidents signature, has been valid and of
constitutional force. . . .
Finally, the undersigned gives notice that Mr. W.Q. Judge, having by
his own act lost his membership in the Society, is no longer its VicePresident, and the said office is now vacant.
NOTE: See Aug. 23, 1895 for L.F. Wades analysis according to the Bylaws. Also see Dec. 27, 1896 for A Historical Retrospect (18751896) of the Theosophical Society.
NOTE: See April 26, 1895 and Sep. 7, 1895 for Olcotts 4 page
EXECUTIVE NOTICE.

June 5, 1895
continued

NOTE: See May 8, 1895 entry, for letter from Judge to Olcott.
In his EXECUTIVE NOTICE, H.S. Olcott appoints . . . a special
Committee . . . to have charge of all American Affairs pending the
issue of a Section Charter, and as Presidential Agents to supervise the
proper organisation of the new American Section of the Theosophical
Society.
NOTE: Also see May 20, 1895 and June 1, 1895 entries.

Circular, 4 pages
Lucifer,
Vol. 16, July 1895;
pp.421-425
The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Aug. 1895;
Supp. pp.xlii-xliv
Prasnottara,
Vol. 5, July 1895;
pp.73-78
The Vahan,
Vol. 4, July 1895;
pp.1-3
Partial reprint in
New England Notes,
Aug 23, 1895; p.124

Chronology
June 5, 1895
continued

COL. H.S. OLCOTT ISSUES AN EXECUTIVE NOTICE

The Editor comments on Olcotts June 5th, EXECUTIVE NOTICE
from Zumarraga, Spain. He claimed that:
[Olcott] then goes on, somewhat illogically and absurdly, to declare
as annulled all charters and diplomas of those who voted in favour of
autonomy; to appoint a committee to represent himself, and to ask that
all archives and property be turned over to the committee, saying he
will issue a charter for a new American Section.
The Editor then added:
Neither Col. Olcott nor any other person has any right, title or
interest in the property of the former Section, and never did have, his
demand is ridiculous.
NOTE: Albert Smythe was in New York with Mr. Judge at the time that
Mr. Judge received the letter from Col. Olcott rejecting autonomy. See
July 15, 1929 entry for Albert Smythes recollection of the event.

187

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 1, July 1895;
pp.45-46
The Path, Vol. 10,
Aug. 1895; p.164

June 5, 1895
continued

Notes upon the Presidents Executive Notice by N.C.

Northern Theos.
The so-called Secession of the American Brethren is in no sense of Vol. 2, July 1895;
the word a Secession, but rather a re-organisation of the form or pp.73-74
vehicle by means of which the real work of the T.S. as a movement
can be carried on in their midst, and we shall easily see that with
differing modes of expression, officers, rules, and the like, the link
with the original T.S. can be kept unbroken, and apostolic
succession becomes but merely a matter of history but an actual fact
in the life and experience of that which takes on or casts off its
Sthula.

June 5, 1895
continued

Proposed Programme for the European Convention of July 4th and 5th, Pamphlet, 7 pages,
1895, and announcing that H.S. Olcott will be in the chair.
issued June 5, 1895
Suggestion for the Rerganization of the T.S., including a Draft of
a Proposed Constitution for The Theosophical Society in Great Britain Pamphlet, 4 pages
and Ireland, following the impending separation of the T.S. in (not dated)
Europe into two distinct bodies.

June 8,
1895

Olcott arrived at Charing Cross.

June 10,
1895

COUNTESS WACHTMEISTER REFUTES HERSELF

Circular, 1 page,
by J.D. Buck
Dr. Buck printed a letter from Dr. Gamble, of Santa Cruz, CA.
The Countesss attack on you and the statements contained in her
letter I am convinced have no foundation in truth. While a guest at my
house, shortly after the S.F. convention [April 23-24, 1894], I asked
for her opinion regarding the charges against Bro. Judge, and she
answered that she had none and did not propose to take sides; that
in the end truth would prevail, and it was our duty to go on with the
work.
Now, unless she was untruthful at the time, she did not believe that
W.Q. Judge had acted in a fraudulent and deceitful manner. . . .
NOTE: See May 1894 entry.

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, July 1895;
p.353

188

The Judge Case

June 14,
1895

Letter from Olcott to the Presidents of Branches who have joined the T.S. Letter, 1 page
in America asking them to return their Charters and all diplomas of
members who were in favor of the secession.

June 14, 1895

continued

Report by A. Cleather.
The Path,
The agenda for the forthcoming [European] Convention is now out, Vol. 10, July 1895;
and the policy of Mr. Judges persecutors is therein partially pp.134-135
disclosed.
She commented regarding Olcotts June 5th EXECUTIVE NOTICE:
You are all cut off, root and branch, your diplomas cancelled, and
your names erased from the roll kept at the Societys Headquarters,
Adyar! It is a sorry document, this, to be issued by the man who
could had he so chosen have kept the Theosophical movement
one and undivided.

June 14, 1895

continued

Letter from Mr. Judge to E.T. Hargrove.

Letters from WQJ
Claude [Wright] is now running the T.S. office in my absence, as it to Hargrove, see
appears I shall have to stay away a considerable time. I am on the Appendix D, Part V.
move like a pilgrim. But I am better a little each day. Been with Dr.
Buck for a month.
NOTE: Judge often stayed in Cincinnati with his friend Dr. Buck. He
would at times use Bucks residence as his home base from which he
could take short trips to establish new Theosophical Lodges in the
Midwest or central US.
After the Boston Convention Judge went to Cincinnati to relax and
possibly get more Homeopathic treatments from Dr. Buck.
[See Jan. 17, 1895 for Judges May 20th letter, from Cincinnati,
concerning his health.]

June 15,
1895

Annie Besant attacked the formation of T.S. in America, called it a Irish Theosophist,
secession.
Vol. 3, June 1895;
p.166
The only comfort remaining to the disembodied ghosts of the Lucifer,
thousands of self-imagined members of the non-existent Society, and Vol. 16, June 1895;
to Colonel Olcott, their shadowy and illegal chief, is that he is pp.265-266
graciously allowed to retain the unique and honorary title of
President-Founder, by the Theosophical Society of America an
honorary title truly, as he presides over nothing, and is founder of a
non-existing organization.

Chronology
June 15, 1895
continued

189

Extracts of H.P.B.s letters on W.Q.J. were published. The Editor states: Irish Theosophist,
Some [letters] are written as late as 1890. . . . Two are . . . to Mr. Vol. 3, June 1895;
Judge . . . who was prevailed upon to give them to friends on account pp.154-157
of their prophetic nature. ED.
Letters That Have
If knowing that W.Q.J. is the only man in the E.S. in whom I have Helped Me, p.279
confidence enough not to have extracted from him a pledge. . . . There
is nothing I would not do for him and I will stick to him till death
through thick and thin. . . . He has to be defended whether he will or
not. . . .
I trust Judge more than anyone in the world. . . . He has numerous
enemies who work against him underhand and openly too. . . .
H.P.B.s comments on value of The Path magazine:
He who does all and the best that he can and knows how does
ENOUGH for Them. This is a message for Judge. His Path begins to
beat The Theosophist out of sight. It is most excellent. . . . The Path
alone is his certificate for him in Theosophy.

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, June 1895;
p.154
Theos. or NeoTheos. by Margaret
Thomas, p.56

June 15, 1895

continued

Dr. J.D. Buck.

The Lamp, Vol. 1,
Profile of J.D. Buck who helped with the organization of T.S. in June 1895; p.161
America.

June 19,
1895

Letter To the Editor of THE VAHAN. from Herbert Burrows.

The Vahan, Vol. 4,
Four people, Mrs. Besant, Mrs. Keightley, Dr. Keightley, and Mr. July 1895; pp.4-5
Hargrove, were present at a particular interview. Three of them flatly
contradict the other, and that other flatly contradicts them, on a
subject about which it seems there could be no possible mistake. . . .
and I can only say that somebody comes perilously near lying. . . . . .
Now this exceedingly unpleasant further fact has to be faced, that
Mrs. Besant knew of this alleged duplicity. About that there is no
dispute. But she held her tongue, and allowed Mr. Mead and others to
hug to their hearts the delusion that Che-Yew-Tsang was a great
occultist.
NOTE: See Aug. 15, 1895 for Albert Smythes comments on this issue.
Mead (as Editor) commented that:
It is perfectly absurd to try to make Mrs. Besant responsible for the
floating of the Che-Yew-Tsang Legend, as she left England shortly
after the appearance of the first article, Oct. 15th, 1893; in fact, she
was only in England for a fortnight between her return from America
and her departure for India.
NOTE: [This is an interesting comment from Mead, given the efficiency
of the Post delivery in those days and Mrs. Besants ability to reply to
other letters or articles on short notice for example her quick and
lengthy reply to the Westminster Gazette, Dec. 23rd, 1894, shortly
after arriving at Colombo on Dec. 19th, 1894.]

190

June 20,
1895

The Judge Case

The Coming Convention.

The Vahan,
W.A. Bulmer called attention to Annie Besants resolution . . . which Vol. 4, July 1895;
it seems to me to fall short of being satisfactory and suggested Supplement
amendments for consideration.
Our Rules and Constitution.
The Vahan,
Suggestions for improvements to the Rules and Constitution of the Vol. 4, Apr. 1895;
T.S. by W.A. Bulmer.
Supplement

June 27,
1895

European Section General Council Meeting.

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, pp.25354 [253-258]

Summary of dissent encountered at opening of the fifth Annual Lucifer,

Convention of the European Section of the T.S.
Vol. 16, July 1895;
NOTE: See June 1, 1895 entry.
pp.358-359
Olcotts views on changing the Constitution of the T.S.
June 27, 1895
continued

W.Q. Judge referred to his letter of May 2nd, 1895 to Olcott, and answered
Olcotts June 5th EXECUTIVE NOTICE regarding the retention of
property by T.S. in America.
The American Society became The Theosophical Society in
America and legally turned over to its successor its archives and
property; and as the Section ceased to exist on April 28th; and as
neither Col. Olcott nor any other person has any right, title or interest
in the property of the former Section, and never did have, his demand
is ridiculous.

pp.415-421
The Path,
Vol. 10, Aug. 1895;
p.164
Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 1, July 1895;
pp.45-46

NOTE: See June 5, 1895 entry, for Olcotts EXECUTIVE NOTICE.

June 27, 1895
continued

June 27, 1895

continued

SECESSION OF MR. JUDGES SUPPORTERS.

The Vahan, Vol. 5,
The supporters of Mr. Judge have (as we learn from the Irish Aug. 1895; pp.1-2
Theosophist) seceded from the Theosophical Society and formed
themselves into a new body under the Presidency of Mr. Judge.
Lodges and members joining in this act of secession, ipso facto, cease
to be members of the Theosophical Society.
H.S. Olcott appointed A.P. Sinnett, of London, to be Vice-President Lucifer, Vol. 16,
of the Society, to fill the present vacancy created by W.Q. Judge.
July 1895; p.425
NOTE: See June 5, 1895 entry, for Olcotts EXECUTIVE NOTICE where he The Theosophist,
declares the office of Vice-President vacant.
Vol. 16, Aug. 1895;
Supp. p.xliv
The Vahan, Vol. 5,
Aug. 1895; p.1

Chronology

July 1895

H.P.B. ON MESSAGES FROM MASTERS. by W.Q. Judge.

Parts of H.P.B.s article Lodges of Magic are reprinted in which
the question of the genuineness or the opposite of such messages was
dealt with. . . . It covers two matters.
First . . . if one letter has to be doubted then all have to be doubted.
...
Second, it applies precisely to the present state of affairs in respect
to messages from Masters . . . such as the present agitators . . . might
have something to show them how to use their judgement.
The selected portion is then printed.

191

The Path,
Vol. 10, July 1895;
pp.125-127
Lucifer,
Vol. 3, Oct. 1888;
pp.89-93
HPB Theos.
Articles,
Vol. 1, p.287

July 1895
continued

Mr. Bulmers remarks:

Northern Theos.
The governing spirit has been the evil genius of many a promising Vol. 2, July 1895;
institution. . . It crept into the T.S. under the guise of judicial inquiry pp.67-68
into the acts of a brother member. . . .
. . . It is not on official ties that the union of the T.S. depends, but on
similarity of aim and object. . . . To my mind, the action of the
American lodges was no breach of the Constitution T.S., it was a
revolt against Rules which were being used to bring about a result
they strongly objected to.
[Also: The Coming Convention p.68]

July 1895
continued

ABSENCE OF WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

I am compelled to absent myself from Headquarters because of the
state of my health, as the great amount of overwork during the past
few years, and the terrific strain I have been subjected to for over a
year, added to a bad cold contracted in Chicago last December while
visiting the Branches have made great inroads on my physical health
which must be repaired.
Extracts from Mrs. Tingleys Private Notes:
Published by Helen Harris with her [K.Ts] permission.
After [18]95 Convention, when Mr. Judge was quite ill, he called to
see me before starting on his trip South, and in conversation gave me
the names of E.A. Neresheimer, H.T. Patterson, J.H. Fussell, James
M. Pryse, and C.A. Griscom Jr., as the persons who might be called
quickly in case anything should happen to him, that they might act as
a Council to assist me in anything I wished to undertake for the
protection of the E.S.T., the T.S., and the general work. He defined
most carefully the fitness of these people and how each one could aid.
He also named others in England and Ireland, two of whom, D.N.
Dunlop and Wm. Lindsay, are now in this country, but he did not
name Mr. E.T.H. [Hargrove].
NOTE: See July 11, 1929 entry, re: Katherine Tingley.
NOTE: Mr. Hargrove was in Barmouth, England when he wrote to Judge
on July 20th, saying that he had arranged matters with my parents,
and was sailing for New York at an early date. He left London on
Aug. 24th, 1895.
Mr. Hargrove arrived on Aug. 30th. [See Aug. 30th 1895.]

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 1, No. 3,
July 1895; p.48
The Path, Vol. 10,
Aug. 1895; p.168

The Formation of
The Council, 1 page
The Search Light,
Apr. 1898; p.29

Letter from W.Q.J.

to Hargrove, Aug. 5,
1895 and Aug. 23,
1895

192

July 1, 1895

The Judge Case

OPEN LETTER TO COL. H. S. OLCOTT.

New England Notes,

In the General Report of the 19th Anniversary of the T.S. held at Vol. 1, July 1, 1895;
Adyar, Dec. 25,1894, it is reported that Miss F. Henrietta Mller made p.2
use of the following language: We have once had before a specimen
of this policy of Mr. Judge. Do we not remember at the time of my
first visit, in 1891 or 1892, that Mr. Judge brought some very serious
charges against Col. Olcott?
According to the same report you were Chairman of the meeting
where and when this was said, and Mrs. Besant and Mr. Bertram
Keightley were also present.
As you all knew the absolute falsity of the statement, we assume that
your prompt denial of it, on the spot, was overlooked, owing to the
hurry and excitement which prevailed at the time. Our belief in your
desire for fairness also compels us to assume that you were not
responsible for the printing of Miss Mllers remarks, verbatim, in the
Theosophist and General Report, without correction of the
misstatement.
The same reason compels us to the further assumption that it is only
necessary to bring the oversight to your attention to have you do all
that is possible to correct the error.
It is gazetted that you are to preside at the Convention of the
European Section which will be held at London, July 4. It will no
doubt be peculiarly gratifying to you to have the opportunity of
making the correction in as public a manner as the original error was
committed, and at a similar gathering.
The statement of Miss Mller has provoked considerable enquiry in
this country as to what the real reasons were that led to your
resignation in 1892, and it is for the interests of all that no injustice
should be done.
Trustfully yours, Leoline Leonard, Mary H. Wade, George D. Ayers,
L.F. Wade.

NOTE: See General Report of the Nineteenth Anniversary of the

Theosophical Society, Dec. 25-28, 1894, pp.51-53 for Miss Mllers
comments.
NOTE: See Jan. 1906 for biographical sketch on Miss Mller.
July 4,
1895

Convention of the European Section Meeting.

Theos. Movement
Olcott informed the delegates of Mr. Judges letter, but declined to 1875-1950, p.253
present it on the grounds that its discourteous form of address
constituted an insult to the Society.
Copy of the official letter sent to be read at the European Convention The Path,
from W.Q Judge and the Executive Committee in America.
Vol. 10, July 1895;
NOTE: See next cell for more details of the First Annual Convention of pp.134-136,
the Theosophical Society in Europe held in London.
Also see June 1, 1895 entry.

Chronology
July 4, 1895
continued

Fifth Annual Convention of the European Section T.S. held at

London, July 4th and 5th, 1895. Report of Proceedings up to Noon
on July 4th. First Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society
in Europe, held at London, July 4th and 5th, 1895. Report of
Proceedings.
Mr. Dick (Dublin): I beg to rise once more to a point of order. A
communication from the Society in America has been received, I
understand, by the officials here. Some of us have also received copies
of the official letter, and we certainly think that it would be a matter
of ordinary courtesy both to read the letter and propose some reply
thereto.

193

Report of
Proceedings
European Section,
Pamphlet, 46pages
p.19

Dr. Archibald Keightley, President of the H.P.B. Lodge, then asked Lucifer,
that a resolution of Mr. Coryns challenging the de jure existence of Vol. 16, July 1895;
the Society, should be taken before the election of officers. The pp.353, 358-360
president ruled that the motion was out of order. . . .
Mrs. Annie Besant: . . . the preamble of the letter is meant to
prejudge the case. . . . It is in inverted commas, and meant to point to
the fact that we are a non-existent body. . . . . . I would pray you not
to indorse it, for to accept it in any way would be to deny your own
existence, which is an absurdity. . . . I would ask . . . to allow the letter
to be read, and then let it lie on the table, passing it over in absolute
silence so to speak (No); because if we indorse it, we condemn
a large number of our brothers; if we accept it, we also condemn
others. . . .
The Chairman then read the letter which had been received from the
Society in New York, which was received with loud applause.

Report of
Proceedings
European Section,
Pamphlet, 46pages,
pp.23-25

p.27

At 2:45 p.m. a large meeting was held by those holding to the The Path,
principles of Theosophy . . . for the purpose of organizing the T.S. in Vol. 10, Aug. 1895;
Europe.
pp.164-166
On the motion of Dr. Coryn, William Q. Judge was unanimously and p.166
with acclamation elected President of the T.S. in Europe.

194
July 4, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

Mr. G. Mellis voiced a protest as to whether Olcott should chair the Report of
meeting on the ground that the charges brought against him by Mrs. Proceedings
Besant had not been cleared up. . . .
European Section,
p.2
Besant denied making any charges against Olcott.
I rise to say that I have brought no charges of any kind against The Path, Vol. 10,
Colonel Olcott.
Aug. 1895; p.165
This was apparently greeted with Astonished silence among the
members acquainted with the facts.
NOTE: See The Theosophical Movement (1875-1925) pp. 326-333 for
a brief history of this incident.
NOTE: See Dec. 1895 for The Resignation Mystery, 1892.
With reference to Mrs. Besants statement at the European Section Irish Theosophist,
Convention, that she had brought no charges of any kind against Vol. 3, Sep. 1895;
Colonel Olcott, Bro. E. A. Neresheimer of New York writes, that in p.228
case some confusion should exist in the minds of those not acquainted
with the facts, he thinks it right to state that Mrs. Besant went to the
U.S. in 1892 expressly for the purpose of bringing accusations against
Colonel Olcott, and that upon the strength of those accusations
Colonel Olcott was asked to resign. He also states that the account
given by Mr. Judge in his reply is correct.
Report from Alice Cleather:
The public withdrawal of Mr. Herbert Burrows from the T.S., news The Path, Vol. 10,
of which has doubtless reached you, seems to have created some little Nov. 1895; p.264
stir. He sent a letter of explanation to half the principal dailies in the
kingdom apparently, so the public feel they know all about it. In his
withdrawal he raises the question of Mrs. Besants denial of ever
having brought charges against the President-Founder.
NOTE: See Oct. 2, 1895, for more information about Besants denial.

July 5,
1895

Letter from H.S. Olcott to George E. Wright.

Lucifer, Vol. 16,
I am in receipt of your joint letter of June 1st, asking to be officially Aug. 1895; p.514
recognised as the American Section of the Theosophical Society, and
expressing your wish to appoint Mr Alexander Fullerton as Acting
General Secretary.
Olcotts response: I heartily approve of your choice. . . .
NOTE: See May 20, 1895 entry.

Chronology
July 5, 1895
continued

195

Theos. Movement
Convention of European Section continued:
Olcott declared that the former American Section had seceded from 1875-1950, p.254
the Theosophical Society, thereby abrogating its charter, and asserted
that the T.S. in America, formed at Boston, was an adventitious body,
the growth of circumstances, and having no real corporate authority
over its Sections and Branches.
ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN EUROPE.
(ORGANIZED AUTONOMOUSLY AS SUCH.)
Following the proceedings [of the Fourth Annual Convention of the
European Section, July 4 & 5], the delegates, members of branches
and unattached members who had found it necessary to protest against
the actions of the European Section T. S., first, in rejecting the
resolution of Dr. Coryn to consider the legal relation of the co-called
European Section T.S. to the Parent Society established at New
York in 1875, and second, the refusal to send a fraternal reply to the
letter of greeting sent by the T.S. in America, assembled. . . . Dr.
Coryn was elected chairman, and D.N. Dunlop was elected secretary
to the meeting. . . .
Dr. Keightley, having arrived, then took the chair. . . .
Dr. Coryn moved and G. Mellis seconded that Mr. William Q. Judge
be President of the T.S. in Europe. . . .
The Letter of Greeting from the T.S. in America to the European
Section T.S. was then considered, and E.T. Hargrove read a draft
reply thereto. This was agreed to and accepted, subject to the altered
conditions, and was ordered to be sent. [The Letter was sent July 6th,
1895.] . . .
The representatives of the English group of Branches then proceeded
to elect officers for current year as follows: Dr. Keightley, President;
W.A. Bulmer, Vice-President; and H.T. Edge, Treasurer. . . .
The Irish delegates also met and proceeded to elect officers for their
national division as follows: D.N. Dunlop, President; Geo. W. Russell,
Vice-President; F.J. Dick, Treasurer.

FIRST

NOTE: See Lucifer, Vol.16, July and August 1895; pp.358 and 415.
NOTE: See July 4, 1895 Fifth Annual Convention of the European
Section T.S. held at London, July 4th and 5th, 1895. Report of
Proceedings. First Annual Convention of the T.S. in Europe, pp.39-46

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 3, July 1895;
pp.182-188
The Path,
Vol. 10, Aug. 1895;
pp.165-166
Sep. 1895; p.198
Oct. 1895; pp.230231

196

July 6,
1895

The Judge Case

GREETING FROM T.S. IN EUROPE.

The Path,
Official greetings sent to T.S. in America from the newly formed Vol. 10, Oct. 1895;
Theosophical Society in Europe. Signed by A. Keightley, as pp.231-232
Chairman, First Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in
Europe.
REPLY TO THE T.S. IN EUROPE. by William Q. Judge (Dated Sep.13, 1895.)
W.Q. Judge acknowledged the letter and agreed to be President. I
now formally and officially accept, and send you also my
congratulations.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 1, Sep. 1895;
p.80

The reorganized Theosophical Movement in Europe continued:

The Theosophical Society in Europe.
The Grail,
This Society is an integral part of The International Theosophical Vol. 1, May 1897;
Movement which began in New York in the year 1875. Lists pp.61-62
Branches of T.S. in Europe (England).
THIRD ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN EUROPE Aug/Sep. 1897;
(ENGLAND).
p.109
This meeting was held in Liverpool on Sunday, Aug.1st, 1897.
July 15,
1895

THE PRAYAG LETTER.

Lucifer,
Annie Besant published 3 letters of W.Q.J.s on the Prayag Letter Vol. 16, July 1895;
which Judge had published in the Path under title A MAHATMAS pp.375-379
MESSAGE TO SOME BRAHMANS.
Besant stated:
I do not regard the letter as genuine, but I have never attributed it to
H.P.B. . . .
The publication of the letter, if it should be regarded as from H.P.B.,
may do some harm to the Theosophical Society in India, and will
certainly injure her memory, as it is in flagrant contradiction with her
definite and published teachings.
NOTE: See March 15, 1895 and March 27, 1895.
NOTE: This letter better known as the Prayag Letter was written by
H.P.B. but incorporates a dictation by Master M for A.P. Sinnett,
warning him of the Shasters and the dangerous forces surrounding
superstitions.

Aug. 15,
1895

European Section
Lucifer,
Since [the Convention of the European Section], the members Vol. 16, Aug. 1895;
withdrawing from the meeting with their friends have formed a new pp.512-513
society, to be known as the Theosophical Society in Europe. To
prevent any misunderstanding as to the reason for this step, Mr. Judge
has been elected President. . . .

Chronology
Aug. 15, 1895
continued

On the expectation of Hargroves visit to Toronto, Albert Smythe gives The Lamp, Vol. 2,
his comments on the Che-Yew-Tsang controversy.
Aug. 1895; p.1
Mr. Hargroves literary ability has been the source of a notable
controversy. Under the pseudonym or psychonym of Che-Yew-Tsang
he addressed two articles entitled, Some Modern Failings, to Lucifer,
which that journal published in October and December, 1893. The
Editor was made aware of the identity of the author, but the associate
editor was not until some time subsequently, when, smarting under the
impression that he had been had somewhere, and by a Chinaman at
that, he challenged the right of anyone to conceal himself under a
nom-de-plume. If people rely on their own judgement and approve or
disapprove of the utterances they meet with, not according to the
source from which they may understand these utterances to emanate,
but according to their intrinsic value as it appears to them they will
avoid the necessity of untimely recantations.
NOTE: See March 1895, May 1, 1895, May 14, 1895, May 21, 1895, and
June 19, 1895 entries.

Aug. 17,
1895

A Letter to Mrs. Annie Besant on The recent Crisis in the Theosophist Pamphlet, 4 pages
Movement. From Amy Constance Morant.
Then came your letter of the 11th of June (in answer to mine reporting
progress) in which you said, as you will remember, I have no
intention, further, of entering into any platform controversy on the
Judge question, having done all that I consider to be my duty about
him. . . .
In her conclusion, Morant stated:
I am compelled now as once before, many years ago, in a large
Socialist meeting I was compelled to act and speak in direct and
uncompromising opposition to the course you are pursuing.
Morant also [e]xplains that the American Section had only voted for
autonomy, but Olcott in his June 5 EXECUTIVE NOTICE had declared T.N.C.A.B.
that by so doing, they had seceded. Says she will follow Judge as Item 1986, p.544
Pres. of the T.S. in Europe.
NOTE: Morants pamphlet also includes a brief reply by A. Besant dated
Aug. 22, 1895.

197

198

Aug. 23,
1895

The Judge Case

PRESIDENT OLCOTTS EXPLANATION.

New England Notes,

The Editor, L.F. Wade, explained why Colonel Olcotts statements are Vol. 1, Aug. 1895;
wrong in his June 5th, EXECUTIVE NOTICE.
pp.2-3
Wade quoted H.S. Olcott from Lucifer, July 1895, pp.423-424 as
stating that:
1.) The Council (of the original New York Society), at a meeting in
1878, gave the President full discretionary powers to establish
Headquarters wherever he chose, and to adopt whatever measures he
saw fit in the Societys interest, thus ratifying in advance all that he
did;
2.) The record of this act of the council is in Mr. Judges own
handwriting, although Mr. Gustam was the then Recording Secretary
T.S.
It is well known principle of law that you cannot delegate to another
a power you do not possess yourself. It is a well known principle of
common sense that you cannot give to another what you havent got.
He further explained these positions by stating that a mere inspection
of the By-laws of the Society founded at New York in 1875 prove
this.
Wade concluded:
The fact is that H.S. Olcott and H.P. Blavatsky started a new
Theosophical Society in India in 1878, and it had no legal connection
with the one organized at New York, Oct 30, 1875.

NOTE: See April 26, 1895, also June 5 and 27, 1895.
Aug. 30,
1895

The Path,
Mr. Ernest T. Hargrove arrived on the St. Louis from England on the Vol. 10, Sep. 1895;
30th of August. Mr. Hargrove is coming to this country to lecture and p.199
aid in other fields of labour for the Cause. No definite tour has been
mapped out for Mr. Hargrove so far, but further particulars of his
work will appear in the PATH.
NOTE: See July 1895 entry regarding Hargroves departure from England.

Sep. 1895

UNFOUNDED CHARGES
The Path,
In a letter to the Editor, Claude Falls Wright wrote:
Vol. 10, Sep. 1895;
Mr. Alfred Faulding states that on a letter received by him from me pp.191-192
some weeks ago, were written some words in another handwriting
from my own. He therefore accuses me (to others, not to myself,) of
having written the sentence or sentences in that other handwriting and
of trying to make him believe these were written from Master. As I did
not put the writing there, and as I did not cause anyone else to put the
writing there, and as I was not aware until I thus heard through a third
party of its existence on my letter, I have written to Mr. Faulding
denying such charge and make this public statement in order that all
friends may know the actual facts in the case. . . .
. . . Certain it is that I did not put it on, and certain it is that Mr.
Faulding has stated that the writing is there.
It seems to me that all have had lessons enough in accusing brothers
of misdeeds.

VISIT OF E. T. HARGROVE.

Chronology
Sep. 1895
continued

199

The Northern Theosophist was discontinued owing to some difference The Path, Vol. 10,
of opinion among its proprietors. It was announced that The English Nov. 1895; p.259
Theosophist, which succeeded it is an old friend with a new name
but the same dress.

Circular, 4 pages
Sep. 7, 1895 EXECUTIVE NOTICE. THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
H.S. Olcott issued an Executive Notice (from London), giving text of
early Resolutions of July 16, 1877 and August 27, 1878 whereby the
President received unrestricted powers over any and all aspects of the
conduct of the TS anywhere and in any way.
Also included is his explanation as to what happened after H.P.B. and The Theosophist,
he moved to India, the formation of New Branches, and the Vol. 17, Oct. 1895;
comatose state of affairs in New York. [last page]
Supp. pp.i-iii

Same as in The Theosophist above.

Lucifer,
Vol. 16, Oct. 1895;
pp.164-167
Prasnottara,
Vol. 5, Oct. 1895;
pp.129-135
The Vahan, Vol. 5,
Oct. 1895; pp.1-3

200

The Judge Case

Sep. 7, 1895
continued

THEOSOPHICAL RECORDS AGAIN.

Under date of September 7, 1895, Col. H.S. Olcott issued a circular
intended to disprove the Boston claim of the de facto character of the
T.S. under his rule. It consists of two documents, one signed by
William Q. Judge and the other by A. Gustam. To these are added
remarks by Col. Olcott. The two papers are to the effect that he may
practically do as he likes while away, but they do not remove the
centre from New York, nor do they support the Colonels claim or
validate his acts. There are several reasons why this is so.
First, the papers are illegal, mere scribblings by himself and Mr.
Judge in those old days.
Second, there never was a quorum present.
Third, they are not in any book as he says, for the original minutebook of the T.S. is in New York City, which it never left. Col. Olcott
wrote Mr. Judge not so long ago asking him to send that minute-book.
We can print his letter if he likes.
Fourth, in order to make the proceedings legal, so that subsequent
acts under them would be legal, it was necessary to issue a call for a
full meeting. This was not done; no one was notified, because then
none would come, and Olcott wanted documents of some kind or
another to show when he went abroad, intending afterwards to have
everything made regular.
Hence, as shown at Boston, his subsequent orders and executive
meetings, carried on without call in most cases, were all de facto. If
he had issued a regular call, then the meetings at New York would
have been regular and succeeding acts valid.
The two papers published in the circular were written at the flat
occupied by H.P.B., in West 47th street, New York, and doubtless she
was counted in as part of any proposed quorum; any chance visitor
would also be counted. Nobody cared, for the real theosophical
movement was then, as ever after, in the hands of H.P.B. and her
unseen helpers. None of those cared for formalities but were looking
for workers. And she, later, laughed at his forms, when in 1890 she
declared herself President of the Theosophical Society in Europe.

Sep. 7, 1895
continued

NOTE: What appears to be the Original Minute book is in the Archives of

The Theosophical Society (International) Pasadena. Photos of this
book and its first few pages hang on the walls of Edmonton
Theosophical Society Library.
See: Nov. 1950 for C. Jinarajadasas comments with regards to where
the Minute Book of the Society was located.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 1, Oct. 1895;
pp.95-96

NOTE: See Apr. 28, 1895 and Dec. 27, 1896 entries.
Sep. 7, 1895
continued

Summary of Olcotts Executive Notice.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 17, Nov. 1895;
p.119

Chronology

201

Oct. 1895
early

William Q. Judge was quite ill and decided to leave New York and go to Theosophy (Path),
Asheville, South Carolina to find a better climate. By the end of Vol. 11, May 1896;
October Mr. Judge went further south to Aiken, SC, where E.T. pp.34-37
Hargrove spent two weeks with him during the Christmas season.
Judge left Aiken on Jan. 9, 1896 for Cincinnati.
NOTE: See THE LAST DAYS OF W.Q. JUDGE. A copy can be found in
Appendix F, No. 4.

Oct. 1895

OUR SEVENTEENTH YEAR.

The Theosophist,
Olcott wrote:
Vol. 17, Oct. 1895;
The secession of the majority of the American Section, and the p.2
conversion of the Path into an adverse organ, seem to call for special
effort on the part of loyal members to increase the circulation of the
Theosophist, so that the Truth about the Society may be made known,
and the sad misrepresentations, now too much resorted to, be in some
measure counteracted.
We are told THE PATH has become an adverse organ (!) whatever The Path, Vol. 10,
that may mean.
Dec. 1895; p.293

Oct. 2, 1895

MR. HERBERT BURROWS AND THE T.S. (ADYAR).

Herbert Burrows publicly resigned from T.S.:
The recent disclosures of fraud, which have split the Society, led me
to further investigations . . . which have thoroughly convinced me that
for years deception in the Society has been rampant deception to
which Mme. Blavatsky was sometimes a party. . . .
. . . To the charges of fraud brought by Mrs. Besant against Mr.
Judge, the late vice-president, may be added accusations of grave
immorality against Col. Olcott, laid before him by Mrs. Besant and
Mr. Judge, and in consequence of which the Colonel resigned his
presidency.

English
Theosophist, Vol. 1,
Nov. 1895; p.22

Light, Vol. 15,

Oct. 5, 1895; p.482

Borderland,
Mr. W.T. Stead, Editor, examined the various charges which Mr. Vol. 2, Oct. 1895;
Burrows had flung in the face of his colleagues.
pp.344-345
Mr. Burrows letter of resignation is a serious indictment of the
Theosophical Society as it now exists.
English
Mr. Herbert Burrows deems it indispensable that he should come Theosophist, Vol. 1,
forward and publicly shake off the dust from his feet as a testimony, Nov. 1895; pp.19-20
not against Mr. Judge or against H.P. Blavatsky, but against the
Theosophical Society which has buried H.P. Blavatsky, and cast out
Mr. Judge.
NOTE: See Jan. 21, 1892, H.S. Olcott resigned as President.

202
Oct. 2, 1895
continued

The Judge Case

Follow up letter from H. Burrows to the Editor of the English

Theosophist.
Let me jog Mr. Sinnetts memory by reminding him of one fact. He
personally declared to me that Mr. Judge was trained in all his fraud
by Madame Blavatsky. I may have to jog his memory on other
matters, but that will do for the present. Mrs. Besant knows that both
Col. Olcott and Mr. Sinnett believe Madame Blavatsky to have been
fraudulent; but she has had as yet neither the moral courage nor the
honesty to say so. On the contrary, she quotes them in Lucifer as the
all-round staunch and firm upholders of H.P.B., while at the same time
she upbraids those who wish the real truth known as besmirchers and
practical traitors.

English
Theosophist, Vol. 1,
Dec. 1895; p.32
The Path, Vol. 10,
Nov. 1895; p.264
Jan. 1896; p.328

NOTE: See Dec. 23, 1894, H. Burrows on the Judge Case.

Oct. 21,
1895

The Theosophical Society in Australasia will be an accomplished fact. The Path, Vol. 10,
. . . The Sydney Lodge had a very enthusiastic meeting, and drew up Jan. 1896; p.327
a draft constitution similar to that of Europe or America. W.Q. Judge Feb. 1896; p.360
was unanimously elected President. . . . In a week or two there will be
a formal meeting in Sydney at which the New Zealand centres will be
represented, and then the constitution will be finally adopted.

Oct. 26,
1895

The Theosophical Society. by Herbert Burrows.

Light, Vol. 15,
Some months ago, Mr. Green, writing in Lucifer, and speaking of Oct. 26, 1895; p.520
Mr. Judge as the greatest known occultist in the Theosophical
Society, asked this general question of Theosophists: Are you a rash
and ignorant man ready to oppose your puny self to the mighty force
of the Theosophical Society, in the person of its leader, W. Q. Judge?
This question embodies the attitude of most of the Judgeites towards
those who venture to offer any criticism, either of the views of the
Judge section on Theosophy as they interpret it, or of any
Theosophical leader. Already I have been asked by some of them how
I dare attack Madame Blavatsky. The quotation I give from Mr.
Green contrasts strangely with that which he gives from Madame
Blavatsky as to the inner self being prosecutor, defence, jury, and
judge. Mr. Green blames Mrs. Besant, and I believe rightly, for her
present attitude and teaching, but the real fact is that there is as much
nonsensical popery in one section of the Theosophical Society as there
is in the other, and the sooner both sections are rid of it the better for
the best spiritual interests of all.
NOTE: Mr Burrows refers to Thomas Greens article A Word to the
Wise from Lucifer Jan. 1895. Also see Jan. 1895 entry.

Nov. 1895

THE STATE AND PROGRESS OF THINGS.

The Path, Vol. 10,
The following is a list of all the branches now forming the T.S. in Nov. 1895; p.264
America, that is, of all those branches who have properly united with
the T.S.A. and have their charters endorsed. There are other branches
yet to come. . . .

Chronology

Nov. 15,
1895

203

SPIRITUALISM AND THEOSOPHY: THEIR LIKENESS AND UNLIKENESS.

Light, Vol. 23,
Mr. Herbert Burrows delivered an address at a meeting of the Nov. 23, 1895;
members and friends of the London Spiritualist Alliance. He claimed: pp.562-563
A good many Theosophists had arrived at their Theosophy by way
of Spiritualism; that was partly his own case and also that of Mrs.
Besant. . . . Roughly speaking, there were two classes of Theosophists
on the one side, and two classes of Spiritualists on the other, and he
might classify the two divisions, in each case, as the wise and the
foolish. . . . He meant by foolish people those who were inclined to
take a materialistic view of the higher truths. . . .
. . . The wise Theosophist did not attempt to explain the meaning of
Occultism in its widest sense in any mathematical way.
In W.T. Steads CHARACTER SKETCH of Mrs. Annie Besant, he
mentioned that before she came to Theosophy, Mrs. Besant was Review of Reviews,
writing reviews occasionally for the Pall Mall Gazette.
Vol. 4, Oct. 1891;
It was about this time that Mrs. Besant, with Mr. Herbert Burrows, pp.365-366
began to investigate at regular seances the phenomena of
spiritualism.
NOTE: See also Aug. 30, 1891.
NOTE: Annie Besant mentioned in her 1875 to 1891 A Fragment of
Autobiography, on page 10, that in 1889 I had experimented, to
some extent, then, and many years before, in Spiritualism, and found
some facts and much folly. . . .

Dec. 1895

The Resignation Mystery, 1892.

English
In the interests of Truth and the Adyar T.S., the mystery which now Theosophist, Vol. 1,
surrounds the resignation of Col. Olcott in 1892 needs clearing up. . Dec. 1895; p.28
. . The beginning of the present state of uncertainty was the speech
made in India by Miss Mller, who stated that Mr. Judge had made a
serious charge against Colonel Olcott, with a view to getting him out
of the Presidency of the T.S. It is stated that both Col. Olcott and
Mrs. Besant were present and did not contradict the speaker.
Included is Mr. Judges reply to the charges and correcting the facts:
When no resignation was thought of and Olcott had just returned
from India, from the United States and Australia, Mrs. Besant
hurriedly took steamer for New York, previously cabling me an
ominous message. She arrived here (N.Y.) and informed me (Judge)
that she had come over in such haste in order to lay before me as
Vice-President, and the only one she had confidence in, a very grave
accusation against Colonel Olcott, which, if true, . . . . required his
resignation. . . .
NOTE: See July 1, 1895 for more on Miss Mllers comments.
NOTE: See Oct. 21, 1892 for A. Besants explanation why she did not
travel to India in 1891-1892.
NOTE: See Nov. 18, 1891 and Nov. 27, 1891 entries. Also see Jan. 21,
1892 on Olcotts resignation and July 4, 1895 for Neresheimers reply
to Besants denials.

204
Dec. 1895
continued

The Judge Case

The Resignation Mystery, 1892. (continued)

English
Upon hearing of Mrs. Besants denial at the Adyar convention, Mr. Theosophist, Vol. 1,
Neresheimer wrote:
Dec. 1895; p.28
I beg to state that Mrs. Besant came to the United States in the year
1892 expressly for the purpose of consulting with Mr. Judge and
others about certain charges against Colonel Olcott which resulted,
after considerable pressure being exercised by her, in the request to
Colonel Olcott to resign the Presidency of the Theosophical Society.
This request was made by Mrs. Besant, Mr. Judge, and myself. The
account of her visit to us, and her accusations against Colonel Olcott
given by Mr. W.Q. Judge in his reply is correct, and those same
accusations were repeated by her to me. It is quite true that Mrs.
Besant made no written or legally framed charges against Colonel
Olcott, but she made them to Mr. Judge and myself.
Herbert Burrows . . . further investigations, led him in October to
leave the Adyar Society.
NOTE: See Oct. 2, 1895 for Burrows resignation.
NOTE: See also Jan. 21, 1892, H.S. Olcott resigned as President.

Dec. 1895
continued

On the Watch-Tower.
Lucifer, Vol. 17,
Mrs. Besants editorial comments. Annie Besant changed her Dec. 1895; p.271
teachings on Mars, Mercury and Earth.
NOTE: See The Path Vol. 8, Dec. 1893, pp.270-271;
Lucifer Vol. 13, Nov. 1893, p.206.

The Path, Vol. 10,

Feb. 1896; p.355
Mar. 1896; pp.362Those of us who are accustomed to Mrs. Besants rapid changes of 363
mind will not be surprised to read in the Watch Tower her latest
self-contradiction.

Dec. 27-30,
1895

The Adyar Convention.

Lucifer,
Indian Section of T.S. Convention, Adyar and Twentieth Anniversary Vol. 17, Feb. 1896;
of the Theosophical Society.
pp.516-517
Comments by Mr. Judge:
The Path, Vol. 10,
Mr. Fullerton, reporting his doings from the U.S., asserts that the Mar. 1896; p.392
Section has suffered from the loss of its property; its money, records,
rolls, diplomas, charters, circulars, leaflets, seal and documents of
every kind having been seized [which means stolen] by Mr. Judges
Society. . . . He omitted to say that the T.S. in A. offered every
malcontent a per capita repayment out of the funds, which most of
them hastened to accept.
General Report of the Twentieth Anniversary of the Theosophical
Society, At The Head-Quarters, Adyar, Madras, December 27th, 28th,
29th, and 30th, 1895.
REPORT OF THE AMERICAN SECTION T.S. by Alexander
Fullerton, General Secretary.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 17, Jan. 1896;
pp.1-5
pp.24-25

Chronology

1896

Jan. 1, 1896

Mrs. Cleathers comments on Mrs. Besant Tampering with H.P.

Blavatskys writings.
The result of Mrs. Besants first failure, through harbouring doubts
of her Teachers bona fides and esoteric knowledge, was soon
manifested when she began to publish new editions of H.P.B.s works.
The first noteworthy example was her excision from The Voice of the
Silence of passages and notes, presumably out of deference to
Brahmin sentiment, which then governed her actions.
Among others, Cleather gave the example of the passage and footnote
regarding Pratyeka Buddhas (fn. p.47) having been omitted.

205

H.P.B. A Great
Betrayal (1922)
by A. Cleather, p.71
Theosophic Isis,
Vol. 1, June 1896;
p.179

The Theosophic Isis: A New Monthly magazine; Devoted to Universal Theosophic Isis,
Brotherhood, Theosophy, and The Occult Sciences. Edited by H.A.W. Vol. 1, Jan. 1896;
pp.1-3
Coryn.
Published for T.S. in Europe (England).
In this, the first issue published, the Editor stated:
We stand in rivalry with no other of the existing organs or
expressions of Theosophy but wish to each success in work as
sincerely as we wish it for ourselves.

Jan. 11,
1896

Notes and Comments. by the Editor, W.A. Bulmer:

English
In the Indian Mirror for January 11th Mrs. Besant replies to Theosophist, Vol. 1,
Herbert Burrows. . . .Colonel Olcott resigned the presidency . . . . . Mar. 1896; pp.51-52
not because he thought that he had acted in a way to require his
resignation, but because there was danger that a false accusation made
against him might become public, . . . . and he preferred to meet and
rebut the accusation as a private person, and not as president of the
T.S.
Assuming Mrs. Besant to be correctly informed as to Colonel
Olcotts motives, we have here an important contribution towards the
clearing up of the Resignation Mystery of 1892. It dovetails exactly
into the statement made by Mr. Judge, which was confirmed by Mr.
Neresheimer, supported by Mr. Burrows, and denied by Mrs. Besant.
NOTE: See Oct. 2, 1895, Sep. 1910 and Jan. 21, 1892.

Feb. 1896

On The Watch-Tower.
IF IT WERE ONLY POSSIBLE!
In G.R.S. Meads editorial, reference is made to H.P.B. as the old
nurse who made playthings for the Society, which it had now outgrown. He concluded:
Some foolish people call the old nurse a horrid old woman, but the
parents of the child know how to reward her faithful services.

Lucifer,
Vol. 17, Feb. 1896;
pp.444-445
Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, Apr. 1896;
p.30

206

Feb. 15,
1896

The Judge Case

WILLIAM Q. JUDGE SS A series of four articles by Jasper Niemand Irish Theosophist,

from February to June 1896.
Vol. 4, Feb. 1896;
pp.90-92, Mar. 1896;
pp.112-116, May
1896; pp.141-145,
June 1896; pp.165168
Noted in . . . .

Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, Apr. 1896;
This installment shows the close affection and understanding which pp.29-30
existed unbroken between Mr. Judge and H. P. B. . . .
May 1896; p.62
Mar. 1896

In THE SCREEN OF TIME.

The Path, Vol. 10,
The Indian Section of the Theosophical section proposes to take Mar. 1896; p.365
away the first object of the Theosophical Society, to-wit, the attempt
to form a nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood, and insert in its place
some high-sounding phrases, derived from the Brahmans who now
control that Section, about spirituality and identity.

Mar. 21,
1896
(Saturday)

W.Q. JUDGE DIED. (Born in Dublin, Ireland, April 13, 1851.)

Last words: There should be calmness. Hold Fast. Go Slow. [See Theos. Movement
Theosophy, Vol. 11, May 1896, p.40; Letters That Have Helped 1875-1950, p.264
Me, 1946 ed., p.274]
DEATH OF WILLIAM Q. JUDGE Announcement of Judges death.

Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, Apr. 1896;
p.27

DEATH OF WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. and THE CREMATION.

Theos. Forum
Judges last words There should be calmness. Hold fast. Go (New Series),Vol. 1,
No. 12, Apr. 1896;
slow.[p.180]
pp.177-181

NOTICE. Tribute by J.D. Buck, Vice-President of T.S. in A.

Death of Mr. Judge.

Mr. W.Q. Judge died at New York on Saturday, March 21st.

NOTE: For more details of the last days of W.Q. Judge see Appendix F
and Appendix D, Part IX.
NOTE: J.D. Buck, Vice-President, took over as Acting-President of T.S.
in America.

No.11, Mar. 1896;

Supplement to
Theos. Forum,
1 page
The Vahan, Vol. 5,
Apr. 1896; p.3

Chronology

207

Mar. 22,
1896

Handwritten letter from C.A. Griscom to Albert Smythe.

Letter from C.A.
There is no panic here at all as we have been expecting it for months, Griscom Jr., 2 pages
and having been without his advice and help for so long it is not as if
we were suddenly thrown on our own resources.
In view of the advice go slow we here are taking no very important
steps. A lot of E.S.T. who met at my house today, Hargrove,
C.F.W.[Claude Falls Wright], Neresheimer, [James] Pryse etc etc
have written Buck advising him to issue a manifesto declaring himself
acting Pres. state the election of president will await the regular
Convention, and that in the meantime C.F.W. will continue the office
work as his agent. . . .
. . . It is not yet known whether his will leaves any directions with
regard either to his successor, or the E.S. His papers will be examined
tomorrow & Tuesday.

Mar. 23,
1896

THE DEPARTURE.
Report on the funeral ceremony of William Q. Judge.
The funeral services were held at the head-quarters of the Aryan
Theosophical Society, 144, Madison Ave, N.Y., City, on Monday,
March 23rd, 1896. The services were very simple. . . .
. . . Mr. Wright then announced that Dr. J.D. Buck, Vice-President
of the American Society would succeed Mr. Judge as President, until
the next Annual Convention in Chicago on April 26th, and then he
would probably be elected permanent President. . . .
. . . [T]he body was taken to the Fresh Pond crematory and there
Incinerated. . . . . . The ashes will be buried in a cemetery plot owned
by Mrs. Judge.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 17, May 1896;
pp.509-510
The Lamp,
Vol. 2, Apr. 1896;
pp.130-133

Mar. 27,
1896

EXECUTIVE NOTICE by H.S. Olcott on W.Q.J.s death.

Mar. 27, 1896

continued

First Council Meeting held after Mr. Judges death, at Mrs. Tingleys O.E. Library Critic,
house at 7.45 p.m.
Vol. 22, No.3,
Oct 1932
NOTE: See AFFIDAVIT January 20th, 1898 for details.

Mar. 27, 1896

continued

E.S. Notice issued (Friday) announcing a General Meeting of the E.S.T. Theos. Movement
at the Headquarters 144 Madison Avenue New York, to be held on 1875-1950, p.264
Sunday March 29th.

The Theosophist,
The undersigned has learnt by cable dispatch from New York, that Vol. 17, Apr. 1896;
Mr. William Quan Judge, late Vice-President T.S. and General Supp. p.xxv
Secretary of our American Section, died on the 21st instant in that city.
...
The event is a catastrophe for the new society which the deceased
formed less than one year ago.

208

Mar. 28,
1896

The Judge Case

A letter handwritten by Mr. Fussell the day before the General Meeting of Theos. Movement
E.S.T. held at Headquarters, N.Y., to Rev. S.J. Neill of Auckland, 1875-1950,
New Zealand.
pp.272-273
I know you will wish to hear concerning E.S.T. matters and the status
of affairs since the passing away of the Outer Head of the E.S.T.
So far as is at present known W.Q.J. has left no directions in regard
to carrying on the work of the School. Of course if he has done this,
such directions will be followed.
An informal meeting was held last Sunday afternoon (Mar. 22) at the
house of C. A. Griscom, Jr. to talk over matters relating to the work.
There were present C. A. Griscom, Jr., E. A. Neresheimer, Jas. M.
Pryse, E. T. Hargrove, C. F. Wright, H. T. Patterson, A. H. Spencer,
E. B. Page and J. H. Fussell.
In regard to the E.S.T. the following plan was proposed. That in the
event of there being no directions left by Mr. Judge, a circular letter
be sent out, signed by the above named and other New York members
of the School to all E.S.T. members in America, suggesting that a
Council be formed to carry on the routine work of the School, such
Council to be concerned solely with this and having no authority as
teachers or in strictly esoteric matters. Members will be asked to sign
and return a printed slip to the effect that they approve of the plan for
organization, etc.
The above is only a rough statement of the idea, but its purpose is to
get the members to hold together and to coordinate the efforts of all
so that we may be kept in touch with one another.
As soon as such Council is formed we will have a basis from which
to work and be able to cooperate with the Council in the Eastern
Division appointed by Mr. Judge.
Of course nothing will be done in this matter until we are assured
that no directions have been found among the Chiefs papers.
I will keep you informed of anything that may be done or that may
turn up in regard to the work.
With good wishes to you all,
Fraternally yours, (Signed) Joseph H. Fussell
NOTE: This letter from Mr. Fussell corroborates Mr Hargroves letter
dated Jan. 30, 1898. [The original of Mr. Fussells letter, March 28,
1896, to S.J. Neill was in the possession of the editor of The
Theosophical MovementSS1875-1950]
NOTE: See Jan.30, 1898 for Hargroves Letter to Mrs. Tingley.

Chronology

Mar. 29,
1896

209

General Meeting of E.S.T. held at Headquarters, N.Y.

To the Members of
Hargrove presided. He read an announcement signed, by eight the E.S.T., 1 page
members, that Mr. Judges private papers showed that the future of
the School was not left to chance, nor to our mere judgement.
Hargrove announced that Mr. Judge had assistance from someone who
Hargrove designated as Promise [Mrs. Tingley].
It should first be stated that in Mr. Judges occult diary he has
entered messages and communications received through this person
in the same way as he has entered his own, as from Master; and this
he has done in no other case showing that Promise was the only
person whom he placed on his level of reliability in this respect.

To the Members of
the E.S.T., Apr. 3rd,
1896, 19 pages
Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.264-265

NOTE: Mr. Hargrove quoted from the Jany 3rd, 1895 message which W.Q.
Judge received through Katherine Tingley.
See: Appendix G, No. 7, for entire message.
NOTE: A verbatim report of this meeting was issued one week later in
an E.S.T. circular, To the Members of the E.S.T. See April 3, 1896
entry.
Mar. 29, 1896
continued

Bombay Branch T.S. passed resolution expressing grief at the death of The Theosophist,
W.Q.J.
Vol. 17, May 1896;
Supp. p.xxix

Mar. 31,
1896

Neresheimer wrote to a fellow theosophist, Alice L. Cleather, an amazing California Utopia,

account of how Katherine Tingley brought him and the others to p.16
acknowledge her leadership in the Society. The secrecy surrounding
the meetings where this was accomplished is emphasized in the letter
by the use of a symbol to designate Katherine Tingley, although
he occasionally referred to her as Purple, because of her fondness for
the color.
NOTE: See Appendix G, No. 8, for contents of this letter and for more
comments from Neresheimer.

Apr. 1896

The Path,
The Path changed name (as planned) to Theosophy.
Commencing with the next, April, number, The Path, which has been Vol. 10, Mar. 1896;
published for ten years under that name, will drop the title and pp.361, 390
thereafter will be issued under the name of Theosophy.

Apr. 1896
continued

H.P.B. WAS NOT DESERTED BY THE MASTERS.

Theosophy (Path),
Article by W.Q. Judge published after his death in which he defended Vol. 11, Apr. 1896;
H.P.B. against Sinnetts accusations and included comments on the pp.14-18
Mars and Mercury controversy.
Sinnett denied accusing H.P.B. of fraud or of saying that she was Theosophy (Path),
deserted by the Masters.
Vol. 11, July 1896;
Editors Note claimed: I am also well aware that Mr. Judges pp.122-123
authority for his original position was Mme. H.P. Blavatsky herself.

210

The Judge Case

Apr. 1896
continued

NOTICE by J.D. Buck regarding W.Q.J.s death:

Theosophy (Path),
I tried last December to get him to stop work and use his waning Vol. 11, Apr. 1896;
strength to regain health but in vain. And so he worked on to the pp.28-29
last, and only desisted when he could neither walk nor stand; and
when from choking cough and weariness he could scarcely lie down
or sleep. He was indeed the Lion-hearted and worthy successor of his
great teacher, H.P.B.
[Dr. J.D. Buck was Judges physician and close friend.]

Apr. 1896
continued

Tributes to Judge from J, , and F.J. Dick.

[J was Jasper Niemand ( Julia Keightley),
was famous Irish poet and writer George William Russell.]

Apr. 1896
continued

Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 4, Apr. 1896;
pp.121-123

Tributes to W.Q. Judge from J.D. Buck, E.T. Hargrove, Dr. J.A. Anderson The Lamp,
and others.
Vol. 2, Apr. 1896;
pp.129-139
Tribute by Sidney G.P. Coryn:
It would be a needless task to remind ourselves of his most faithful Theosophic Isis,
friendship, of his unswerving loyalty, of the master force which was Vol. 1, Apr. 1896;
ever in his love for men and war for truth.
pp.81-84
And by H.: We all know that W.Q. Judge was the expression on this
plane of a very high soul vowed for ever to the service of the Lodge.

Apr. 3,
1896

E.S.T. (circular including a verbatim report of E.S.T. meeting of March To the Members of
29, 1896). Signed by E.T. Hargrove, J.M. Pryse, J.H. Fussell, H.T. the E.S.T., 19 pages
Patterson, C.F. Wright, G.L. Griscom, C.A. Griscom Jr., E.A.
Neresheimer.
The papers left by him provided for the future management of the
School. . . . [T]he name and identity of W.Q. Judges occult heir and
successor is to remain unknown to the members in general for one
year.
NOTE: See Feb. 25, 1932 entry. Some Reminiscences of William Q.
Judge (Neresheimer Report). Neresheimer eventually repudiated this
document. Mr. Neresheimer made a special deposition as to the events
following Mr. Judges death. He was one of his executors and claimed
he found the so-called Occult Diary and turned it over to Mrs.
Tingley.
NOTE: See 1922 entry. Notes by Basil Crump (5pp.)on EST Circular.

Chronology

Apr. 26,
1896

WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. Boston Theosophists paid tribute.

New England Notes,
By Robert Crosbie, George D. Ayers, M.L. Guild, L.F. Wade and Vol. 2, Apr. 1896;
W.H. Somersall.
4 pages
At the close of the regular meeting of the Boston T.S. on Thursday, p.4
April 26, a memorial meeting was held. . . .
The following testimonial was then proposed and passed:
Our beloved President, William Q. Judge, having left the body which
for so many years served as his instrument,
We, the Boston Branch of the Theosophical Society in America,
desire to place upon record the testimony of our recognition of the
great work that he has done for humanity:
As one of the three original founders of the Theosophical Society,
he, the greatest of the exiles, remained alone in this land of the new
race, striving to form a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood which shall
in time bring peace on earth, good will to men; for this he lived a life
of self-sacrifice, setting us an example of unswerving loyalty to
Masters, unfaltering devotion to the cause, untiring energy in the
work:
As our teacher in the philosophy and in spirituality we owe him a
debt of love and gratitude that we can only repay by doing our best to
promote the Theosophical Movement and the Brotherhood of Man, by
spreading Theosophy in the world, and by trying to realize it in
ourselves.
This we declare our devotion.

Apr. 26, 27
1896

211

SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION OF T.S.A.

Theos. Forum
In addition to the delegates many visiting members also were present, (New Series),
Vol. 1, Mar. 1896;
above 700 in all.
pp.181-190
Buck refused Presidency but suggested Mr. Hargrove for office. E.T.
Hargrove was unanimously elected President.
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 4, May 1896;
Neresheimer elected Vice-President and re-elected Treasurer.
pp.159-164
Comments on the success of the Convention.
If any justification be needed of William Q. Judges life and work, Theosophy (Path),
it is to be found in the last annual Convention of the Theosophical Vol. 11, June 1896;
Society in America.
pp.65-66

212

Apr. 27, 28
1896

The Judge Case

Newspaper clippings on the Convention of T.S. in America.

(From Albert E.S. Smythes scrapbook.)
This is by far the largest Theosophical convention ever held. One Morning Advertiser
Apr. 27 & 28, 1896
hundred and eight branches were represented.
Coverage included: Tributes, Addresses and Reports.
Mrs. Cleathers Address on Karma.
Unveiling the Judge Bust.

New York Daily

Tribune

At the evening meeting a bust of William Q. Judge was unveiled.

Mail and Express

(New York)

Theosophists took possession of the Madison Square Garden. . . .

Announcement that a school of occultism was to be built. The site of New York Press
the school had not been determined.
The Journal
NOTE: All newspapers covered the convention with utmost attention and (New York)
details.
May 1896

Commemorative issue on W.Q. Judge:

THE SCREEN OF TIME. By T. pp.33-34
THE LAST DAYS OF W.Q. JUDGE. By E.T. Hargrove pp.34-37
THE CREMATION. By C.F.W. pp.38-40
HIS ONE AMBITION. By J.D. Buck pp.41-43
W.Q.J. AS I KNEW HIM. By Elliott B. Page pp.43-46
ONE OF THE IMMORTALS. By Jerome Anderson pp.46-48
A FRIEND OF OLD TIME AND OF THE FUTURE.
By R. Crosbie p.49
THE GREATEST OF THE EXILES.
By G. Hijo [C.A. Griscom] pp.50-52
W.Q.J. foresaw his death.* [p.52]
MAN AND TEACHER. By Edward B. Rambo pp.53-54
W.Q. JUDGE AS ORGANIZER. By A.H. Spencer pp.54-55
A FRIEND AND A BROTHER. By E. Aug. Neresheimer pp.56-58
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
By C.F. Wright pp.58-61

Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, May 1896;
pp.33-61

* NOTE: See Oct. 13, 1894. Judge was told by Cheiro that he had
already reached the last chapter of [his] life.
May 1896
continued

The Passing of William Q. Judge.

By the editor C.H. Collings.
[Mentioned in The Theosophic Isis p.181 Vol.1, June 1896.]

Ourselves,
Vol. 1, May 1896;
pp.71-74

Chronology
May 1896
continued

Claude Falls Wright made a public definite statement regarding Mr.

Judges past.
Mr. Judges existence has been a conscious one for ages. . . . several
years ago he arrived at the stage where he never afterwards lost his
consciousness for a moment. Sleep with him merely meant to float out
of his body in full possession of all his faculties, and that was also the
manner in which he died left his body for good. In other bodies,
and known under other names, he has played an important part in the
worlds history, sometimes as a conspicuous visible figure. At other
times he has worked quietly behind the scenes, or, as in his last life,
as a leader in a philanthropical and philosophical movement. He is a
member of a great brotherhood of sages. . . .

213

The Lamp, Vol. 2,

Apr. 1896; p.132
Theosophic Isis,
Vol. 1, May 1896;
p.142

May 5/18,
1896

Mme. Vera Petrovna de Zhelihovsky died. Born at Odessa, Southern BCW, Vol. 1,
Russia, April 17/29, 1835.
pp.534-537
H.P.B.s younger sister. She was a writer of childrens stories and a
contributor to various Russian magazines.
Irish Theosophist,
Vol. 4, June 1896;
To quote the words of one who knew her best of any [not identified]: p.182
Her affection to her sister was of the truest and the most steadfast.
She had a great heart, and I do not think that there ever was a thing Lucifer,
she ought to do that she left consciously undone.
Vol. 18, June 1896;
p.267

May 7,
1896

W.Q.J., A SCULPTORS APPRECIATION.

Theosophic Isis,
Phrenological assessment of W.Q.J.s head, by the sculptor, August Vol. 1, June 1896;
Lindstrom, who did the bust of W.Q.J. using his death mask. pp.148-150
[Originally published in the New York Journal on May 7]
While making the death mask I was struck by the shape of Mr.
Judges head, which was utterly unlike anything I had ever seen. . . .
I saw at once that Mr. Judges head evidenced a high and uniform
development of all the faculties, well-balanced throughout. This is the
remarkable combination I found: A tremendous will power, with
an equal development of gentleness; thorough practicability and
adaptability conjoined to a highly idealistic nature, and a gigantic
intellect hand in hand with selflessness and modesty.

May 8,
1896

AN INTERESTING LETTER. To the Editor of THE IRISH THEOSOPHIST Irish Theosophist,

written by John M. Pryse on behalf of W.Q.J.s occult successor. Vol. 4, June 1896;
Contains 7 positive points concerning the Society in Ireland.
pp.178-179

May 14,
1896

An Urgent Appeal, a circular to E.S.T. members by order of the Outer Circular, 4 pages
Head and Council.
A CRUSADE has been directed by the Master, and it is for the members
to supply the material necessary in order to complete the plan.
Theos. Movement
NOTE: This E.S.T. circular appears to have been delayed 3 days to 1875-1950, p.268
include Hargroves An Occultists Life. [See May 17, 1896 entry]
NOTE: See June 1896 entry.

214

May 15,
1896

The Judge Case

A WARNING.
E.S.T. circular,
Circular to E.S.T. members from the Council warning of attacks and May 21, 1896;
attempts at disintegration by the Black Powers. . . . [E]ach opportunity pp.1-2
made use of by the White Brotherhood also opens the doors to action
by Dugpas and the evil side. . . .
. . . We are not yet quite ready to inform all of the identity of the
Outer Head. . . .
Note: This circular was kept back owing to a number of events.
(see May 21, 1896)

May 17,
1896

An Occultists Life.
Hargrove issued a circular on K. Tingley to E.S.T. members prefacing
it with the statement:
The paper should be read in careful connection with the E.S.T.
Circular of April 3rd, 1896. adding: Issued with the consent and
approval of the Council, unknown to the O.H., May 17th, 1896.
He claimed:
Promise reached Theosophy by degrees, and in the process of
reaching it underwent a training and preparation even more rigid and
comprehensive than that experienced by either H.P.B. or W.Q.J.
Always guided by the Master, every event in her life had a meaning
and a purpose: when the moment of consummation came, several
years ago, known and recognized by Mr. Judge, the meaning and the
purpose became clear at last.

Circular, 7 pages
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, pp.268,
279-288

NOTE: Neresheimer later claimed that W.Q. Judge never appointed her
as his successor. See Feb. 25, 1932.
May 18,
1896

NO LONGER A MYSTERY.
New York Daily
Identity of the Unknown Adept of the Theosophists Revealed.
Tribune,
The mystery of the identity of the successor to the late W.Q. Judge May 18, 1896; p.7
in the leadership of the esoteric branch of the Theosophical Society is
a mystery no longer. The secret was told yesterday morning in
Chickering Hall by Ernest T. Hargrove, the exoteric president of the
Theosophical Society in America.
Included a long authorized interview with Mrs. Tingley.

Chronology

May 21,
1896

215

THE SCREEN OF TIME.

Theosophy (Path),
. . . with a view to shielding this person from the inevitable slander Vol. 11, June 1896;
and persecution to which she would be subjected, as Mme. Blavatsky pp.67-69
and W.Q. Judge had been when occupying the same position.* That
years silence would now be broken on account of the Crusade. . . .
Under heading: THE OUTER HEAD.
Therefore we now have to tell you that the occult successor to W.Q. E.S.T. circular
Judge, mentioned by him as such in his papers and previously referred 7 pages, p.3
to as Promise is Katherine A. Tingley. . . .
Under heading: IMPORTANT NOTICE.
The Outer Head has appointed E. Aug[ust] Neresheimer . . . and Dr. pp.5-6
J.D. Buck . . . as her special agents to whom they [members] should
appeal in case of real difficulty arising in E.S.T. and outer work.
Under heading: LETTER FROM DR. BUCK.
Dr. Buck endorsed K. Tingley as the new chosen agent of the Masters
and urged E.S. members to stand by all the changes that are pp.6-7
occurring.
* NOTE: the Outer Head was never a position held by either H.P.B. or
W.Q.J.

June 1896

THEOSOPHICAL NEWS AND WORK. AN URGENT APPEAL.

June 1896
continued

Tributes to W.Q. Judge:

Theosophy (Path),
W.Q. JUDGE. By Julia Keightley pp.70-72
Vol. 11, June 1896;
HIS BALANCE. By W. Main pp.73-74
pp.70-88
THE LESSONS OF A NOBLE LIFE. By Katharine Hillard pp.75-82
HIS LIGHT. By Herbert Coryn p.82
IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA. By Alice Cleather pp.83-84
OUR FRIEND AND GUIDE. By J.H. Connelly pp.85-88

June 1896
continued

A TRIBUTE.
To Mr. Judge by G.L.G. (Genevieve Ludlow Griscom)

Theos. Forum
By committee composed of H.T. Patterson, E.A. Neresheimer, and (New Series),
C.A. Griscom, Jr. announcing the launch of a most vigorous crusade Vol. 1, Apr. 1896;
on the other side of the ocean, rewaken the flagging energies of those p.191
who have become indifferent. . . . The Crusade was led by K. Tingley
as Outer Head and E.T. Hargrove as President.
Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, June 1896;
NOTE: See also Feb. 11, 1897 entry.
p.96

Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 11, July 1896;
p.106

216

The Judge Case

June 1896
continued

NOTICE.
BUST OF WILLIAM Q. JUDGE. August Lindstrom, the noted Swedish
sculptor who made the bust of W.Q. Judge which was unveiled at the
Convention, has now completed a number of casts of the bust. It was
made from a mask of his face taken after death and has received
favourable criticism of everyone who knew Mr. Judge. Each one is
made by hand and satisfactory in every way. They may be ordered
from August Lindstrom, 1267 Broadway, N.Y. City, or from
Theosophical Publishing Co., 144 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City. The
price is $10.00 each in the United States.

(date
unknown)

E.S.T. Private. Circular listing some members names and their Circular, 1 page
signs.

(date
unknown)

Katherine A. Tingley issued from 144 Madison Avenue, N.Y., the new Circular, 20 pages
Book of Rules, Strictly Private and Confidential.

June 13,
1896

THE CRUSADE OF AMERICAN THEOSOPHISTS AROUND THE WORLD.

Theosophy, (Path),
The Crusade of American Theosophists left New York for their world Vol. 12, Oct. 1897;
tour.
p.367
NOTE: See April 4, 1897. The Crusaders completed their first world tour
and reached New York.

June 18,
1896

Circular, 3 pages
To Members of the Theosophical Society:
Circular by Alexander Fullerton detailing three incidents involving
Judge which made him side with Besant.
1.) That he had told Judge to tell the truth and Judges reply was That
it is not so easy a thing to do.
2.) That Judge had told him that he had taken the original ring of
H.P.B.s and left the duplicate for Mrs. Besant.
3.) That in order to receive the documentation Judge allegedly
asserted I hypnotized her and made her do it.
NOTE: See June 1895 entry for Annie Besants version of what happened.

July 1896

THE SUCCESSOR OF THE LATE MR. W.Q. JUDGE. by Bertram Keightley Prasnottara,
We . . . refrain from passing any opinion whatever of our own Vol. 6, July 1896;
regarding this lady of whom not much is known and but little is pp.139-140
definitely asserted; and instead of speculating upon her aims and
objects, we deem it proper to wait contentedly and allow the plot to
develop itself until the donoument [sic] is pretty clearly seen. . . .
. . . What [the world] seeks . . . is . . . a . . . rational explanation of
this panorama of Nature. . . .
If Mrs. Tingley can supply this need she is most welcome; she will
everywhere be adored, be she a reincarnation of H.P.B. or of Joan
dArc, or for the matter of that even a soulless entity of mere flesh,
blood and bone.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 3, June
1896; p.32

Chronology

Sep. 12,
1896

To the Branch Presidents and Secretaries, and to the members of the T.S., American
American Section T.S.
Section,
From Alexander Fullerton Gen. Sec. American Section T.S. Circular, 3 pages
Procedures for a person or Branch previously a part of T.S. in
America, now wishing to join the American Section T.S.
The two principles governing the matter are very simple. They are
first, that Mr. Judges Society is an organization outside of and
distinct from the Theosophical Society . . . and that membership in it
can be no more a passport to the T.S. than can membership in [other]
bodies; but that, second, sincere persons having entered it in ignorance
or through delusion, persons really interested in Theosophy and work
belonging to the T.S., it is only right that no unavoidable obstacle
should be placed in their way when learning the facts and seeking
union with the Society.

Sept. 23,
1896

LETTER TO THE NEW YORK HERALD.

Theosophy (Path),
From Archibald Keightley, President Theosophical Society in Vol. 11, Nov. 1896;
England.
p.255
Sir: Having read in your issue of Sunday, August 16th, a report to the
effect that the Theosophists of England had split with those of
America, on a rumor that Mrs. Katherine A. Tingley is the
reincarnation of Madame H.P. Blavatsky, I have to say, as President
of the English Society, that such a report is entirely without
foundation and to ask your courtesy in inserting this letter. . . .
These people who have circulated the story that Mrs. Tingley
asserted herself to be a reincarnation of H.P. Blavatsky, something
utterly untrue. Mrs. Tingley positively denies ever having made any
statement of the kind.
NOTE: See also Oct.7, 1896 for Charles Johnstons comments on
Madame Blavatskys Successor.

Oct. 7, 1896

MADAME BLAVATSKYS SUCCESSOR.

Theosophy (Path),
By Charles Johnston. This article was prefaced by:
Vol. 11, Dec. 1896;
[The following article appeared in the Madras Mail, Oct. 7, 1896, pp.286-288
and was reprinted in nearly all of the Indian papers. It preceded by
nearly three weeks the arrival in India of the Crusaders, who reached
Bombay on October 26th.]
As far as I know, neither she herself [Katherine Tingley], nor any of
her friends have distinctly claimed that she is Mme. Blavatskys
successor; she has chosen the better way, by straightway beginning to
work, leaving it to time and the fruits of her labors to speak in her
favor.

217

218

Dec. 27,
1896

The Judge Case

A Historical Retrospect (1875-1896) of the Theosophical Society. Pamphlet, 32 pages

Extract from the Twenty-first Address of the President-Founder of the
Society.
[A reply to the Historical Sketch delivered at the 1895 Convention
of T.S. in America.]
In the Introduction H.S.O. stated:
This document covers mainly the whole historical record of the
Theosophical Society up to the time of the American Secession of 95.
It is primarily intended for the information of those who are interested
in Theosophy but who have never known the actual relation of the
Society as a whole to the American Section and its Members.
The Minute Book of the Council (still in my custody) opens with the p.3
report of the first meeting, held . . . November 4th, 1875, . . . until one
of August 27th, 1878, . . . This is the last entry in the Council Minute
Book in America. The proceedings of Council in India are recorded
in a separate book.
NOTE: See: Nov. 1950 for C. Jinarajadasas comments with regards to
where the Minute Book of the Society was located.
NOTE: See Apr. 28, 1895 and Sep. 7, 1895 entries.

Jan. 1897

Circular, 4 pages
The Theosophical Society and The Secession Therefrom.
Historical facts by Constance Wachtmeister and Alexander Fullerton
explaining why there were now two Theosophical Societies.
Outlines the genesis of the Judge case from 1893 to the 1895 split.
According to the authors the 1895 declaration of the American T.N.C.A.B.
Section of the Society as an autonomous body was simply to put Item 2000, p.548
beyond reach of expulsion a person charged with the grave offenses
described, and who refused to submit to an investigation of their
truth, as the Dec. 1894 Annual Convention at Adyar had passed the
resolution of the Indian Section that Judge submit to an investigation
of the charges raised against him or be forced to resign from the
Theosophical Society.
NOTE: A copy of this circular is in the archives of Edmonton T.S.

Jan. 1897
continued

SCHOOL FOR THE REVIVAL OF THE LOST MYSTERIES OF ANTIQUITY

In January, 1897, it became necessary to form a corporation in order
to purchase and legally hold land at Point Loma, Calif., and a
corporation was accordingly formed under the laws of the State of
New York, entitled School for the Revival of The Lost Mysteries of
Antiquity. [S.R.L.M.A.]

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 4, No. 1,
May 1898; p.13

Jan. 13,
1897

FROM AN AUSTRALIAN POINT OF VIEW.

Mr. T.W. Williams [Willans], President of the Sydney T.S.,
summarized activities in Australia, from the time The Great Crusade
reached Adelaide on Dec. 24, 96 to its departure for Auckland, N.Z.
on Jan.13, 1897. At the Convention of the T.S. in Australia Mrs
Katherine A. Tingley was elected as Corresponding Secretary and
E.T. Hargrove as President.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 11,
Mar. 1897; p.172

Chronology

219

Feb. 11,
1897

PROGRESS OF THE CRUSADE., SAN FRANCISCO.

The Crusaders arrived at San Francisco, CA., on board the Australian
steamer, Alameda. Public and private meetings were held during the
following week.
The Crusade arrived in San Diego, February 17th.

Feb. 11, 1897

continued

THE CRUSADE OF AMERICAN THEOSOPHISTS AROUND THE WORLD - Theosophy (Path),

PRELIMINARY REPORT. by Katherine A. Tingley.
Vol. 11, Mar. 1897;
On June 13th, 1896, the Crusade left New York.
pp.378-385
The work began in Liverpool then on to London. From London they
proceeded to Bristol, Clifton and so on to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
From Scotland they travelled to Ireland, back to London, then Paris,
Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Austria, Geneva, Interlaken, Zurich,
Hallein, to Italy and Greece, Egypt and on to India and Ceylon then to
Australasia, Samoa, and Hawaii, arriving in San Francisco on Feb. 11.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 12,
Apr. 1897; p.190

The pamphlet, THE CRUSADE OF AMERICAN THEOSOPHISTS AROUND Pamphlet, 16 pages

included Mrs. Tingleys and President Hargroves
Addresses and the report of Feb. 24, 1897 from the San Diego Union,
on the laying of the corner stone.
THE WORLD,

Feb. 23,
1897

CEREMONY.
The Laying of The Corner Stone S.R.L.M.A. BY THE FOUNDERDIRECTRESS, KATHERINE A. TINGLEY, AT POINT LOMA, SAN DIEGO,
CALIFORNIA, FEBRUARY 23, 1897, ASSISTED BY MR. E.T. HARGROVE,
MR. F.M. PIERCE, AND OTHERS. Synopsis of report. Some photos
included.

Universal
Brotherhood,
(Path/Theosophy).
Vol. 12, Nov. 1897;
pp.44-50
Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 12,
Apr. 1897;
pp.191-192

Feb. 24,
1897

Feb. 24, 1897

continued

A slightly abbreviated account of the ceremonies reported in The San

Diego Union CORNER STONE LAID.
The corner stone was in the centre of a square, enclosed by ropes of
cypress, with a large arch made of evergreen at the front, around
which were inscribed the words, Truth, Light, Liberation for
Discouraged Humanity, in large letters of purple on a gold
background. . . .
. . . The stars and stripes covered the stand, which was used as a
pulpit. Upon it were life-size pictures of Madame Blavatsky, William
Q. Judge, Katherine A. Tingley and E.T. Hargrove.
In a brief address by President Hargrove he said.
It might seem strange to the people of San Diego that the founder
directress, Mrs. Tingley, should have selected this spot, never having
seen it before, and only coming here after all the preliminary
arrangements had been made. It should be clearly understood . . . that
the school was under her supervision, and those who get to know her
better will come to know why.

The Grail
Vol. 1, No. 4,
June-July 1897;
pp.88-90
The San Diego
Union, Wednesday
Morning, Feb. 24,
1897
The Grail
Vol. 1, No. 4,
June-July 1897;
pp.89-90

220

The Judge Case

Apr. 4,
1897

THE CRUSADE OF AMERICAN THEOSOPHISTS AROUND THE WORLD.

Theosophy (Path),
Reprint of PRELIMINARY REPORT including introduction stating:
Vol. 12, Oct. 1897;
On April 4th, 1897, was completed the first Crusade of American pp.366-374
Theosophists around the World. The Crusaders reached New York at
6.30 P.M. and held the concluding meeting of the Crusade in the
Concert Hall of the Madison Square Garden. The party consisted of
Mrs. Katherine A. Tingley, Leader of the Theosophical Movement
throughout the World; . . . E.T. Hargrove, President of the T.S. in
America, the T.S. in Europe and the T.S. in Australasia; H.T.
Patterson, President of the Brooklyn T.S.; Mrs. Alice L. Cleather of
London; F.M. Pierce, Representative of the School for the Revival of
the Lost Mysteries of Antiquity; and the Rev. W. Williams of
Bradford, England.
NOTE: See June 13, 1896, the Crusade left New York.

Apr. 26,
1897

T.S. in America. Third Annual Convention.

Magic, Vol. 1,
The Third Annual Convention of the T.S. in America was held at June 1897; p.78
Madison Square Garden Concert Hall. . . . Two hundred delegates
from all parts of the world attended the Convention. . . .
In attendance were Dr. A. Keightley, Pres. of T.S. in England, and
Mrs. Keightley, Dr. Franz Hartman, Pres. of T.S. in Germany.
Following an account of the round the world Crusade, Dr Buck
proposed a resolution pledging those present to support Mrs. Tingley
in carrying on the work of Madame Blavatsky and W.Q. Judge, which
was unanimously carried with applause.
Mr [E.A.] Nereshiemer was re-elected Vice-President, also Treasurer
for the coming year, and the following were elected as Executive
Committee: Dr. J.D. Buck, Dr. A.P. Buchman, Dr. J.A. Anderson,
A.H. Spencer, and H.T. Patterson, E.A. Neresheimer.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 3, No. 1,
May 1897; pp.1-16

June 28,
1897

Announcement: PHOTOGRAPHS.
Theosophical News,
Orders can now be placed for new photographs of KATHERINE A. Vol. 2, No. 2, June
TINGLEY, SUCCESSOR OF W.Q. JUDGE, AND LEADER OF THE THEOSOPHICAL 28, 1897; p.5
MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,
Which were taken at Los Angeles Calif, upon Mrs. Tingleys arrival
there on her return with the party which accompanied her on the
Crusade.

Aug. 1897

To All Members of the Theosophical Society in America:

From Katherine A. Tingley.
The rapid growth of the Movement and new lines of activity opening
out make it necessary that a better system should be adopted in several
departments of work. . . .
. . . I have therefore suggested Mr. James M. Pryse as the
Superintendent of the Propaganda Bureau . . . to be established not
later than the 27th of July. No one is better fitted to perform the work
than Mr. Pryse. . . .

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 3, No. 4,
Aug. 1897; p.63

Chronology

Aug. 16,
1897

Edward Burroughs Rambo died that morning at San Francisco. He was

one of the oldest and best known Theosophical workers on the Pacific
coast. He was born in Cincinnati, April 5, 1845, of Quaker parents. He
went to public school in the west, his father died when he was but
thirteen. Later on, with money earned by himself, he attended the
Quaker School, in Providence. He married in 1870 and was left a
widower in 1888. Quaker teaching of the light within was the main
cause of his coming to the T.S. In 1886, from studying the character
of a friend, he was led to investigate spiritualism. The same year at a
camp-meeting he first heard of Reincarnation and became convinced
of it. Still seeking, he read Theosophical books, and in 1888 joined the
Golden Gate Branch of the T.S.
NOTE: Rambo signed his Application for Fellowship to join the T.S. on
Feb. 28, 1889. His endorsers were Sarah A. Harris and Chas. H.
Sykes. The application was signed by W.Q. Judge as Gen. Sec.
American Section, T.S. and by Allen Griffiths Secretary for the
Golden Gate Lodge of the T.S. on March 3rd, 1889. His Obligation
is also included.

221

Theosophical News,
Vol. 2, No. 10, Aug.
23, 1897; p.1
The Path,
Vol. 7, Feb. 1893;
pp.354-356

Application for
Fellowship
(see Appendix C)

Aug. 29,
1897

RESIGNATION OF PRES. E.T. HARGROVE.

Theosophical News,
Letter from Hargrove addressed, To the Members of the Vol. 2, Sep. 20,
Theosophical Society in America.
1897; p.2
On account of serious financial events in America, which concern me
intimately, I shall be obliged to enter the business world and devote
my energies to business occupations for some time to come. . . . My
resignation as President will be formally submitted at the next annual
Convention of the Society.
Comments by Tingley on resignation.
Theosophy (Path),
E.T. Hargrove: . . . it has become necessary for me to resign the Vol. 12, Oct. 1897;
editorship of THEOSOPHY. . . .
pp.377-379
NOTE: See Sep. 10, 1897.

Sep. 1, 1897

Letter from E.T. Hargrove addressed To the Vice-President and members

of the Executive Committee of the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN
AMERICA.
I had intended to defer my resignation until April, in order to create
as little inconvenience as possible; but thanks to the kindness and selfsacrifice of my friend and comrade, Mr. E.A. Nereshiemer, the VicePresident of the Society, . . . I am enabled to resign almost
immediately. . . . My resignation will take effect on the 13th of
September.
Mr. Neresheimer Vice-Pres. to take over his duties.

Theosophical News,
Vol. 2, Sep. 20,
1897; p.2
Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 12, Oct. 1897;
pp.378-379

222

The Judge Case

Sep. 3, 1897 Letter addressed to Mr. E.T. Hargrove, President, THE THEOSOPHICAL
SOCIETY IN AMERICA and signed by Neresheimer on behalf of the
Executive Committee. It was also signed by H.T. Patterson and A.H.
Spencer.
We are in receipt of your communication of September 1, 1897,
tendering your resignation as President of the T.S. in A., to take effect
on the 13th inst.
It is with deep regret that we notify you of the acceptance of same.
. . .
NOTE: In Theosophy this letter is dated September 9, 1897.
Sep. 3, 1897
continued

Theosophical News,
Vol. 2, Sep. 20,
1897; p.2

Theosophy (Path),
Vol. 12, Oct. 1897;
pp.378-379

To The Members of the E.S.T. from Katherine A. Tingley, , accepting E.S.T. circular,
Mr. Hargroves resignation.
2 pages
When I first suggested Mr. Hargrove as President of the Signed with 3 dots.
Theosophical Society, I knew at that crisis he was the only available
man to fill the place. . . .
NOTE: Parts of this E.S.T. circular were reprinted with K. Tingleys
permission in Theosophical News.

Sep. 10,
1897

Theosophy (Path),
Letter from E.T. Hargrove. He resigned as Editor of Theosophy.
For the same reason as given in the first of the above Vol. 12, Oct. 1897;
communications, it has become necessary for me to resign the pp.379-380
editorship of THEOSOPHY; . . . Mrs. K.A. Tingley and Mr. E.A.
Neresheimer have kindly consented to act as co-editors, beginning
with the November issue.

Oct. 9, 1897

Executive Notice. by H.S. Olcott:

Mercury, Vol. 3,
In response to further questions regarding secessionists who wish to p.?
rejoin the T.S.
NOTE: Mercury, Edited by W.J. Walters, with Edith and Maria Walsh. The Theosophist,
A monthly publication out of San Francisco which quickly became the Vol. 19, Dec. 1897;
official organ of the American Section of T.S. The title changed to Supp. p.xi
The Theosophic Messenger at the end of 1899.

Nov. 1,
1897

REPORT OF THE AMERICAN SECTION T.S. by Alexander Fullerton. The Theosophist,

One element of indescribable value in the results of Mrs. Besants Vol. 19, Jan. 1898;
tour is the rescue of Theosophy from popular opprobrium as a system Supp. pp.13-14
of clap-trap. . . . The general contempt brought upon Theosophy by
recent travesties of it has been greatly abated through her magnificent
expositions of it.

Chronology

Nov. 17,
1897

223

Dr. Archibald Keightley resigned as President of the Theosophical Society Theos. Forum
in Europe (England). Notice sent to the Executive Council in England: (New Series),
Vol. 3, No. 5,
Owing to circumstances into which I shall not enter, I find it wisest, Feb. 1898; p.26
in the interests which we have most at heart, to hand you hereby my
resignation. . . .
Letter to P , (Esoteric name for Mrs. Tingley)
pp.26-27
Herewith I hand to you my resignation of the offices of President of
the Central Group, E.S.T. in London, and of presiding officer of the
Council, E.S.T.
I wish to hold no official position, retaining only my simple
membership in T.S., E.S.T. and Council. . . .
(An Acknowledgment of this letter was received from Mrs. Tingley.
A. K.)
NOTE: See Jan. 27, 1898 entry.

Jan. 13,
1898

Ten prominent and influential members who had shown no signs of California Utopia,
wavering gathered at the home of Katherine Tingley.
pp.38-39
A constitution for a new theosophical organization was presented.
. . . The new organization was called The Universal Theosophical Conger, p.7
Brotherhood, which a month later was changed to the Universal
Brotherhood. Among the signators were Basil Crump, E. August
Neresheimer, Robert Crosbie, Joseph H. Fussell, and Arthur L.
Conger Jr.

Jan. 18,
1898

Letter from 15 members from Headquarters of the T.S. in America, New Circular, 1 page
York, addressed to DEAR CO-WORKERS:
Statements have been circulated among the T.S.A. to the effect that
there is discord among the members of the Headquarters Staff, and
that its members do not work harmoniously with Mrs. Tingley and
with Mr. Neresheimer. . . .
. . . We are a unit in our disapproval of the circular referred to.
Signed by Elliott B. Page, John M. Pryse, James M. Pryse, A.L
Conger, Jr., Joseph B. Fussell, and others.
NOTE: The circular mentioned above was dated January 17, 1898. The
circular was unsigned and included a list of nominations for officers
to be elected at the upcoming Convention.

Jan. 18, 1898

continued

Presidents Office.
TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE T.S.A.
In view of the fact that recently a circular letter has been sent to all
Branches T.S.A. which was not authorized by me, canvassing support
of a certain program for Officers and Executive Committee, to be
elected at the next Convention on Feb. 18th and 19th, at Chicago, I
deem it my duty to point out to the members that the offices of the
Theosophical Society in America do not require preliminary
canvassing like a political organization.
Signed by E. Aug. Neresheimer, President T.S.A.

Circular, 1 page

224

Jan. 20,
1898

Jan. 27,
1898

The Judge Case

AFFIDAVIT
Signed by E.A. Neresheimer, Joseph H. Fussell, H.T. Patterson, and
James M. Pryse, it stated:
We, the undersigned, who were present at the first Council Meeting
held after Mr. Judges death, on March 27th, 7:45 p.m. at Mrs.
Tingleys house . . . hereby declare that we did not depend upon Mr.
Hargroves statements or actions in our acceptance of Mrs. Tingley as
Outer Head of the E.S.T. . . .

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 22, Oct. 1932;
p.4

FELLOW MEMBERS: Letter from Archibald Keightley.

In the notice of my resignation of office as President T.S.E.(E.) you
will remember that I said it was due to reasons into which I will not
enter. I desired to withdraw quietly and in silence.
In the January issue of Universal Brotherhood it is stated that I
resigned because of increasing medical practice. That was not my
reason. . . .
. . . I resigned it [my office], because I found it impossible to fulfil
my duties towards you as I conceived those duties.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 3, No. 5,
Feb. 1898; pp.25-26

The Search Light,

Vol. 1, Apr. 1898;
p.30

Universal
Brotherhood,
Vol. 12, Jan. 1898;
p.192

NOTE: See Nov. 17, 1897 entry.

Universal
NOTE: In the Dec. 1897 issue of Universal Brotherhood, the editor Brotherhood,
published a portrait of Dr. Archibald Keightley as president of Vol. 12, Dec. 1897;
Theosophical Society England after his resignation from office.
p.93
Jan. 30,
1898

Letter of E. T. Hargrove to Mrs. Tingley.

Now, my dear friend, you have made an awful mess of it SS that is
the simple truth. You were run in as 0[uter) H[ead] as the only person
in sight who was ready to hand at the time. We were all of us heartily
glad to welcome you, for you solved the problem which confronted us
SS who was to be O.H.; you were a sort of neutral centre around
which we could congregate. And most of us fairly yelled with delight,
for you solved our difficulty and we had ample proofs that some
members of the Lodge were working through you and that you had
high and rare mediumistic and psychic gifts and that you were a
disciple of the Lodge. So things went swimmingly for a time.
Our enthusiasm and anxiety to see all go well carried some of us too
far SS carried me too far to the extent of . . . leading me to use my
personal influence with people to get them to accept you as O.H. I
thought it was for the good of the work, but since then I have learned
better. (Italics added.)
NOTE: See March 1, 1898 and March 28, 1896 entries.
Also see April/May 1998 for Grace F. Knoches interpretation of the
facts according to the historical records of The Theosophical Society,
Pasadena, of which Miss Knoche is current Leader.

Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.271-272
Eirenicon, No. 105,
Winter Solstice,
1952; p.8

Chronology

End of Jan.
1898 est.

225

Circular, 8 pages
Esoteric School of Theosophy.
By Katherine A. Tingley, Outer Head.
My object in preparing this circular is to call the attention of all
worthy members of the School to the importance of the new cycle. .
..
. . . We have Judases in our midst now, just as H.P.B. and W.Q.
Judge had them.
She quoted from H.P.B. to bolster support to carry on with the work
started by H.P.B. and W.Q. Judge and stated in her conclusion:
I call upon you, for the sake of H.P.B., W.Q.J., and all that they
worked and hoped for, to take at the beginning of this new cycle this
precious golden opportunity the door which will lead you to a
higher plane of thought and action.

Feb. 2, 1898 Letter from Robert Crosbie to P later known to be Katherine Tingley. O.E. Library Critic
Vol. 23, Nov./Dec.
[P. was the letter used to signify Purple.]
I remember that the day I first saw you, I recognized you as the O.H. 1934; p.9
[Outer Head] without hint or instruction as such, and in spite of the
fact that I was not looking for a womans form in that connection.
NOTE: See April 1, 1901 and 1933 entries.
Feb. 18,
1898

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.
The Fourth Annual Convention of The T.S.A.
With the first day of the new cycle, February 18th, was ushered in
before the world THE UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD founded by Katherine
A. Tingley on January 13, 1898. . . . [T]he Convention adopted the
Resolutions, Mrs. Tingleys Proclamation, the Constitution of
Universal Brotherhood and a new Constitution of the Theosophical
Society in America.
The Chairman of the Committee on Resolutions, Mr. Iverson L.
Harris, read each of the above mentioned.
Mrs. Tingleys Proclamation included the following statement:
The work of each messenger necessarily differs in many respects.
H.P.B. attracted the attention of the world to the philosophy. W.Q.J.
simplified the teaching and solidified the organization which she
founded.
And now it is my privilege and duty in carrying on that work so ably
begun, to furnish an organization which shall be the well-made tool
by which the work can be carried forward into the next century on a
grander scale than ever before, and adapted to the needs of the time SS
an organization which will be free, as far as possible, from the
limitations hitherto existing, and which shall unify all branches of this
great work:
I have, therefore, to announce that there has been established by me
an organization called UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD or, THE
BROTHERHOOD OF HUMANITY.
Note: Mr. Neresheimer was appointed President of T.S. in America.

Universal
Brotherhood,
Vol. 12, Mar. 1898;
pp.313-320

226
Feb. 18, 1898
continued

The Judge Case

OFFICIAL NOTICE.

Theos. Forum
(New series),
The Fourth Annual Convention of the Society which met at Handel Vol. 3, No. 5,
Hall, Chicago on February 18th, came to an abrupt conclusion. . . .
Feb. 1898; pp.1-2
Endeavor was made, in accordance with an elaborate and carefully
prearranged plan to annul the Constitution of the Society and convert
it into a literary annex to a new Society, established by Mrs. Tingley,
and of which she was to be for life the sole director and source of
authority. . . .
. . . The illegality of the action taken [proposed amendments to be
brought to the membership two months in advance, which was not
done in this case] made it null and void and left those delegates and
members who disapproved of it, no other course than to hold their
own meeting, whereat . . . [i]t was unanimously agreed to continue the
T.S.A. as at present constituted. . . .
(Signed) A.H. Spencer, Vice-President and Acting President
[J.D. Buck was a member of the Executive Committee.]
TO THE BRANCHES AND MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA.

Note: This Official Notice along with MEMORANDUM OF PROCEEDINGS OF

CONVENTION AT HANDEL HALL, CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 18TH, 1898, as well
as MINUTES of a Meeting of Members and Delegates to the Fourth pp.3-4
Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in America, held in
Room W., Palmer House, Chicago, at 4:30 P.M., February 18, 1898 pp.14-22
(i.e., of those opposed to the changes) were sent to members and
Branches to advise them of the action taken.
Feb. 18, 1898
continued

MINUTES of a Meeting of Members and Delegates to the Fourth Annual

Convention of the Theosophical Society in America, held in Room
W., Palmer House, Chicago, at 4:30 P.M., February 18, 1898.
When the speaker nominated Mr. E.T. Hargrove as President, Mr.
Hargrove spoke announcing that his previous announcement to resign
as President of T.S. in A. still stood and that he would not accept any
office in the T.S. even if it were offered to him. During his address,
E.T. Hargrove stated: Do the members of this Society, through their
Branches, desire to elect officers who will support the Constitution of
this Society as it may at any time exist? Or do they desire to elect
officers who will over-ride the Constitution at any time, if bidden to
do so by one whom such officers may regard as an occult expert?

Theos. Forum
(New series),
Vol. 3, No. 5,
Feb. 1898; pp.14-18

Chronology

227

Feb. 18, 1898

continued

Circular, 1 page
Esoteric School of Theosophy. Strictly Private And Confidential.
To the Members E.S.T. Signed Katherine A Tingley, Outer Head;
issued from New York.
You will soon hear of a new step taken at Chicago which is the
outward aspect of a higher esoteric body of enormous importance,
which all may aspire to through loyalty and devotion. . . .
Members will please note that I should disapprove of any documents
or letters sent out to this School, unless indorsed by myself. Mr.
Crump and Mrs Cleather still act as my agents in England. Miss
Churchill, Secy. Acting Council of the E.S.T.:
E.A. Neresheimer; H.T. Patterson; J.H. Fussell; Iverson L. Harris;
F.M. Pearce; D.N. Dunlop; Wm. Lindsay; Clark Thurston.
Based on notes
All the above are perfectly reliable.
copied by Helen
NOTE: While the Headquarters was still at 144 Madison Ave. New York, Harris from the
Mrs. Tingley had rewritten the E.S.T. Pledge on Apr. 3, 1896, before Archives at Point
the formation of the Lodge of Light. This new Lodge of Light had Loma.
a new Pledge and its own initiations based on Masonic Ritual.

Feb. 23,
1898

SPECIAL CONVENTION OF THE T.S. IN EUROPE.

Feb. 27,
1898

The Future of the Theosophical Publishing Co. issued by Julia Pamphlet, 35 pages
Keightley. Correspondence resulting from the difficulties between
Neresheimer and herself regarding The Path magazine and the book
business which were bequeathed to them by Judge. Includes W.Q.J.s
will.

Mar. 1898

THE FREEDOM OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. AN EXPLANATION.

Letter from Hallein, Austria by Dr. Franz Hartmann.
When at the time of the unfortunate trial of W.Q. Judge. . . . The
reason why I stood by his side is that this trial involved the question
of belief in Mahatmaship as a dogma of the T.S. It was equivalent to
a trial for heresy. . . . I took sides with those who, as I thought, could
keep the constitution of the T.S. free from dogmatic belief,
irrespectively of what each one might personally believe himself. . ..
. . . I only wish to state that the church of Mrs. Tingley never has
been and is not now representing the real Theosophical Society, which
has been established by H.P. Blavatsky, nor did the real W.Q. Judge
ever resemble the caricature which the adherents of Mrs. Tingley have
made of him and of which they have created an object of adulation
and idolatry.

Held on February 23rd, 1898 at 3 Vernon Place, Bloomsbury Square,

London, W.C.
The Proclamation and the Universal Brotherhood Constitution
originally adopted at the Convention held in Chicago on February 18th
were presented.

The
Internationalist,
Vol. 1, No. 6,
Mar. 15, 1898;
pp.112-120

Theos. Forum
(New series),
Vol. 3, No. 7,
Apr. 1898; pp.11-13
English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No.3,
May 1898; pp.53-57

228
Mar. 1898
continued

The Judge Case

THE UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.

By Mr. E. A. Neresheimer. He stated:
As the ideal precedes the practical in all things so has it been in this
great movement; . . . after the first two stages of inception and
preservation. . . .
. . . Katherine A. Tingley, who has taken upon herself the
responsibility and burden of guiding this spiritual movement forward
into the ages to come has already touched the keynote to the third
stage . . . Practical application of the philosophy! . . .
. . . It is quite certain that no one human being, except a high occultist
of the white order, can be entrusted with the guidance of a spiritual
movement such as this.
In The Editors Remarks. [W.A. Bulmer] stated that Mrs. Tingley
was an autocratic person. I oppose the pretensions of the so-called
Leader and Official Head of the Theosophical Movement; a position
which no person does or can hold. . . . To acknowledge the new
Autocracy would degrade the T.S. below the meanest sect which
flourishes on the credulity and moral slavery of its adherents.

Mar. 1,
1898

In what the Editor of Theosophy labelled his E.S.T. Encyclical, E.T.

Hargrove restated to Mrs. Tingley:
You were run in as O.H. [Outer Head] as the only person in sight
who was ready to hand at the time.
NOTE: See January 30, 1898 for Hargroves letter to Mrs. Tingley.
Pamphlet E.S.T. of March 1, 1898 from Hargrove to K. Tingley.

Mar. 1, 1898
continued

Universal
Brotherhood,
Vol. 12, No. 12,
Mar. 1889; pp.309310

English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 1.
Mar. 1898; pp.2-3
Vol. 2, No. 2, Apr.
1898; p.35
Theosophy,
Vol. 21, Oct. 1933;
p.571
[missing original
pamphlet from
Hargrove]

Circular, 1page
To All members of The Universal Brotherhood.
Warned of circulars sent out by J.D. Buck, A.H. Spencer, and others,
which are incomplete, inaccurate and misrepresentative of the facts.
...
There was no alteration of the Constitution or amendment thereto,
but an entirely new Constitution was adopted which was entirely legal
and within the right of the Convention. . . also . . . no other body has
the right to use the name of the T.S.A. . . .
. . . Branch Charters of the T.S.A. to be returned . . . for preservation
in the archives of THE UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD and, on receipt of the
same, new Charters of THE UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD will be
immediately issued.
From: Katherine Tingley, E.A. Neresheimer, President, and Jerome A.
Anderson, as Vice-President, of T.S. in A.
Endorsed by Acting Council of the E.S.T. and by the Cabinet of THE
UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.

Chronology

229

Mar. 10,
1898

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Alexander H. Spencer, Vice-President and Treasurer of the
Theosophical Society in America, entered an action in the Supreme
Court of the City and County of New York against Katherine A.
Tingley and E. August Neresheimer to recover the property of the T.S.
in A., alleged to be wrongfully held by defendants, they having
severed their connection with that body.
The property in dispute, besides over 1000 dollars in money, consists
of the lease of the premises in Madison Avenue, New York; the safe
and office furniture; a library of over 500 very valuable books; the
archives of the Society; and various other books, papers, documents,
&c.

English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 2,
Apr. 1898; p.35

Mar. 13,
1898

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE E.S.T.

(From New York Sun, March 13th, 1898.) E.T. Hargrove stated:
Since the formation of the Theosophical Society by Mme. H.P.
Blavatsky and others in 1875, its history has been one of continued
struggle. Aggression from without has been frequent, and dissensions
within its own ranks. . . .
. . . After Mr Judges death in March, 1896, Mrs. K.A. Tingley
became the Outer Head of the Esoteric School of Theosophy,
succeeding Mr. Judge in that department, while the undersigned was
elected by the Theosophical societies in America, Europe, and
Australasia, to follow Mr. Judge as President of those organizations.
. . . And now, as a further evidence of internal discord, Mrs. Tingley
widely announces in the New York press that I have attempted to
depose her as the Outer Head; . . .
So far I have declined to say anything publicly concerning Mrs.
Tingleys present position, but I now state that Mrs. Tingley is no
longer the Outer Head of the E.S.T.,. . .
. . . [A] pledge published in Mme. Blavatskys magazine Lucifer . .
. reads as follows: I pledge myself never to listen without protest to
any evil thing spoken of a brother Theosophist, and to abstain from
condemning others.. . .
In a printed paper, recently issued by Mrs. Tingley, . . . she makes a
most significant alteration in the Pledge . . . [changed to] I pledge
myself never to listen without protest to any evil thing spoken of a
worthy brother, and to abstain from condemning others. . . .
. . . Such an attitude is the very negation of the brotherhood. . . .
It should be evident . . . why Mrs. Tingley has ceased to be the agent
of the masters. She has indulged in wholesale accusation, and has
been obliged to defend her action by lowering the ethical standard it
was her duty to uphold.
In occultism men judge, condemn, and execute themselves. Her
own actions deposed her.

English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 2,
Apr. 1898; pp.28-32

230

The Judge Case

Mar. 29,
1898

Letter from Julia Keightley to the Editor of the Crusader, claiming that
the statement, Mr. E.T. Hargrove and Mrs. Keightley both attempted
to gain a hearing when the resolutions had been carried, but an
adjournment had already been moved which had appeared in the
Crusader (Nos. 7-8, p.75) was erroneous and requested the usual
courtesy of publication of her correction. J. Keightley stated that
when Mr. Spencer, Mr. Hargrove and herself each attempted to speak
they were told they were out of order; and that when Messrs.
Spencer, Hargrove, Harter, and others unknown to me again
endeavoured to be heard, [t]hey were played down by the organ, and
loud cries from the platform, but not from the audience, were heard.

English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 2,
Apr. 1898; pp.37-38

Apr. 1898

On page 64 of the Crusader Dr. Jerome A. Anderson is reported as

giving, among other reasons, for dropping the name (Theosophical
Society) for Universal Brotherhood the necessity to get rid of certain
people. He says of the T.S., No one could be, or, perhaps, ought to
have been expelled; but a new title and a new Constitution
accomplished effectually the sifting process necessary to the
formation of a sound, healthy, harmonious nucleus.

English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 2,
Apr. 1898; p.36

NOTE: Dr. Anderson followed Mrs. Tingley but lost all confidence in
the leader and returned to the original Theosophical Society of
which Colonel Olcott was President. See entry for Dec. 25, 1903.
Apr. 1898
continued

Robert Crosbie in an article The Sifting Process, which appeared in The

Search Light, April 1898, shortly after the Chicago Convention, was
not only promoting the newly established organization [Universal
Brotherhood, or The Brotherhood of Humanity] with Mrs. Tingley
as the third great Leader but also supported the sifting out of a
certain small minority, as now, [which] held on to the shells of
organizations, pursued the path of persecution, and assumed to have
overwhelming virtues. Mr. Crosbie was referring to the reestablished Theosophical Society in America and mentioned some of
the members by name, saying but they were not part of the staff, nor
were they workers in the true sense. . . .
NOTE: Mr. Crosbie left Mrs. Tingleys Point Loma group in 1904 and
later formed the United Lodge of Theosophists in 1909. See Feb. 18,
1909.

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 22, Mar. 1933;
pp.9-10
Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Vol. 3, Aug. 1932;
pp.253-255

Chronology

May 1898

MRS. KEIGHTLEYS STATEMENT.

Statement made in 1896 by Julia Keightley and certified by
Councillors of the E.S.T., Herbert Coryn and Basil Crump, as
correctly copied from her manuscript.
Now in regard to the present Outer Head [Mrs. Tingley]. . . . For
myself, I may say that as early as June, 1894, Mr. Judge told me of the
standing of the present Outer Head in the School, and spoke of her
work at that time and for the future. I am one among several to whom
he spoke himself. Of his appointment of the present Outer Head there
is absolutely no doubt; and there is also no doubt of her entire ability
to fill that appointment; or of her right to it; or that it came from and
was directed by the Master.
NOTE: See Oct. 15, 1927.

May 29-30,
1898

THE CONVENTION.
The Fourth Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society in
America continued at the Grand Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Called to order at Convention Hall, Grand Hotel at 10.30 A.M. by
Mr. A. H. Spencer, Acting President, who announced that the
Convention was to be held in continuance of that commenced at
Chicago on Feb. 18th last, and which was suspended by default. . . .
Resolutions adopted . . . (5) That the Theosophical Society in
America in Convention assembled at Cincinnati on May 29th, 1898
does hereby declare its purpose to continue the organization as
heretofore under the Constitution adopted at Boston in 1895 and its
regularly adopted amendments. . . .
Officers for the ensuing year elected, viz: President, Dr. J. D. Buck;
Vice-President and Treasurer, Mr. A.H. Spencer. . . .
They met again at 8 P.M. with about 300 persons present.
Met again at 10.30 A.M., May 30th.

231

The Search-Light,
New York, Vol. 1,
May 1898; p.30
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 27, Sep. 1946;
p.216
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 8, July 1927;
p.101
H.P.B. Theos.
Movement, p.345
Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 4, June 1898;
pp.7-8
English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 4,
June 1898;
pp.73-77

NOTE: Hargrove resigned from the Presidency of T.S. in A. effective Sep.

13th , 1897. A.H. Spencer became Acting President. At the Convention
of Feb. 18th, 1897 Universal Brotherhood was formed, T.S. in A.
continued. A.H. Spencer remained as Acting President until the T.S.
in A. Cconvention May 29th -30th, 1898 at which time J.D. Buck
became President and J.H. Spencer was elected Vice-President and
Treasurer.
May 29-30,
1898
continued

To Members of the Theosophical Society in America.

By J.D. Buck, President T.S.A. Report on the Convention and setting
the position of T.S. in America:
The object of the Cincinnati Convention, and of those there present
or represented, was not and is not to oppose brotherhood, or to
antagonize a society organized at Chicago, Feb. 18th, 1898, and called
Universal Brotherhood. We insist upon the right, and emphatically
declare our intention to maintain the old T.S.A. as left by Mr. Judge,
and refuse to accept as a substitute for it the Universal Brotherhood
or anything else yet proposed.

Theos. Forum
(New Series),
Vol. 4, June 1898;
p.16

232

The Judge Case

June 1898

Circular from Julia Keightley on the status of The Theosophical

Publishing Co.
I am informed that Mr. Neresheimer asked the Court to appoint Mr.
F.M. Pierce as Receiver. This the Court refused to do. My lawyer had
been instructed to name an impartial Receiver, in order that entire
justice might be done to both parties; he named three gentlemen, all
of them unknown to either Mr. Neresheimer or ourselves. From these
one was chosen by the Court to act as Receiver. We were also given
the right to issue the magazine (formerly Theosophy) for two
months, under the supervision of the Receiver; this we propose to do.
Mr. Neresheimer asked that the sale be made in large lots. The
Receiver refused this, and it will be made in small lots to secure
greater outside competition.

1899

Both Albert Smythe and D.N. Dunlop were expelled by Mrs. Tingley Cdn. Theosophist,
because she deemed their brand of Theosophy was not acceptable. Vol. 1, Apr. 1920;
p.28

Aug. 15,
1899

In A. Besants editorial notes about H.P.Bs testimony to the reality of

Keelys discoveries, Besant wrote:.
[H.P.B.] often, in her humility, buttresses her own true statements
with a mass of rubbish from inferior writers, picked up haphazard; on
minor points she often speaks hastily and carelessly; and further she
confuses her teaching with excessive digressions.
The editor of O.E. Library Critic remarked that Mrs. Besant in many
cases set up her own authority above that of H.P.B. and even the
Mahatmas themselves. . . .
NOTE: Although Judge always defended H.P.B. we cannot say the same
for Annie Besant.

English Theosophist
(New Series),
Vol. 2, No. 4,
June 1898; 1 page

Theos. Review,
Vol. 24, Aug. 15,
1899; p.486
O.E. Library Critic,
Vol. 24, Feb. 1937

Chronology

Jan. 22,
1900

233

INTERVIEW WITH MRS. ALICE L. CLEATHER.

In London by Eleanor Dunlop.
Mrs. Cleather talks about her negative experiences with Mrs. Tingley T.N.C.A.B.
and the doubts she experienced as part of the 1896 Theosophical Item 67, p.38
crusade around the world.
When asked by E. Dunlop, Have you any evidence that Mr. Judge The Lamp, Vol. 3,
appointed a successor? Cleather replied, No. I never saw any of the Feb. 1900; pp.206documents said to exist.
208
E. Dunlop: You accepted the Leader, then, simply on faith?
Cleather replied, Entirely, and was utterly disappointed in the result.
THE TINGLEY SUCCESSION by Ronald A.V Morris. He stated:
Cdn. Theosophist,
I know that Mrs. Cleather takes a different view of the matter now, Vol. 8, Oct. 1927;
but that is what she said at the time before the passage of years had pp.174-175
played tricks with her memory. . . .
NOTE: An undated document marked Additional Data re Judge and 1 page; found in The
K.T. found in the H.P.B. Library. The notes are acknowledged as H.P.B. Library
coming from A well-informed correspondent, most likely Mr.
Morris. Compiler, Basil Crump, added that Alice Cleather told him:
When J. [Judge] died she [Mrs. Julia Keightley] confided to Mrs.
Cleather that he [Judge] had designated her (i.e. given her to
understand) to succeed him as O.H. of the E.S.T. This seemingly
contradicts Mrs. Julia Keightleys statement of 1896 found in The
Search Light. See May 1898 entry. Mr. Charles J. Ryan also
mentioned with regards to Mrs. J. Keightley that, Many Theosophists
thought she might well be Mr. Judges successor. See Sep. 15, 1946
entry.

May 1900

Extracts from W.Q. Judges unpublished letters [printed in The English The Lamp,
Vol. 4, May 1900;
Theosophist, which had become Theosophy.]
The A B C of Theosophy should be taught all the time . . . All pp.88-89
members who work hard come at last to the notice of the Lodge; and
the moment they do so the Black Lodge also takes notice, and hence
questions arise, and we are tried in subtle ways that surpass sight, but
are strong for the undoing of him who is not prepared by right thought
and sacrifice to the higher nature for the fight.

Apr. 1,
1901

Address by Robert Crosbie at a meeting in honor of W.Q. Judge held in Pamphlet, 51pages
San Diego under the auspices of the Point Loma Theosophical In Honor of W.Q.
Society.
Judge; p.46
Mme Blavatsky was the first leader, by the force of her wisdom and
power of leadership, and all the true students of Theosophy accepted
her as such. And when she appointed William Q. Judge as her
successor, his leadership was accepted for the same reason and so,
too, with Katherine Tingley, who was appointed by William Q. Judge
as his successor.
NOTE: See Appendix G, No. 13, for more details. Also see also Feb. 2,
1898 and 1933 entries.

234

The Judge Case

Mar. 25,
1902

THEOSOPHISTS DISTURBED BY A SERIOUS REVOLT IN THEIR San Francisco

RANKS. DR. J.A. ANDERSON QUITS THE SOCIETY.
Chronicle, Tuesday,
On Sunday last Dr. Jerome A. Anderson, who has been prominently Mar. 25, 1902
identified with Theosophy for the last fifteen years, and was for a long
time president of the local branch, sent his resignation to Mrs. Tingley
at her home in the societys handsome headquarters at Point Loma. He
accompanied it with a published statement that reflected seriously on
Mrs. Tingleys abilities as an executive officer, and said that the
organization was going slowly to pieces under her management. . . .
Dr. Anderson, who as vice-president of the national society was a
member of Mrs. Tingleys cabinet, was close to the throne at Point
Loma. His resignation came as a surprise to the people there.

Feb. 1903

From Old Diary Leaves.

The Theosophist,
H.S. Olcott stated that while searching through records for Vol. 24, Feb. 1903;
documentary evidence in the Judge case, he found letters from W.Q.J. p.260
to H.P.B. in which Judge complains of his inability to get in touch
with the Masters and begs us to intervene on his behalf. Of course,
this proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the falsity of the
pretensions he had been making to his American colleagues and
others, that he had been allied with those Personages for many years
and was doing what he did under their instructions and with their
approval.

Mar. - Sep.
1903

H.S. Olcotts account of the events of the Judge Case for 1894 (Old The Theosophist,
Diary Leaves).
Vol. 24, Mar. 1903,
pp.321-322; Apr.
1903, pp.385-400;
May 1903, pp.449452; July 1903,
p.583; Aug. 1903,
pp.641-647; Sep.
1903, pp.705-713

Apr. 27,
1903

Mr. Kavasji Mervanji Shroff died at Bombay. He was the first Indian who The Theosophist,
received a diploma from the T.S., having joined in 1878, before Vol. 24, June 1903;
H.P.B. and Col. Olcott left America. Mr. Shroff had been in America Supp. p.xxvi
on a lecturing tour when Olcott approached him about joining the T.S.
Mr. Shroff, a member from Bombay, was of great help to the
Founders after their arrival there on February 16, 1879. He did much
to rouse the interest of Parsees, in the great truths of their religion and
to help on that revival in religion which is so marked a feature of the
day in the Parsee, as well as all other communities of India. He was
one of the Vice-Presidents of the Bombay Lodge, T.S., the first Lodge
formed in India.
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology
Apr. 27, 1903
continued

235

He displayed marked sympathy for dumb creatures and did his best to
ameliorate their condition and alleviate their suffering, and for
preventing cruelty to animals. Mr. Shroff was involved in establishing
the Bai Sakerbai Hospital for Animals. He gathered the headmen,
from different classes of traders, in the Bombay Bazaar and convinced
them to levy a tax on their trade returns for the upkeep of such a
Hospital. He managed to get some land donated and the necessary
buildings. He then arranged for the Bombay government to attach a
Veterinary College to the Hospital, thus providing students the best
possible chance for professional training.
Old Diary Leaves,
Mr. Shroff was also the founder on a grand scale, of a Dairy Farm, the Third Series,
first of its kind in Bombay, in order to supply the Bombay public with pp.420-421
pure and unadulterated milk.

Dec. 25,
1903

Jerome A. Anderson died. (Born July 25th, 1847 in Indiana) At an early

age his parents moved to Kansas, where he grew up with almost no
educational advantages. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable, and
by tallow lamps or the flame of hickory bark he spent hours poring
over books in the evening after the rest of the family had retired. It is
a legend of his childhood that he never learned to read, being found
by accident to possess this ability when four years old.

The Path,
Vol. 8, Apr. 1893;
pp.8-10
The Theosophist,
Vol. 25, Mar. 1904;
Supp. p.xiv

After reading a review of the Occult World by Sinnett from the

Sacramento Record-Union, he purchased the book, then Isis
Unveiled. He then managed to get his first copy of The Path from the
Managing Editor of the Morning Call of San Francisco. This brought
him into correspondence with Wm. Q. Judge, and he joined the
BCW,
Society as a Member at Large in 1887.
Vol. 12, p.557
He first entered the Medical College of Ohio and completed his
degree at the Medical Department of the University of California.
Besides medical essays, he wrote many short novels and numerous Lucifer,
poems. H.P. Blavatsky must have thought highly of his published Vol. 5, Dec. 1884;
works for she incorporated some of his material in the first E.S. p.343
Instructions to show the scientific demonstration of foetal nutrition.
In 1889 he was elected as Delegate to represent the Pacific Coast Lucifer,
Branches at the next American Section Convention. In 1891 he Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
founded the New Californian, a Theosophical monthly which he p.523
edited for the first year. In 1894 the Pacific Coast Theosophical
Corporation was incorporated and elected Dr. Anderson as President. Letter addressed
Dear Comrades:
He also edited The Pacific Theosophist.
from Jerome A.
After the death of Judge, Dr. Anderson followed Mrs. Tingley until Anderson, M.D.,
March 1902 when he lost all confidence in the leader and returned received by Mrs.
to the original Theosophical Society of which Colonel Olcott was Cleather. 1 page,
President. . . . I have seen the Organization, which she took over from typed and not dated,
Judge both large and enthusiastic, dwindle away in Lodges and with a personal note
membership until it is now little more than a mere handful of her to A.L.C. on the
back.
personal admirers. . . .
NOTE: See March 25, 1902, DR. J.A. ANDERSON QUITS THE SOCIETY.

236

The Judge Case

Apr. 13,
1904

To William Q. Judge, Teacher and Martyr.

Dedication to W.Q. Judge. by Jasper Niemand.

Pamphlet, 64pages
The Vow of Poverty
and Other Essays,
p.1

Jan. 24,
1905

Letter from E.A. Neresheimer to Sidney on Tingley being W.Q.J.s Theos. Forum (P.L.)
successor.
Vol. 7, Oct. 1935;
The successorship was attested to by many competent persons at the pp.25-26
proper time, and the subsequent work of the successor have proved the
truth and validity of it more than any statement made by persons. . . .
It is a fact, the successor of Wm. Q. Judge does not tolerate anything
that is inimical to the great cause, hence some persons find it very
uncomfortable and invent all sorts of excuses when they wish to get
from under.
Is it that you had looked for a real saint and were disappointed?

Jan. 1906

Miss Frances Henrietta Mller, B.A., died in Washington. She was born
in the early 1850s into a relatively well-off family. In 1873 she was
one of the first women to attend Girton College, Cambridge. In the
mid-1880s she was active in a number of feminist organizations. She
looked to women as the moral saviours of humanity.

Divine Feminine,
pp.174-175
Banishing the
Beast, pp.12-14

Miss Mllers Application for Membership was dated at T.S. Application for
Headquarters on January 20th, 1891. She had written to Blavatsky Membership form
asking if women enjoyed the same rights as men in the T.S. Blavatsky
responded there were no distinctions, what counted was the work
done, and that women could equally aspire to the position of Adept or
Mahatma.
Lucifer, Vol. 8,
She was elected Vice-President of the League of Theosophical Aug. 1891; p.517
Workers at the first Annual Convention of the European Section, July
1891. This organization was for spreading Theosophy by using Lucifer. Vol. 14,
propaganda and doing charitable work.
Apr. 1894; p.170
Aug. 1894; p.524
She was free to travel which allowed her to lecture extensively. In
England she lectured at the Blavatsky Lodge on womens rights and The Theosophist,
Theosophy. She would travel to India yearly to attend the Anniversary Vol. 13, Mar. 1892;
celebrations of the T.S. While in India she would do practical pp.377-382.
missionary work among educated Hindus, inciting them to work for, Vol. 13, Aug. 1892;
as well as speak of the spiritual regeneration of India. The Jallandhur Supp. pp.87-88
Branch started the H.P.B. Sanskrit School under the auspices and
financial support of Miss Mller. She also donated monies to help Lucifer, Vol. 13,
replace the funds which had been misappropriated by the Recording Sep. 1893; pp.2-3
Secretary and Treasurer, Pandit S.E. Goplacharlu, from the Treasury
at Adyar.
Letters from WQJ
to Hargrove, see
Mr. Hargrove stated that Miss Mller was a wild woman by nature Appendix D, Part V
and selection, who like Mrs. Besant, had gone native in India, and
who used to travel with Hindu youths whom she had adopted.[Also
see The Path Vol. 10, April 1895]
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology
Jan. 1906
continued

Miss Mller was appointed as a delegate of the European Section T.S. to

attend and participate at the Parliament of Religions, Worlds Fair at
Chicago, 1893. Miss Mller left London, accompanied by Chakravarti
and Mrs. Besant. She gave two talks at the Congress S Theosophy as
Found in the Hebrew Books and in The New Testament of the
Christians and Theosophy and Woman. Leoline Wright in her
vignettes of the Worlds Fair remembered the wealthy Henrietta
Mller of Maidstone,* England, whom I recall because she was my
first experience of the irrepressible British spinster and for her
innumerable necklaces of iridescent shells and beads.

237

Lucifer, Vol. 12,

Aug. 1893; p.606
Theos. Congress
Worlds Fair 1893,
pp.29-33, 168-170
Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Vol. 13, Dec. 1938;
p.403

Early in 1895 Miss Mller adopted a young adult Bengali as her son. The Theosophist,
Her plan is to have her protg educated for the Bar, enter Vol. 16, Feb. 1895;
Parliament, and devote his life to social and political reform in India. p.344
He added his adoptive mothers name to his own Akshaya Kumar
Ghose Mller.
The Path, Vol. 10,
At the 1894 Annual Convention at Adyar, Miss Mller publicly Apr. 1895; p.31
accused Mr. Judge of having tried, some years ago, to force Col. H.S.
Olcott to resign the Presidency of the T.S. [See General Report of Irish Theosophist,
the Nineteenth Anniversary of the Theosophical Society, Dec. 15- Vol. 3, Mar. 1895;
28, 1894, pp.51-53. Also see Dec. 1895 The Resignation Mystery, p.97
1892" and Jan. 21, 1892.]
Miss Mller had met Swami Vivekananda at the 1893 Parliament of Vivekananda,
Religions in Chicago. She had extended a cordial invitation for him pp.91, 102, 133-134,
to come to England. The Swami, still in America, sailed from New 157, 938
York about the middle of August 1895, reaching Paris near the end of
the month and then on to England. When he arrived in London he was
greeted by Miss Mller and E.T. Sturdy. After strenuous work in
England and because of his ill health, Mller proposed a holiday tour
of the continent. She became his disciple and toured with him. In
1898 she travelled with the Swami in Northern India along with other
devotees. She generously donated monies toward the purchase of the
Belur Math, headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. By
late 1899 Miss Mller left the Swami on account of his illness she
could not associate sickness with holiness. The Swami died July 4th,
1902.
* On the original Application for Membership form Miss Mller gives Old Diary Leaves,
her address as Pinkneys Green, Maidenhead. She was certified to be Fifth Series, pp.323a worthy member, to join the Blavatsky Lodge, by Walter R. Old and 324
Isabel Cooper-Oakley.
H.S. Olcott entered in his Diary for June 14, 1895 that Miss Mller
had resigned from membership in the T.S. In her letter of notification
to the Westminster Gazette she says that she withdraws because there
is no longer any reason for her remaining and that she does not
esteem the opinions of the leaders of the Theosophical Society.
[Continued in next cell]

238
Jan. 1906
continued

The Judge Case

NOTE: For more on Pandit S.E . Goplacharlu see Official Notices in The Vahan, Vol. 1,
Feb. 1892; p.8
The Vahan, Second Series [Vol. 1], Oct.1, 1893, p.3.
NOTE: Annie Besant suspected that Colonel Olcott had an affair with
Miss Mller while he was staying in Miss Mllers home in the
summer of 1891, following H.P.B.s death. On Nov. 18th, 1891,
Besant sent a telegram to Judge and sailed immediately for New York
where she asked Judge to lay charges against Olcott. The only direct
references that Olcott may have had an affair can be found in a letter
addressed by Herbert Burrows to the Editor of The English
Theosophist. [See Jan. 21, 1892.] One could deduce from Miss
Mllers attack on Judge that it may have been based on revenge,
perhaps not realizing that it was Besant who asked Judge to bring
charges against H.S. Olcott.

Sep. 1906

Sep. 23,
1906, Est.

Question on expulsion of a member; answer from Olcott while he was in

Chicago for the Convention of the American Section in 1906. (Olcott
arrived in Chicago Sep. 9th, 1906.)
In the trouble that arose round a great Theosophist, Mr. Judge, many
years ago, when a motion was brought forward in India for his
expulsion, I opposed it. I objected to what he had done. But I opposed
his expulsion on the same ground that I take now, that I would not
expel a brother, even if he makes a mistake, especially one who had
rendered to the movement such great services as Mr. Judge had done.

Hammer on the
Mountain (1972),
p.336

COLONEL OLCOTT: A REMINISCENCE appeared in The Word

without the name of the writer thereof. The writer was later
identified as Mrs. Laura C. Holloway-Langford.
The writer, a close friend of Belle Mitchell (Olcotts sister who had
died in 1896), claimed that Col. Olcott had requested a meeting in
New York for the sake of Auld Lang Syne. Olcott was described as
greatly depressed and the writer stated I realized that loneliness
and homesickness were prime factors in his case; as also were
physical infirmities; and as were memories of other faces now
absent. He spoke of H.P.B. and the writer then asked And have you
no word now for that devoted co-worker of hers and yours, toward
whom, after her death, you were hostile? . . . Do you not mourn him
at all, that dear old friend of the long ago? . . .
Yes, yes, he interrupted, I know how you feel about him and
always have felt. Then, taking my hand in his, he gave my face a
searching glance, before he answered, in a manner subdued and most
impressive:
We learn much and outgrow much, and I have lived much and
learned more, particularly as regards Judge.
I know now, and it will comfort you to hear it; that I wronged Judge,
not wilfully or with malice; nevertheless, I have done this and I regret
it.
Note: BCW: Vol. I, p.517, (1977 edition), the Editor suggests that the
old friend [was] most likely William Mitchell, the husband of Belle
Mitchell, Olcotts sister.

The Word, Vol. 22,

Oct. 1915; pp.7-19

Theosophical
Lectures, 1907;
pp.121-122

T.N.C.A.B.
Item 154, p.60,

The Word,
Vol. 22, Oct. 1915;
pp.7-19

Damodar,
pp.657-658

Chronology

Feb. 17,
1907

Col. Henry Steel Olcott, President-Founder of The Theosophical Society,

died at Adyar.
He was born at Orange, N.Y., August 2, 1832, the eldest son of six
children, and descended from a well-to-do Puritan family which
emigrated to New England in the 17th century. He studied at the
College of New York and later at Columbia University. His earliest
interest was the scientific study of agriculture in which he achieved
international recognition at the early age of twenty-three. He became
co-founder with Henry C. Vail of the Westchester Farm School, near
Mt. Vernon, N.Y. The Government of the U.S.A. offered him the
Directorship of Agriculture, but Olcott declined the offer, as he
preferred to carry on independently. His first book, Sorgho and
Imphee, the Chinese and African Sugar-Canes (New York: A. O.
More, 1858), ran through seven editions and was prescribed as a
school text. Olcott soon became an Associate Agricultural Editor of
the famous New York Tribune.
Olcotts passion for liberty drove him to enlist in the Northern Army
at the outbreak of the Civil War; he went through the whole of the
North Carolina campaign under Gen. Burnside, and was invalided to
New York, having contracted dysentery. The Government chose him
to conduct an inquiry into fraud, corruption and graft at the New York
Mustering and Disbursing Office, and he was made Special
Commissioner of the War Department. Overriding all opposition and
enmity, he rounded up every criminal and cleansed the department. He
was then promoted to the rank of Colonel. Soon after, the Navy
Department applied for the use of Olcotts services to eradicate abuses
in the Navy Yards. He acquitted himself of this new responsibility
with equal success, earning outspoken appreciations from the
Officials.
On April 26, 1860, Henry married Mary Epplee Morgan. They had
three sons and one daughter; the youngest son and daughter died in
infancy. Olcotts surviving sons, Morgan and William, maintained
contact with their father, even after his divorce and his involvement
with the T.S.
In 1865, Olcott, resigned his Commission and devoted himself to the
study of law and was admitted to the Bar in May of 1868. He codified
confused practices of insurance law and became a specialist in
Customs, Revenue and Insurance cases, acquiring a large and
prosperous clientele.
Olcott felt a deep fascination for the occult and mystical. He had
followed with keen interest various psychic phenomena and studied
extensively whatever literature was available on the subjects of
mesmerism and magnetism, discovering soon that he had himself
considerable mesmeric powers in healing. One day in July of 1874,
while working in his New York law office, he had a sudden urge to
investigate modern Spiritualism.
[Continued in next cell]

239

Theosophia, Vol.25,
Summer 1968,
pp.11-13
BCW, Vol. 1,
pp.503-518
Yankee Beacon of
Buddhist Light: Life
of Col. Henry S.
Olcott (1988) by
Howard Murphet,
formerly published
as Hammer on the
Mountain (1972),
339 pages

240
Feb. 17, 1907
continued

The Judge Case

He purchased a copy of the Banner of Light and read in it the

account of the curious phenomena taking place at the Eddy farmhouse
at Chittenden, Vt. He went there as special reporter for the New York
Sun and wrote articles describing what he saw. The New York Daily
Graphic persuaded him to return to Chittenden and to write another
series of accounts. Olcott did so, and it was during his second stay
there, namely on October 14, 1874, that he met H. P. Blavatsky who
arrived on that date in company of a French Canadian lady.
Col. Olcotts life-story from 1874 on is almost identical with the
history of the Theosophical Society itself, from its founding in 1875
to his death at Adyar, February 17, 1907. He was a great organizer, a
clever administrator, a world-wide traveller on behalf of the
Theosophical Society, a remarkable healer, an able lecturer and a man
of forceful action in a great Cause. His devotion to the revival of pure
Buddhism and the preservation of Buddhist Culture, against
missionary inroads, resulted in later years in a widespread network of
Buddhist Schools in Ceylon where Olcott is considered today as a
National Hero.
Olcott also worked for the renewal of Buddhism in Ceylon, helping to
establish three colleges and 250 schools. He wrote People from the
Other World (1875), The Buddhist Catechism (1881), and Old
Diary Leaves, a six-volume history of The Theosophical Society
covering the period from 1874 to September 1898.
The Theosophist,
NOTE: Also see: The Last Days of the President-Founder by Annie Vol. 28, Mar. 1907;
pp.425-438
Besant.

Apr. 1907

The Theosophical Movement. by Charles Johnston.

An address delivered at the Convention of the T.S. in America.
Johnston reviewed his twenty-two years in the Theosophical
movement and discussed the Hodgson report and the Judge Case.

Theosophical
Quarterly,
Vol. 5, July 1907;
pp.16-26

Nov. 1908

Reminiscences of the Early Days of American Section T.S.

By Alexander Fullerton. He joined in May 1887.

Theos. Messenger,
Vol. 10, Nov. 1908;
pp.33-42

Feb. 18,
1909

After Robert Crosbie split from Point Loma (1904), he formed the United
Lodge of Theosophists in Los Angeles, California (1909).
Mr. Crosbie was a Boston Theosophist during the time of W.Q.
Judge. . . . [A]fter Judges death . . . [he] gave [Mrs. Tingley] his
loyalty and support. About 1900 he went to Point Loma. . . . However,
in the course of a few years, he came to feel that nothing constructive
was to be accomplished by remaining [there] . . . and he quietly left
the Point Loma Society in 1904 and came to Los Angeles. . . . When,
in 1909, he had been joined by a small nucleus of persons who shared
this ideal, The United Lodge of Theosophists was formed to carry out
the purposes in view.

Pamphlet, 26 pages
The United Lodge
of Theosophist, Its
Mission and Its
Future.
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.316

Chronology

241

June 1909

THEOSOPHICAL WORTHIES, William Quan Judge. by Annie Besant. The Theosophist,

His real work, the spread of Theosophy in America, was splendidly Vol. 30, June 1909;
performed, and his memory remains as a lasting inspiration.
pp.351-354

1910

Countess Wachtmeister died. Born Countess Constance Georgina Louise

de Bourbel de Monpinon March 28, 1838 in Florence, Italy. She lost
her parents at an early age and was sent to live with her aunt in
England. She married Swedish Count Karl Wachtmeister in 1863 (The
Count died in 1871). They had one son, Count Axel Raoul, a well
known composer (1865-1938). The Countess joined the T.S. in 1881.
She met Blavatsky in April 1884 on a visit to London, and soon
became one of her closest friends. She also took care of H.P.B. while
in Germany. Her time spent with Blavatsky, from 1885 to 1891, is
documented in her book, Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky and The
Secret Doctrine (1893). After H.P.B.s death A League of
Theosophical Workers was formed, to carry on in organized fashion
all kinds of propagandist and charitable work, that may tend to
spreading of the Theosophical ideal. Wachtmeister was elected
President, Miss Mller as Vice-President and Mrs. Cooper-Oakley as
Secretary.

Sep. 1910

BCW,
Vol. 6, p.448

Lucifer, Vol. 8,
Aug. 1891; p.517
The Vahan, Vol. 1,
Sep. 1891; p.8

A. Besants account of the events surrounding Olcotts proposed The Theosophist,

resignation in 1892. Claimed Mahatmas told him in a communication Vol. 31, Sep. 1910;
of Feb.10, 1892 not to resign.
p.1624
NOTE: See Aug. 21, 1892 for Olcotts EXECUTIVE CIRCULAR where he
revokes his resignation; Also see Jan. 11, 1896, Jan. 21, 1892 and H.
Burrows resignation Oct. 2, 1895.

Apr. 14-15,
1912

William Thomas Stead died. (Born in 1849) English journalist, editor and
spiritualist. He was assistant editor (John Morley was editor) of the
Pall Mall Gazette from 1880 to 1883, and editor from 1883 to 1888.
In 1890 he started publishing the prestigious monthly, Review of
Reviews. Being interested in spiritualism, psychical research and
Theosophy, W.T. Stead edited Borderland (1893-1897), a periodical
especially devoted to these subjects. Bound for New York, Stead lost
his life on the ocean liner, Titanic.

The Occult World

of Mme. Blavatsky,
p.335
Oxford Companion
to English Lit.
(1933)

H.P.B. by Sylvia
In July 1893, he wrote: It is barely twelve months since my hand Cranston, p.361
began to write automatically. His communications with his departed
friend Julia were documented in Review of Reviews starting in Borderland, Vol. 1,
July 1893; p.39
April that year and then in Borderland.

242

Aug. 7,
1912

The Judge Case

Franz Hartmann died from heart failure. (Born Nov. 22, 1838 at BCW,
Donauwrth, small town on the Danube in Bavaria). His father was Vol. 8, pp.130, 439German and his mother was of Irish descent.
457
A German physician, philosopher and mystic, who was one of the
most productive workers in the early days of the Theosophical
Movement, and a personal friend of H.P.B. He was a great student of
Paracelsus, and of mediaeval occultism in general.
BCW,
Since his early youth, Franz felt as if he had two distinct personalities Vol. 8, p.457
in him: one was a mystic, a dreamer and an idealist, while the other
was obstinate and self-willed, inclined to all sorts of mischief.
The Theosophist,
In 1865, he became doctor medicinae and Magister pharmaciae. He Vol. 34, Oct. 1912;
came to live in the United States on August 28,1865 and became an p.119
American citizen in 1867.
When The Occult World of A.P. Sinnett was published, he managed
to get a copy of it. Being still greatly attracted to certain aspects of the
Spiritualistic view of life, he became much irritated at its contents and
wrote to Col. Olcott, giving him and the Brothers a piece of his
mind. Correspondence ensued, which led him to eventually sail to
India. On December 4, 1883 he arrived at Madras then went to Adyar
where he was welcomed by H.P. Blavatsky. He was in residence at
Adyar during W.Q. Judges visit, also during the expulsion of the
Coulombs, and at the time of the visit of Richard Hodgson, December
1884-January, 1885. His first-hand account is in his Report Of
Observations made during a Nine Months Stay at the
Headquarters of The Theosophical Society (Madras), India. He
received his first letter from Master M. on December 25, 1883, only
three weeks after his arrival at Adyar, in reply to a brief letter he had
placed in the Shrine.
Around 1893, Hartmann started editing a German Theosophical
Monthly journal called Lotusblthen which continued for eight years
(1893-1900, sixteen volumes.)
In April 1897, he came to America to represent the German
Theosophists at the Convention of the T.S. in America held in New
York. Dr. Hartmanns association with Katherine Tingley did not last.
He founded in Munich on September 3, 1897, a body known as the
International Theosophische Verbrderung, on lines which he
considered to be closer to those indicated by H.P. Blavatsky in the
early days.
During his lifetime of devotion to the Theosophical Movement he
wrote a large number of books, including The Life Of Paracelsus
(1887). He died in his homeland at Kempten, in Southern Bavaria.

Chronology

1913

Historical retrospect, by Dr. J. D. Buck, on the Theosophical Movement,

including the famous missive Judges Plan is right.
I may say, in passing, that one little sentence in Script, of only four
words Judges[sic]Plan is right led to the disruption of the
harmony previously existing, allowed personalities to overshadow
Principles, and has given rise to Judgeites and Besantites ever
since.

243

Modern World
Movements
by J.D. Buck, pp.79,
120-125, 131-135

For the last two or three years of his life, a broader aspect than the p.134
T.S. organization was constantly in Mr. Judges mind; and he spoke
of the Theosophical Movement quite as often as of the Society.
July 21,
1913

Alexander Fullerton died in Flushing, New York. (Born Sep. 12, 1841 in
Philadelphia).
He attended school when he was four years old, entered Princeton
University in 1860 and graduated in 1864. He was ordained Deacon
in the Episcopal Cathedral Church, Burlington, New Jersey, in June
1865. In 1875, at his own request, Mr. Fullerton was deposed from the
ministry of the Episcopal Church. He then took up the study of law at
the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in June 1877. He never
applied for admission to the bar.

The American
Theosophist,
Vol. 14, Sep. 1913;
pp.986-989

He joined the T.S. in May 1887. As there was no Theosophical work Theos. Messenger,
for him in New York at the time, he offered his services to Col. Olcott Vol. 10, Nov. 1908;
as his Private Secretary. He sailed for England on August 1888 and pp.33-42
passed some days in London, twice visiting H.P.B. at the odd little
cottage near the Crystal Palace at Sydenham before continuing to
India. His stay at Adyar was very brief due to his physical collapse,
aggravated by a poisonous bite. He returned to New York three
months to the day he had left.
Upon his return he discovered that the Aryan Branch had grown in
membership. He replaced the ailing Mr. Samuel Clapp as Mr. Judges
office assistant. He served in that capacity until the American Section
T.S. declared its entire autonomy, and was from then on called The
Theosophical Society in America.
In January, 1889, he returned to London on business in response to
telegrams from H.P.B. His stay was expected to be indefinite, but in
fact lasted only a few weeks. H.P.B. by then had moved to Lansdowne
Road.
When he returned to New York he discovered that Mr. Judges offices The Theosophist,
had moved to Park Row and a new publication, The Theosophical Vol. 31, Mar. 1910;
pp.781-782
Forum, was started in April 1889. Fullerton was made Editor.
In the autumn of 1895 he was elected General Secretary of the The Elder Brother
revamped American Section of the T.S. He was re-elected year after p.91
year until 1907 when he opposed Annie Besant regarding the
Leadbeater affair. He lost to Dr. Weller van Hook, an ardent
disciple of Leadbeater.

244

Oct. 9, 1915

The Judge Case

Julia Keightley (Jasper Niemand) died. (Born in 185[5]?) Julia Wharton BCW, Vol. 9,
Lewis Campbell was the daughter of a prominent Pennsylvania lawyer pp.435-438
and member of the U.S. Congress for several terms.
She married Philip W. Ver Planck of New York in 1871. He died six The Path,
years later and within a year she also lost both her sons suddenly.
Vol. 9, Apr. 1894;
She was invited to hear Mr. Arthur Gebhard speak on Theosophy in pp.14-17
a friends drawing room. The impression made upon her was so deep
that she joined the T.S. within two weeks, in mid 1886.
Theos. Messenger,
Her childhood was mainly spent among the Pennsylvania mountains Vol. 10, Nov. 1908;
and later on the continent of Europe, where she was educated and pp.33, 38
developed her literary talents. Her early writings consisted of
translations from the poems of the Kings of Sweden, in original verse,
tales and descriptions published in Harpers Magazine, the Galaxy
and other periodicals. Her first theosophical article appeared in The
Path, August 1886, under the name Julius. She also wrote under the
names of August Waldensee , J, and later as Jasper Niemand,
as well as unsigned articles. She was invaluable in proof-reading and
other technical jobs, in preparing the numerous publications and
documents for printing, and in other various department activities
such as her assiduous work for the Esoteric Section.
She first met Dr. Archibald Keightley in 1889 on his first visit to the
United States; Mrs. Ver Planck continued to live with her parents in
Pennsylvania until the autumn of 1891 when they married. After a
years residence in New York they were called to England by the
health of Dr. Keightleys mother. During Annie Besants absence in
India in 1893-1894, Mrs. Keightley took up residence and worked at
the London Headquarters for several months.
She was very close to W.Q. Judge and was the recipient of many of Theosophical
his letters, which were published under the title Letters That Have Quarterly, Vol. 13,
Helped Me. These were written for her and for Dr. Keightley, and for pp.220-225
the use of others later on, at the express wish of H.P. Blavatsky. In
response to the instruction she had received from Mr. Judge, she
wrote a series of wonderful articles, of which it may fairly be said
that, for the first time in the history of the Theosophical Society, they
sounded some of the depth of the inner, spiritual life. For many, her
articles were the first impulse in the present life awaking dormant
intuitions of the souls august mysteries.

Chronology

Nov. 3,
1915

245

Miss Katharine Hillard died. She was a member of a prominent Brooklyn Theosophical
family. Her cousin, Mr. Seth Low, was President of Colombia Quarterly, Vol. 7,
University (1890 1901) and served as Mayor of Brooklyn (1882-1885) pp.59-61
and New York City (1901-1903).
She was a very distinguished Dante scholar. After spending four
winters in Italy studying Dante and the mysticism of the middle ages
she visited H.P. Blavatsky in London in May 1888 en route to New
York. She spent two or three evenings with Mme. Blavatsky. She
advised me to settle neither in Rome nor London, but to return to New
York. You could not do better, she said in her emphatic way, than
to go back to New York, and study with W. Q. Judge. He is a good
man. Never shall I forget the stress she laid upon those words, as if
to answer the attacks she doubtless foresaw.
Later that spring she met Mr. Judge, who came to see her in Brooklyn.
She applied for fellowship in the Society and was admitted by the Her Application form
Aryan T.S. on December 18th, 1888.
As a successful writer, she had won a reputation for careful research, Theosophical
for sound judgment, for trustworthy craftsmanship. She worked with Quarterly, Vol. 13,
Mr. Judge and read many valuable papers before the Aryan T.S. She pp.220-221
contributed articles to The Path, The Theosophical Forum (original)
and to The Theosophical Forum, New Series generally signing in
full, sometimes with initials only.
Along with Julia Keightley, Katharine Hillard was an indispensable
worker and strong supporter of Mr. Judge and Theosophy, at the cost
of her reputation as a respected intellectual scholar.
Her translation of the Il Convito into English (Kegan Paul, Trench & Theosophical
Co., London, 1889) is considered one of the best. Among other titles, Quarterly, Vol. 34,
she published An Abridgement of The Secret Doctrine (1907). p.154
[Republished by Edmonton Theosophical Society, 1992.]

246

1916

The Judge Case

Dr Jirah Dewey Buck died. (Born Nov. 20, 1838 at Fredonia, New York.)
He graduated from Cleveland Homeopathic College in 1864. He
married Melissa M. Clough in 1865. Dr. Buck was Prof. of Physiology
at Cleveland Homeopathy College (1866-71), became Dean of Pulte
Medical College in Cincinnati in 1880, and President of the American
Institute of Homeopathy in 1890.
Dr. Buck was a 33 Mason and a lifelong student of occultism. He
was one of the first to join the Theosophical Society in 1878 after
reading Isis Unveiled. He was appointed by H.S. Olcott to serve as a
member of the Board of Control of the T.S. in America on May 13,
1884, to consider plans for a Theosophical revival in the U.S. He was
probably one of Judges closest friends and, being a medical doctor,
looked after Judges health. Judge quite often stayed in Cincinnati at
the Buck residence. Buck wrote numerous excellent articles
sometimes using the pseudonym Hiraj for The Path, The
Theosophist, and Lucifer, and Blavatsky quoted him in The Key to
Theosophy. After Judges death, Buck became despondent and
became a follower of TK, an Occult writer with pretensions to
higher Masonic knowledge.

May 17,
1916

Dr. William Hbbe-Schleiden died in Gttingen, Germany. Born at

Hamburg, Germany, Oct. 20, 1846. He was one of the chief founders
and the first President of the Germania Theosophical Society in 1884.
He was a learned Scholar and author who studied law and political
economics as a young man and travelled widely in geographical
explorations. His title of Doctor was applicable to the field of law SS
in jurisprudence and political economy.
In 1886 he founded a metaphysical magazine, The Sphinx, which he
edited for twenty-two volumes (until 1896). He visited H.P.B.
(sometimes for a week or more) four or five times during the period
that she was writing The Secret Doctrine and considered it to be a
work of the utmost importance, actually containing the sacred wisdom
of the sages of all time. Several years after his visits to H.P.B. he was
asked to record his observations as to how she wrote The S. D. These
observations appeared in The Path, Vol. 8, Apr. 1893, p.2, in
Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky and The Secret Doctrine by
Countess Wachtmeister, pp.114-155 and in Letters from The
Masters of the Wisdom (Second Series), Letters 69 and 70.
Dr. William Hbbe-Schleiden received two Certificates from The
Masters regarding the triple production authorship of The Secret
Doctrine. These Certificates and how they came about are explained
in The Mahatmas and Their Letters by Geoffrey A. Barborka. The
reason that Mr. Judge was able to publish the two certificates two
years after Mme. Blavatskys passing was because he had received the
same certificates, which had been sent to him by H.P. Blavatsky. Then
upon having been given the authorization to print the documents he
complied with the instructions. See April 1893 entry for
AUTHORSHIP OF SECRET DOCTRINE.

BCW, Vol. 3,
pp.498-199
Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.122-123
NOTE: For a list of
some of his books
see BCW, Vol. 3,
p.499

BCW, Vol. 7,
pp.375-377
Reminiscences of
H.P.B. (1976), p.97

Mahatmas and
Their Letters
(1973), p.299
H.P.B. by Sylvia
Cranston,
pp.288-289
Rebirth of The
Occult Tradition,
pp.12. . . .

Theos Forum (P.L.),

Vol. 26, Apr. 1948;
pp.223-226
Mahatmas and
Their Letters,
pp.299-305

Chronology

June 25,
1919

Robert Crosbie died in Montery, CA. (Born in Montreal, Canada, Jan. 10,
1849) His parents were both connected with the Hudsons Bay
Company. He married the daughter of one of his partners of a shoe
and leather manufacturing business. (They divorced in 1892.) A
favorable opportunity arose to sell the business in Montreal and start
another one in Boston. Mr. Crosbie then became an American citizen.
He became a member of the T.S. on June 5, 1888 and made his first
contact with Mr. Judge at a talk given by Mr. Judge in Boston. At this
first meeting Mr. Judge told him: Crosbie, you are on my list. Mr.
Crosbie recorded: a veil was lifted . . . a tie was formed which has
never since been broken. When the Esoteric Section was formed Mr.
Crosbie was one of its earliest members. After H.P.B.s death Mr.
Judge put Crosbie in charge of the EST Groups in the seven New
England States. He joined Mrs. Tingley at Point Loma in 1898 but left
in 1904. In 1909, he founded the United Lodge of Theosophists in Los
Angeles, California, and in 1912 founded the magazine, Theosophy.

247

Theosophy, Vol. 7,
Aug. 1919; p.320

Theosophy, Vol. 23,

June 1935; p.337
Vol. 24, June 1936;
pp.337-343
R.C. Bio. Notes
R.C. Bio. Notes,
(ULT)

NOTE: Crosbie was present in New York at a meeting with Mrs. Besant,
Mr. Judge and others at Astor House. During that meeting, Mrs.
Besant narrated the events that took place at the General Council of
the Inner Group of the E.S. (in London on May 27, 1891) and kept a
record of this meeting. It was at this meeting that a note on which
the Master had written Judges plan is right, fell out of the packet
of tied letters she had in her sole possession, and which she had
brought herself to that meeting.
1921

Herbert Burrows died. (Born in 1845) English civil servant and an active
socialist. Educated at Cambridge University, Burrows was a vocal
partisan of Secularism, Irish independence, and womens rights. He
was a founding member of the Social Democratic Federation and was
active with Besant in leading the Match Girls Strike of 1888. He was
the Secretary of the Matchmakers Trade Union from 1888 to 1889.
Burrows stated that he joined the T.S. a few days before Besant.
She joined on May 10, 1889. Before joining Blavatsky told them,
You had better read what there is against me, and referred us to the
Psychical Report. When he joined he stated that he was a sceptic by
nature and a materialist. He served on the European Section
Advisory Council formed by H.P.B. While Blavatsky was alive he
lectured throughout England spreading Theosophy, helping to create
a strong Section. He was a British Parliamentary candidate in 1908
and 1910.

H.P.B. by Sylvia
Cranston,
pp.363-364
A Short History of
the T.S., pp.269,
282, 347
Isis Very Much
Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
pp.80-81
The Occult World
of Madame
Blavatsky, p.329

248

June 27,
1921

The Judge Case

Alfred Percy Sinnett died in London. (Born January 18, 1840)

He was the son of a journalist; his father died when Alfred Percy was
only five years old. He did poorly in school, which he left without
finishing his studies. He became a draftsman and helped his widowed
mother support his three sisters and two brothers. He later obtained a
position as associate and sub-editor for The Globe. His career
thereafter involved editorial positions with various newspapers.
On April 6, 1870 Sinnett married Patience Edensor and on May 1877
she gave birth to a son, Denny, who died of tuberculosis on May 11,
1908. Mrs. Sinnett died of cancer that same year, on November 9th.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 2, July 1921;
p.66

In 1872 Sinnett had his great opportunity when Mr. George Allen, the
proprietor of The Pioneer, an Anglo-Indian newspaper of Allahabad,
offered him the editorship. It was while in India that he met Madame
Blavatsky and Col. Olcott (December 4, 1879). He was the recipient
of The Mahatma Letters, which he kept and which are now in the
British Museum. In March 1881 the Sinnetts went to England for a
holiday. It was at this time that he published his first theosophical
book, The Occult World, which described occult phenomena that had
been produced by Blavatsky while staying at the Sinnetts and in the
company of friends. This led to The Pioneer terminating his editorial
contract. The Sinnetts then moved back to London, arriving on April
26, 1883.

The American
Theosophist,
Vol. 54, July 1966;
pp.164-167

Damodar,
pp.270-284
Autobiography of
A.P. Sinnett (1986)

In 1885 Sinnett was elected President of the London Lodge, and held
this office for many years. During this time he published The
Transactions of the London Lodge of The T.S. (forty-four lectures;
republished by Edmonton Theosophical Society in 1997). He was
always drawn to spiritualism, hence to sances. He came to be at odds
with Judge as to who had actually written the famous Prayag Letter.
Aug. 27,
1921

From a retyped copy of a letter signed by The Anagarika Dharmapala,

Maha Bodhi Society, Calcutta, to Mrs Alice L. Cleather in Srinagar.
It was the Judge episode that made me to realise how little
brotherhood there was in the Besant Section of the T.S. In America,
in 1894, because I showed great sympathy with the party who
followed Judge Countess Wachtmeister wrote to the Besantine
branches to boycott me. The Judge party invited me to their branches,
to the Besantines I was taboo. However I remained in the T.S. until
1905 visiting Adyar; but since then I have abstained going there. In
1895 Col. Olcott wrote me that the Master did not want that I should
be admitted as a guest at Adyar. I smiled and said to myself it could
not be the Masters desire but Col. Olcotts.
NOTE: See April 29, 1933 entry for more information on how Anagarika
Dharmapala came to Theosophy. Also see Aug. 3, 1922 and Dec. 3,
1925 for his comments about Annie Besant.

Letter from The

Anagarika
Dharmapala,
Aug. 27, 1921;
2 pages

Chronology

1922

249

Notes By Basil Crump on E.S.T. circular of April 3rd, 1896, consisting 5 pages
of B.C.s comments included within the text of a transcribed copy of
said circular.
Note: See April 3, 1896.

Feb. 6, 1922 Letter from The Anagarika Dharmapala to Mrs. Cleather.

T.S. under A.B. is a powerful body. She gets whatever she wants and
is in league with politicians.
A.B. was duped by Chakravarti and later on she found she could
dupe Chakravarti.

Letter from The

Anagarika
Dharmapala, Feb. 6,
1922; 1 page

Anagarika
NOTE: The Anagarika Dharmapala left the Theosophical Society in 1905. Dharmapala and
The T.S., p.7
Mar. 3,
1922

From a retyped copy of a letter signed by The Anagarika Dharmapala,

Maha-Bodhi Society, Calcutta, to Mrs Alice L. Cleather.
My dear Sister, C.W.L. [Charles Webster Leadbeater] and A.B.
[Annie Besant] are spiritualistic acrobats. They know the diplomacy
of necromancy; but they succeed. In 1907, I attacked them furiously;
but as I say they are diplomats and they know what way to go to get
hold of the people who desire for occult studies. . . .
I feel sad sometimes that there is not to be found a true successor of
the great H.P.B. Col. Olcott loved power more than truth. He feared
A.B. W.Q.J. had not. . . .
Theosophy of C.W.L. and Besant is a travesty of the doctrine taught
by H.P.B. In 1900 I wrote in my Diary that the 3rd Vol. of the S.D. was
a fabrication of A.B. She is clever and managed to do what she willed.
. . . Every attempt should be made to warn true Theosophists of A.B.s
& C.W.L.s writings. The latter is a necromancer and a diabolical
liar.

Letter from The

Anagarika
Dharmapala, March
3rd, 1922; 1 page

NOTE: See April 29, 1933 for a biographical sketch on Mr. Dharmapala.
July 18,
1922

Bahman Pestonji Wadia resigned as a member of the Indian Council and Letter from Los
of the Indian Section T.S. [Letter to The General Secretary, Indian Angeles, 1 page
Section T.S. Benares City.]
To all Fellow Theosophists and Members of the Theosophical Pamphlet, 18 pages
Society: A Statement by B.P. Wadia. Constituting his Letter of
Resignation with reasons therefor.
The Theosophist,
Includes Wadias covering Letter (Addressed to Dear Madam and Vol. 44, Oct. 1922;
Colleagues:) tendering his resignation as a member of the General Supp. pp.1-12
Council of the T.S.

250

Sep. 11,
1922

The Judge Case

News has been received by todays mail that Mr. B.P. Wadia, a well- The Last Four
known member of the Theosophical Society, who was formerly Lives Of Annie
connected with New India, has severed his connection with the Indian Besant, p.328
T.S., owing to a serious disagreement with the International
Headquarters at Adyar, Madras. Mr. Wadia, however remains a
staunch Theosophist.
NOTE: See March/April 1964 entry for J.M. Prentices book review of
The Last Four Lives Of Annie Besant in The Canadian
Theosophist.

Sep. 11, 1922

continued

Est. date
early 1920's

Comments by Mrs. Besant on B.P. Wadias resignation as recorded by

A.H. Nethercot:
Nevertheless, with her customary undeviating magnanimity, she
forgave him for his defection in the following public words: Sunshine
and cloud follow each other, and the sunshine of Theosophical
brotherhood in Europe is clouded by the loss of one who has worked
well for the Society B.P. Wadia. For some years he has been
slowly drifting from his old moorings, and has now broken the tie . .
. Having worked with him for so long, I can only wish him well in the
line he has chosen . . ..
In the course of a serious conversation [with B.P. Wadia], Mrs Besant
admitted that what was presented to her namely that Judge was
innocent of the charges made against him was on the whole
accurate, and she said that some time previously she had come to the
conclusion that Judge had committed no forgery, and that the
messages received by him were genuine. On being requested to say
that much, only, if not more, to the Theosophical public the world
over, Mrs. Besant demurred and remarked that it was an old forgotten
matter Why revive it?

The Last Four

Lives Of Annie
Besant,
pp.328-329

Theos. Movement
1875-1950,
pp.297-298
The Last Four
Lives Of Annie
Besant,
p.328

NOTE: Mr. B.P. Wadia, of Bombay, India, for years an active member Theos. Movement
and speaker of the Adyar Society, has supplied the editor of this 1875-1950,
volume with a signed statement giving this account of his interview p.342
with Mrs. Besant.
Sep. 15,
1922

Mr. B.P. Wadia.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Albert Smythe examined Wadias resignation.
Vol. 3, Sep. 1922;
Mr. Wadias position is that the defects are now the dominant pp.105-107
characteristics, and that the great body of the members have lost the
power of discrimination and merely swallow what prominent members
tell them without even being aware of what the Society was founded
to do or what its historic literature teaches. Not merely do they not
know, but they refuse to know.

Sep. 18,
1922

Reply of Mr. N.P. Subramania Iyer, President, Bangalore Pamphlet, 10 pages

Cantonment Lodge, T.S., to Mr. B.P. Wadia, with reference to the
latters statement that accompanied his resignation.

Chronology

Oct. 1, 1922

AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. WADIA

The Theosophist,
From J. Krishnamurti and J. Nityananda.
Vol. 44, Dec. 1922;
Your contention, then, must be that Dr. Besant officially, and Bishop Supp. pp.1-12
Leadbeater unofficially, have led the Theosophical Society away from
the teachings of H.P.B. . . .
There are two possible interpretations to your accusations:
1.) That Theosophy is not an evolving system of thought. . . .
2.) That this system of thought, as given forth by H.P.B., was not
complete in itself and is capable of further development, but that Dr.
Besant and Bishop Leadbeater have not been and are not capable of
amplifying and expanding this system of thought by independent
investigation, and that they have gone seriously astray from the
original programme.

Oct. 1922

Editorial comment by Annie Besant on B.P. Wadias resignation.

The Theosophist,
So far as I know, there is no special disagreement with Vol. 44, Oct. 1922;
Headquarters but with the Society as a whole, which is, he considers, p.8
going on wrong lines.

Oct. 1922

OUR GENERAL SECRETARIES. No.1. WILLIAM QUAN JUDGE.

The Theosophist,
Tribute paid to Judge by Besant.
Vol. 44, Oct. 1922;
The third name which rises before the mind, when one thinks of the pp.4-5, 9-10
founding of the Theosophical Society, after those of Helena Petrovna
Blavatsky and Henry Steele [sic] Olcott, is that of William Quan
Judge, one of its Vice-Presidents. . . .
He was beside H.P.B. through those early days. . . . And throughout
the remainder of her life on earth, the friendship remained unbroken,
and during the later years she regarded him as her one hope in
America, declaring that, if the American members rejected him, she
would break off all relations with them, and know them no more. . .
. . . Spiritual and intuitional, he was also extraordinarily capable as
an organiser and a leader. . . .
. . . [H]idden under the reserved demeanour of the young lawyer: an
unquenchable energy, a profound devotion, an indomitable will. . .
held together by a single aim the spreading of the truths of
Theosophy. . . .

251

252

The Judge Case

Oct. 1922
continued

RESTITUTION
Theosophy,
Referring to Mrs. Besants article in Oct. 1922 issue of the Vol. 11, Dec. 1922;
pp.49-50
Theosophist:
To appreciate the full force of Mrs. Besants confession of the real
nature and work of Mr. Judge, one has but to turn to her Case
Against W.Q. Judge, published broadcast by her in April, 1895, as
the culmination of two years impeachment by her, in public and in
private, of the name, the fame, the reputation and character of Mr.
Judge. The havoc wrought by her false charges and false they must
have been, by her own statements as above that havoc must be
repaired. Every true Theosophist will rejoice that Mrs. Besant has so
far freed herself from the dreadful incubus that has so long clouded
her; will hope that she may go on straight-forwardly to repair the
mischief done so long ago; will aid her and all others who have shared
in and suffer from the consequences of her great folly, to return to the
pure teachings and the pure inspiration of H.P. Blavatsky and William
Q. Judge.

Jan. 8, 1923

Claude Falls Wright died in Nicaragua, Central America while there on

business. (Born Sep. 18, 1867 in Dublin, Ireland)
When he was eighteen, he entered the Royal College of Surgeons to
study medicine, and had not completed the first year before he heard
of Theosophy through Charles Johnston. This subject then claimed his
attention, and he went to London at the age of twenty to see H.P.B.,
afterwards asking her to advise him about going to India, to which she
replied: Do not go, but come to me and I will teach you. Acting on
H.P.B.s suggestion, he formed a Branch at Dublin which was opened
by W.Q. Judge and Dr. A. Keightley.

The Path,
Vol. 8, Feb. 1894;
pp.351-352
The Theosophist,
Vol. 44, May 1923;
pp.221-222
BCW, Vol. 11,
pp.593-594

He was the last secretary that Madam Blavatsky had during the last Echoes of the
three years of her life and was beside her at the time of her death. Orient, Vol. 2,
Exactly seven months later he arrived in New York. He travelled pp.463-464
about the United States, lecturing and organizing new Branches.
T.N.C.A.B.
Mr. Wright married Leoline Leonard in new York on May 3rd, 1896, Item 278, p.91
which served as the first public appearance for Katherine Tingley in
connection with Theosophy. The Wrights had a son who, The Lamp, Vol. 2,
unfortunately, went insane.
June 1896; p.166
The Wrights accompanied Katherine Tingley and others on the
Crusade around the world. He was present (Feb. 23, 1897) at Point
Loma and participated in the Ceremonies of the laying of the Corner
Stone of the School for the Revival of the Lost Mysteries of
Antiquities. His whole life was devoted to the Theosophical
movement.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Jan. 1923;
p.168
Feb. 1923; pp.184185

H.P.B. As I Knew
Mr. Wright had been preparing a series of articles on Blavatskys life Her, p.23
and work from his valuable data when he drowned in Pearl Lagoon in
Nicaragua after losing his footing while stepping from a larger to a
smaller boat one late evening.

Chronology

253

1925

Adyar published The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society. Edited pp.131-141
by C. Jinarajadasa, V.P. of the T.S. Gives a brief history on The
Judge Case.

Dec. 3,
1925

Letter addressed to My dearest Coworker [Christmas Humphreys], from Buddhism in

Anagarika Dharmapala.
England, Sep./Oct.
Mrs. A.B. [Annie Besant] I am afraid will eventually destroy the 1933; p.83
work of H.P.B. and the Masters. The T.S. will become under her
management a Christian sect, and bishops, deacons etc. will rule the
T.S. Brotherhood will disappear. Ambition, pride, the desire to rule
will control the minds of those members and they will degenerate.
Letter from Anagarika Dharmapala to Alice Cleather.
The T.S. has become a political organization and Mrs. Besant
engaged in legal disputes spending thousands of rupees in defending
immoral persons. . . . She is now absorbed in Indian politics. The T.S.
has deteriorated much.

Letter from The

Anagarika
Dharmapala,
Aug. 27, 1921;
2 pages

NOTE: Also see Aug. 27, 1921.

Aug. 1926

In the FORWARD to Part II, Letters to H.S. Olcott, 1879-1884, Mr.

Jinarajadasa wrote the following:
W.Q. Judge might have earned the same place to the gratitude of all
Theosophists, but for his grievous blunder in breaking up the Society,
and then proclaiming his seceding organization as the original Society,
and disowning the Parent Society.

Letters from the

Masters of the
Wisdom, 2nd
Series, pp.60-61
(1925 Adyar ed.),
pp.69-70 (1926
Chicago ed.)

In Defense of William Q. Judge

The Editor (Dr. H.N. Stokes) of O.E.Library Critic commented on O.E. Library Critic,
the disparaging remarks made by C. Jinarajadasa about W.Q. Judge. Vol. 16, No. 1,
In this book Mr. Jinarajadasa has shown himself to be extremely Aug. 1926; pp.8-9
conscientious and it is to be regretted that on this occasion, as on some
others he has allowed himself to display his ignorance of theosophical
history and of conditions in the theosophical world outside his own
society.
In this article Mr. Stokes compared remarks made by both Mrs. Besant
and Mr. Jinarajadasa.

254

Oct. 6, 1926

The Judge Case

MEMORANDUM OF INTERVIEW WITH DR. ANNIE BESANT.

Mr. William Mulliss a newspaper man from Canada was in Los
Angeles, California, and discovered that Annie Besant was also there.
He made arrangements with the Publisher and Editor of the Los
Angeles Examiner to interview her. Following are Besants
comments in reference to Mr. Judge.
Mr. M.: Mr. Judge whom I [am] persuaded was the greatest of the
Teachers after H.P.B. came similarly under this persecution by biased
and prejudiced minds, yet I find you in later years within the last
four or five years referring to him as that incomparable man,
Judge, and using a cabinet photo of him in your Magazine.
Mrs. B.: I pay no longer any attention to slanders. As I said, I too have
made many mistakes, and that in regard to Judge, I was young in the
Movement then, impetuous, and in my zeal did things that I would not
think of doing to-day. Judge did a great work in the West and although
I still believe that some of his claims are untenable, he did a splendid
work for Masters and for Theosophy in America. The Society will
survive ruthless destructive criticism. It was nearly wrecked in 1885
by ambitions and personalities. I am convinced after long experience
that our sole consideration should be principles not personalities.
At this point the interview ended abruptly so Mulliss left Besant his
memorandum containing all the questions which he had planned to
pose to her. She agreed to respond to his queries later. Besants lecture
tour took her to Toronto in early November that year but the Mulliss
Memorandum with her answers was not made public at that time. As
far as the Compiler is aware neither these responses (if any) nor the
proposed item in the L.A. Examiner have ever appeared in print.
NOTE: The complete Memorandum of Interview with Dr. Annie
Besant is reprinted in Appendix H.

6 page document
prepared by William
Mulliss, dated
October 6, 1926.

Chronology

255

Feb. 15,
1927

REVISION OF THE SECRET DOCTRINE.

Cdn. Theosophist,
While commenting on James Morgan Pryses thirty year old Vol. 7, Feb. 1927;
recollection of his facts on The Secret Doctrine, Albert Smythe pp.261-262
interjected with his observation on the successorship of Mr. Judge and
on Mrs. Tingley as the Official Head of Point Loma.
It is difficult to believe that William Q. Judge appointed Mrs.
Tingley as his successor, but all these gentlemen asserted that he did,
at one time or another. The present writer never saw any written
evidence to this effect, though he was promised sight of an alleged
diary of Judges and a minute book. Ernest Temple Hargrove was
particularly emphatic in these assertions, but he never produced the
diary nor the minute book, though these were asked for, and some
excuse was always made for their non-production. One cannot help
thinking that if they had existed they would have been produced to the
world by the one most concerned.
After thirty years documents alone can be regarded as evidence.
Memories are apt to fail, and it is a human characteristic after such
length of time to view things as one would like to have them rather
than as they actually were.

Apr. 1927

FACTS ABOUT THE SECRET DOCTRINE, by G.R.S. Mead.

Stated that he interviewed Judge in London [in July 1894].
I would believe no word against him till he came over to London to
meet the very grave charges brought against him and I could question
him face to face. This I did in a two hours painful interview. His
private defence to me was, that his forging of the numerous
Mahatmic messages on letters written by himself, after H.P.B.s
decease, to devoted and prominent members of the Society, in the
familiar red and blue chalk scripts, with the occasional impression of
the M seal, which contained the flaw in the copy of it which Olcott
had made in Lahore, was permissible, in order to economise power
provided that the message had first been psychically received. He
also more than hinted that it was entirely in keeping with precedent,
and that this was his authority for what he had done.
Mead also claimed that the first edition of The Secret Doctrine was
full of palpable errors.
NOTE: See March/April 1964 entry for Meads health condition during
the summer of 1894.

Apr. 1927
continued

The Occult Review,

Vol. 45, No. 4,
Apr. 1927;
pp.251-252

The Rising Cycle. A rebuttal to Meads claims:

Theosophy,
Does Mr. Mead offer any evidence to support this private Vol. 15, July 1927;
interview? He does not. It is a barefaced attempt to soil a dead mans pp.386-394
memory and to ignore the ordinary rule of law that the onus of proof
lies on the accuser to cite Mr. Meads own words in 1891 . . .
What character can be safe, Mr. Mead then wrote, if any
unsupported slander is to be taken for proved fact. Are these words
any the less true to-day than they were in 1891? Are they any the less
true now that Mr. Mead is himself turned slanderer?
NOTE: For more details see chapters xxvi-xxxiv in The Theosophical
Movement 1875 - 1925.

256

May 25,
1927

The Judge Case

Frederick John Dick died of apoplexy at his home in Point Loma, CA.
(Born in Ireland in 1856) He was a Civil engineer by profession, a
member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, and for some years Head
of the Harbors and Lighthouse Board for Ireland, Inspector of
Harbors.

The Theo. Path,

Vol. 33, July 1927;
pp.94-99
T.S. Application for
Membership form

Mr Dick applied for fellowship in the Theosophical Society on

November 8th, 1888 and soon became a personal pupil of H.P. BCW, Vol. 11,
Blavatsky. While in Ireland, he was Secretary of the Dublin Lodge of pp.571-572
the T.S. and editor of The Irish Theosophist.
The Occult World
Prof. Dick was twice married. His first wife was Annie P. Dick, a fine of Mme. Blavatsky,
writer. She passed away in 1904. Prof. Dick then moved to Point p.330
Loma in 1905 where, ten years later, he married Miss Fanny Coryn,
sister of Dr. Herbert A.W. Coryn, another personal pupil of H.P.B.
While at The Theosophical Society (Point Loma), San Diego
California, Prof. Dick served as professor of mathematics and
astronomy at the School of Antiquity. Some of his published scientific
articles became accepted as standard works of reference in libraries in
Europe and America.
July 15,
1927

HERESY HUNTS. By Albert E.S. Smythe.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Mr. Smythe criticised the article The Rising Cycle which appeared Vol. 8, July 1927;
pp.99-102
in the magazine Theosophy. He stated:
The Magazine Theosophy ought to come into court with clean
hands when it accuses Mr. Mead of misrepresenting or suppressing
truth. Supressio veri and suggestio falsi are supposed to run together,
and when Theosophy set out to make a deific trinity of H.P.B.,
W.Q.J., and R.C. [Robert Crosbie], there was not a little suppression
required to attain the desired end. . . . Mr. Mead was a close friend of
Mr. Judge, as he said, and when Mr. Judge told Mr. Mead, as he told
other friends, that the Mahatma messages which he had delivered had
been written by him and not precipitated, he was merely giving in
confidence his personal and private defence. Mr. Mead did not violate
that confidence, and Theosophy styles him a scoundrel in
consequence. If Mr. Mead had broken faith with Mr. Judge what
would Theosophy have called him then?
Mr. Judges defence in public took another course. He invoked the
neutrality of the Theosophical Society as making it impossible for the
Society to render a decision on the existence or non-existence of the
Mahatmas, which was, Mr. Judge declared, the real issue. On that
issue Col. Olcott, the President, ruled Mr. Judge right, and the case
was never tried. Subsequently, the inquisition desired by Mrs. Besant
and her friends was proposed as a Court of Honour, and when Mr.
Mead states that Mr. Judge refused to answer any questions the refusal
was to submit to that Court.
NOTE: See April 1927 entry.

Chronology

Oct. 15,
1927

THE TINGLEY SUCCESSION. by Ronald A.V. Morris.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Disputed Julia Keightleys 1896 statement that as early as June, Vol. 8, Oct. 1927;
1894, Mr. Judge told me [Julia Keightley] of the standing of the pp.172-175
present Outer Head in the School, and spoke of her work at that time
and for the future. Mr. Morris stated that there had still been no
evidence produced to prove that Judge appointed Tingley as successor
and that the whole thing originated with E.T. Hargrove.
NOTE: See May 1898 entry for Julia Keightleys quote.
NOTE: For more on successorships see Ryans article COVINA
EXPLAINS, Sep. 15, 1946.

Nov. 27,
1927

Dr. Herbert A.W. Coryn died from complications of pneumonia in The Theos. Path,
hospital in San Diego, CA. (Born in England, 1863)
Vol. 34, Jan. 1928;
The son of a physician, he studied medicine and became a member of pp.89-93
the Royal College of Surgeons of London. He was associated with his
father in a medical practice for many years.
Lucifer,
He was one of the pioneer members of the Theosophical Society, Vol. 6, July 1890;
having joined it in the days of H.P. Blavatskys residence in London. pp.428-249
He was President of the Brixton Lodge when appointed by H.P.B.
(July 1890) to the Advisory Committee of the Theosophical Society
in Europe.
BCW, Vol. 9,
pp.410-411
Dr. Coryn later moved to the U.S.A and worked with W.Q. Judge at
144 Madison Avenue, New York. After the First convention of the
Theosophical Society In America (held in Boston in 1895), Dr. Coryn
published The Pageant of the Fifth Act. A Study of Mrs. Besant
(May 1895).
Shortly after Mrs Tingley moved the headquarters from New York to
Point Loma in 1900, Dr. Coryn applied for resident membership as a
student and worker. Prior to that he served as Physician-in-chief of the
International Brotherhood Leagues medical staff at the time that
Katherine Tingley organized a relief expedition to Cuba directly after
the Spanish-American war, going there on a U.S. Government
transport furnished by the Assistant Secretary of War, Hon. G.D.
Meiklejohn, with the endorsement of President McKinley.
Dr. Coryn was also editor of The New Way, a magazine founded by
Katherine Tingley in 1911 for free distribution to prisons and
hospitals.
Dr. Coryn, who remained unmarried, was the brother-in-law of
Professor Fred J. Dick who married Dr. Coryns sister, Frances.

257

258

The Judge Case

June 1929

A Defense of Those Who are Unjustly Attacked III

O.E. Library Critic,
Letter by Mr. C.H. Collings to the Editor.
Vol. 18, June 1929
I stood solidly by him [Judge] in the past, in the thick of the Judge
Row in the nineties, and I stand in precisely the same position today.
My belief in him, my regard, my loyalty, have no more changed or
deteriorated with the passage of years than they have for H.P.B. . . .
Let there be no mistake: a day of reckoning has yet to come, and the
heavy debt contracted against one of the Masters greatest chelas will
have to be discharged by those concerned, to the uttermost farthing.
NOTE: See July 15, 1929 entry.

July 11,
1929

Katherine Augusta Westcott Tingley died at Visings Sweden from

injuries in a motor accident on May 31st at Osnabrck, Germany. She
was born of Puritan parents at Newbury, Mass. in 1847. She had two
brothers. Raised on the banks of the Merrimac in New England J.F.
Fussell claimed that as a child then Katherine Augusta Westcott
she met H.P.B. outside in the gardens close to the house, and when
picked up by this Gypsy(Blavatsky) called her mother, her real
mother.

As a child she constantly talked about things which she said she could
see, but which her parents could not. The early period of her life is not
clearly known, but it included schooling in the Villa Maria Convent,
a French Roman Catholic school, in Montreal, Quebec.

Letter from
Neresheimer to
Basil Crump, dated
Feb.27, 1932;
2 pages
The Theos. Path,
Vol. 36, No. 9,
Sep. 1929; p.401
Mr. Crumps notes
on Neresheimers
Paper on Some
Reminiscences of
W. Q Judge, 5 pages

She had two unsuccessful marriages. Her first marriage, to Richard

Henry Cook, a printer, lasted only two months. About 1880 she San Diego Union,
married George W. Parent, an investigator. This union lasted about Mar. 14, 1976
seven years.
Theosophy, Vol. 12,
In 1887 she formed the Ladies Society of Mercy to visit hospitals May 1897; pp.46-47
and prisons.
Sunrise, Special
She demonstrated an interest in philosophy and her extraordinary Issue, Apr./May
psychical powers naturally led her to investigate Spiritualism. She 1998; pp.98-108
opposed seeking after physical manifestations and insisted that the
human soul should be made the object of study.
In 1888 she entered her third SS and this time successful SS marriage
to Philo Tingley, a steamship employee who also worked on
engineering inventions. He played no role in her career, and the two
lived separately for more than twenty years. They had no children.
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology
July 11, 1929
continued

While living in New York, Mr. Judge came to her after learning that
she was working among the poor. She opened a soup kitchen in 1893,
called the Do-Good mission, on the East Side of New York City.
Some time later Mr. Judge showed her a picture of herself which
Madame Blavatsky had drawn and given to him as of one whom he
should look for, and said that but two years before H.P. Blavatsky
passed on, on the top lefthand corner of one of her letters to him she
had written, Have you found your chela yet? Mrs. Tingley joined
the Theosophical Society on Oct. 13, 1894, and was accepted into the
Esoteric Section two weeks later.

259

Journal of San
Diego History,
Vol. 43, Winter 1997
O.E. Library Critic,
Vol. 19, Aug. 1929
Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.274

California Utopia,
Early in 1895, Mr. Judge went to Mineral Wells, Texas, trying to pp.12-22
regain his health. Katherine Tingley had rented a house for him, and
by taking care of him and acting as his amanuensis when he was too Echoes of the
ill to write himself . . .
Orient, Vol. 1, p.liii
In 1897 she had already founded the International Brotherhood The Theos. Path,
League, in order to provide a wider field for the educational and Vol. 36, No. 8,
humanitarian work in which she had been engaged for many years in Aug. 1929; p.381
New York City.
On February 13, 1900, Mrs. Tingley transferred the Societys
international headquarters from New York to Point Loma, California.
She was on her Theosophical Lecture-Tour scheduled to be in
Berlin on the 4th of June after her tour of the Netherlands when she
was in a severe automobile accident on May 31st at Osnabrch,
Germany.

260

July 15,
1929

The Judge Case

JUDGE AND BESANT.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Albert Smythe responded to Mr. C.H. Collings remarks and added Vol. 10, July 1929;
details on Olcotts reaction concerning the formation of T.S. in pp.156-157
America in 1895.
If Mr. Collings saw the Diary which Mr. Judge wrote and in which
he appointed Mrs. Tingley his successor and still continues to hold an
unchanged opinion, he differs from some others in this respect. Some
of us who have not seen the diary, but have been assured by some who
have, that it contains what Mrs. Tingley purported to find there, can
suspend their opinion on that phase of Mr. Judges later life when he
was in ill-health and bitterly opposed by all those attached to Adyar
who might have been expected to support him. . . .The splitting of the
Society was the act of Colonel Olcott who hated Judge. Judge had
expected that the Colonel would recognize the autonomous T.S. in
America and affiliate it with Adyar, but Olcott changed his mind and
refused to do this, and Judge who had apparently been advised to the
course taken in Boston in 1895 by Mrs Tingley, was much
disappointed with the Colonels refusal. I was in the office at 144
Madison Avenue when Judge received a letter from Olcott postmarked
and stamped from Spain, and Judge remarked Now everything will
be all right. But the letter was not what Judge expected and his
disappointment was very obvious. This phase of the situation has
never been explained, and I have never been able to learn whether
Judge counted with warrant on Olcotts support, or whether it was
really a right-about-face on Olcotts part, for Judge certainly expected
Olcott to support him.
NOTE: See June 5, 1895 for Olcotts Executive Notice from Spain and
May 8, 1895 for letter from Judge to Olcott.

Dec. 29,
1929

Walter Richard Old died of a cerebral hemorrhage. (Born March 20th,

1864) English author and professional astrologer, he wrote under the
name Walter Gorn Old and the pseudonym Sepharial. He was
dreamy and sensitive, a born psychic, and, like many such, swayed
by those around him.
On Thursday, May 19th, 1887, the Blavatsky Lodge was founded. Old
served as its Vice-President for the year 1889 and was re-elected on
Jan. 2nd, 1890 for another year. On Dec. 18th, 1889, at a meeting held
at 17 Lansdowne Road, Old was elected as the first General Secretary
of the newly formed British Section. He was a member of the Esoteric
Section. Along with Miss Laura Cooper and Claude Falls Wright, Old
was present when H.P.B. passed away. At the first Annual Convention
of the Theosophical Society in Europe on July 9th - 10th, 1891, Old was
appointed Assistant Secretary to G.R.S. Mead, Secretary. He was also
elected as Librarian of the Headquarters Library. Old gave lectures on
astrology and contributed to the Questions and Answers section of
The Vahan. He was a student of the Kabala and of medicine. He
wrote the preface to H.P.B.s Gems of the East a Birthday Book
of Precepts and Axioms.
[Continued in next cell]

Theos. History,
Vol. 8, No. 2, Apr.
2000; p.71
First Five Lives of
Annie Besant, p.333
Theos. Journal,
Vol. 3, Nov.-Dec.
1932; p.7
Lucifer, Vol. 4, Apr.
1889; p.169
Vol. 5, Jan. 1890;
pp.432-436
Vol. 7, Oct. 1890;
p.165
Vol. 8, Aug. 1891;
p.516
Vol. 14, Aug. 1894;
pp.463-464

Chronology
Dec. 29, 1929
continued

In November 1892, he travelled to India to work at the Headquarters

and contributed to the pages of The Theosophist. In August 1893
both Old and Edge were suspended from their membership in the
E.S.T. for violating their pledge of secrecy because of their article
THEOSOPHIC FREETHOUGHT which appeared in The Theosophist.
Old, upset with Annie Besants comments at the General Council
meeting held July 7th, 1894 and how that meeting turned out, decided
to send his statement of alleged facts to The Westminster Gazette
with the intent of exposing Mr. Judge as a fraud, which he thought
Mr. Judge was, according to the copied evidence he had. It was this
letter of alleged facts published in November 1894 that re-started the
whole Judge Case controversy.
Old became very unpopular within the theosophical movement after
the Westminster Gazette item. It was apparently reported in the
November 12th, 1894, Westminster Gazette that he had also resigned,
but this seems doubtful because of his letter which appeared in the
December issue of Lucifer. In his undated letter to the Editor, he
refers to a note of Nov. 15th which appeared in the previous issue in
the Watch-Tower. He goes on to state: I am still working for the
Society, and I retain the fullest confidence in its power to outlive all
trouble that are honestly faced.

261

The Vahan IS,

No. 12, May 15,
1891; pp.1-3
BCW, Vol. 12, p.427
Theosophy,
Vol. 10, Mar. 1922;
pp.172-175
Isis Very Much
Unveiled, 2nd ed.,
pp.85-88
H.P.B. As I knew
Her, p.17
The Theosophist,
Vol. 19, Feb. 1898;
pp.xviii-xx
Lucifer, Vol. 15,
Dec. 1894; p.338

He officially changed his name to Walter Gornold on April 19th, 1895.

On June 23rd, 1896, he married Marie Katherine Susanna Moore who Astral Tramp,
shared his interest in the occult.
pp.63, 65, 67, 120
In a letter to Mrs. Fielding, January 31st, 1939, Sydney H. Old Letter from Sydney
commented on his brother. It is a matter of keen regret that in 1894/5 Old, Jan. 31st, 1939
my brother (the astral tramp*) should, after all his experience with
H.P.B. have been partner to those articles in the Westminster Gazette
and the publication of that booklet by Edmund Garrett entitled Isis
Very Much Unveiled. He seemed after that to slump in T.S. work, got
married, and ended his career as a strong advocate of the Four Square
Gospel of Aim Semple Macpherson. On September 13th, 1929, three
months before he died, he announced at a meeting I have spent all my
life and travelled half way round the world in search of the truth.
Today I have found it. . . . in the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ which
I learned at my mothers knee.
Old was a prolific writer, with dozens of titles to his credit. In 1891 he
wrote What is Theosophy? A Hand-book for Inquirers Into the
Wisdom Religion, 128 pages; The Kabbala of Numbers; The
Manual of Occultism, 1910; The Book of Charms and Talisman,
1923; and The Basis of Scripture Prophesies, 1927. He published in
The Theosophist, the horoscopes of Mme. Blavatsky, Colonel Olcott,
and Annie Besant. He also contributed to other periodicals such as
The Sphinx, The Horoscope, the British Journal of Astrology and
The Occult Review. The Evening News of London would publish his
annual predictions for the coming year.
[Continued in next cell]

262

The Judge Case

Dec. 29, 1929

continued

* H.P.B. used to call him the astral tramp, on account of his habit of H.P.B. As I knew
roaming about in his astral body at night, as she put it.
Her, p.24

Mar. 12,
1930

Letter written from Point Loma by Joseph H. Fussell to J.W. Willey. Dear Mr. Willey:
2 pages
Referring to Mrs. Cleathers books he wrote:
Mrs. Cleather had made some egregious blunders in regard to
historical data, which were available to every student. He provides
examples then states:
But there was no foundation for her attack upon Katherine Tingley.
It was, as I see it, a case of attempted self-justification.
Also provided personal information:
In 1892 I had the great privilege of becoming the Private Secretary
of William Q. Judge . . . and afterwards held the same position under
Katherine Tingley.

July 10,
1930

Mrs. Laura Carter (Holloway) Langford died. (Born in 1848) She was an
American author and journalist. Mrs. Holloway was an associate
editor (1870-1884) of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. In 1884 she met
Mme. Blavatsky in Paris. At that time she had been considered and
recommended for chelaship by Mr. Judge as a suitable candidate to
become trained by the Masters as Their mediator. She was present
when Hermann Schmiechen, a young German artist then residing in
London, produced the portrait of K.H. that summer. Saw K.H.
psychically, who was present and guided the artist.

The Occult World

of Mme. Blavatsky,
p.331

T.N.C.A.B.
Item 1391, p.404

Mrs. Langford was formerly Mrs. Holloway, one of the Two Cdn. Theosophist,
Chelas who wrote Man Fragments of Forgotten History [1885*], Vol. 11, Sep. 1930;
the other being Mohini Chatterji. . . . She is the Mrs. Lakesby of A.P. p.208
Sinnetts novel Karma. She was a great friend of William Q. Judge
and in later years contributed to The Word, of which Harold C.
Percival was editor.
She resigned from the Theosophical Society after a few years, but Damodar,
retained the friendship of some of the old members. She was a pp.626-628
particularly good friend to Mrs. Mitchell, Colonel Olcotts sister. She
met Olcott himself on his last visit to New York in 1906 and had with
him an historically significant talk about Mr. Judge. . . .
She died of cerebral haemorrhage.
NOTE: See Sep. 23, 1906 entry for Holloway-Langfords chat with
Olcott.
NOTE: * Man Fragments of Forgotten History was reprinted by
Edmonton Theosophical Society in 1991 with three appendixes
including corrections by H.P. Blavatsky from The Letters of H.P.
Blavatsky to A.P. Sinnett and an index.

Chronology

Nov. 18,
1930

Archibald Keightley died of heart trouble in New York.

(Born in Westmorland, England on April 19, 1859) After taking his
B.A. degree at Cambridge, he became a licentiate of the Royal
College of Physicians, London (1886), then became a member of the
Royal College of Surgeons, and a Master of Arts and Doctor of
Medicine of Cambridge.

263

Theosophical
Quarterly,
Vol. 28, Jan. 1931;
pp.289-293

He experimented in Alchemy, and devoured all the books he could

find that dealt with Neo-Platonic and mystical subjects.
It was at Mr. Sinnetts home (1884) that Keightley first met Mr. Judge
who was on his way to meet H.P.B. in Paris before continuing his
journey to India. In 1887, when H.P.B. was staying at Ostende, Dr.
Keightley wrote jointly with a few others, urging her to make her
headquarters in London. This was the time when Archibald Keightley BCW,
and his uncle Bertram became busily engaged in preparing H.P.B.s Vol. 9, p.429
MSS. of The Secret Doctrine, as well as helping with the magazine
Lucifer.
In 1891 he married Julia Ver Planck [See Oct. 9, 1915].
After the Boston Convention of 1895, he was elected President of the
English organization on July 4-5, 1895. After W.Q. Judges death, Dr.
and Mrs. Keightley supported Katherine Tingley and her activities but
he resigned his post as President of the English T.S. on Nov. 17, 1897
providing only a vague reason for this action at the time.
Dr. Keightley was a loyal supporter of W.Q. Judge throughout all the
difficulties, and was completely dedicated to Theosophy until his
death.
Apr. 1931

Series by E.T. Hargrove [Letters From W.Q. Judge] began.

Theosophical
Provides detailed history of events surrounding the Judge Case, Quarterly,
including letters received by Hargrove from Judge.
Vol. 28, Apr. 1931
Vol. 29, July, Oct.
NOTE: See Appendix D for Letters From W.Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove 1931, Jan. 1932
Vol. 30, July, Oct.
1932, Jan. 1933
Vol. 31, July 1933
Vol. 32, Jan. 1935

264

Apr. 17,
1931

The Judge Case

Mrs. Ella M. Judge died. Ella Miller Smith was a Brooklyn school teacher
when she married W.Q. Judge in 1874. Mrs. Judge was described as
a very ordinary woman, and a strict Methodist. Their marriage was
very difficult, both on personal and religious grounds, and that only
increased when their daughter died at a very early age. She regarded
him as her lawful property, and so, inevitably, made herself a heavy
burden in Judges life. Yet in her way, she was devoted to him, and
during his illness, never spared herself in her efforts to alleviate his
suffering. When travelling, Judge took her with him as often as he
could. She cared nothing about Theosophy, although she later
came to see the value of the teachings and joined the United Lodge
of Theosophists in 1915.

Theosophical
Quarterly, Vol. 31,
July 1933;
pp.33-35

Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1, pp.xix-xx

NOTE: According to Report of Proceedings for the Third Annual Report of

Convention of the T.S. in America Mrs. E. M. Judge was a member Proceedings, 1897,
of the Aryan T.S. as early as April 1897 SS if not sooner.
p.8
Nov. 25,
1931

Letter to Neresheimer from Basil Crump requesting that he draw up a Two page letter from
clear statement of all the early facts from the beginning of Js Peking, China
[W.Q.J.]s association with K.A.T. [Tingley], and especially of
everything to do with the successorship.
Reply from Neresheimer (Feb. 4, 1932). Retyped with comments by 1 page letter from
B. Crump. Mr. Neresheimer detailed his meeting Katherine Tingley Santa Monica, CA.
for the first time at her home and the messages which she had received
from the Master on March 5th, 1895, which directed the members of
America to split.
NOTE: See March 5, 1895 entry.

Feb. 25,
1932

SOME REMINISCENCES OF W .Q. JUDGE . by E.A. Neresheimer.

I desire to say that both the one page circular, dated with a stamp,
March 29th , 1896, and the pamphlet dated April 3rd , 1896, were never
approved by me, and were sent out without my knowledge, and never
seen by me until after they were in general circulation among the
members of the Esoteric Section. [pp.9-10]

Neresheimer
Report,
Feb. 25, 1932;
14 pages

NOTE: See April 3rd, 1896 entry.

Mr. Crumps notes
Point by point commentary on Neresheimers report by Basil Crump. 5 pages

Chronology

265

Feb. 27,
1932

Letter by E.A. Neresheimer included with his report, REMINISCENCE OF

WILLIAM Q. JUDGE sent to Basil Crump. (Extracts retyped with
comments by Crump.)
Neresheimer wrote:
However, while I was preparing my Memoirs of Mr. Judge your
letter and notes of Nov. 25, 1931, arrived most opportunely and
caused me to make careful examination of the Diary in order to
compare it with the Circular of April 3rd, 1896. . . . Only one
paragraph out of the twenty quoted in the April 3rd Circular is
actually to be found in the Diary. All the rest are mere fiction. That
one and only one is on p.5 of the E.S. Circular, commencing with the
words Leaders and Workers. The wording of this para[graph] is
exactly the same as in the Diary. . . .

Mar. 1932

A TRIBUTE TO W.Q. JUDGE

Cdn. Theosophist,
Includes A Short Sketch of His Early Life and W.Q. JUDGE AND THE Vol. 13, Mar. 1932;
TINGLEY SUCCESSION.
pp.20-25

Mar. 1932
continued

Jinarajadasa Withholds the Judge-Olcott Letters.

O.E. Library Critic,
Protest against Mr. Jinarajadasas announcement in The Theosophist Vol. 21, Mar. 1932;
that he was discontinuing the publication of W.Q. Judges letters to pp.5-6
H.S. Olcott from 1879 to 1884. H.N. Stokes, Editor, wrote:
They [Judges letters] present Judge in his earlier, less matured
character as a theosophist, when he was often struggling with himself
Judge in process of development, one may say. Of the later Judge,
Judge as manifested in his Letters That Have Helped Me, or in the
Hargrove letters now being published in The Theosophical Quarterly,
they give no indication whatever.

Neresheimer to B.
Crump
2 page letter from
Santa Monica, CA

E.T. Hargrove believed these very early letters were published in an Theosophical
effort to show that Judge looked up to Olcott as a superior, while their Quarterly, Vol. 31,
publication ceased with the letter of July, 1884, because later letters July 1933; p.33
would increasingly have proved the opposite. . . .
Apr. 1932

Personal Reminiscences of William Q. Judge by Abbott B. Clark. Lucifer, (P.L.)

Of many prominent men I have known and interviewed W.Q. Judge Vol. 3, Apr. 1932;
was the calmest, most impersonal and far-sighted. Other men move p.80
around their own personal center like the earth on its axis, but he
swung in a larger orbit, like a planet around the sun; so calm and silent
was the motion that few ever stopped to look beneath the surface.

May 1932

MR. JUDGES ALLEGED DIARY.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Comments by Albert Smythe on Neresheimers Report. Smythe stated Vol. 13, May 1932;
that the alleged quotations or excerpts read at the E.S.T. meeting, pp.69-70
claimed to be from Judges Diary do not appear in it.
This is pretty conclusive that the whole theory of Leadership which
resulted so disastrously for the Theosophical Society in America was
cooked up by her [K. Tingley] who was most interested, and two
assistants [E.T. Hargrove and J.H. Fussell] both of whom are still
living, and can now make what explanations they please.
NOTE: See Dec. 18, 1932 for Fussells reply.

266
May 1932
continued

The Judge Case

IT WAS A BORROWED BODY. by Cyrus Field Willard.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Mr. Willard described the following event at the Boston convention Vol. 13, May 1932;
of 1891.
pp.65-67
[Judge] said; I am about to sound the Word with the triple
intonation, but before I do so, I have a statement to make which I do
not care to have you speak to me about later, nor do I wish you to
discuss among yourselves. I am not what I seem; I am a Hindu.
Then he sounded the Word with the triple intonation.
Before my eyes, I saw the mans face turn brown and a clean-shaven
Hindu face of a young man was there, and you know he wore a
beard.
NOTE: See April 26-27, 1891, entry for more details.
IN A BORROWED BODY
Excerpt from Letters That Have Helped Me, Vol. II; Letters from
W.Q. Judge to Jasper Niemand in which he gave accounts of his youth Cdn. Theosophist,
and of his near death.
Vol. 13, Apr. 1932;
One day an old wandering Brahmin came to me and asked if I was pp.54-56
ready to follow my vows of long lives before, and go to do some work
for my old master in a foreign land. Thinking it was a journey only, I
said I was.
Yes, said he, but it is not only a journey. It will cause you to be
here and there all days and years. Today here. tonight there.

May 1932
continued

MORE LIGHT ON THE JUDGE CASE.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Letter from Hugh R. Gillespie on Countess Wachtmeisters own Vol. 13, May 1932;
signed copy of a pamphlet which was picked out of a five-cent book pp.67-68
box in Sydney, Australia. He pointed out that the Countess had
contradictions in her comments pencilled in the margins.
In the Editors note, A.E. Smythe wrote:
It may be well to place on record the statement made by Claude Falls
Wright himself to me in 1894, that the Countess was utterly
unreliable, and that her statements could not be accepted without
corroboration.
Smythe also gave an anecdote about the Countess and concluded:
She was a psychic and like many such, got things reversed in her
consciousness.

May 1932
continued

TRIBUTE TO WM.Q. JUDGE. By C. F. Willard.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Told of being a Royal Arch Mason, as was Judge, and of many Vol. 13, May 1932;
conversations with him; and that [Judge] was one of the most pp.68-69
delightful conversationalists and companions that I have ever met.
He was so modest that the knowledge of his ability along occult lines
was known to few, except those to whom he wished to impart occult
information which he saw would be needed in after years.

Chronology

June 1932

267

Mr. Smythe in the Bog.

O.E. Library Critic,
Rebuttal by H.N. Stokes to A. Smythes article Mr. Judges Alleged Vol. 21, June 1932;
Diary in the Canadian Theosophist of May 1932. Stokes stated that pp.11-12
he cannot agree with Mr. Smythes assessment of Mr. Neresheimers
letter and suggested that Mr. Judge must have kept a second, more
occult Diary which supported the evidence presented.
NOTE: See May 1932 entry.

June 1932
continued

SIDE-LIGHTS ON T.S. HISTORY

Cdn. Theosophist,
Article by James Morgan Pryse (divided into individual topics). Pryse Vol. 13, June 1932;
stated that he didnt believe Judge was in a borrowed body; claimed pp.124-126
that he read parts of Judges diary but found It was too sentimental,
mushy and spiritualistic for me to wade through it.
Pryse also claimed that C.F. Wright was a skilful penman and
assisted Judge in writing messages imitative of the Masters
handwriting.

June 1932
continued

THE POINT LOMA VIEW

Cdn. Theosophist,
Letter to the Editor by J.H. Fussell. He claimed there were more than Vol. 13, June 1932;
one Judge diary and the diary from which the quotations in the April pp.126-127
3rd, 1896 circular were taken was not the same diary that Neresheimer
had in his possession.
NOTE: See Dec. 12, 1932, and January 18, 1966 entries.

July 1932

Dr. Fussell Replies.

O.E. Library Critic,
Analysis of Pryses and Fussells articles in the June 1932 issue of Vol. 21, July 1932;
pp.11-12
The Canadian Theosophist.

July 17,
1932

Editors comments on the Neresheimer Report and on the May

Canadian Theosophist article Mr. Judges Alleged Diary. Agreed
with Albert Smythe that Mr. Neresheimer should publish in full his
account of this affair. But what is more important is that he should
publish the photographic facsimile of the entire diary.
NOTE: See January 1933 entry for Editors response to receipt of a copy
of Mr. Fussells letter to Canadian Theosophist.

Theos. Movement
(Bombay), Vol. 2,
July 1932; p.69
Jan. 1933; p.22

NOTE: See The Theosophical Movement 1875-1925 pp.653-688 for

chapter on JUDGES DEATH AND THE TINGLEY SUCCESSORSHIP.
Criticism of the Theosophical Movements demand to have Judges
O.E. Library Critic,
diary published.
Vol. 22, Dec. 1932;
pp.10-11
NOTE: See Feb. 18, 1933 for Mr. Fussells reply.

268

Aug. 1932

The Judge Case

Mad for Thirty-Seven Years!

O.E. Library Critic,
Hargrove was criticized for rejecting an offer from members of the Vol. 22, Aug. 1932;
Adyar and Point Loma lodges to participate in a White Lotus Day pp.4-6
Memorial meeting held in Los Angeles.
Why is it that Mr. Hargrove, who was so intimately associated with
Judge and who prizes his memory so highly as to publish his intimate
letters, is unable to rise to the height of forgiveness manifested by
Judge at the time?
Report of the Executive Committee
Mr. Hargrove commented:
Theosophical
There was a very active correspondence among other societies Quarterly, Vol. 30,
calling themselves theosophical, in which we were invited to July 1932; pp.65-66
participate. Point Loma, instructed by a Mahatma to do so, invited us
and invited Adyar, and invited everybody else, to assemble on White
Lotus Day at Point Loma. And Adyar (in other words, Mrs. Besant),
by order of the Maha Chohan SS because a Mahatma would not do, as
Point Loma had used that already SS Mrs. Besant accepted the
invitation. This worried Point Loma, made it nervous SS it may have
thought Mrs. Besant would bring the Maha Chohan along! At any rate,
Mr. Leadbeater was to be brought along, so Mr. G. de Purucker, who
calls himself Theosophical Leader and Teacher had himself
interviewed, and explained that he did not want Leadbeater. That
made trouble, so the Maha Chohan changed his mind, and the
acceptance was withdrawn. We were invited, but we just sat still SS
quite still SS and watched the other people entertain themselves. So,
there was no trouble so far as we were concerned.

Sep. 1932

The Judge Occult Diary, Vindication of Tingley, Hargrove, Fussell. O.E. Library Critic,
It is claimed by the authorities at Point Loma that they actually have Vol. 22, Sep. 1932;
at least four Judge diaries. Very recently they have unearthed in their pp.4-5
archives a series of loose sheets in Judges handwriting, in which are
found every one of the quotations made by Mr. Hargrove in support
of Katherine Tingley.
. . . I have been furnished with photographs of five of these loose
sheets, the contents of which I give below, containing six of the
disputed quotations.

Chronology
Sep. 1932
continued

269

J. M. Pryse as Debunkist.
O.E. Library Critic,
Criticism of J.M. Pryses article in the Canadian Theosophist of June Vol. 22, Sep. 1932;
1932.
p.12
Mr. Pryse says that he painted a portrait of Mr. X., which Judge saw
and took for a picture of his Higher Self. Judge had a copy made
which he afterwards recopied and it was one of these pictures which
was exhibited at the famous E.S.T. meeting of March 29th, 1896 as the
Rajah or Luminous Youth, the alter ego of Judge. . . . Mr. Pryse is
one of the venerable antiques of the Theosophical Movement, but it
is not too late for him to write a volume of reminiscences
demonstrating that H.P.B. was a liar, Judge a forger and fool, and
indeed, that the Masters made the mistake of their lives in not
selecting him, Pryse, instead of H.P.B., as writer of The Secret
Doctrine.
NOTE: This refers to the article SIDE-LIGHTS ON T.S. HISTORY which
includes The Bogus Rajah Portrait in The Canadian Theosophist,
June 1932, pp.124-125.

Oct. 1932

A Letter from W.Q. Judge to Katherine Tingley

O.E. Library Critic,
Letter, originally in Judges handwriting, was published here. Stokes Vol. 22, Oct. 1932;
(the Editor) wrote: This letter not only shows Judges belief in the pp.4-5
supposed H.P.B. communications, but indicates an intimate friendship
with and confidence in Mrs. Tingley.
NOTE: See Appendix G for details and Judges Letter.

Nov. 1932

A Letter from W. Q. Judge to Dr. A. Keightley

O.E. Library Critic,
The O. E. Library Criric published the original January 3, 1895 Vol. 22, Nov. 1932;
document. It was written in Judges own handwriting and verified and pp.6-8
declared to be a copy of the original document, and to be accurate in
every respect in a statement signed by Joseph H. Fussell, Elsie V.
Savage, Margherita Siren, Helen Harris.
NOTE: See Jan. 4, 1895 for Judges letter to Dr. Archibald Keightley. See
also Appendix G for the January 3rd, 1895 document and March 29,
1896 entry.

270

Dec. 1932

The Judge Case

More About the Judge Diary.

O.E. Library Critic,
Following a comparison of the documents found in Judges Vol. 22, Dec. 1932;
handwriting, and the excerpts Hargrove quoted in the April 3rd, 1896 pp.6-9
circular to E.S. members, Editor Stokes wrote:
Several questions arise in connection with these documents:
1.) Does the particular sign used in these purported communications
from the discarnate H.P.B., and designated by Hargrove as Promise,
really refer to Mrs. Tingley as he supposed, or to some other person?
2.) How did Judge get these communications? . . .
3.) Did Judge accept these so-called communications from H.P.B. as
genuine, including their commendations of the personage called
Promise by Hargrove?
Stokes compared the quotations and stated:
We must conclude then, I think, that we have the indisputable
evidence in Judges own handwriting:
1.) That he received a series of communications which he accepted as
coming from H.P.B.
2.) That in these communications a person designated as X or 13'
was spoken of in high terms by H.P.B., and who is proved to be Mrs.
Tingley.
3.) That Judge copied these loose scratch pad sheets or memoranda
either into a diary or in some other form, making slight corrections. .
..
4.) That Judge wrote familiar letters to Mrs. Tingley, indicating the
high esteem in which he held her.

Dec. 12,
1932

MR. FUSSELL EXPLAINS

Reply by Mr. Fussell to charges made against him in the Canadian
Theosophist of May 1932 and the Neresheimer Report.
I then informed you that there were other diaries left by William Q.
Judge than the one which was in the possession of Mr. Neresheimer,
the latter having been placed in his hands in my presence by Katharine
Tingley as a mark of her trust and confidence in him, for his study and
perusal. . . .
However, knowing full well that the messages and quotations cited
by Mr. Hargrove in the E.S.T. circular of April 3rd, 1896, were
actually quoted from originals in William Q. Judges own
handwriting, and having myself seen them on more than one occasion,
I was perfectly confident that one would be found. . . . I hereby repeat
that at the present time I have in my possession the originals in Mr.
Judges handwriting of every one of the messages and quotations
referred to by Mr. Neresheimer in his Some Reminiscences of
William Q. Judge. . . .
NOTE: See June 1932 and January 18, 1966 entries.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 13, Jan. 1933;
pp.353-356
Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Vol. 4, Mar. 1933;
pp.204-208

Chronology

271

Dec. 18,
1932

William Q. Judges Occult Dairy

Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Joseph H. Fussell:
Vol. 4, Jan. 1933;
I issue this present declaration; namely, that William Q. Judges pp.130-131
originals, in his own handwriting, of all of those alleged messages
and quotations just above referred to, are in the Archives of the
Theosophical Society and are at present in the custody of the
undersigned. . . .
. . . I have decided not to resort to legal measures against any who
have hitherto published the above-mentioned wrong and libelous
statement against Katherine Tingley, Mr. Hargrove and myself,
namely, of having concocted the alleged messages and
quotations.
NOTE: See May 1932 for MR. JUDGES ALLEGED DAIRY by A.E.S.
Smythe.

1933

In Defense of Robert Crosbie.

Editor, Stokes, claimed that comparing statements made by and about
Mr. Crosbie in the pamphlet The United Lodge of Theosophists; Its
Mission and Its Future, would lead one to infer that during the days
of struggle between the followers of Mrs. Katherine Tingley and her
opponents in the Theosophical Society of America and later Mr.
Crosbie adhered to the Tingley majority of over 90%, not because he
approved of Mrs. Tingley or her policies, but because he had to stay
put somewhere and preferred being put with the big majority of whom
he disapproved, rather than with the sensible and honorable few. . . .
Fortunately Mr. Crosbie has left indisputable evidence that far from
siding with the Tingley majority from motives of policy . . . he did so
because he was fully convinced that he was on the right side the
side of Mrs. Tingley.

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 22, Mar. 1933;
pp.7-10
May 1933; p.9
Nov./Dec. 1934;
pp.8-10

NOTE: See April 1, 1901 and Feb. 2. 1898 entries.

Jan. 1933

Canadian Theosophist withdrew its endorsement of Neresheimers Cdn. Theosophist,

Vol. 13, Jan. 1933;
charges against Fussell, Hargrove, and Tingley.
We have not heard from Mr. Neresheimer but accept Mr. Fussells pp.352-356
account of his visit and promised recantation which, of course,
deprives us of the basis on which our article was founded. We
appreciate Mr. Fussells generosity in not resorting to legal action, and
trust that the publication of his letter will be accepted as an amende
honorable.
Also included was Fussells Dec. 12, 1932 reply to the charges.
NOTE: See Dec. 12, 1932 entry.
O.E. Library Critic,
Canadian Theosophist Withdraws Charges.
It is not always easy to admit that one has made a mistake, and the Vol. 22, Dec. 1932;
action of The Canadian Theosophist is most encouraging and p.13
refreshing. It is but human to make mistakes and to draw hasty
conclusions, but one of the tests of a true theosophist is whether he
will withdraw accusations or insinuations against others, whether dead
or alive, when the facts prove him to have been wrong.

272
Jan. 1933,
continued

The Judge Case

The Theosophical Movement, Bombay refused to retract.

We have received from Mr. Fussell, Secretary General of the Point
Loma Theosophical Society, a copy of a long letter addressed to the
Editor of the Canadian Theosophist. We are requested to publish it,
because of our remarks in the July issue about Mr. Judges alleged
diary and Mr. Neresheimers statement about it. Mr. Fussell says that
other diaries exist, besides the one to which Mr. Neresheimer referred.
We repeat what we said then let photographic reprints of the
numerous diaries be produced so that the Theosophical world may
judge for itself. Was it not Mr. Judge who said He laughs best
who does it last, and time is a devil for grinding things.

Theos. Movement
(Bombay),
Vol. 3, Jan. 1933;
p.22

NOTE: See July 17, 1932.

Feb. 18,
1933

The U.L.T. Speaks

Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Joseph H. Fussell, replying to a call to reprint Judges Diaries:
Vol. 4, Mar. 1933;
The call to produce photographic reprints of the numerous diaries of pp.208-210
Mr. Judge, whether official, semi-official, or private, is unreasonable
and to do so is unnecessary, besides being very expensive.
NOTE: See July 17, 1932.

Apr. 29,
1933

Anagarika Hevavitarane Dharmapala died at Sarnath, near Benares. (Born

Don David Hewavitarne in Ceylon in 1864 to a distinguished family).
As a 14 year old boy, Don David came into contact with Madame
Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott in June 1880 when they came to lecture
in Ceylon. He stated that three years later he wrote to Madame
Blavatsky, in November 1883, that he wished to become a Chela.
Madame Blavatsky came and told me that the letter I had sent her
had been submitted to the Masters, and that I had been accepted, so I
was initiated [by Colonel Olcott in January 1884] when I was about
19 years of age.
H.P.B. practically forced my father to allow me to accompany him
to Adyar in 1884. Later in H.P.B.s own room she told me: Now
that you have come you had better not go after phenomena, but you
had better work for humanity, and study Pali, the sacred literature.
Until the day of her departure [from India in March 1885] H.P.B.
took care of me. He wrote in 1925, I have remained loyal to the
Masters and H.P.B. since then. I am now one of the oldest T.S.
members alive.

Buddhism in
England, July/Aug.
1933; p.55
Anagarika
Dharmapala and
The T.S., p.1
The Theosophist,
Vol. 54, July 1933;
p.487

Blavatsky Assn.
No. 2, Nov. 13,
1925; pp.13-14
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol.10, Nov. 1929,
pp.267-269

In 1886 he joined Col. Olcott in his campaign to found Buddhist

schools, and travelled with him under the name of the Anagarika
Dharmapala, the homeless Protector of the Dhamma.
In 1888 the Theosophical Society started The Buddhist, a new The Elder Brother,
journal at Colombo. C.W. Leadbeater was the Editor and Mr. p.51
Dharmapala was the Manager.
[Continued in next cell.]

Chronology
Apr. 29, 1933
continued

273

In 1891 he visited Buddha Gaya [Mission], and thereupon resolved

to regain it into Buddhist hands. On May 31st, 1891 the Budh-Gaya
Maha-Bodhi Society was established, in Colombo, with Dharmapala
as General Secretary. He was also the Editor of the Maha-Bodhi
Journal.

Buddhism in
England,
Sep./Oct. 1933; p.83
July/Aug. 1933; p.55

The Charter of the Ceylon Section (1880) had been suspended by Col.
Olcott on March 3rd, 1891 until he returned from Australia when I
shall endeavor to group the Branches in a way more practicable,
because of the purely Buddhistic nature of the work in this Island.
With the restoration of the charter of the Ceylon Section in 1891, Mr.
H. Dharmapala was reinstated as Assistant General Secretary.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 12, Apr. 1891;
Supp. p.xliii
Lucifer, Vol. 8,
Aug. 1891; p.511

In 1892 the Buddhist Text Society of India was instituted in Calcutta. Lucifer, Vol. 10,
Mr. Dharmapala was appointed Assistant Secretary.
May 1892; p.252
In 1893 he was elected as delegate from Ceylon to the Worlds Fair
Parliament of Religions where he gave a talk on Buddhism. Leoline Theos. Forum (P.L.)
L. Wright commented on Mr. Dharmapala that: No one who saw him Vol. 13, Dec. 1938;
then could ever forget the noble and Christlike beauty of the noted p.404
Singhalese Buddhist and friend of H.P.B., Dharmapala. Tall and
almost luminously ascetic, robed classically in spotless white, he was
a lodestone to the throngs who swarmed into those meetings. Merely
to look at him was a revelation of character and spiritual attainment.
He was elected a member of the Blavatsky Association at a Council
Meeting on March 24th, 1924. He stated that: I am a member of the
Blavatsky Association and wish to see through it the spread of such
teachings as were given by H.P.B. as she received them from the
Masters.

Blavatsky Assn.
No.1, Nov. 13, 1924;
pp.52-55

Buddhism in
England, Sep./Oct.
In 1925 he first came to England, and later founded in London a 1933; pp.79-80
branch of the Maha-Bodhi Society . . . to propagate the Dhamma in July/Aug. 1933; p.55
the west.

NOTE: See Aug. 3,1922 entry for Mr. A.H. Dharmapalas reasons for his
disillusion with Adyar.
May 1933

In Defense of Robert Crosbie SS II

O.E. Library Critic,
Referring to an address by Mr. Crosbie, published in a Point Loma Vol. 22, May 1933;
pamphlet In Honor of William Q. Judge, the Editor of the Critic p.9
commented:
These remarks of Mr. Crosbie are not cited as evidence that Mr.
Judge actually appointed Mrs. Tingley as his successor, but simply to
show that Mr. Crosbie so believed, and that he was at the time one of
her devoted adherents.
NOTE: See April 1, 1901 entry.

274

The Judge Case

July 1933

CORRESPONDENCE
Theosophical
To the Editors of the Theosophical Quarterly:
Quarterly, Vol. 31,
Editor, E. T. Hargrove stated:
July 1933; pp.88-89
Mrs. Tingley was Judges successor so far as his non-public position
was concerned. She was intended to serve as a stop-gap.
Mrs. Tingley failed, and then intrenched herself in her failure. . . .
Consequently she was deposed by the order of those whom, from the
beginning, Judge recognized as his Superiors and as the true Founders
of the Theosophical Society.
As Mrs. Tingley refused to accept her deposition and was able to
persuade many that it was invalid . . . . the task of carrying on the
Work of Judge and of H.P.B. and their Masters, fell to those who have
been identified with The Theosophical Society and with the
THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY from that time to this.
Cdn. Theosophist,
THE JUDGE DIARY LEAVES
Vol. 14, Sep. 1933;
Excerpts from and comments on Hargroves letter to the pp.212-214
Theosophical Quarterly.
O.E. Library Critic,
The Judge Diary Question Mr. Hargrove Speaks
Vol. 22, Mar. 1933;
pp.6-7

Sep. 20,
1933

Annie Besant died. She was cremated the next day on a pyre lit by C.W.
Leadbeater. (Annie Wood was born in London on Oct. 1, 1847 of an
English father and an Irish mother.) Early in 1866 Annie first met the
Rev. Frank Besant and married him on Dec. 28, 1867 but life as a
clergyman-schoolmasters wife was in contrast to her strong willed
disposition. After her mother died in May 1874 she felt free to follow
her conscience wherever it might lead her.

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 22, Mar. 1933

Mrs. Annie Besant

A Modern Prophet
by Theodore
Besterman (1934)

Rejecting Christianity, Mrs. Besant joined the National Secular

Society in 1874 and became an associate of Charles Bradlaugh, an The Theosophist,
atheist freethinker. Bradlaugh called Besant the greatest speaker of Vol. 12, Sep. 1891;
her sex in either Europe or America.
Supp. p.cv
In the 1880s she developed an interest in socialism and worked with
George Bernard Shaw in the Fabian Society. Then in March 1889 she
met Madame Blavatsky and joined The Theosophical Society on May
10th, 1889. After H.P.B.s death, Mrs. Besant became joint outer head
of H.P.B.s Esoteric School along with W.Q. Judge. In 1893 she went
to India where in later years, she campaigned for Indian nationalism
and founded the Indian Home Rule League in 1916. Mrs. Besant
became President of the T.S. after H.S. Olcotts death in 1907, until
her death. She was one of the greatest orators of her day and is
remembered in India as a social reformer.

The Occult World

Of Madame
Blavatsky, p.329
First Five Lives of
Annie Besant by
Nethercot
Last Four Lives of
Annie Besant by
Nethercot

NOTE: For more on Mrs. Besant see a CHARACTER SKETCH written by

a close friend and co-worker, W.T. Stead, Editor of the Review of Borderland, Vol. 1,
Reviews, Oct 1891, pp.349-367.
Oct. 1893; p.175
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology

275

Sep. 20, 1933

continued

NOTE: MRS. BESANT AND INDIAN CIVILISATION. Wm. Emmette Coleman Light, Vol. 14, Apr.
provided a summary of Mrs Besants involvement in India during her 14, 1894; pp.176-177
first visit there. He wrote:
The recent course of Mrs. Annie Besant in India is no trifling matter;
it has its serious side as well as its grotesque. It is probable that the
people in England do not realise the possible great harm that may be
the outcome of Mrs. Besants intemperate zeal in [sic] behalf of
barbarism, idolatry, and nescience. He described how she captivated
the crowds with her enchanting skills as an orator and how she was
enthralled with the Indian people.

Sep. 20,
1933

Death of Mrs. Annie Besant

O.E. Library Critic,
Vol. 22, Mar. 1933;
Editorial note by the O.E. Critics Editor on Mrs Besants death.
With all due recognition of her many achievements, The Critic does p.10
not feel called on to present an obituary and stands by what it has said
during the past sixteen years, that she turned the Theosophical
Movement topsy-turvy.
He referred to The Passionate Pilgrim by Gertrude Marvin
Williams as the only reliable and impartial biography of Mrs.
Besant.

Sep. 29,
1933

George Robert Stowe Mead died after returning from a holiday in bad BCW, Vol. 13,
health. (Born March 22, 1863 at Nuneaton.) He graduated from pp.393-397
Cambridge with his B.A.,1884 and later obtained his M.A. in 1926.
He also joined the Theosophical Society in 1884. Mead was one of the
best and few true scholars to have joined and worked extensively for
the T.S. As a student of the classics, Mead had gained a knowledge of
Greek and Latin and later studied philosophy at Oxford. He wrote
many books on Christianity, the Gnostics and Hermetic Philosophy,
which provide an invaluable aid for students to do research.
He first met H.P.B. in 1887 and became her private secretary during
the last few years of her life. After Blavatsky died Mead, along with
Annie Besant, took over as Editors of Lucifer, then its successor (The
Theosophical Review) which was edited solely by Mead. He was
Editor of The Vahan and General Secretary of the European Section.
During this period Mr. Mead also served as vice-president and later
as president of Blavatsky Lodge, London.
In 1899 he married Laura Mary Cooper (Mrs. Cooper-Oakleys sister).
She died in 1924. In February 1909, he bid farewell to his readers of
The Theosophical Review stating that he had lost confidence in Mrs.
Besants leadership because of her restoring C.W. Leadbeaters
membership into the T.S. In October that year he started The Quest
and remained Editor until it ceased publication in 1930.
NOTE: The Canadian Theosophist published two short biographies Cdn. Theosophist,
under title In Memory of George R. S. Mead. The first is by James Vol. 14, Nov. 1933;
Morgan Pryse, and the other by Editor, Albert Smythe, which includes pp.265-268
a list of Meads published works.

276

Oct. 1933

The Judge Case

Ex Cathedra Hargrove
Theosophy,
Rebuttal to Hargroves letter to the Editors of the Theosophical Vol. 21, Oct. 1933;
pp.569-573
Quarterly.
In connection with the Tingley Succession, Mr. Hargrove says that
those who discuss such papers publicly are outside the pale human
intercourse. He ought to know, for it was he who made the first move
in that direction with his own pamphlet entitled E.S.T., on March 1,
1898, and his immediate associates were responsible for the suit
which lugged the E.S.T. into the Courts of New York State.
Analysed Hargroves letter which appeared in the July 1933
Theosophical Quarterly and showed the inconsistencies with his
April 3rd, 1896 circular.
NOTE: See July 1933 for Hargrove article and also March 1, 1898.
Also in an item titled: More Work for Joseph H. Fussell, Doc.
Theos.
Theosophy [magazine] . . . ventures to suggest to Mr. Hargrove that
the Quarterly publish the text of the original Minutes of the two nightlong sessions held at Mrs. Tingleys home after Judges death
Minutes showing exactly how the Tingley Succession was arrived
at by those there present Madam Tingley, Mr. Hargrove, Mr.
Fussell, and Mr. Neresheimer among them.
Also included item titled:
Mr. Neresheimers Reminiscences praising Neresheimer in that he
had courageously admitted the . . . blunder . . . in the course taken
after Judges death. . . .
NOTE: See Feb. 25, 1932 for SOME REMINISCENCES OF W.Q. JUDGE.

Oct. 10,
1933

Unpublished letter and article titled The Judge Scripts by Margaret 6 pages, including
Thomas, sent to the Editor of the Canadian Theosophist, A.E.S. cover letter
Smythe.
1) showed the discrepancies in Hargroves claims of 1898 and 1933,
2) claimed that Judge did not appoint a successor,
3) claimed Judge had only one occult diary but that there were
other papers by him.

Feb. 1934

Dr. Besant and Mr. Judge (An Important Statement By Mr. Jinarajadasa)
Republished in The American Theosophist from Theosophical
News and Notes of the English Section, January-Febuary,1934, p.3.
I was in England during all the period of the Societys difficulty with
Mr. Judge; long after, I was vice president of the Society for seven
years (1921-28) and in charge of all the documents which form the
material for the case against Mr. Judge. Some of that material has not
yet been published. I, for one, do not in any way desire to open up this
matter, because even though Mr. Judge did break up the Society (I
know that after the secession he claimed he was the original Society,
and H.P.B. and Colonel Olcott merely a kind of colony sent from New
York) he did a magnificent piece of work for Theosophy in the
U.S.A., and, as I have already said, I recognize the value of the
theosophical propaganda done by the various organizations who look
to him as the only successor of H.P.B.

The American
Theosophist,
Vol. 22, Feb. 1934;
p.41

Chronology
Feb. 1934
continued

C.J. Wonders Why.

O.E. Library Critic,
Mr. Jinarajadasa caps the absurdity of his position with the following Vol. 23, July 1935
concluding lines (p.263):
I think all the letters from the Masters have now been published, in
Mr. Trevor Barkers large book, and in the two smaller ones of mine.
In these letters, dozens of theosophical workers, pupils and non-pupils
of the Masters, are mentioned by name or by initials. The name of
W.Q. Judge is strangely enough never mentioned. I wonder why.
This is clearly enough an intimation to Judge followers and others
that the Masters either had never heard of him or considered him not
worth mentioning.
NOTE: Mr. Jinarajadasa through a series of incidents has managed to
greatly damage his own credibility and in so doing has basically
eliminated himself from being taken seriously.

Mar. 17,
1934

W.Q. JUDGE IN INDIA

Theos. Movement
Editorial commemorating the fact that Judge had visited India 50 (Bombay), Vol. 4,
years before and giving a short summary of his schedule of events No. 5, pp.65-66
during his tour.

Nov.15,
1934

OFFICIAL NOTES
Cdn. Theosophist,
Mr. Cyrus Field Willard requests me to publish his statement that Vol. 15, Nov. 1934;
Mr. Judge never appointed Mrs. Tingley as his successor, but that she p.272
was hired by Mr. Neresheimer as his nurse in his last illness, and that
when Mr. Judge died she was elected by the Executive Committee of
the T.S. in America, consisting of Messrs. Neresheimer, Spencer,
Griscom, Hargrove and Robert Crosbie, as the new head. Mr.
Neresheimer told me this himself in my house in the presence of my
wife, Mr. Willard writes.
NOTE: See Neresheimers response, Nov. 23, 1934 entry.

Nov. 23,
1934

277

Letter from E.A. Neresheimer to Mr. Smythe Edtitor.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Mr. Neresheimer, responding to Mr. Cyrus Willards statement Vol. 15, Dec. 1934;
published Nov. 15, 1934, wrote:
p.311
It is true that Mr. Judge did not appoint Mrs. Tingley as his
successor, but those who did elect her as the new head were Messrs.
Griscom, Hargrove, James Pryse, Fussell, Patterson and Neresheimer.
The statement that Mrs. Tingley was hired by me in Mr. Judges
last illness must have been made by Mr. Willard due to a
misunderstanding on his part and that of Mrs. Willard, since I did not
at any time hire Mrs. Tingley to nurse Mr. Judge, and during Mr.
Judges last illness Mrs. Tingley did not, as far as I am aware, even
visit Mr. Judge.

278

The Judge Case

Nov. / Dec.
1934

American Section, T.S. (Adyar) Dons Cast-Off Coat of Point Loma O.E. Library Critic,
Society
Vol. 23, Nov./Dec.
Controversy over the claim to the title THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN 1934; pp.5-6
AMERICA
For . . . the Convention to adopt the title The Theosophical Society
in America, the cast-off coat of two other still existing theosophical
societies, under pretense that it has been legally granted to it borders
on the ridiculous.

Nov. / Dec.
1934
continued

William Q. Judge and Katherine Tingley I

Dr. Stokes, Editor of the O. E. Critic, dealt with the details of
Neresheimers letter of March 31, 1896. Dr. Stokes stated: Not a
little discussion has been aroused by the circulation in 1932 by Mr.
E.A. Neresheimer of a document directly charging Katherine Tingley,
J.H. Fussell and E.T. Hargrove with having concocted certain
statements quoted by Mr. Hargrove in an E.S.T. circular dated April
3d, 1896, as being found in documents left by W.Q. Judge and which
Mr. Hargrove regarded as referring to Mrs. Tingley, and which were
advanced by him as supporting her as Judges successor. The charge
of concoction, as directed against three prominent theosophists, two
of whom are still living, is a serious one, and it has been the aim of the
CRITIC to get to the facts. . . .

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 23, Nov./Dec.
1934; pp.6-8
O.E. Library Critic,
Vol. 23, Jan./Feb.
1935; pp.6-7

NOTE: See March 31, 1896 and Appendix G, No. 8, for Neresheimers
letter to A.L. Cleather and for Dr. Stokes details on the relation of
W.Q. Judge to Katherine Tingley.
1934-1935

William Q. Judge and Katherine Tingley I

O.E. Library Critic,
Includes items sub-titled: Missing Judge Documents Discovered, Vol. 23, Nov./Dec.
What Judge Wrote and Judge Meant Tingley.
1934; pp.6-8;
I was furnished with photographs of most of these forgotten and now
rediscovered documents. These I compared, with the assistance of old
friends of Judge, with unquestionably genuine and personal letters of
Judge in their possession and in the presence of a person expert in
examining handwriting, and the unanimous conclusion was that the
documents were actually written by Judge.
The Critic analysed who or what was meant by the Xs marked on the
letters written by Judge.
Jan./Feb. 1935;
I therefore secured from the two Point Loma officials, Dr. J.H. pp.6-8
Fussell, who was private Secretary to Mrs. Tingley, and from Miss
Elsie V. Savage, another secretary to Mrs. Tingley, certificates to the
effect that this sign X was constantly used by Judge and others in
addressing or in referring to Mrs. Tingley, as shown by numerous
letters in the Point Loma archives. These certificates will be found in
the CRITIC of December, 1932.

1934-1935
continued

William Q. Judge and Katherine Tingley II

O.E. Library Critic,
The Editor of the Critic analysed three letters from Mrs. Tingleys Vol. 23, Nov./Dec.
1934; pp.6-8
files to identify who was X.

Chronology

May 30,
1935

279

Daniel Nicol Dunlop, O.B.E. died. (Born in Dec. 1868 in Ayrshire, Cdn. Theosophist,
Scotland and raised as a Quaker.) He entered into the engineering Vol. 16, July 1935;
world as an apprentice with the Howe Machine Company of pp.141-143, 149
Ardrossan. At the age of twenty-six Mr. Dunlop became associated
with the Westinghouse Company in Pittsburgh and also worked in
their New York offices. He returned to England after three or four
years. In 1911 he organized the British Electrical and Allied
Manufacturers Association (BEAMA), edited their journal, and was
active in development and research work in electrical industries. In
1923-1924 he was founder and chairman of the World Power
Conference, and up until the time of his death was chairman of the
executive council.
Mr. Dunlop became a member of the Theosophical Society in Dublin,
Ireland which had been founded by Charles Johnston in 1886. He
associated with George W. Russell, W.B. Yeats, Charles Johnston,
Claude Falls Wright and others of the Society who gave the impetus
to the Irish Literary Renaissance. He, as Editor, contributed to The
Irish Theosophist as did his wife Eleanor (Fitzpatrick) Dunlop, who
sometimes wrote under her pen-name, Freida Dunlop.
While in America he was associated with Mrs. Tingley, as her
secretary for some time after her return from the World Crusade, and
his intimacy with her methods and practices caused him to change his
opinion of her at the time when he was at Point Loma in 1899. He,
along with Mr. Smythe, were expelled from the Universal
Brotherhood, Point Loma, in 1899. He started and edited a
Theosophical publication called The Path with Charles Lazenby, July
1910. He also helped to publish The Open Door as a supplement to
The Path at the Blavatsky Institute, in Hale, Cheshire. Dunlop was
the author of The Science of Immortality, The Path of Attainment,
and British Destiny.
He was also on the Executive Council of the T.S. in England and
Wales, finally resigning in 1922 due to disenchantment with the
uncharitable attitude of officials towards members who disagreed with
their policies. Mr. Dunlop stated, the field of service of free and
independent members is restricted in every direction by the attitude of
those who use their freedom to circumscribe every influence but the
one. After withdrawing from the English Society due to the drift
toward Leadbeaterism, he allied himself with the Anthroposophical
movement of Rudolf Steiner.

Echoes of The
Orient, Vol. 2, p.1
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 3, June 1922;
pp.57-58

280

July 17,
1935

The Judge Case

George Russell () died at Bournemouth. (Born at Lurgan Co. Armagh, BCW, Vol. 12,
Ireland on April 10,1867, the youngest of three children.) Irish poet, pp.771-778
painter, economist and journalist and close friend of W.Q. Judge.
The family moved to Dublin when he was ten years old. Being a
student at the Metropolitan School of Art, before he turned thirteen,
he met W.B. Yeats through whom he became acquainted with
Theosophy.
In 1897 he joined the Irish Agricultural Organization Society and
became editor of their publication Irish Homestead (1906-1923) and
later of Irish Statesman (1923-1930) with which it amalgamated. His
interest in economics was evident in his writings. He gained a
reputation in Great Britain and America in this field.
In 1898 he married a fellow theosophist, Violet North, and they had
two sons.
George Russell was a convinced Theosophist who sustained the Irish
branch of the movement. He was one of the most prolific contributors,
in prose and verse, to The Irish Theosophist, a magazine edited by
D.N. Dunlop and founded by the Dublin Lodge of The Theosophical
Society.
Of Judges passing he said: No one ever tried less than he to gain
from men that adherence which comes from impressive manner. I
hardly thought what he was while he spoke; but on departing I found
my heart, wiser than my brain, had given itself away to him; an inner
exaltation lasting for months witnessed his power.
In a letter to Captain P.G. Bowen, dated October 17th, 1922, Russell The Aryan Path,
expressed appreciation for that great and wise man, William Q. Vol. 6, p.722
Judge whose very memory seems to have been forgotten by present
day Theosophists. I think he was a true adept in that sacred lore and
I have never found in those who came after H.P.B. and Judge the same
knowledge, wisdom and inner light.
P.G. Bowen stated: After the death of Judge, found himself less The Aryan Path,
happy in his membership of the T.S., until, upon its merging into the Vol. 6, p.725
Universal Brotherhood under Katherine Tingley, he felt compelled to
resign. He was convinced, he declared, and events have amply
justified the conviction, that with the passing of W.Q.J. the cycle
ended, and the flood of spiritual Light which had filled the world
since 1875 faded into deeper and deeper twilight.
NOTE: Another biography on not included in the above is That
Myriad-Minded Man: A Biography of George William Russell
, 1867-1935 by Henry Summerfield, 1975.
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology
July 17,
1935
continued

281

From 1898 down to 1933 when he [] left Ireland [After his wife Cdn. Theosophist,
died in 1932 he lived mostly in London], kept alive in Ireland a Vol. 16, Aug. 1935;
nucleus of genuine students under the name of the Hermetic Society. p.163
. . . The Hermetic Society was founded by Charles Johnston in 1886,
and is therefore the oldest Theosophical body in Ireland. joined it
on resigning from the Point Loma Universal Brotherhood in 1898, and
led it from that time until he finally handed over his charge to myself
[P.G. Bowen] in 1933.
NOTE: The Canadian Theosophist dedicated most of this issue, Vol. 16,
August 1935, pp.161-200, to George William Russell SS .

July 1935

Historical Fact and Historical Fiction

O.E. Library Critic,
Comments on the controversy surrounding The Golden Book of the Vol. 23, July 1935;
pp.2-4
Theosophical Society and why it was written.
NOTE: See 1925 entry.
The Editor of the Critic included a quotation from Theosophy (Feb.,
1935) pages 151-152:
Mr. Jinarajadasa inserts in his history that H.P.B. had verbally
made Mrs. Besant Outer Head of the E.S.T. What is the evidence?
It could only rest on Mrs. Besants say so to which the whole
document of May 27, 1891, signed by her, gives the lie . . . This
story was fabricated by Mrs. Besant at the close of the year 1894 .
. . . .
To which he added:
Mrs. Besant has stated in various places that H.P.B. named her as her
successor. So she did.
NOTE: See March 27, 1891 entry for H.P.B.s note to Judge. Also see
Fohat Vol.IV, No.4, Winter 2000, p.79.

Aug./Sep.
1935

A Gross and Palpable Fraud.

O.E. Library Critic,
The Editor, H.N. Stokes, examined the controversy surrounding the Vol. 23, Aug./Sep.
successorship to H.P.B.
1935; pp.5-7
AN OPEN LETTER TO DR. H.N. STOKES
Fussells rebuttal to Stokes claim that Judge did not furnish certain Theos. Forum (P.L.)
evidence at an E.S.T. meeting held after H.P.B.s death SS a letter by Vol. 7, Nov. 1935;
H.P.B. in which Besant is said to be her successor in Europe. Fussell pp.65-68
claimed that Judge did not withhold H.P.B.s letter of March 27, 1891
but that Judge did withhold, or rather did not mention, the letters . .
. in which H.P.B. wrote to him direct that he, W.Q.J., was to succeed
her. . . . In another letter: Take my place in America now, and, after
I am gone, at Adyar.
NOTE: See May 27, 1891.
H. N. STOKES AND JOSEPH H. FUSSELL
Fussell received a letter from Stokes in which he said he would Theos. Forum (P.L.)
publish a full retraction of the erroneous statement. . . that Vol. 7, Dec. 1935;
William Q. Judge suppressed a certain letter from H.P. Blavatsky in pp.106-107
regards to the status of William Q. Judge and of Annie Besant after
H.P. Blavatskys passing.

282

The Judge Case

Aug./Sep.
1935
continued

A Correction
O.E. Library Critic,
In the CRITIC, July, page 4, and August-September, page 5, it is Vol. 23, Dec. 1935stated that a letter of H.P.B. to Judge, dated March 27, 1891, naming Jan. 1936; p.2
Annie Besant as her successor, was withheld by Judge at the E.S.T.
Council meeting of May 27, 1891, resulting in his being chosen as
joint Outer Head with Mrs. Besant by the Council. This is an error.
The E.S.T. report of that meeting states distinctly (p.2) that this letter
was produced and read at the meeting, so that our statement that Judge
withheld it is wrong. Who read the letter and whether it was read
entirely does not appear, nor does it appear why, in the face of
H.P.Bs distinct statement that Mrs. Besant was her successor, Judge
was appointed as her equal. A mysterious slip of paper bearing the
words Judges plan is right, supposed to be a precipitated Mahatmic
communication, which appeared among Mrs. Besants papers, would
indicate, whether genuine or not, that Judge had a plan which was that
he, although not mentioned by H.P.B. as a successor, should be
chosen as equal with Mrs. Besant, the plan which was successfully put
through. Nor does this correction invalidate Mrs. Besants repeated
claims that H.P.B. had selected her as her successor in the E.S.T., and
her consequent stand against the later action of Judge in deposing
her.
NOTE: See Nov. 3, 1894, By Masters Direction. See also Dec. 14, 1888
for Special order by H.P. Blavatsky.

1936

Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti died in India. (Born in Benares on the 6th of

July, 1863 as a Brahman of the Sandilya Gotra.) His birthday is the
same as that of Vamana (dwarf) Avatar. This means that his
Brahmanical descent is from the sage Sandilya. His education began
in a mission school at Benares. Later he passed the entrance
examination of Calcutta University in 1877 high on the list. In 1883
he graduated in Physical Science and obtained the degree of Master
of Arts with First Class Honours and University Gold Medal. Shortly
thereafter he was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Physical
Science in Bareilly College. In January 1893 he took the degree of
L.L.B. and joined the bar at Allahabad in April 1893.

The Path,
Vol. 8, Oct. 1893;
pp.204-206

The Theosophist,
Vol. 5, May 1884;
Supp. p.75

He joined the Theosophical Society in March 1883, at Cawnpore, in

the Chohan T.S. In May 1884, Blavatsky published an article of his in
the Supplement to The Theosophist, How I Became A Theosophist.
In this article he wrote: a Hindu mind differs from a Western mind.
A Hindu is born in a land where phenomena are so common as to
attract the attention of even a passing observer though many times
they are passed over as feats of jugglery . . . hence he is more capable
than an European of comprehending the grand truths of the science,
which these phenomenon lead us to.
In January 1893, he took the degree of L.L.B., standing first and
getting the highest degree taken by anyone since the University was Cdn. Theosophist,
established, and joined the bar at Allahabad in April 1893.
Vol. 17, Dec. 1936;
pp.323-324
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology
1936
continued

Apr. 16,
1937

283

On May 4, 1884, he was elected as Secretary of The Rohilkund T.S., The Path,
a branch at Allahabad. In 1893, at the suggestion of Bertram Vol. 8, Oct. 1893;
Keightley, Prof. Chakravarti was invited to attend and participate at pp.223-224
the Worlds Congress of Religions in Chicago. Prof. Chakravarti
arrived in New York on September 2nd. He was invited by the
Manager of the Parliament not only to attend but to speak in the
opening excercises.
Emil August Neresheimer died at his home in Santa Monica, California. Theos. Forum,
(Born Jan. 2, 1847 in Moosburg near Munich.) He graduated from Vol. 10, June 1937;
business college and then learned the silversmiths and jewellery p.454
trades in Switzerland, Augsburg, and Berlin.
The Path,
In 1868 he went to Australia, leaving there in 1870 for California. Vol. 9, Aug. 1894;
After two years in California, he came to New York in 1872 where he pp.145-156
went into business as an importer of diamonds and other precious
stones. He had a reputation in New York Citys Maiden Lane as one California Utopia,
of the ablest diamond brokers.
p.16
From childhood he was fascinated with nursery tales and stories of O.E. Library Critic,
wonderful beings in India. In 1886 Mr. Neresheimer heard of Vol. 24, May/June
Theosophy from reading Esoteric Buddhism. He joined the Society 1937
in January 1889 and quickly became close friends with W.Q. Judge.
He served on the Executive Committee of the American Section, and
from his intimate acquaintance with its work, and working with Judge,
was qualified to know upon what the growth of Theosophy in the
United States depended.
Mr. Neresheimer wrote: During all this time (after the Chicago Neresheimer
Convention in February, 1898, and until 1901) I was still living in Report, p.14
New York, and only received glowing accounts and reports of the
activities going on at Point Loma. I then moved with my family to
Headquarters, remaining there until 1904, when business matters
called me away to Colorado. It was not until March, 1919, that I was
again able to return to Point Loma. . . . I left Point Loma with my
family early in March 1929. From there he moved to Santa Monica.

284

1938

The Judge Case

Khan Bahadur Novroji Dorabji Khandalavala (N.D.K.) died. (No

application form to join the Theosophical Society has been found.)
The following facts have been gathered.
He was a provincial Magistrate in the Small Cause Court in Poona.
According to C. Jinarajadasa, N.D.K. joined the T.S. on November
25th, 1879. He was initiated into the Theosophical Society on March
9th, 1880.
On Saturday, January 21st, 1882, both Mme. Blavatsky and Col. Olcott
left Bombay for Poona. They had been invited to stay with Judge
Khandalavala. On Wednesday evening, Jan. 25th, ten candidates were
initiated and a new Branch known as The Poona Theosophical
Society was formed. Mr. Khandalavala was elected President.
After the Seventeenth Anniversary of the Theosophical Society held
December 27-29, 1892, the Madras Mail published a summary of Mr.
Khandalavalas speech delivered in Pacheappas Hall. It was reported
that his attention had been drawn to the Theosophists in 1880 when he
went down to Bombay to make himself acquainted with the movement
and its originators. His first impression, which he had since held, was
that they were earnest, devoted, sincere and frank. His position
towards the Theosophists had been that of a critic and an enquirer and
he felt satisfied that they were actuated by no mean or selfish motives.
He claimed that he had found his own religion simpler and more
easily understood by the study of Theosophy.
On July 15th, 1884, W.Q. Judge arrived in Bombay. On July 20th, he
went to Poona and was greeted at the station by several members of
the Poona Branch. In his Official Report to the Theosophist, Mr.
Khandalavala remarked that Mr. Judge created an extremely
favourable impression and was an excellent speaker.
During the Coulomb crisis (1884-1885) the General Council of the
T.S. appointed a Committee to report and advise at the Convention
(Dec. 27th -31st, 1884) as to the proper measures to be taken respecting
the missionary attack upon Madame Blavatsky. N.D.K. was a member
of this Committee and was himself connected with one of the most
damaging of the letters put forward. It was the unanimous opinion of
the committee that Madame Blavatsky should not prosecute her
defamers in a Court of Law.
Instead of the usual annual Convention and Anniversary meetings, a
Conference of Fellows of T.S. was held in Bombay on the evening
of Dec. 29th, 1889. N.D.K. was elected chairman and gave the
members a brief review of the situation and explained the purpose of
the meeting. At the time, there had been concerns among the Indian
members that our European and American brethren were willing to
decry Theosophy in India, in order to enhance their own importance
in the movement. N.D.K. stated: For various reasons the work is
lagging behind in India. We meet this evening with a view to impress
upon the minds of members the necessity of taking such steps as may
put it on better basis.
[Continued in next cell.]

The Theosophist,
Vol. 47, July 1926;
p.457
BCW, Vol. 9, p.78
The Theosophist,
Vol. 3, Feb. 1882;
Supp. p.2
Vol. 50, June 1929;
p.214
General Report of
the 17th
Anniversary of the
T.S.
Dec. 1892; pp.44-45

The Theosophist,
Vol. 5, Sep. 1884;
Supp. pp.128-129

Vania, p.245
Official Report of
the Ninth
Anniversary at
Madras, pp.80, 100
Report of
Investigation, pp.3-4
The Theosophist,
Vol. 11, Jan. 1890;
Supp. pp.lxii-lxvii

Chronology
1938
Khandalavala,
N.D.
continued

285

He then read a letter from Olcott, in London at the time, which was
addressed To Theosophists Present at the Bombay Meeting. Olcotts
good news concerning remarkable activities in the countries of the
West exacerbated their concerns that with the rapidly growing
American Section and the newly formed Esoteric Section, India would
be shut out. The Indian members became more defensive, especially
Judge Khandalavala. They felt that in India every man was naturally,
and by right of descent, a Theosophist and that any attempt to
discredit or weaken the Society in this country was simply suicidal.
Shortly after his arrival at Adyar (Dec. 21st, 1892), Walter R. Old A Short History of
consulted with Col. Olcott, telling him that he thought W.Q. Judge the T.S.,
was allegedly forging messages. At the Annual Convention in 1892 pp.291, 298
Judge Khandalavala was asked to counsel on the evidence gathered.
His advice to Col. Olcott was to prosecute the case against Judge. The
matter was not pursued until a year later when Mrs. Besant arrived at
Adyar on Dec. 20th, 1893. Again Judge Khandalavala was consulted
on the matter. During that years time N.D.K. had taken exception to
Mr. Judges articles, especially An Interesting Letter which he
replied with his own THEOSOPHY IN THE WEST, THE TENDENCY
TOWARDS DOGMATISM. [See July 1893 entry.]
He kept in contact with Mme. Blavatsky after her departure from
Adyar.* He wrote H.P. Blavatsky and Her Masters in October 1898
which included excerpts from letters she had written him. This was
reprinted in the Theosophist as Some Letters of H.P.B. in July
1926. He also wrote Madame H.P. Blavatsky as I knew Her which The Theosophist,
appeared in the Theosophist in June and July 1929. In this article he Vol. 53, Aug. 1932;
quoted from WHY I DO NOT RETURN TO INDIA. He received a letter pp.618-627
from H.P. Blavatsky, dated Nov. 21st, 1889, but it was not published
until Aug. 1932.
In 1929 he contributed to the Archives at Adyar 16 autograph[ed]
letters of H.P.B., hitherto unpublished, several articles by her, and a
number of important letters from W.Q. Judge, B. Keightley, G.R.S.
Mead, etc. He served as a member of the General Council of the
Theosophical Society during the Coulomb crisis and was still a
member in Aug. 1932. In 1929 it was noted that he was one of the
oldest living theosophists in India. There is little mention of him after
the death of Annie Besant.
* See 1890 entry for the NOTE WHY I DO NOT RETURN TO INDIA.

The Theosophist,
Vol. 50, July 1929;
p.303
Vol. 53, Aug. 1932;
p.618

286

Jan-Mar.
1938

The Judge Case

CONCERNING BOOKS.
[Basil] Crump corrects some of the statements made in Ryans 1937
H.P. Blavatsky [and the Theosophical Movement] on Mrs. Tingley.
Gives the circumstances of his and Mrs. Cleathers association with
her. Says that Judges circular By Masters Direction deposing Besant
was felt by many at the time to have precipitated the split that
followed.

T.N.C.A.B.
Item 1953, p.536
The Path (Sydney),
Jan.-Mar. 1938;
pp.17-18

NOTE: See Nov. 3, 1894 entry.

Mar. 1938

May 4,
1938

A BELATED EXPOSURE
[Printers error, title should have been A Belated Disclosure, per note
on p.6]
By Albert Smythe, regarding: A. Besants visit to Toronto in 1893
after attending the Worlds Fair in Chicago.
I happened to see the beginning of it in 1893 when Mrs. Besant came
to Toronto to speak for the Toronto Theosophical Society after her
visit to the Congress of Religions at the Worlds Fair. She had then
begun to follow the tuition of Mr. Chakravarti, and she gave us a setback in Toronto that we did not recover from for a long period. A
reception had been arranged for her at the Rossin House, now the
Prince George, and a large number of ladies had come to meet her.
When she came in and was introduced at the head of the line she
asked, Are you a member of the Society? The answer being Yes,
she shook hands and said a word or two. The next was asked the same
question and answered No, and Mrs. Besant said Oh and passed on
to the next, without a further word and declining to shake hands with
the Philistine. So all down the line of fifty or sixty persons, only
recognizing members as worthy of her notice. Thats your
Brotherhood! Thats your Theosophy! were the comments we heard
for weeks afterwards.
NOTE: On their way from Chicago Mrs. Besant and Prof. Chakravarti
diverged for lectures at Toledo and Toronto, and on Sunday, Sep. 24th,
she lectured in Brooklyn and he in Washington, D.C.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 19, Mar. 1938;
pp.5-6

The Path,
Vol. 8, Oct. 1893;
p.224

Alice Leighton Cleather died. (Born in late April 1846, England) BCW, Vol. 14,
[Basil Crump claimed that A.L. Cleather was born April 24th, 1854] pp.518- 521
She was the daughter of an Anglican minister and the wife of Colonel
William Barclay Gordon Cleather (died winter 1919, at 81), a British
army officer who had seen active service in India.
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 19, Sep. 1938;
Mrs. Cleather contacted Theosophy through reading Sinnetts Occult pp.230-233
World in 1881, and she joined the T.S. in 1885 while residing at
Eastbourne with her two sons. She met Bertram Keightley, and was The Occult World
introduced to Madame Blavatsky in 1887. She became a member of of Mme. Blavatsky,
the Esoteric Section in 1888 and was admitted to the Inner Group of p.329
H.P.B.s Esoteric School on September 17, 1890. In 1917, with
William Kingsland, she founded the H.P.B. Library, and in 1923, the Fohat,
Blavatsky Association.
Vol. 1, No. 3, Fall
1997; pp.67-68
[Continued in next cell.]

Chronology
May 4, 1938
continued

Mrs. Cleather accompanied Mrs. Tingley on her world tour but after
1899 she separated herself from the theosophical movement, per se.
She resided in Italy from 1911 to 1918. In 1918, Mrs. Cleather, with
her son Graham Gordon Cleather and Basil Crump, went to India, and
in 1925, to Peking, China where they met the Panchen Lama of Tibet.
Mrs. Cleather and Basil Crump republished H.P.B.s The Voice of
the Silence (Peking, 1927), and the Tashi Lama endorsed this edition
with a special sutra written in Tibetan script. Mrs. Cleather and her
party resided in Peking for eleven years.

287

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 19, May 1938;
p.88
June 1938; pp.111114

The H.P.B. Lending Library was moved to Victoria, British Columbia,

Canada, by Mrs. H. Henderson. Mrs. Henderson was succeeded by
Mrs. I. Davey as caretaker then it was moved for a time to Vernon, BC
(Michael Freeman) and since 1992 has been relocated to Toronto,
Ontario (Joan Sutcliffe).

Dec. 1938

Apr. 6,
1939

Mrs. Cleather was associated with The Blavatsky Association of

London (1923-1947). Mrs. Cleathers published works include H.P.
Blavatsky, Her Life and Works for Humanity (1922) and H.P.
Blavatsky As I Knew Her (1923) among others.

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 25,
Apr.-May 1938,
July-Aug. 1938

Vignettes from the Worlds Congress of Religions

By Leoline Leonard Wright. Mrs. Wrights parents were Theosophists
and their home in Chicago served to entertain visitors. Some of the
delegates who stayed in their home during the Worlds Congress were
Mr. and Mrs. Judge, Gyanenda N. Chakravarti from India, Annie
Besant and Mrs. Isabel Cooper-Oakley from London, Claude Falls
Wright, and Mrs. Richmond Green.

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 13, Dec. 1938;
pp.403-406
T.N.C.A.B.
Item 278, p.91

NOTE: See Sep. 15-16, 1893.

Eclectic Theos.
Summer 1993;
pp.11-12

List of W.Q. Judges pseudonyms supplied by J.H. Fussell

1 page

List of W.Q. Judges pseudonyms and dates used (prepared by Theosophy 1 page
Company, Los Angeles, and loaned to Ottawa U.L.T., March 1970).
NOTE: See Appendix I for compiled list of Judges pseudonyms.

288

Apr. 8,
1939

The Judge Case

Ernest Temple Hargrove died at his residence, Chapel Farm, Riverdaleon-Hudson, NY. He was born circa 1870, the second son of James
Sidney Hargrove and his Scottish wife, of the family Aird. His body
was cremated and information obtained from Woodlawn Cemetery in
Bronx, NY indicates his ashes were interred on December 27, 1940 in
the plot of the Order of the Living Christ. Cemetery records show that
he was 69 when he died.
Mr. Hargrove first heard of Theosophy during the time of the great
discussion in the London Daily Chronicle. Being at a seaside holiday
resort, he saw a placard on a wall with the large heading Theosophy
advertising a lecture by Mrs. Besant. He did not go to the lecture, but
by seeing the word Theosophy his whole inner and outer life was
changed. He bought some books on the subject and was admitted as
a member-at-large without ever having met another theosophist. He
spent most of his nights at the London Headquarters, helping in the
General Office with correspondence, with the Vahan, with certain
Lucifer reviews, and lecturing at various lodges.
His father, James Sidney Hargrove, was one of Londons best known
solicitors. He did most of his work through the House of Commons.
Ernest was educated at Harrow, which he left at the age of eighteen to
study for the diplomatic service, following which he chose travelling
abroad over going to Cambridge. He went to Australia, Tasmania,
New Zealand, returning home by way of Ceylon. He then decided to
become a barrister.

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.279
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.471-472

Theos. Movement
1875-1950, p.279
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.471-472

Magic, Vol. 1,
Dec. 26, 1896; p.36,

Theosophical
Quarterly, Vols.
28,29,30,31 and 32.
See Appendix D for
Letters of W. Q.
Since the age of nine he travelled a great deal in Europe and other Judge to E.T.
places, and thus had had most of the edges knocked off his distinctive Hargrove
character as an insular Englishman. To prove this he says he was
a great reader of The Path and that he has learned more from it than
from other sources.
Magic, Vol. 1,
He was recipient of the Letters From W.Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove Oct. 16, 1896; p.9
which were published in the Theosophical Quarterly, which
Hargrove edited.
Theosophy,
Following the death of William Q. Judge a convention was held on Vol. 21, Oct. 1933;
April 26, 1896, at Madison Square Garden Theatre, where E.T. p.568
Hargrove was elected President of the Theosophical Society in
America. After the 4th Annual Convention of T.S. in America, held
Feb. 18, 1898 in Chicago [at which time the Constitution and name
were changed to Universal Brotherhood], he and a number of others
re-established The Theosophical Society in America, May 29-30,
1898. In 1908 the name was changed to The Theosophical Society.
Mr. Hargrove was the last editor of The Theosophical Forum, (May
1895-Apr. 1905), which Judge had started.
[Continued in next cell.]

Chronology
Apr. 8, 1939
continued

289

In July 1903 The Theosophical Society started the Theosophical

Quarterly, as their official organ. It is believed that Hargrove was
Editor or Co-Editor. This excellent magazine ran continuously until
Oct. 1938 when publication ceased, due to Hargroves ill health.
Mr. Hargroves marriage to the daughter of E. August Neresheimer
ended in acrimonious divorce.
NOTE: Albert Smythe who knew Hargrove has some interesting notes in
The Canadian Theosophist Vol. 19, May 1939, pp.84-85.

Apr. 22,
1942

James Morgan Pryse died very peacefully in Los Angeles. Born August
14, 1859 in New London, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio where his
father, James Morgan Pryse, was a Presbyterian minister. His mother
was Mary Morgan. Both had been born in Wales and come to the US
in their teens. Rev. Pryse moved his family to Emporia, Kansas in
1863.
Being a ministers son James went place to place in America, taking
a high-school course and preparing in Latin, Greek, and the like, for
a college in Crawfordsville, Ind. Poor health, overstudy, and trying
to do three years work in a little over one spoiled these plans, and
Pryse began to read law. At 17 he was ready for the bar, but not
caring to spend four years as a clerk he went to Red Cloud, Nebraska,
to the frontier. There for a while he had a photograph gallery, but sold
it and entered a printing office, learned that business, edited a country
paper, and with his brother John published other papers in various
towns. In Jan. 1886, he gave up printing and was admitted to the bar
in the Circuit Court for the Eighth District of the State of Minnesota.

The Path,
Vol. 9, June 1894;
pp.90-91
Echoes of the
Orient, Vol. 2,
pp.472-474
BCW, Vol. 12,
pp.761-765

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Mar. 1935;
p.2

He joined the T.S. in July 1887, after corresponding with Mrs. Julia Cdn. Theosophist,
VerPlank (who married Archibald Keightley). In 1889 he started the Vol. 20, May 1939;
Aryan Press in New York to help Judge print H.P.B.s Esoteric p.75
Instructions. That same year, H.P.B. cabled him to come to London
to start the H.P.B. Press with the capital supplied by Archibald
Keightley. At London Headquarters, Pryse lived under the same roof
as H.P.B., conversed with her daily, and when she grew feeble took
her round the garden in her wheel-chair. After her death the group still
remained and worked at the same place until the break came in 1894.
Mr. Pryse then went to Dublin, Ireland, where he had charge of
printing the Irish Theosophist and contributed articles and poems to
the magazine. After a year in Dublin Mr. Pryse was called to New
York by Mr. Judge who needed him to help with The Path.
In 1901 he married Jessie Mayer. He continued to practise law until
1905. In 1900 he had again taken up writing and wrote Reincarnation
in the New Testament. He continued writing books using his
knowledge of Greek, Latin and Sanskrit.
Mrs. Pryse was stricken with paralysis in August 1928 and passed
away on August 27th.

290

May 7,
1942

The Judge Case

Dr. Joseph H. Fussell died. He was born in Nottingham, England in 1863

and came to the U.S.A. in 1890. He met W.Q. Judge soon after and
often claimed that this meeting had completely changed his life. He
joined the Society as a Member at large on September 16th, 1890*. In
1892 he became private secretary to Mr. Judge and retained this close
association until Judges death in 1896. In 1900 the Headquarters of
the Society were moved from New York to Point Loma, CA. Shortly
after this Dr. Fussell became Secretary-General of the Society and
private secretary to Katherine Tingley, and later to G. de Purucker
a period of fifty-two years of continuous service. He was granted the
degree of Doctor of Theosophy by the Theosophical University in
1929. He died at Point Loma following a lengthy illness.

Theos. Forum (P.L.)

Vol. 20, July 1942;
pp.332-333
T.S. Application for
Membership form
(see Appendix C)

* His application form was endorsed by Ron S.(?) Bryan and W.Q. Judge.
Sep. 30,
1942

Dr. Henry Newlin Stokes died. (Born Oct. 1859) Editor of The O. E.
(Oriental Esoteric) Library Critic [Aug. 30, 1911 to Jan. 1942]
This independent periodical was published out of Washington, D.C.
No organization or individual was safe from criticism, as Dr. Stokes
was the watch-dog over the Theosophical Movement. With the slash
of his pen and his tenacious pursuit for uncovering facts, many small
mysteries came to light. To quote Dr. Stokes: No one need resign
from membership because the CRITIC has shocked his feelings or
trodden on his toes. All he has to do is pity the Editor for not having
learned better manners and at the same time to see if he himself is
not wearing corns.
Stokes entered life as a Quaker. Originally a chemist, he took an
interest in occultism, later establishing a library and book lending
business that concentrated on occult subjects. He became a member
of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) on June 4, 1904. Shortly
thereafter he became involved with the Oriental Esoteric Center of
Washington. When it came time to choose between it and the TS he
chose the O.E. Society. However, he became disillusioned which led
him to seek readmission in the TS. He was readmitted June 12, 1915
and he remained a member for the rest of his life, despite his
disenchantment with its leadership after 1917.
NOTE: Dr. Stokes great-grandson, Henry Stokes, supplied the following
information: H.N. Stokes doctorate was in chemistry. He was
considered a specialist in inorganic chemistry concentrating his
research on silicon and phosphorus-nitrogen compounds as well as the
chemistry of ore deposition.
NOTE: For more on Stokes see H.N. Stokes and The O.E. Library Critic
in Theosophical History Vol.1, No. 6, pp.129-139 and H.N. Stokes
Early Contacts With The Theosophical Society in Theosophical
History Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.4-22, both by James Santucci.
NOTE: The O.E. Library Critic (Vols. 1-27 Volumes) was republished
by Edmonton Theosophical Society in 1993.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 23, Dec. 1942;
pp.319-320
Jan 1943; p.353

O.E. Library Critic,

Vol. 1, Aug. 1911;
p.2

Chronology

Oct. 31,
1944

Bertram Keightley died, of heart failure, in Cawnpore, India. (Born on

April 4, 1860 at Birkenhead, England) His father was a Liverpool
solicitor and owner of much land which later greatly increased in
value. He received a most admirable education; first at Charterhouse,
then in Germany and France, and then to Cambridge, where he
graduated in Mathematics from Trinity College. He also took the
degree of Master of Arts. While still at Cambridge, he studied
mesmerism and was led to reading liphas Lvi, medieval mystic and
Neo-Platonic writers.
Upon reading Sinnetts Esoteric Buddhism, he quickly made contact
with the author. He was admitted into the London Lodge, T.S. April
5, 1884, and in 1885 became Hon. Secretary until the formation of the
Blavatsky Lodge upon H.P.B.s return to London.

291

The Theosophist,
Vol. 66, Jan. 1945;
pp.99-100
Feb. 1945; p.139
The Theosophist,
Vol. 30, Sep. 1909;
pp.729-730
The Path,
Vol. 8, Aug. 1893;
p.143

In Reminiscences of H.P. Blavatsky (1931) Mr. Keightley draws

vivid sketches of H.P.B. at work, and narrates how he and his nephew,
Dr. A. Keightley, divided between them the laborious work of
planning The Secret Doctrine, typing and arranging the manuscript,
reading the proofs and seeing the book through the press.
In 1890 Madame Blavatsky sent him as her special messenger to BCW, Vol. 9,
America. That same year she sent him to India to found the Indian pp.432-435
Section which was chartered Jan. 1, 1891. He became Indias first
General Secretary of the T.S. and started The Prasnottara, a
magazine for free distribution to its members.
Being in London in April 1893, he travelled to America and was a Cdn. Theosophist,
delegate from the European and Indian Sections at the American Vol. 25, Jan. 1945;
Convention that month.
p.339
During Judges so-called trial, his attitude was diametrically
opposed to that taken by his nephew, Dr. Archibald Keightley.
However, at the Judicial Committee, to which he was a party, he General Report of
stated that as a lawyer, I gave it as my opinion that the technical the 19th
objection raised by Mr. Judge was a sound and good one.
Anniversary of the
T.S., p.50
Mr. Keightley returned from India to London in 1901 where he
remained for four years. Following the death of his mother he returned
to India to live in retirement with his friend, G.N. Chakravarti, until
Chakravartis death in 1936. He then spent the last years of his life in
Allahabad.
After Olcott died and Besant took over in 1906, he was no longer in Eirenicon,
sympathy with her presidential policy but he did not demit as a Dec.1944/Jan.1945;
member of the T.S., because it is said that he had made a promise to p.4
H.P.B. that he would never leave it.
Krishna Prem wrote that Mr. Keightley had apparently one month
earlier been taken down from Rani Khet in an unconscious condition
from which he only had short flashes of consciousness. He had been
taken to Cawnpore where, it is presumed, he died in hospital.

292

May 30,
1945

The Judge Case

Basil Crump died in Calcutta, India. (Born 1866,est.) At the age of twenty Cdn. Theosophist,
five he first met Alice Cleather, just after the death of Madame Vol. 26, June 1945;
Blavatsky. Mr. Crump was a Cambridge man, a barrister of the Inner pp.115-116
Temple, a freemason, and finally succeeded his father (a K.C.) as
Editor of the Law Times of London.
After Mr. Crumps years of residence in England and Italy he
devoted himself entirely to the growing work that was ever his life
motive (Theosophy) with Col. and Mrs. Cleather and their son,
Graham. The last year of the first World War saw Group work
transferred to India, where it was kept up both on the spot and by
correspondence for many years thereafter. Mr. Crump was of much
help in the spade work part of Mrs. Cleathers inspiration in her three
books on H.P. Blavatsky, published in India. Mr. Crump wrote, in
collaboration with Mrs. Cleather, the larger part of Buddhism the
Science of Life, and he wrote Evolution as Outlined in the Archaic
Eastern Records.

Nov. 1945

THE ORIGINAL PROGRAMME

Cdn. Theosophist,
John Rogers analysis of the Original Programme of the T.S., its Vol. 26, Nov. 1945;
origin, plans and aims.
pp.257-265
Rebuttal by C. Jinarajadasa to Rogers claims that the Society is under Cdn. Theosophist,
the direct guidance of the Mahatmas.
Vol. 27, Mar. 1946;
Let it be noted, therefore, that the claim of Mr. Judge upheld by pp.21-22
the officials appointed for the judicial inquiry [July 10, 1894] makes
clear that the Society is in no way bound to the idea of the Masters of
the Wisdom as in any way directing the affairs of the Society.

Apr. 1946

HARGROVES REPUDIATION
Item denying that Judge appointed Tingley as his successor and
claiming that Hargrove was responsible for the succession.
There is evidence that E. August Neresheimer and Claude Falls
Wright had both been consulting her as possessed of occult powers
before Mr. Judges death, accepting communications through her as
messages from the Masters. One such message, received by Mr.
Neresheimer in 1895, contained the injunction, Under no
circumstances must Mr. Judge know of this a provisio [sic] so
entirely out of keeping with the law of the Guru-parampara chain that
it alone should have been sufficient warning of the questionable
nature of the communication.

Theosophy,
Vol. 34, Apr. 1946;
pp.228-231
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 27, June 1946;
pp.117-119

Chronology
Apr. 1946
continued

SOME PAST HISTORY, The Promise Myth

Cdn. Theosophist,
The magazine Theosophy in noting an article by Carey McWilliams Vol. 27, June 1946;
in the March Atlantic dealing with prominent religious exhibitionists pp.117-119
in Southern California, undertakes to correct some of the statements
made, and incidentally adds to the notoriety of Ernest Temple
Hargrove. . . .
This is followed up with a reprint from Theosophy, April 1946.
Mr. Neresheimer was true to the principles of the philosophy he had
learned from Mr. Judge and H.P.B., and that he established for the
record the fact that, like H.P.B., William Q. Judge had no
successor, could have none, never contemplated, selected or notified
one. It is unfortunately true that Hargrove and his handful of
associates did indeed go too far so far that the myth of Mrs.
Tingleys extraordinary influence over Mr. Judge still exists to be
seriously repeated as fact in a contemporary study of religious
phenomena.

Sep. 15,
1946

COVINA EXPLAINS
Cdn. Theosophist,
Charles J. Ryans rebuttal to the April article in Theosophy, which Vol. 27, Sep. 1946;
pp.212-219
had been reprinted in the Canadian Theosophist.
NOTE: See Apr. 1946 entry.
Cited instances in which Blavatsky mentioned looking for possible
successors. Regarding a successor for Mr. Judge he wrote:
There were papers to show that Mr. Judge had been contemplating
for many months an Esoteric successor in the person of Promise
(Mrs. Tingley) through whom he believed that H.P.B. would come and
help. Without having given an explicit nomination in writing . . . Mr.
Judge left notes on this subject which are so plain and showed such
confidence in Katherine Tingley that even had there been no other
reasons for their action the Council could not reasonably have done
anything but accept her as the rightful successor in the E.S.T.
[p.216]. Quoted Julia Keightley from article in Search Light. He also
mentioned that Many Theosophists thought she [Mrs. Julia
Keightley] might well be Mr. Judges successor. [p.216]
NOTE: See May 1898 and Jan. 22, 1900 entries.

293

294

Sep. 19,
1946

The Judge Case

Dr. Henry Travers Edge died at the Theosophical Headquarters, Covina,

California. He was born January 6, 1867 at Cubbington, near
Leamington, Warwickshire, England. His father was Francis Edge, a
clergyman of the Church of England, and his mother, Cecilia Tarratt
Edge. He was educated at Malvern College from 1880 to 1886; then
at Kings College, Cambridge.
Mr. Edges first acquaintance with Theosophy was on July 15, 1887,
when he read A.P. Sinnetts The Occult World in the Library of
Cambridge University. Late the same year he visited H.P. Blavatsky
at 17 Lansdowne Road, Holland Park, London, and in 1888 received
his diploma of fellowship in The Theosophical Society. He soon
became a personal pupil of H.P.B. and was entrusted by her with
private literary and office duties which he continued to perform until
her death on May 8, 1891.
In 1889, Mr. Edge entered for the Natural Sciences Tripos, in
Chemistry, Physics and Geology, taking honors. He then studied a
year in Germany, and taught in various institutes in England. During
the controversial years 1894-95 he sided with Mr. Judge. In 1899 he
resigned his post as Demonstrator in Practical Physics at the Royal
College of Sciences, South Kensington, London, and accepted
Katherine Tingleys invitation to join the Theosophical Headquarters
at Point Loma, California.
Dr. Edge was one of the original incorporators of Theosophical
University, on December 18, 1919, and became its President in 1939,
which post he held until June 19, 1946. He taught Latin and Greek,
mathematics, physics, chemistry and geology and also conducted
classes in Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine.
He was a prolific contributor to various Theosophical magazines and
journals, starting with H.P.B.s Lucifer and with the periodicals
published at Point Loma. He wrote under his own and under various
pseudonyms, he produced literally hundreds of valuable articles and
essays on a large variety of subjects. Essentially he was a scholar,
wholly devoted and dedicated to the lofty objectives of the Movement.
NOTE: In the Spring 1960 issue of Theosophia, the editors published Dr.
Edges WHY I BECAME A THEOSOPHIST. This article gives interesting
insights into his early involvement with H.P.B. and The Theosophical
Movement.
Mark Jaqua published a selection of H.T. Edges works in a small
book Some Theosophical Writings, January 1998.

BCW, Vol. 12,

pp.737-746
Theosophia,
Vol. 16, Spring 1960

Chronology

Dec. 15,
1946

295

BESANT-CHAKRAVARTI-JUDGE, THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Cdn. Theosophist,
In a letter to the Editor, C. Jinarajadasa wrote regarding: the E.S. Vol. 27, Dec. 1946;
succession after H.P.B.s death:
pp.305-308
I wonder if it is possible for Mr. Ryan to publish the original letter
[March 1891 letter that H.P.B. wrote to W.Q. Judge which he placed
before the E.S. Council on May 27, 1891] so that we may see if there
was any garbling, as he states.
NOTE: See Dec. 14, 1888 entry for special order by H.P. Blavatsky.
SINS OF OMISSION
Cdn. Theosophist,
Letter to the Editor from Charles J. Ryan rewording his own comment Vol. 27, Jan. 1947;
that A. Besant, in quoting an 1891 letter from H.P.B. to Judge, p.340
garbled it.
Instead of garbled it might have been better to say [Mrs. Besant]
abbreviated and slightly mutilated [it]. The complete sentence, as in
the original, reads: . . She is not psychic nor spiritual in the least
all intellect, and yet she hears the Masters voice when alone, sees
his Light, and recognises his voice from that of D. Judge, she
is a most wonderful woman, my right hand, my successor, when I will
be forced to leave you, my sole hope in England, as you are my sole
hope in America.
NOTE: See Sep. 15, 1946.
NOTE: H.P.B. has used D in previous instances in reference to
Damodar. See The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky to Sinnett, p.10, TUP
1973 edition. See ANNIE BESANT, HER PASSIONS AND HER
RELATIONSHIPS - Part I in Fohat Vol. IV, No.4, Winter 2000, p.79.

Oct. 2, 1947

Albert Ernest Stafford Smythe died. (Born Dec. 27, 1861, at Gracehill,
County Antrim, Ireland, and a graduate in science from Irish
universities.) On Nov. 15, 1884, Smythe sailed from Liverpool to the
U.S.A. on the British steamer S.S. Wisconsin. Judge who was
returning from a trip to India was also on board. On this first meeting
Smythe wrote: Judge was a master of ordinary conditions and could
get the honey out of the merest weed. To know him was to love him.

Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 28, Oct. 1947;
pp.177-182
Echoes of the
Orient,
Vol. 1, p.xxvi

Mr. Smythe resided in Chicago from 1884 to 1887, and in Edinburgh

from 1887 to 1889, where he began his Theosophical studies. In 1889, Cdn. Theosophist,
having a choice of going to London to study or to America to work, Vol. 71, Jan./Feb.
he chose America and became involved with Theosophy as soon as he 1991; p.126
arrived in Toronto on September 10, 1889. A lodge was formed in
1891, one of the last Lodges that Blavatsky chartered, and Mr. Smythe
was elected President.
Cdn. Theosophist,
In 1896, he founded The Lamp, the first theosophical magazine in Vol. 1, Apr. 1920;
Canada, which he edited until 1900. Mr. Smythe was in Great Britain pp.28-29
from June 1897 to Dec. 1898, the period during which The
Theosophical Society in America split in two (in 1898). In 1899 he
was expelled by Katherine Tingley from the Point Loma organization.
[Continued in next cell]

296
Oct. 2, 1947
continued

The Judge Case

After Mr. Neresheimers death Mr. Smythe explained some of the Cdn. Theosophist,
circumstances which may have contributed to his expulsion.
Vol. 18, May 1937;
Mrs. Tingley cast her spell over Mr. Neresheimer and he followed pp.83-84
her loyally till her death. After this, the spell appeared to be broken
and he began to realize that all had not been as he had thought it was.
I wrote to him an account of the proceedings by which he had superintended my dismissal from Point Loma, having been sent on a
roundabout wild goose chase to execute a bogus mission in New
York, where on arriving I was delayed till Mr. Neresheimer also
arrived with orders to send me back to Toronto as fast as possible.
Why should I not have been sent direct to Toronto, but Mrs. Tingley
had advertised me as a black magician and this was one of her pretty
ways. Mr. Neresheimer wrote me a reply confirming all I had
described and acknowledging that he had acted on her orders. This is
not mentioned in derogation of anyone now living, but it helps one to
understand why Mr. Neresheimer severed his connection with Point
Loma. He became a subscriber to The Canadian Theosophist, which
he said he held in high esteem.
Mr. Smythe joined the editorial staff of the Toronto World in 1903 Cdn. Theosophist,
and went to The Toronto Globe in 1905. Two years later he returned Vol. 8, July 1927;
to the World and was chief editorial writer until 1920. In 1928 he was p.102
appointed Editor of the Hamilton Herald, and resigned from active
journalism in 1934.
By 1909 Smythe was once again an active force in Theosophy. With
the formation of an independent Canadian Section in 1919, Smythe
became General Secretary of The Theosophical Society in Canada,
which title he held until 1945. In 1920, he started The Canadian
Theosophist which he edited until his death.

Oct. 1947Apr. 1948

8 letters from Masters M. and K.H. to W.Q. Judge and Dr. Hbbe Theos. Forum (P.L.)
Schleiden were published; each as facsimile reproductions and Vol. 25, Oct., Nov.
transcriptions.
1947
Vol. 26, Jan., Feb.,
NOTE: See April 1893 and May 17, 1916 entries.
Apr. 1948

Chronology

Nov. 1950

297

The 75th Anniversary of The Theosophical Society

The Theosophist,
C. Jinarajadasa stated:
Vol. 72, Nov. 1950;
The date of the Foundation Day of the Theosophical Society which pp.81-86
we celebrate is November 17. But as a matter of fact, the Society had
been organized one month before. The first illustration which I give,
which is that of the cover page of the booklet with Preamble and Bylaws, gives the date of organization as October 30, 1875 (Figure 1).
Following the custom in the United states, where the President of the
country is elected in November but does not officially take office until
several months later when he takes the oath of office in an
inauguration ceremony, Colonel Olcott, who was much influenced by
the number seven, arranged for the inauguration meeting of the
Society to be on November 17th .
NOTE: In HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY from the Records
of the T.S., from 1875 to the present day prepared by W.Q. Judge and read by
Mr. Wade at the Ninth Annual Convention American Section T.S. and
First Convention Theosophical Society in America held at Boston,
Mass., April 28-29, 1895.
At a meeting held in the rooms of H.P. Blavatsky, 46 Irving Place,
New York City, Sept. 7, 1875, it was agreed to form a society for the
purpose of occult study.
Upon motion of William Q. Judge, Henry S. Olcott was elected
chairman of this meeting, and upon motion of H.S. Olcott, William Q.
Judge was elected secretary of the same.
Adjourned to Sept. 8, 1875.

Report of
Proceedings T.S. in
America, 1895;
pp.18-24

C. Jinarajadasa further stated:

The Theosophist,
The original Minute Book of the Society existed in Adyar until 1906, Vol. 72, Nov. 1950;
when in some mysterious way it disappeared.
pp.81-86
NOTE: See Apr. 28, 1895, Sep. 7, 1895 and Dec. 27, 1896 entries.
Mar.-Apr.
1951

Tribute issue to W.Q. Judge. Includes quotes from letters by H.P.B. to and Theosophia, Vol. 7,
about W.Q.J.
Mar.-Apr. 1951;
pp.1-16

298

1952

The Judge Case

The Editor of Eirenicon, T.H. Redfern, focused on the ORIGINS OF THE Eirenicon, No. 105,
Winter Solstice
PASADENA T.S., he stated:
The work of Mr. Judge is not as well-known to the Adyar 1952; 16 pages
membership as it should be. When Col. Olcott and Mme. Blavatsky
left America, where the T.S. had been founded, and went to India, Mr.
Judge was the only one remaining who staunchly and steadily carried
on with the work there. He went through his personal difficulties and
private trials, failing and succeeding as all do who persist in occult
work. He missed one major opportunity, but he went on. When others
were fearful and half-hearted, W.Q. Judge was faithfully loyal to
H.P.B.
Also stated that the growth in power of W.Q. Judge was due to his
occult training, according to Mme. Blavatsky. Writing to him in 1886
she said he had not realised the change that had taken place in him a
few years before, when a Nirmanakaya had blended with his astral
nature.
Redfern examined the successorship after Judges death, from
Katherine Tingley to William Hartley. He claimed:
In adopting the title of Leader, Mrs. Tingley imposed this title also
on H.P. Blavatsky as Leader from 1875-1891, and W.Q. Judge as
Leader from 1891-1896. This was unwarranted. Can anyone familiar
with her work doubt that H.P.B. would have repudiated it? . . . It is
hard to conceive of the democratic W.Q. Judge approving an
autocratic constitution which Mrs. Tingley adopted starting with
the Feb. 18, 1898 Chicago Convention.
NOTE: H.P.B. held the position of Corresponding Secretary for the
Society and W.Q.J. was elected President for Life of The T.S. in
America. They never held the position of Leader.

1955

Victor Endersby did a point by point historical analysis of the Judge Case. Theosophical Notes,
Jan. 1954, Jun. 1957NOTE: See July 1963 entry for Victor Endersbys comments regarding July 1958; Feb.,
The Judge Case.
May, July, Dec. 1959

Chronology

Mar. 15,
1957

Edward Toronto Sturdy died at the age of 97. (Born in 1860.) He was the
last surviving member of H.P.B.s Inner Group. He joined the TS in
January 1886. Mme. Blavatsky appointed him to the Advisory Council
of the Theosophical Society in Europe in 1890. He was a resident at
Avenue Road and was present when Mme. Blavatsky died. He was
present at the Consultative Council meeting held at Headquarters,
London, May 23rd, 1891. By late Fall that year he had published a
small, 8 page, pamphlet entitled Theosophy and Ethics.
With the great success of the H.P.B. Press, started by James M. Pryse,
the Theosophical Publishing Society decided in the Fall of 1891 to
expand their printing operation. Sturdy was appointed as one of its comanagers. On October 3rd, 1891, Sturdy was elected as Treasurer of
the Blavatsky Lodge, and at the first Annual Convention of the
European Section of the T. S. he was elected as its Treasurer. He was
present on July 15th, 1892, at 19 Avenue Road, London, in the front
room called H.P.B.s Room, when he witnessed the placing of the
ashes of H.P. Blavatsky within a copper Indian vase.

299

Eirenicon, No. 127,

Spring Equinox 1957
Lucifer, Vol. 6,
July 1890; p.429
Cdn. Theosophist,
Vol. 20, July 1939;
p.152
Lucifer, Vol. 8,
June 1891; p.336

Vol. 9, Nov. 1891;

p.255, Oct. 1891;
p.167
Vol. 8, July 1891;
p.516
Vol. 10, Aug. 1892;
Sturdy studied Sanskrit and in December 1892 he arrived in India to p.514
seek for the rarer Indian books useful for translation, and to
superintend that translation. At the Convention at Adyar in 1893 he Vol. 11, Dec. 1892;
was appointed Secretary of a vernacular Sub-Section to carry on the p.265
work of translating works from Telugu, Gujerati, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu,
Bengali, Mahratti and Canarese. One of his later translations from Vol. 13, Feb. 1894;
Sanskrit was Narada Sutra, An Inquiry Into Love in which he included pp.521-522
his own commentary.
The Word, Vol. 1,
When the Judicial Committee met on July 10th, 1894 in London to Jan. 1905; p.192
look into certain charges against the Vice-President, Sturdy was in
attendance as a delegate from the Indian Section. In the December Lucifer, Vol. 14,
issue of The Unknown World, Sturdy wrote a criticism on the T.S. Aug. 1894; p.449
and its organization. By June 1895 he resigned his fellowship in the Vol. 15, Dec. 1894;
T.S. and hereafter will in no way be identified with its organisation. p.356
Vol. 16, June 1895;
By early 1895 Sturdy had written to Swami Vivekananda, who was in p.321
America, requesting him to come stay with him in England. The
Swami sailed from New York about the middle of August. Sturdy Vivekananda,
soon became a disciple of the Swami and they began working on an pp.91, 93, 156-157
English translation of the Bhakti aphorisms of N~rada. By November
1899 Sturdy had given up the Swami because he felt that the teacher H.P.B. As I Knew
was not living in the West the life of an ascetic.
Her, pp.23-24
Mrs. Cleather stated that when she last met Sturdy in 1904 he had Cdn. Theosophist,
become a complete sceptic and spoke of H.P.B. as a wicked old Vol. 19, June 1938;
woman! In 1938 he was still continuing his work to advance the p.124
sympathetic study of Oriental Religion and Philosophy.

300

1958

The Judge Case

HISTORY
Chapter 2 in Theosophists: Reunite! by F. Pierce Spinks.
Assessment of the Judge case as a contributory factor to the present
divisiveness of the Theosophical movement. The author, a member of
the group that followed Judge in America suggests that Judge relayed
psychically received messages in good faith, but questions the source
based on subsequent results: the split in the Society.

T.N.C.A.B,
Item 1996, p.547

Aug. 20,
1958

Bahman Pestonji Wadia died in India. Born Oct. 8, 1881. He resigned

from the Indian Council and of the Indian Section of the Theosophical
Society on July 18th, 1922, stating Adyar had strayed away from the
Original Programme inspired by the Original Impulses whereby the
Masters brought it into existence through the help of Their Messenger,
H.P. Blavatsky.

To All Fellow
Theosophists and
Members of the
Theosophical
Society: A
Statement by B.P.
Wadia, p.1

1960

KATHERINE TINGLEY AND THE BREACH OF 1895. by Boris de T.N.C.A.B.

Item 2001, p.548
Zirkoff.
Advocates the date of the initial meeting of Katherine Tingley and
Judge as late fall 1894, so she could not have been responsible for his
Nov. 3rd Circular deposing Besant. But Judge mentions Tingley by
name in a letter of Oct. 1, 1894 . . . and E.A. Neresheimer notes that
he met her at Judges introduction after the September 1893 World
Parliament of Religions.
NOTE: See next entry for the complete text, found in Eirenicon, of Mr.
Boris de Zirkoffs comments as to when Judge met K.T.

Theosophists:
Reunite!
pp.31-105

Chronology

1960

301

KATHERINE TINGLEY AND THE BREACH OF 1895 by Boris de

Zirkoff.
Is it reasonable to suppose that Katherine Tingley claimed to be Eirenicon,
responsible for the development of Judges plans to secede, provided No. 137, 1960; p.8
he actually had such plans, in the first place?
Personally, after several years of work with her, I have never heard
anything of the kind. But this may be poor testimony historically
speaking. But what about the following:
Madame Tingley met Judge during a clockmakers strike in New
York (The Gods Await, Point Loma, 1926, Section III). The New
York TIMES shows that this strike was of several months duration,
and the articles about it run from August 28, 1894, to February 22,
1895. To judge by the cold weather spoken of by Katherine Tingley,
I would suggest that this meeting took place rather late in the season,
maybe late Fall, if not beginning of Winter. (Incidentally, this would
dispose of Mrs. Cleathers statement - H.P. Blavatsky, Her Life and
Work For Humanity, p.122 - that Judges E.S. Paper By Masters
Direction, dated November 4, 1894, was dictated by Katherine
Tingley, etc.) April 28, 1895, Judge seceded, at Boston Convention.
Is it reasonable to suppose that Katherine Tingley would have
produced such an impact on Judge within a matter of 3-4 months?
Personally, I think it is a lot of bosh, but I do not expect everybody
to agree with me. A lot of Theosophists have been for years in the
state of mind which is defined something like this: I have made up
my mind, Sir; dont confuse me with the facts! . . .
NOTE: In a letter to Mrs. H. Beane, dated October 1st, 1894 Judge wrote: Theos. Forum (P.L.)
I have been requested by Mrs. Kate A. Tingley to send some Vol. 7, Oct. 1935;
elementary documents on Theosophy and a form of application for p.26
membership in the T.S., so I presume that you have had some
conference with her upon the subject.

302

Apr. 2,
1962

The Judge Case

A meeting held at H.W. Dempsters home at 3131 McCall Street, San

Diego 6, California, with Dr. Henry A. Smith, President, American
Section of The Theosophical Society (Adyar). L. Gordon Plummer
and W. Emmett Small were also present. Statement from Dr. Smith:
I reached into my files and found the White Papers . . . written by
A.B. [Annie Besant] approximately in 1897. They were a review of
the whole (Judge) situation, a review of her position and of her
attitude and the attitude of the organization at that particular time. I
did not see how anybody could read that without reading between the
lines, and it was then that I began to sense that there must be another
aspect, another side to it. My first thought was, I wish I could get in
touch with one of you people that we might exchange White Papers
. . . I just followed the feeling within me. It told me that the first thing
to do was to read Judge, which I hadnt done, and in reading Judge I
knew Judge, and I became more and more convinced that it was a
matter of failure of communication at that time. I felt that Judge was
a Founder, and furthermore he was the first President of our Society
in this country. I felt he should be restored to his position . . .

Extracts from
meeting held at
Dempsters Home,
3pages of recorded
notes

Dr. Smith tried to restore an attitude at national headquarters that The Progressive
would respect the contribution of all noted figures in the history of the Theosophist, Vol. 1,
movement. For this reason a picture of W.Q. Judge was hung there. June 1966; pp.4-5
His brotherly act caused shock among the bigoted staff.
Dr. Smith wished to activate the Research Department on a national
basis. It was his hope to establish a nucleus that would link various
groups, produce literary works, create effective outlets for such efforts
in the world at large. . . . In Jan. 1965, control over the department
was wrested from him.
Henry Arthur Smith, M.D., joined the Society on July 1st, 1919 and The Theosophist,
was National-President of T.S. in America from 1960 to 1965. He Vol. 101, Dec. 1979;
died on September 10th, 1979.
p.170
NOTE: Dr. Smith was eventually asked to resign, request a leave of
absence for the remainder of his term, or stay and possibly face recall
action. He chose an unconditional leave of absence in July 1965.

Chronology

July 1963

303

THE LASTING SIGNIFICANCE OF THE JUDGE CASE.

Eirenicon, No. 147,
Autumn Equinox
The Editor of Eirenicon quoted Victor Endersby:
It seems to have been the original intention that a balance would be 1963; pp.2-3
maintained among enthusiasts of variant sorts. The Judge Case,
which split the Society, effectively destroyed this balance, and both
sides went to extremes, where some of them still are. (We might say
in passing that while Judge is blamed by one side for the split, and
credited by the other for it, our own research has convinced us that he
was not responsible for it, but was prepared to continue in unity with
the Olcott regime, even under circumstances very disadvantageous to
himself; first in official unity, then, when that failed, in unofficial
harmony and fellowship. But he was no longer master of the situation.
The true story of how both sides were victimized by forces inimical
to the whole Movement has not yet been published.)
NOTE: Victor Endersby, Editor of Theosophical Notes, issued AN
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, July 1963, whereby he dealt with Theosophical Notes,
controversial issues and notions regarding his supposed affiliation or Special Paper, July
rapprochement with what is known as neo-theosophy. He mentioned 1963; pp.1-5
having been invited to participate in a reorganized researched group
under the management pro tem of Dr. Henry A. Smith, President of
the T.S. in A.

March/April Book review by J.M. Prentice of The Last Four Lives of Annie Besant Cdn. Theosophist,
1964
by Arthur H. Nethercot.
Vol. 45, Mar./Apr.
Nethercot brings out . . . the belated admission by Annie that she had 1964; pp.20-23
been wrong in her attitude to Judge and in her acceptance at the time
that he gave a misleading form to genuine messages from the Masters,
(he was never overtly accused of forgery, remember) but such an
admission was made privately and never publicized at the time.
March/April
1964
continued

Book review by J.M. Prentice of The Last Four Lives of Annie Besant Cdn. Theosophist,
by Arthur H. Nethercot.
Vol. 45, Mar./Apr.
Following the above Prentice added:
1964; pp.20-23
This recalls to your reviewer a long interview which he had with
G.R.S. Mead in 1916. Mead said he had often wondered if he had not
gone astray in refusing to support Judge, who had called on him
during the 1894 crisis and implored such support. Mead was ill in bed
with a severe attack of influenza and his normal judgment was not
functioning.
NOTE: See Sep. 11, 1922.
Theosophical Activities
Lucifer,
We regret to say that the General Secretary, G.R.S. Mead, is still Vol. 14, June 1894;
extremely weak, his recovery from the breakdown caused by p.347
overwork being exceedingly slow.
NOTE: See NOTE in July 7, 1894 entry and May 20, 1894.]

304

The Judge Case

January 18,
1966

A private letter addressed to Boris [de Zirkoff] from Hildor Barton, an Letter addressed
early Point Loma student who was present and witnessed Katherine Dear Boris, dated
Tingley handing over one of Judges Diaries to August Neresheimer. Jan. 18, 1966
The Diary was turned over as J.H. Fussell recounts. Nere used to go
over, duly, each evening, though he preferred to stay at home with his
wife. There were no consultations, but only KTs endless recountments of events in the old days. And all the elderly gentlemen would
sit there and go to sleep one after another. But Nere would sit bolt
upright, like Amen Ra. And one evening KT came with the Diary in
her hands and said, I am going to give this to Nere, because I know
it will be well taken care of. Both Marguerite and I are strongly of
the thought that this was in 1928. We all thought it strange at the time;
for there had been some conflict of ideas between her and Nere. He
and Emily left early in 1929.
NOTE: See June 1932 for THE POINT LOMA VIEW, and Dec. 12, 1932.

Nov. 14-20,
1975

The Centenary Congress of the Theosophical Society was held in New Cdn. Theosophist,
York City in celebration of the Societys 100th Anniversary.
Vol. 56, Jan.-Feb.
1976; pp.121-127
The following was reported in The Canadian Theosophist by Ted G.
Davy, the official representative for the Canadian Section, as its The Theosophist,
General Secretary and Editor of the magazine. The then International Vol. 97, Jan. 1976;
President of the Theosophical Society was John B.S. Coats (1973- pp.213-215
1979) who made the reported announcement.
After having been virtually in exile these many years, the Congress
paid special tribute to William Quan Judge. With full approbation of
the Society, his name was at last relinked with those of H.P.B. and
Olcott, his colleagues of 1874 and after.
This restoration of dignity, if not of honour, was the source of
considerable joy at the Congress. Those many students who, over the
years, have endeavoured to defend Judges integrity and to
continuously make available his valuable writings, must have felt that
justice has been done at last. We in the Canada Section have always
recognized William Q. Judge as a founder of the Society and as a
student of Theosophy who made a special contribution to our
understanding of the Ancient Wisdom. It is gratifying to know that as
a result to the wider recognition initiated at the Congress, his work
will become know to a much larger segment of the Theosophical
Movement, and that hereafter he will be identified as one of the
Founders of the Society.
[Continued in next cell]

Chronology
Nov. 14-20,
1975
continued

305

NOTE: Unfortunately the anticipated breakthrough following this

proclamation by Mr. Coats at the Congress has never materialized. He
died December 26th, 1979, during his term of Office.
The Theosophical Society in Canada was dissociated from The
Theosophical Society at the Meeting of the General Council held at
Adyar on December 25th, 1991 (and continued on January 1st, 1992).
A change in the By-Laws of TS in Canada, updated to reflect
Canadian legal requirements, was taken as the pretext for expulsion.
A letter to this effect, dated January 31st, 1992, signed by Hugh Gray,
Secretary, informed then-General Secretary of TS in Canada, Stan
Treloar, of this action.

Documents in the
Archives of
Edmonton
Theosophical Society

Nov. 15,
1976

A CHAPTER OF THEOSOPHICAL HISTORY CLARIFIED

Eclectic Theos.
Iverson L. Harris commented on Some Reminiscences of William Q. No. 37, Nov. 15,
Judge by E. A. Neresheimer.
1976; pp.2-3
I have seen the originals of these messages and quotations in Mr.
Judges handwriting, and I showed photographic copies of them to
Miss Margaret Thomas (active U.L.T. member) at Oakley House,
Bromley Common, Kent, England, while I was attached to Dr. de
Puruckers staff during the temporary transference thither of the
International Headquarters of The Theosophical Society (Point Loma)
in 1932-1933.
Harris also reproached the anonymous author or authors of the
U.L.T. History of the Theosophical Movement [who] have
persistently maintained that the statement that Katherine Tingley was
appointed by Mr. Judge as his esoteric Successor is untenable and
even fraudulent.

Sep. 15,
1977

Historic Footnote: by Iverson L. Harris.

Eclectic Theos.
To those interested in knowing the truth concerning certain No. 42, Sep. 15,
statements made late in life by Mr. E. A. Neresheimer in his 1977; p.7
Reminiscences of William Q, Judge, the following incontrovertible
facts are gleaned and quoted from Minutes of a General Meeting held
at Headquarters, 144 Madison Avenue, New York, on Sunday, March
29, 1896 at 12:30 p.m.
Mr. Hargrove read several pages of the memoranda in Judges
handwriting found after his death. Thereafter, each member of the
Council expressed his concurrence and acceptance of the documents
read by Mr. Hargrove. Mr. Neresheimers concluding statement was
as follows: I corroborate everything that has been said by Mr.
Hargrove. I was present when the papers of Mr. Judge were examined,
and I have seen all the documents to which he refers.. . .
In conclusion, I quote the following from Mr. Hargroves opening
address to the members gathered at Headquarters in New York on
March 29, 1896:
This is the Rajahs (Judges) statement in regard to our new Outer
Head: This Head is as true as steel, as clear as diamond, as lasting as
Time.

306

The Judge Case

July 1988

THE JUDGE CASE.

Editor, Leslie Price, suggested: Has not the time come to look again
at the Judge case? Some Theosophists today have not heard of it and
others will deprecate attention to such painful circumstances.

Theos. History,
Vol. 2, July 1988;
p.229
Vol. 3, Jan. 1989;
p.3

Jan. 1989

REFLECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE: A New Look at the Judge Case by

Vonda Urban.
Lurking beneath the sombre shadows of the Judge crisis can be seen
the same menacing specter scheming to destroy Theosophy that
prevailed at Adyar during the Coulomb conspiracy. Only this time
it was spawned from within the Allahabad TS, among whose members
of Indian Brahmanas were some who were unwilling to relinquish
their exclusive hold on esoteric knowledge.

Theos. History,
Vol. 3, Jan. 1989;
pp.4-12,14

May-June
1989

T.N.C.A.B.
Item 1997, p.547

DID THE JUDGE CASE BEGIN WHILE H.P.B. WAS ALIVE?

Eclectic Theos.
By Wayne Kell. Lists, with comments, articles relating to the CAUSE May/June 1989;
versus the organization, including H.P.B.s A Puzzle from Adyar pp.4-5
and Why I Do Not Return to India
Kell states that H.P.B. wrote the above articles in response to Richard
Hartes two articles APPLIED THEOSOPHY and THE SITUATION.
NOTE: H.P.B. also wrote two articles MUDDLED MEDDLERS in defence
of W.Q. Judges position [see Feb. 1890] and Theosophical (?)
Dogmatism and Intolerance [see Lucifer Vol. 5, Oct. 1889; pp.168169] where she criticized Hartes editorship of The Theosophist and
his point of view.

April/May
1998

Katherine Tingley: A Biographical Sketch

Grace F. Knoche summarized how Mrs. Tingley proceeded after the
passing of William Q. Judge. She wrote:
In some of his papers Judge had alluded to Mrs. Tingley and, shortly
after his death, she was recognized as his successor by those closest
to him. Almost immediately she felt the urgency to start a new current
of thought, to strike anew the brotherhood note, and to move the
thinking and attitude of the nations SS and theosophists everywhere
from the inevitability of war to its universal abolition by directing
their will and energies towards world peace and the pacific settlement
of disputes. If we want peace tomorrow, she believed, we must start
with the children of today.
Step by step she moved toward these ends.
NOTE: See Jan. 30, 1898 entry for more details.

Spring 2000

Lights and Shadows of Brotherhood. by Brett Forray

Fohat, Vol. 4, No. 1,
Mr. Forray examined the period of the Theosophical Movement Spring 2000; pp.6-9
known as The Judge Case and suggests that it is essential to know
its history in order to know where we are heading. He stated:
If the split in the ranks that occurred in 1895 didnt completely
destroy the Society as H.P.B. feared, it changed the tenor of the
remaining and soon to emerge new Theosophical Organizations. With
more than one group calling itself Theosophical, which one was
carrying on the original impetus on which the T.S. was founded?

Sunrise,
Vol. 47, No. 4,
Apr./May 1998;
p.101

Chronology

307

Winter
2000 &
Spring 2001

ANNIE BESANT HER PASSIONS AND HER RELATIONSHIPS.

Parts 1 and 2, by Ernest Pelletier.
This article focuses on Mrs. Besants early years, from 1888 to 1896,
before and after she joined the Theosophical Society. Her social and
political involvement with individuals who influenced her during that
time are examined.
From a reading of Mrs. Besants hand by a professional palmist,
certain weaknesses which led her to detract from the Original Program
are illustrated.
Also described is the incident at the Council meeting held in London
on May 27th, 1891, shortly after Mme. Blavatskys death, which
involved Mr. Judge and the message from the Master(W.Q. Judges
plan is right) which appeared on a piece of paper found among the
letters in Mrs. Besants possession.

Fohat, Vol. 4, No. 4,

Winter 2000; pp.7783, 92
Vol. 5, No. 1, Spring
2001; pp.6-11

Summer &
Fall 2003

What Killed William Q. Judge? Parts 1 and 2 by Ernest Pelletier.

In Part 1 Judges close relationship with his co-workers and his
determination to establish a strong Theosophical Movement in
America are examined.
In Part 2 how the medical treatments of the times contributed to
Judges death are explored.

Fohat, Vol. 7, No. 2,

Summer 2003;
pp.29-34
No. 3, Fall 2003;
pp.60-64, 69-70

Fall 2003

The entire issue of Fohat is dedicated to W.Q. Judge.

A practical Occultist by Robert Bruce MacDonald
William Q. Judge The Pilgrim by Ernest Pelletier
Swinging With the Motion of the Spheres by R.B. MacDonald
Natus: W.Q. Judge (astrological birth chart) by Alan Leo
What Should Theosophists Talk About by W.Q. Judge
What is Occultism? by W.Q. Judge

Fohat, Vol. 7, No. 3,

Fall 2003

308

Edge, S.V.
NOTE:
Date of
death
unknown.

The Judge Case

Sydney Vernon Edge. (Date of birth unknown)

Not much is known about Mr. Edge but from documents the following
few facts were gathered:
Mr. S.V. Edge was elected on Sep. 30th, 1890 as Assistant-Secretary
of the Blavatsky Lodge for the 1890-91 term. He, along with Bertram
Keightley, travelled to India on August 21st, 1891, shortly after Mme.
Blavatskys death. Mr. Edge was to join Headquarters staff at Adyar
and help Bertram Keightley who was the General Secretary of the
Indian Section. While there he wrote an article titled Adyar
describing the Societys headquarters, the Adyar Library, living
conditions and the work carried on there.

Lucifer, Vol. 7, Oct.

1890; pp.164-165
Lucifer, Vol. 8,
Aug. 1891; p.518
Nov. 1891; pp.226227

In January 1893, S.V. Edge was involved in a meeting which included Old Diary Leaves,
W. Old, (who had recently arrived at Adyar), Bertram Keightley, Col. Fourth Series, p.508
Olcott and Judge Khandalavala, where evidence against W.Q. Judge
was presented. It was at this time that it was decided to prosecute
Judge. In a meeting held December 1893 which also involved Col. Ransom, pp.298-299
Olcott, Judge Khandalavala and Annie Besant (who had also just
recently arrived on her first visit to India), among others, charges were
formulated.
[See Dec. 29, 1929, for Walter Olds biographical sketch regarding
Mr. Edges involvement in the THEOSOPHIC FREETHOUGHT article
which resulted in both of them getting suspended from the E.S. in
August 1893 for violating their pledge of secrecy.] Mr. Edge had
joined as a member of the Esoteric School of Theosophy after Mme.
Blavatskys death. In late 1893 S.V. Edge, then Acting General
Secretary of the Indian Section T.S., was placed in charge of
arrangements of the programme for Mrs. Besants India tour.
In a letter to G.R.S. Mead on November 1st, 1894 from Madras, Mr.
Edge mentioned that he was continuing to sub-edit The Theosophist.
By April 1895 he had given his notice to resign his position as SubEditor of the Theosophist. There is very little mention of him from
this point on.

To All Members of
E.S.T. p.2

The Theosophist,
Vol. 14, June 1893;
Supp. p.ix
Lucifer, Vol. 15,
Dec. 1894; p.337
The Theosophist,
Vol. 16, Mar. 1895;
Supp. p.xviii

Chronology

Harte, R.
NOTE:
Date of
death
unknown.

309

Richard Harte. (Date of birth unknown and no application form to join the
Theosophical Society has been found.) No known biography exists
about Mr. Harte. The following facts have been gathered.
Mr. Harte was a long-time active member of the Aryan T.S. in New
York and also served as its President. He joined the T.S. in 1877. Mr.
Harte attended the Convention of the American Section of the T.S.
held at Mott Memorial Hall in New York City on Sunday, April 24th,
1887. At that Convention he was elected as a member of the General
Council for the newly formed American Section of the T.S.

The Path, Vol. 3,

Sep. 1888; p.204
The Theosophist,
Vol. 8, July 1887;
Supp. pp.cvii-cviii
BCW, Vol. 8, p.268

At some point in 1887 Mr. Harte, an experienced newspaper man with

the New York Telegram, went to England, presumably to lend his
support and help to Mme Blavatsky. He acquired considerable
reputation among theosophists as the alleged writer of the December
1887 editorial, LUCIFER TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,
GREETINGS! When Col. Olcott visited England in 1888 he persuaded
his old friend Mr. Harte to join him at Adyar. On October 28th, 1888,
Mr. Harte boarded the ship with Charles Johnston and his wife Vera
(H.P.B.s niece), Baroness Kroummess and E.D. Fawcett and Col.
Olcott and reached Bombay November 10th. By December, Col. Olcott
had appointed him Librarian and Assistant Editor of the Theosophist.
Mr. Harte was delegated by the Executive Committee, at the time he
left London for India, to represent the American Section at the
Thirteenth Convention and Anniversary of the T.S.

Practical
Occultism, p.67
A Short History of
the T.S., p.252

The Theosophist,
Vol. 10, Dec. 1888;
Supp. p.xxvii

He served as Secretary of The Theosophical Publishing Society at

Adyar which issued reprints on Theosophical subjects such as
Theosophy and the Church, Keelys Secrets and Elementals and
Elementaries, among others. He was also appointed, on January 7th,
1889, as one of three Commissioners during Col. Olcotts trip to Japan
that year. During that time he stirred up a lot of controversy with his
editorial and article (APPLIED THEOSOPHY and THE SITUATION) which
appeared in the June 1889 Theosophist. These articles, along with A
Disclaimer which he published in the July Supplement of the
Theosophist, generated strong reactions from H.P. Blavatsky and
W.Q. Judge. After Col. Olcotts return from Japan he resigned as
Secretary of the T.S. and stated:
In order to avoid any suspicion that opinions expressed by me about The Theosophist,
the affairs of the Theosophical Society, etc., are of an official nature, Vol. 12, Oct. 1890;
or that you are, either directly or indirectly, responsible for them, I beg Supp. p.ii
herewith to place in your hands my resignation of the office of
Secretary of the Theosophical Society, the only official position I hold
therein.
After three years of service in Adyar he returned to England.
T.N.C.A.B.
He wrote The Shrine of Koot Hoomi, a letter to the Editor, Madras Items 1359 & 1640
Mail, Jan. 24, 1890, and Theosophy and The Theosophical Society,
8pp, published by Adyar in 1889.

Chronology

311

List of Biographical Sketches

A N DERSO N , Dr. Jerome A. (July 25, 1847 - Dec. 25, 1903). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
B ESAN T , Annie (Oct. 1, 1847 - Sep. 20, 1933). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
B LAVATSKY , Helena Petrovna (Aug. 12, 1831 - May 8, 1891). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
B U CK , Dr. Jirah Dewey (Nov. 20, 1838 - 1916). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
B U RRO W S , Herbert (1845 - 1921). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
C H AKRAVARTI, Gyanendra Nath (July 6, 1863 - 1936). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
C LEATH ER , Mrs. Alice Leighton (Apr. 24, 1854? - May 4, 1938). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
C O RYN , Dr. Herbert A. W . (1863 - Nov. 27, 1927). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
C RO SBIE , Robert (Jan. 10, 1849 - June 25, 1919). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
C RU M P , Basil (1866 est. - May 30, 1945). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
D H ARM APALA , Anagarika Hevavitarane (1864 - Apr. 29, 1933). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
D IC K , Frederick John (1856 - May 25, 1927). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
D O U BLED AY , General Abner (June 26, 1819 - Jan. 26, 1893). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
D U N LO P , Daniel Nicol (Dec. 1868 - May 30, 1935). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
E D GE , Dr. Henry Travers (Jan. 6, 1867 - Sep. 19, 1946). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
E D GE , Sydney Vernon (No dates). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
F U LLERTO N , Alexander (Sep. 12, 1841 - July 21, 1913). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
F U SSELL , Dr. Joseph H. (1863 - May 7, 1942) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
H ARGRO VE , Ernest Temple (Dec. 17, 1870 - Apr. 8, 1939).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
H ARTE , Richard (No Dates). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
H ARTM ANN , Dr. Franz (Nov. 22, 1838 - Aug. 7, 1912). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
H ILLARD , Katharine ( ? - Nov. 3, 1915). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
H O LLO W AY -L AN GFO RD , Laura Carter (1848 - July 10, 1930). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
H BBE -S CH LEID EN , Dr. W illiam (Oct. 20, 1846 - May 17, 1916). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
J U D GE , Mrs. Ella Miller (1853 - Apr. 17, 1931). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
J U D GE , W illiam Quan (Apr. 13, 1851 - Mar. 21, 1896). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
K EIG H TLEY , Dr. Archibald (Apr. 19, 1859 - Nov. 18, 1930). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
K EIG H TLEY , Bertram (Apr. 4, 1860 - Oct. 31, 1944). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
K EIG H TLEY , Julia (Jasper Niemand) (185[5]? - Oct. 9, 1915). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
K H AN D ALAVALA , Khan Bahadur Nowroji (Navroji) Dorabji ( ? - June 2, 1938). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
M EAD , George Robert Stowe (Mar. 22, 1863 - Sep. 29, 1933). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
M LLER , Frances Henrietta (Early 1850s - Jan. 4, 1906). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
N ERESH EIM ER , Emil August (Jan. 2, 1847 - Apr. 16, 1937). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
O LCOTT , Henry Steel (Aug. 2, 1832 - Feb. 17, 1907). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
O LD , W alter Richard (Mar. 20, 1864 - Dec. 29, 1929). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
P RY SE , James Morgan (Aug. 14, 1859 - Apr. 22, 1942). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
R AM BO , Edward Burroughs (Apr. 5, 1845 - Aug. 16, 1897). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
R U SSELL , George () (Apr. 10, 1867 - July 17, 1935). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
S H RO FF , Kavasji Mervanji ( ? - Apr. 27, 1903). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
S IN NETT , Alfred Percy (Jan. 18, 1840 - June 27, 1921). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
S M Y TH E , Albert Ernest (Dec. 27, 1861 - Oct. 2, 1947). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

312

The Judge Case

S TEAD , W illiam Thomas (1849 - Apr. 14-15, 1912). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

S TO KES , Dr. Henry Newlin (Oct. 1859 - Sep. 30, 1942). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
S TU RD Y , Edward Toronto (1860 - Mar. 15, 1957). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
T IN GLEY , Katherine (1847 - July 11, 1929). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
W ACHTM EISTER , Countess Constance (Mar. 28, 1838 - Sep. 23, 1910). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
W AD IA , Bahman Pestonji (Oct. 8, 1881 - Aug. 20, 1958). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
W RIG H T , Claude Falls (Sep. 18, 1867 - Jan. 8, 1923). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Z H ELIH O VSKY , Vera Petrovna de (Apr.17/29, 1835 - May 5/18, 1896) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

SUPPLEMENT
TO

THE JUDGE CASE

A Conspiracy Which Ruined the Theosophical CAUSE

Contents
Chapter 1
The Early Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 2
Judge in London and Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 3
Judge Goes to India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4
Judge at Adyar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 5
Back In America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 6
Bertram Keightley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 7
Richard Harte Troubles at Adyar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 8
Struggles in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 9
The Wills of H.P.B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 10
Olcott is Tested Suspicions Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 11
The Poison Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 12
Suspicions Begin to Sprout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 13
Bertram Keightley Returns to Europe and America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 14
Fears of Dogmatism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 15
Suspicions Take Root The September 1884 Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 16
Indians Summoned to the CAUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 17
W.Q. Judges Initiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 18
Convention of 1893 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 19
G. N. Chakravarti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 20
The Proceedings Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 21
Delays and Withholdings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 22
Khandalavala and Besant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 23
The Judicial Committee Pre and Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 24
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Addendum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index to Supplement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

317
320
325
329
337
339
343
347
350
355
361
365
367
370
373
382
384
390
393
396
401
405
408
415
422
425
445

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Chapter 1

The Early Years

William Quan Judge was an enigmatic individual, more complex than has been ascribed. He was selected
to be part of the essential core for the founding of the Theosophical Society. With an open heart and mind
one cannot, after examining the evidence gathered, be other than moved that his influence was not only
necessary but actually of vital importance to the proper communicating of ideas presented by the great and
noble philosophy known as Brahma-Vidy.
W.Q. Judge was born in Dublin, Ireland, on April 13th, 1851.* He was one of seven children born to Frederick
H. Judge and Alice Mary Quan Judge. At the age of seven William was struck by a serious illness which, by
all evidence, had led to his death.1 As the doctor gathered the family to the young lads bedside to announce
that he was dead, William revived. Recovery was slow and it was during his year-long convalescence that
he started to demonstrate an interest in mystical subjects. He also read books on mesmerism, phrenology,
magic, religion, etc., much to the amazement of his family who, up to this point, had not been aware that he
could read.
It eventually became an accepted fact among Judges close friends that at the time of the encounter with
death, another entity had entered into the Irish boys body.2 According to one such friend Judge once
described
the experience the Ego had in assuming control of the instrument . . . [which] was never absolutely
perfected, for to Mr. Judges dying day, the physical tendencies and heredity of the body he used
would crop up and interfere with the full expression of the inner mans thoughts and feelings. An
occasional abruptness and coldness of manner was attributable to this lack of co-ordination. . . . He
was always in absolute control of his thoughts and actions, but his body would sometimes slightly
modify their expression.3

At the Boston Convention in 1891 Judge apparently made it known that the indwelling Ego in the body was
a Hindu.4
Judges mother died giving birth to her seventh child. Frederick H. Judge, described as a Mason and a
student of mysticism,5 moved his family to the USA when William was thirteen years old. They arrived
in New York on July 14th, 1864, on the Inman Liner, City of Limerick. The family stayed briefly at the Old
Merchants Hotel on Cortlandt Street, then on Tenth Street, New York, finally settling in Brooklyn, NY.
Judges father died before Williams twenty-first birthday.
Judge had a number of siblings although we are not quite sure what became of all of them. We know his
younger brother, Frederick C. Judge, named after his father, was born in 1865 and also donated his time to
theosophical work. He died of cirrhosis of the liver at age thirty-two in Calcutta in 1888. Another brother,
John H. Judge, was born circa 1859. John first met H.P. Blavatsky when he was seventeen. W.Q. Judge had
two sisters who had been residing with him when he died. One of them was a well known organist; one was
named Emily.
Judge managed to finish his schooling and eventually went to work in a Law Office, which led him into the
legal profession. He became a naturalized American citizen in April 1872 and was admitted to the State Bar
of New York in May of the same year. He specialized in Commercial Law.

* Early biographical information has been summarized from William Q. Judge, The Irish Theosophist, Vol. 4, February 1896, pp.90-92, and
from William Quan Judge 1851-1896, Theosophical Pioneer, compiled by Sven Eek and Boris de Zirkoff, pp.5-7.

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The Judge Case

Judge married Ella Miller Smith, a school teacher and strict Methodist from Brooklyn, in 1874. It was shortly
after his marriage that he came in contact with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky** and pursued his theosophical
interests, which his wife did not share for personal and religious reasons at the time.6 This was not conducive
to a pleasant marital situation, which further deteriorated with the loss of their only child, a daughter, who
died of diphtheria at the age of five.7
It was following the publication in the New York Daily Graphic of Colonel Henry Steel Olcotts accounts
of Spiritualistic seances at the Eddy Farm in Chittenden, VT, in late 18748 that Judge wrote to Olcott
requesting an introduction to Madame Blavatsky. H.P.B. and Judge seemed to recognize each other upon
meeting. He once stated, It was as if but the evening before we had parted, leaving yet to be done some
detail of a task taken up. . . .9 They maintained a close association from that point on.
Judge was a founding member of the Theosophical Society which was first proposed in Blavatskys
apartment at 46 Irving Place, New York on September 8th , 1875, following a lecture by New York architect,
George H. Felt, on The Lost Canon of Proportion of the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
Judge was a frequent visitor to H.P.B.s apartment. He mentioned some years later having been involved with
the preparation of H.P.B.s Isis Unveiled, which was published September 29th , 1877. In 1884 he wrote to
a friend how H.P.B. acknowledged his contribution of the term elemental during the writing of it. His
younger brother, John H. Judge, apparently rendered valuable service in the matter of preparing H.P.B.s
manuscript for the printer, by copying a good portion of the work. This was not an easy task, for typewriters
were [not very practical] in those days, and it was necessary to prepare manuscripts for publication by means
of handwritten copy.10
For some reason, a short time before the publication of Isis Unveiled, there apparently developed a
disruption in relations between H.P.B. and Judge. One theory is that this was possibly due to an occult test.
In Olcotts words:
During that year of interregnum Mr. Judge did not visit us, owing to a difficulty between Mme.
Blavatsky and himself, nor did she write to him nor he to her, his only letters being addressed to me.
. . . W hen Mr. Judge reappeared at Headquarters, the old cordial relations between us three were reestablished, and continued down to the death of H.P.B.11

On December 18th , 1878, Blavatsky, Olcott, and Edward Wimbridge, an English architect, left New York on
board the British steamship Canada, en route to India. W.Q. Judge and his brother, John C. Judge, saw them
off.
Olcott himself admits that the organization that was left behind was alive in name only.
W hen the interest of the members had become so weakened as to prevent meetings being held, the
work of the Society was carried on in Council, up to the point when all executive functions had
practically been concentrated in the Presidents hands and Council ceased to meet.12

Touching upon events leading up to his and H.P.B.s departure, Olcott stated:
There were no meetings of the Society for two years before our departure. . . .W e made no attempt to
revive the meetings knowing it would be useless.13

Major-General Abner Doubleday, of Civil War fame, became Acting President of the Theosophical Society.
Judge was then a young man, twenty-[seven] years of age, newly married, poor, and at that time obscure,
not of robust health, soon to have the future of an infant child added to his responsibilities, . . . was left

**

Hereafter will frequently be identified as H.P.B.

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virtually in charge of the interests of the Theosophical Society14 in the United States. Most of the Societys
affairs had been conducted around Blavatsky. The void left following her departure was immense and for
some years thereafter it appeared that Judge was left very much alone by both H.P.B. and the Masters.15
Over the years, his desire to become more active in the Society grew stronger. Judge was not a rich man; at
times he was quite poor. He once mentioned that he had to borrow a nickel for a ferry crossing. His despair
both in his finances and in the promoting of Theosophy were almost too much for him to bear. He wrote
rather despairingly to Olcott, complaining that he was being left out in the cold. This situation was
undoubtedly connected with his trials as a probationary chela. He asked for news about the Masters, just
anything.16 His letters seemed to fall on deaf ears.
During this period (1879-1882) Judge corresponded with Damodar K. Mavalankar.17 Judge had mining
interests in Venezuela at the time and some of these letters were written from there, where he spent the
greater part of 1881-1882. The replies of Damodar revealed to Judge a more intimate relationship between
Master and pupil than he had ever hoped for himself, and this made Judge his fervent admirer and lifelong
friend. In the series titled A Hindu Chelas Diary, Judge paraphrases Damodars mystical experiences as
described in his letters to him.18

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Chapter 2

Judge in London and Paris

In a letter to Damodar dated June 11th, 1883, Judge wrote: I have your last. On the back is written in red
pencil Better come M . . . Olcott wrote me three days ago begging me to come also & thus I have a great
obligation.1 For Judge this was the most pleasing news. He had longed for the time when he could again
engage in the work he loved best. Judge continued:
My dear Damodar I have as great a trial in staying here as in leaving I think it is a greater one to
stay. Because my position is well nigh unbearable & my domestic relations are not pleasant. I would
often fain to die & how much better to fly.2

Judge really wanted to go to India and to stay indefinitely, but was torn by his sense of obligation to his wife.
This note was all it took for Judge to take action; he must have also been looking forward to fraternizing with
his pen colleague Damodar. By early 1884 he felt able to go to India, although just how he adjusted his
financial difficulties and provided for his wifes support is not known. He left New York in February, to
remain away permanently if necessary, stopping in London to receive further instructions and to meet with
the two other Founders.
It appears that Judge arrived in London on February 27th, 1884.3 He stayed at a hotel while awaiting word
from Olcott as to what to do next. Weeks went by and he found himself in despair, waiting for orders. He
wrote to his friend in America, Laura Holloway: The magnetic atmosphere of London is horrible, every one
here drinks ale and eats chops eternally.4 He was invited by the Sinnetts for dinner a few times and to Miss
Francesca Arundales also all members of London Lodge (L.L.). No doubt conversations after meals were
focused on London Lodge. Sinnetts return to London from India in the spring of 1883 had created many
problems for Dr. Anna Kingsford, the President of London Lodge. A serious dispute had arisen between Dr.
Kingsford (M.D. of the Faculty of Paris), Edward Maitland and their party, and Sinnett and his party. Sinnett,
author of The Occult World (1881) and Esoteric Buddhism (1883), valued the Indian/Tibetan teachings
while Kingsford and Maitland, authors of The Perfect Way; or, the Finding of Christ (1882) preferred the
Hermetic, Christian-Egyptian teachings. The Chohan, one of the Chief Dhyanis, the Guru of the Adepts,5
had indicated that he wanted Dr. Kingsford in the Society but did not want to influence the members of the
L.L. for their consent.6 Olcott was ordered to look after the affair. The matter was somewhat resolved when
Olcott arrived in London on April 6th, 1884, and granted Dr. Kingsford a charter for a separate Branch.7 On
April 9th a meeting was held in Charles Carleton Masseys law chambers and the Hermetic Lodge of the
Theosophical Society was established.8
From his hotel in London, Judge could walk over to visit his old friend C.C. Massey. Massey was an English
Barrister-at-law and writer. After his fathers death, which left him wealthy, he gave up his short and
successful law practice to devote himself to the study of philosophy, psychology and Spiritualism
especially the investigation of psychic phenomena. While in America in 1875 he went to Chittenden, VT,
to verify for himself Olcotts accounts of the Eddy phenomena.9 Massey was one of the first to join the T.S.
He was also a founder of the British Theosophical Society (June 27th, 1878) which Dr. Kingsford renamed
the London Lodge of the T.S. after her return to England from the continent on May 20th, 1883.10 Massey was
also one of the founders of the Society for Psychical Research in 1882.11
A refuge for Judge was spending time at the British Museum investigating the wonderful Greek Gallery and
the Assyrian and Egyptian collections. He also found solace in writing letters and most of his evenings were
spent alone in his hotel reading or writing. He mentioned writing a paper on his acquisitions in South
America. He had been hired by a mining company to do some work in Venezuela from which he was
receiving a small monthly compensation for what he called his South American speculations.12 Every extra

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penny he managed to save went toward theosophical work. Most often he found himself underdressed and
short of money compared to his friends in England. One day he ordered a pair of trousers for Z4 from a tailor.
To him this was great in New York it would have cost him Z10.
Judge was growing weary and despondent with London. He called London a horrid place. To pass the time
away he read The Theosophist and probably also the local newspapers. He had an inclination for mysteries
of the world and the new sciences. The English were known explorers and the local papers would have
carried many articles about their exploits. Judge must have found himself unproductive at this time. He had
previously expressed his hope of finding temporary work, stating: The possibility of working my passage
instead of being unpleasant is quite pleasant.13
An anonymous but interesting book review, titled The Hollow Globe, appeared in the July 1884
Theosophist. Judge more than likely wrote this article while he was waiting in London. It is a review of The
Hollow Globe; or the Worlds Agitator and Reconciler, sub-titled A TREATISE ON THE PHYSICAL
CONFORMATION OF THE EARTH, Presented Through the Organism of M.L. Sherman, M.D., and Written by
Professor Wm. F. Lyon. The book was published in Chicago in 1871. Its central theme is that the Earth is
hollow and contains an interior world which is accessible through a navigable aperture in the Polar Sea.
Among the topics included are fragments of history and information on the open Polar Sea, the igneous
theory, volcanoes, earthquakes, and electro-magnetism that can produce earthquakes. Interestingly, Judge
later wrote a similar article in The Path, October 1889, titled The Skin of the Earth under the pseudonym
of Bryan Kinnavan.14 Judges review of The Hollow Globe ends abruptly as though he had to drop it
suddenly and move on to something else. The review article concludes with a comment that some of the
material had been to some extent corroborated in recent theosophical articles such as Fragments of Occult
Truth and other teachings given in The Theosophist.15 Judge may have delayed sending his review until
he had a chance to discuss the contents of the book with Blavatsky (after all The Theosophist was still being
conducted by her as Editor) while in Paris. The Hollow Globe was apparently written as a spirit
communication (through Dr. Sherman) and the reviewer wondered if the Spirit may have been an Adept.
Perhaps due to how this book had been written, elementals and mediumship versus mediatorship were
discussed with Blavatsky, as will be pointed out later.
There may have been underlying friction between Judge and Sinnett at the time. From his correspondence
it appears that Judge seemed uncomfortable visiting them. When Sinnetts Esoteric Buddhism was
published he had claimed that this knowledge is now being given out for the first time. Judge had stated
this was a mistake and pointed out in The Theosophist, that Nearly all the leading portions of the doctrine
are to be found broadly stated in the Bhagavad Gita.16 On the occasions that he was invited to the Sinnetts
for dinner Judge would be informed as to the travels of Olcott, Blavatsky and party who embarked on a
French steamer for Marseilles on February 20th, 1884.17 Finally, once they reached Nice, France, on March
15th, Judge telegraphed Olcott for instructions. He received a telegram the next day telling him to go to Paris
and meet them there on their arrival on March 27th. Judge called himself the weary pilgrim, feeling blue, and
he was glad to get out of London. He stated, I walk about in a mental cloak, and do not care either to see
or hear.18 Judge arrived in Paris on March 25th, 1884.19
The group of travellers consisted of Olcott, Blavatsky, Mohini M. Chatterji, a personal pupil of Master
K.H.,20 B.J. Padshah, a clever Parsi graduate from the University of Bombay, and Babula.21 Blavatsky was
ill at the time and Babula came along as her personal servant. A few days after arriving in France, they were
invited to go to Nice to visit Lady Caithness, Duchesse de Pomar, and to stay at her Palais Tiranty. Mohini
and Padshah went ahead to Paris where they were greeted by Judge. On March 28th at 11P.M. Judge, Mohini
and Dr. Thurmann, F.T.S. met Blavatsky and Olcott at the station and were conducted to their apartments

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at 46, Rue Notre Dame des Champs, which Lady Caithness had provided for their use for the next three
months.22
As soon as Judge arrived in Paris he wrote to Holloway about his change of address, the American Exchange,
Paris, where she could reach him. In a letter sent a few days earlier he had included a most interesting and
foretelling message which he had received from Blavatsky:
I have not been able to have any long private conversations with her. I have had some talks with her
and can tell you now that I have confirmation of much that has occurred. She told me independently
and voluntarily that the Master had told her in India, that he [Master M.] was doing, or about to do
something with and for me.23

Judge had obviously been having occult experiences which he discussed with H.P.B. Not much is mentioned
about what eventually happened. What was the Master about to do? A change of plans occurred soon after
H.P.B. arrived in Paris and she was ordered to go to London.
Judge was determined that he had to go to India and that was what he was going to do. He did not appear to
know the particulars as to why he had to go to India. It seems his thirst for communion with H.P.B. and the
Masters and his willingness to serve the CAUSE were all he required. Judge explained his delay in leaving
for India by stating, again in a letter to Laura Holloway: I am ordered by the Masters to stop here [Paris]
and help Madame in writing the Secret Doctrine. . . .24 In his next letter he wrote:
To resume with coherency. After the first hurry was over here, I said I had to go to India at once.
Olcott thought I had better stay with H.P.B. and so did she. But I said that all the orders I had were
to go to India and without further ones I was going, and so she said I was probably right and then it
was decided that I would wait here until O. could get me a steamer in London where he went on the
5th. All was thus arranged definitely. But the next morning, as I was sitting in the bedroom with
Mohini, in which he and I slept, and after we had been there about an hour after coffee, Olcott came
from his room, which was at the other end of the hall, and called me out, and told me privately that
the Master had been then to his room and had told him that I was not to go yet to India, but to stay
and help H.P.B. on the Secret Doctrine. By the way my fate is mixed up with Isis Unveiled. I
helped her on that, and, as she reminded me yesterday, I suggested the use of the word elemental
to make the distinction clear between them and the elementaries. As she said, that was your word,
Judge. It shows she is not ungrateful nor like so many who are unwilling to concede what they are
indebted to others for.
Mohini and I had not yet left our rooms and H.P.B. was still in bed. Perfectly convinced after a few
minutes that O. was right, especially as the afternoon before I had had an intuition of it in the street,
I returned to our room and told Mohini nothing. But after about half an hour he looked up and said,
Judge, I believe your Master has been in the house this morning for some purpose. I then told him
of the change of plan, and he said, it must be right.
So then, here I am for how long or short I do not know, and I am to make suggestions and write upon
the work. So see my fate again linked with the second working up of Isis. In this place you will
remember her letter of last June that my fate was indissolubly linked with that of theirs (the ).25
[Italics added]

In a letter, dated October 23rd, 1889, H.P.B. referred to Judge as being part of herself since several aeons.
On April 5th, 1884, Olcott and Mohini left for London. Olcott had been ordered by the Master to go there and
settle the problems that had arisen in the London Lodge. H.P.B. was to stay in Paris and work on The Secret
Doctrine with Judge, who was about to receive valuable occult training. Judge relates what happened shortly
after Olcotts departure:
As we sat there I felt the old signal of a message from the Master and saw that she was listening. She
said: Judge, the Master asks me to try and guess what would be the most extraordinary thing he
could order now? I said that Mrs. K[ingsford] should be made the President of the London Lodge.

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Try again. That H.P.B. should be ordered to go to London. That was right and he ordered her to
take the 7:45 express, giving the exact hours it would arrive at the different stations and in London.26

Although Blavatsky was ordered to stay in London only 24 hours,27 she ended up staying at the Sinnetts
until April 15th.28 Judge stayed behind working with Babula as his servant. Judge had his thirty-third birthday
two days before Blavatskys return to Paris.
____________________
There are few details of what happened between H.P.B. and Judge after her return but a glimpse of what
occurred during his Paris stay can be found in a letter to Holloway. Here he described how for several days
he was in the most awful blues that he had ever had and that H.P.B. had actually been worried. He wrote:
It seemed impossible to stave them off, and as they were accompanied with an uncontrollable desire
to weep, I was in a bad way. [H.P.B.] said I had got into my past current, and, also that in going about
I had absorbed some old elementaries which she saw about me. She gave me to wear all day her
talisman ring which is of great value and strength. It has a double triangle and the Sanscrit for life
on it. This helped me, but all the while I felt that something was to be done by me.
. . . This point in my career I feel is a turning point and I hope to turn it with advantage.29

With all the delays and mental anguish Judge had suffered it was finally time for him to be prepared for
initiation. When he received the note Better come M on the back of Damodars letter, Judge had not
hesitated. Unknown to him at the time, some of his past karma was waning and it was an opportune time for
action to be taken. Either H.P.B., or Master M through her, exercised the power needed to drive those
negative energies away from Judge and to rid him of those affinities, his past currents, which were still
attracted to him. In The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett there are hints as to what an Adept can do for
a chela who has gained the right to be liberated from the few remaining bad magnetic emanations or even
worse, elementaries and imperfect Intelligences, and have his constitution cleared up.30 It may have been
at this time that Judges globes (planets or chakras) were cleansed (operated upon31) by H.P.B. or the
Masters.
One thing becomes apparent from this moment onwards Judge gained in confidence and his Will appeared
to gain in strength. He also became more aware of the positive energies around him. As indicated earlier,
H.P.B. tested his ability to pick up on messages coming to her.
____________________
It was a very busy time and many visitors from all classes were constantly calling. Among them was the
Countess dAdhmar, who at once professed a profound admiration for H.P.B. On May 13th, 1884, Blavatsky
and Judge went for a visit to Count and Countess Gaston dAdhmar de Cransac at their Chteau cossais
situated at Enghien, not far from Paris.32 Bertram Keightley from London had also expressed interest in
meeting Blavatsky so he was invited for a few days.33
In connection with their stay there, Judge wrote:
At Enghien especially, H.P.B. wanted me to go carefully through the pages of her copy of Isis
Unveiled for the purpose of noting on the margins what subjects were treated, and for the work she
furnished me with what she called a special blue and red pencil. I went all through both volumes and
made the notes required, and of those she afterwards wrote me that they were of the greatest use to
her. . . .
. . . The subject of elementals came up, and I asked her if she intended to give much on it. Her reply
was that she might say something, but it was all sub judice as yet and must wait for orders, as it was
not a quiet or harmless part of the thing.

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She then asked me to write down all I knew or thought I knew on that head, and she would see if that
much coming from me would be allowed to pass the unseen critics. A long chapter on Elementals was
then done, nearly all by my pen, and she put it away for some time. The day that it was finished was
warm and pleasant, and in the middle of the afternoon she suddenly grew absorbed once more. The
air of the room at the same time was turned to the temperature of much below freezing, to judge by
sensation, and I remarked on the fact. It was not a change of the weather at all, but seemed to blow
out from H.P.B. as if she was an open door from some huge refrigerating store. I again drew her
attention to it and said, It feels as if a door was open on the Himalaya Mountains and the cold air was
blowing into this room.
To this she replied: Perhaps it is so, and smiled. It was so cold that I had to protect myself with a
rug taken from the floor.
In about three days she announced that my small and inadequate chapter on Elementals had been of
such a sort that it was decided she would not put much, if anything, into The Secret Doctrine on the
subject, and mine was either destroyed or retained. It certainly is not in any part of the published
volumes.34

While in Enghien, Judges mail was forwarded to him. Inside his mail he found messages from the Masters.35
____________________
Judge knew that the Masters were interested in others to whom they could give occult training. During his
conversations with H.P.B. he mentioned that Holloway might be a suitable individual. H.P.B. stated: The
Master will marshal a procession before us containing good and bad, leaving to our Karma to make the
proper selection. . . . he says She may come.36 Mrs. Holloway, an American, was a widow and a
wonderfully gifted clairvoyant. Judge informed Olcott in his letter of April 24th, 1884, that she has money
and will be no expense and that he was writing to tell her to come as soon as she can.37 Also, he thanked
Olcott for the 5 which he received and told him I am not going to London, my dear, just to buy a coat.
Judge was ashamed to go out with my rags and in a previous letter had let out a wishful thought toward
Londons cheap coats.38 Judge had been told that he could stay with Miss Francesca Arundale at 77 Elgin
Crescent, Notting Hill, London.
On April 30th, 1884, Judge, in Paris, wrote to Olcott who was still in London: I have got now a magnificent
coadjutor, if not a successor to H.P.B. and one who has trained scientific methods of literary work, as well
as psychical abilities of the kind that makes H.P.B. so remarkable.39 Although Holloway failed, it was
Sinnetts bungling of events that caused her to leave London and eventually leave the Theosophical Society.
Master K.H. wrote to Sinnett:
She is an excellent but quite undeveloped clairvoyante. Had she not been imprudently meddled with,
and had you followed the old womans and Mohinis advice indeed, by this time I might have spoken
with you thro her and such was our intention. It was again your own fault, my good friend.40

In a letter to Miss Arundale, K.H. wrote: Deeds are what we want and demand. L.C.H. [Laura Holloway]
has done poor child more in that direction during two months than the best of your members in these
five years.41 As demonstrated by his assessment of Holloways potential, Judges occult judgment was
proven time and time again.

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Chapter 3

Judge Goes To India

Mischief was brewing at Adyar during the month of May 1884. Before she left Adyar (February 20th, 1884),
Blavatsky had discovered that Emma Coulomb1 had tried to extort two thousand rupees from a wealthy
Indian member. As early as 1881, while the headquarters were still in Bombay, Mme. Coulomb had tried to
sell secrets to a clergyman but was rebuffed. She was getting very bitter against H.P.B. who never seemed
to confide in her. The Coulombs were apparently interested in setting up a hotel of their own and decided
to ask a well-to-do nobleman and member of the Society, Prince Harisinghji, for a loan. In February 1884,
while in Bombay on her way to Europe, Blavatsky visited the Prince where Mme. Coulomb (who
accompanied Blavatsky to the steamship) reminded him of her request. Blavatsky heard about it and put a
stop to the whole matter. Mme. Coulomb vowed revenge and began to lay her plans for the destruction of
the Society, and Blavatsky along with it.
H.P.B. had arranged for repairs to a wall in her room and for the construction of an additional room on the
second floor next to her bedroom while she was away. Shortly upon their return to Adyar, Emma and her
husband, Alexis, took complete control of Blavatskys room, keeping everyone away. They took advantage
of the situation to also prepare the construction they required to implicate Blavatsky in deception, and set
the scene for the allegations of fraud which they later presented to the missionaries.2
Charges of slander against the Theosophical Society and Blavatsky, extortion, and waste of the Societys
funds, were brought against Mme. Coulomb3 by the Executive Committee of the General Council on May
14th, 1884. Madame Coulomb neither acknowledged nor denied any of the charges, but gave only evasive
answers. Only the first three out of the ten charges against Mme. Coulomb were tried. All the affidavits
agreed unanimously, that her presence at head-quarters were [sic] causing an immense waste of time, energy,
money, and that her continuance there was against the interests of the T.S. A committee was appointed to
take possession of the property belonging to the Society over which the Coulombs had charge, and to request
them to leave the premises.4 The Coulombs refused to leave or hand over the keys to Blavatskys rooms.
Blavatsky was cabled in Europe. On May 17th, Damodar received a telegram from H.P.B. authorizing Franz
Hartmann to have exclusive possession of her room and the Occult Room and demanding the removal of the
Coulombs from the premises of the Societys headquarters. That same day Mr. Coulomb was forced to hand
over the keys to Damodar. In a letter to the Bombay Gazette, P.D. Khandalavala quoted a letter from Judge
in which he had written: I saw Madame Coulombs letter to Mme. Blavatsky in Paris, in which she admits
a belief in the Mahatmas, and requests Mme. Blavatsky to ask them (the Mahatmas) to quickly drop a
message at Adyar to prevent the Board of Control ejecting her. Blavatsky was firm, however, and wrote to
Adyar to expel the culprits. On the 18th the Coulombs received a telegram from H.P.B.: Sorry you go
prosper; they resisted for a few days but ultimately departed from Headquarters on the 25th of May, 1884.5
Judge explains what occurred while in Paris in April 1884: a message was received . . . informing us that
the Coulombs had begun operations, and that, unless someone went and stopped them, they would get their
traps finely finished, with a due appearance of age and use to carry out the conspiracy.6 It was at this point
that Olcott asked Judge to go to Adyar to take charge of the situation. Judge later stated: I went to Adyar
in the early part of the year 1884, with full power from the president of the Society to do whatever seemed
best for our protection against an attack we had information was about to be made in conjunction with the
missionaries who conducted the Christian College at Madras.7 Olcott and Judge returned to London on June
13th.8 Mr. Judge left London at the end of June9, headed for India.

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The Judge Case

Judge Arrives in India

Judge arrived at the Bombay harbor at 8:30 on Tuesday morning, July 15th, 1884. At 1 oclock the steamship
docked and Tookaram Tatya came aboard to greet him. Judge quickly wrote to Olcott the same day
expressing that the Indian members were untroubled by the Coulomb affair and that there has not been one
word said about it in any of the papers, and if I can stop further progress of pamphlets and exposs, it will
be all fixed. He added: Many branches have expressed a desire that I should stop on my way and address
them. I am to stop here some few days to receive visitors and enquirers. He also asks Olcott to tell
[Blavatsky] for Jesus sake not to give Coulomb the slightest encouragement until we get them out of
India.10
Judge gave his first public lecture in India, at the Framjee Cowasjee Institute in Bombay on Theosophy and
the Destiny of India. He opened his lecture by revealing some of his personal experiences. A report in The
Theosophist by someone identified only as H. and dated July 18th, 1884, contains the following remarks:
Mr. Judge began by saying that, born of Christian parents, he very early saw that Christianity was
inadequate to his moral aspirations and was unable to solve the many doubts and difficulties which
perpetually rose before his mind. Led by an irresistible desire to find out the truth, he turned his
thoughts to the religions of the East. . . . Speaking of the Societys avowed objects, that which related
to the so-called supernatural phenomena, the lecturer did not think it necessary or desirable to dwell
upon at length. Not because he disbelieved in phenomena, but because it was impossible to convince
every one of their genuineness by ocular demonstration.11

The second part of Judges lecture focused on the Destiny of India. He earnestly exhorted his hearers to
let politics alone, and to turn their thoughts to their real destiny, to the intellectual, moral and religious
regeneration of India. He further explained:
The history of all conquered countries, of England herself after the Norman conquest, of Spain, of
Mexico, when Spain over-ran her, showed that in every case the conquered have been too apt to give
up their manners and customs, their habits of thought, their religion and their nationality, for those
of the conquerors. India, alone, of all conquered countries, has resisted the shock of invasion, and
remains to this day as thoroughly Indian in thought, in manners and in religion, after years of
subjection to a foreign rule, as in the days when her own sons ruled the land. The lecturer called upon
his hearers to rouse themselves, to study their own books, and to translate them for the benefit of the
world. He believed that translation by western authors, although not without merit in some cases, were
at best unreliable interpreters of Indian modes of thought, and that a genuine Indian, with a fair
knowledge of the language in which his books are written, could do much towards enriching
European minds with the treasures of Indian philosophy and religion.

H. concluded his report with these sentiments:

The lecture made a deep impression on its hearers, and it is my firm conviction that if such able
discourses were repeated from time to time, and theosophy presented to outsiders in the attractive
form which Mr. Judge knows so well how to give it, the first object of your Society that of
Universal Brotherhood under the common banner of Theosophy will soon be much nearer
accomplishment than it now appears.12

Judge then went to Poona, arriving on the evening of July 20th, 1884, where he was greeted at the station by
several members of the Poona Branch. It is not clear where Judge stayed while in Poona but he most likely
stayed with Khan Bahadur Nowroji Dorabji Khandalavala (N.D.K.), a Magistrate with the Small Cause Court
in Poona and the first President of The Poona Theosophical Society. The Poona Branch, established,
January 25th, 1882, was one of the first theosophical centers in India. It was formed while Olcott and H.P.B.
were still in Bombay. N.D. Khandalavala was an enthusiastic member and quite fond of Blavatsky.

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On the evening of July 23rd,1884, Judge gave a lecture to 300 people at the Poona Town Hall on The West
and what India can give it and which was heard with great attention and created an extremely favourable
impression as Mr. Judge is an excellent speaker. Judge Khandalavala filed his report, on Judges lecture,
with The Theosophist and stated:
He gave a brief description of life in America, particularly with reference to the education and
prospects of young men in that country, and pointed out how the West had progressed in material
civilization a part of which India would do well to follow, but other portions of Western
civilization would prove injurious to this country where the intellectual part of the brain seemed to
be more developed than the part referring to material progress. He said that this country had an
immense store of learning in religion, philosophy and certain sciences called psychical, and that if
those stores were unearthed and properly brought to light, they would be the means of giving to
humanity the principles of that one true religion which is the highest science and the highest
philosophy. That the destiny of India was to teach the people of the West spirituality, and that the
learned sons of India ought to work in that direction to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of the
whole world, which would then look up towards India with the respect which it has the means to
command.13

At least two members present expressed their gratitude towards Judge. Rao Bahadur Mahadev Govind
Ranade, scholar and reformer, made a long speech14 and stated that he knew of no one amongst the
Hindoos of the present generation in the city of Poona that were worthy to sit by the side of these Founders
who had so unselfishly worked to promote a good cause. The other was M.M. Kunte, who occupied the
chair. He stated that the rising generation of scholars were ignorant of the beauties of the old literature of
India, and that an effort should be made to enlighten the young men about the excellencies of their
religion.15
On July 25th, 1884, Judge arrived at Hyderabad16 where he was greeted by members of the Society and
escorted by the President, Dorabjee Dasabhy, to the lodging arranged for his stay where he received many
visitors and discussed philosophical questions with them. On the 27th experiments in psychometry were
conducted by Judge and he gave some instructions to a few who appeared capable of continuing the
experiments and developing their powers.
On July 29th, 1884, he once again lectured on Theosophy and the Destiny of India, this time at the
Mahboob College Hall at Secunderabad.17 Approximately 500 persons of all nationalities, castes and
creeds were in attendance. A lengthy report by C.V. Loganada Moodr included the following:
He stated that he had come all the way from America, to help in the work of the Theosophical Society.
He said that, as the organisation of the Society in New York was made under the auspices of the
venerable Mahatmas, the Theosophical Society really had its rise in India, or, as he called [it], The
Land of Mysteries. He gave a short and interesting account of the circumstances under which it was
organised, and said he was one of the founders with Madame H. P. Blavatsky and Colonel H. S.
Olcott. . . . He impressed upon the minds of the public the fact that freedom of thought led men to
practise Universal Brotherhood, to some extent, in the same way as persons engaged in trading
transactions, cultivate a kind of brotherhood with persons in foreign countries, forgetting the artificial
differences imposed by caste, creed and color. . . . He gave the literal meaning of Theosophy as
derived from two Greek words Theos (God), and Sophia (wisdom or knowledge), and he said that
since God includes the Universe, the object of the Theosophical Society is to study the laws of the
Universe. . . . [H]e asserted that the laws of Nature require Universal Brotherhood which the
Theosophical Society declared to be its first and chief object.

He then proceeded to expound on the three Objects of the Society.

In the second part of the lecture, The Destiny of India, he stated that
India, in spite of the frequent conquest by various nations, at different periods, had ever remained the
same, preserving its literature, religions, laws and customs in their entirety. . . . [Indias] destiny . .

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The Judge Case

. always was to preserve this great mine of truth and to give the West and the world, the system of
philosophy, religion and science that it very much needs. . . .
In the evening Mr. Judge made experiments in Psychometry with ostrich eggs and old Indian coins. The
attention of the members was next directed to Crystal reading.

The next evening, July 30th, 1884, he delivered another lecture at the same Hall, titled Is There a Soul in
Man? He stated that
He regretted very much that the young Indians have become the disciples of Mr. Bradlaugh without
studying deeply the literature, philosophies and sciences which their own ancestors had bequeathed
to their children and without a due investigation of the truths therein contained. . . .
He concluded his lecture by refuting some malicious and ill-founded charges against the Society
which were published and circulated in pamphlets, by some self-opinionated and narrow-minded
atheists and Christians, and showing how the Theosophical movement has been wilfully
misrepresented, and how utterly ignorant the authors of those publications were of the declared
objects of the Society. . . .18

From Secunderabad Judge went to Adoni19 and then to Gooty20 where he arrived on the evening of August
4th, 1884. On the morning of the 5th approximately fifty invited guests assembled in the bungalow of the
President of the Gooty T.S. to listen to Judges message. The Branch Secretary reported that he explained
some passages in the Hindu sacred books, that the West had laughed at and that the destiny of India was
to furnish the world again with true philosophy and a true system of morals to be found in her ancient
literature.21

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Chapter 4

Judge at Adyar
Before continuing it is important to point out who was in charge while the Founders were away from Adyar
for an extended period. On January 21st, 1884, Colonel Olcott, issued a Presidential Special Order
appointing the following members of the General Council to an Executive Committee to cover the financial,
executive and supervisory affairs of the Society during his absence in Europe: Messrs. R. Raghoonath Row,
Diwan Bahadur; G. Muttuswami Chetty, Garu; P. Sreenivasa Row, Garu; and T. Subba Row, Garu.1 On
February 19th, the day before leaving Bombay, he added three more names to his Executive Committee: St.
George Lane-Fox, Dr. Franz Hartmann, W.T. Brown, declaring and the whole will be known as the Board
of Control.2
____________________
Judge reached Adyar on August 10th, 1884. Before he arrived Dr. Hartmann had received a letter from Master
M instructing him to Be friendly towards W.Q. Judge. He is true, faithful and trustworthy. . .3 When
Judge arrived he learned that the Coulombs were just out of the place,4 having been evicted only recently.
Judge, a well trained lawyer, immediately took charge of the investigation. He at once opened a register,
calling a number of witnesses to examine the handiwork of the Coulombs and then closed Blavatskys
quarters to the public. Judge wrote:
Over three hundred people examined the place, who signed their names to a declaration of the
condition and appearance of things; and then a resolution prohibiting further prying by the curious
was passed. The very next day Missionary Patterson, expert Gribble5 & Co., came to examine. It was
too late. The law was already in existence; and Mr. Gribble, who had come as an impartial expert,
with, however, a report in full in his pocket against us, had to go away depending on his imagination
for damaging facts. He then drew upon that fountain.6

T. C. Rajamiengar was one of the individuals who had examined the Shrine, before Blavatsky left for Europe
as well as after. He wrote:
It was in September 1883 that I had actually an opportunity of closely examining the structure of the
shrine, so as to see whether the trickery, now pretended to be exposed, had ever any existence. . . .
Madame Blavatsky had her sleeping apartment in the hall up-stairs in the Adyar premises. There is
a door-way leading from this hall to a room where the shrine is suspended, the shrine itself (a cupboard as they call it) being on the wall about four feet above the ground. I opened the doors of this
shrine and found in it some photos and a silver cup and a few other things. I clearly examined every
portion of this shrine from within, tapping with my hands every part of it, and nowhere could I find
room for suspicion. Not satisfied with this, I examined the outside of the shrine, the front and the
sides, and the top; and they stood the test. For fear of disarranging the things, I did not move the
shrine about, but what was more satisfactory, I examined the back portion of the wall on which rested
the shrine (which was inside the hall containing Madame Blavatskys sleeping apartment) and found
that there could not be the slightest room for suspicion in any direction, so far as the matter of the
structure of the shrine is concerned. . . .
I shall now give an account of the so-called trap-door. I found this trap-door in an incomplete state
for the first time in June 1884, a few months after the departure of the founders. It is so small a door
that a thin spare boy of 10 or 12 years could hardly enter through it. It is intended to be understood
the phenomenal letters were ushered into the shrine through this passage, but any one seeing the
passage for himself, would be convinced of the impossibility of the thing being done.7

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The Judge Case

One important testimony as to the condition of the Shrine and the Occult Room was that of Babula,
Blavatskys personal servant for the previous five years. He arrived at the Theosophical headquarters on the
evening of September 20th, 1884,8 and his statement was signed and witnessed the next day by Judge and four
others.9 It read in part:
[W]hen I went away all the walls of the rooms upstairs at said Head-quarters, at Adyar, were
unbroken, and not one of them had any holes or trap-doors of any kind whatever, and that Madame
Blavatsky never used any such things in those rooms for any purpose, and I never was asked by
Madame Blavatsky or Mrs. Coulomb at any time to aid in or perform any trick. That the holes and
panels now to be found in the walls of those rooms are quite new to me, and have been constructed
since I left India with Madame Blavatsky.10

This appears to be the last documented duty that Judge discharged in connection with his stay at Adyar.
Judge later wrote to the Boston Index a few words regarding the so-called expos of Madame Blavatsky and
the Report of the Society for Psychical Research of London upon theosophic phenomena. He wrote:
I found that Mr. Coulomb had partly finished a hole in the wall behind the shrine. It was so new that
its edges were ragged with the ends of laths and the plaster was still on the floor. Against it had been
placed an unfinished teak-wood cupboard, made for the occasion, and having a false panel in the back
that hid the hole in the wall. But the panel was too new to work and had to be violently kicked to
show it was there. It was all unplaned, unoiled, and not rubbed down. He had been dismissed before
he had time to finish. . . .
All these things were discovered and examined in the presence of many people, who then and there
wrote their opinions in a book I provided for the purpose, and which is now at headquarters. The
whole arrangement was evidently made up after the facts to fit them on the theory of fraud. That it
was done for money was admitted. . . .11

Judge explained what he did with the Shrine.

I myself removed the shrine to an adjoining room, from which that night it disappeared. This was
months before Hodgson arrived in India. If he saw what he thought was a part of the shrine, it was
a joke put on him by Dr. Hartmann, who would be pleased to lead such a wild investigator into a trap.
No part of it was retained by Hartmann.12

Judge had removed the Shrine from the Occult Room and moved it to Damodars room. Hartmann
apparently took it from there and burned it. Interestingly Hartmanns name was not among those who
witnessed Babulas Statement. Richard Hodgson,13 the investigator selected by the Society for Psychical
Research to go to India and investigate the charges made by the Coulombs against Blavatsky, stated in his
Report:
The ultimate fate of the Shrine, according to a statement made by Dr. Hartmann to Mr. and Mrs.
Cooper-Oakley, Mr. Hume, and myself, was as follows. . . . The Shrine was therefore first removed
openly to Mr. Damodars room, and, on the following night, was thence removed secretly by three
Theosophists, concealed in the compound, afterwards broken up, and fragments burned piecemeal
during the following week. Dr. Hartmann had only retained two portions of the back of the Shrine,
which he had enveloped in brown paper and kept carefully concealed in his room. . . .14

Blavatsky, in a letter to Judge dated May 1st, 1885, wrote that Hartmann had
testified to [Hodgson] that the shrine had been stolen from Damodars room; seriously & earnestly
in the presence of numerous witnesses, he asked Hodgson to look about him when he went to the
Coulombs, to see whether he would not find it hidden somewhere, for it was surely either Coulomb
or the missionaries who had stolen it. He even went so far in his lying as to show Hodgson the imprint
of feet & hands on the walls under Damodars window.15

There is no doubt that Hartmanns behavior left an unfavorable impression with Hodgson.

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In this same letter, Blavatsky explained that from information she had received from her Master she learned
that Hartmann began by setting Hodgson against Subba Row, Bawajee, Damodar and others by telling him
that they were all awful liars, thus prejudicing Hodgson against the chief witnesses. Hartmann was
described as a maverick, a liar, one who enjoyed using deceit to confuse others. Blavatsky wrote: The man
is most intelligent, or rather intellectual, cunning, crafty and having no feeling for any one, or anything &
is hundred times more dangerous than the Coulombs.16
Hartmann later admitted that he had dropped a bogus Letter on Judges head, ordering him back to
America, though Judge maintained that his departure was in no way influenced by Hartmann, and that he had
his own reasons for leaving. In his letter of May 16th, 1885, Judge wrote to Blavatsky,
I tell you neither you, nor Olcott, nor Holloway, nor deceit, nor trick, nor message, nor devil, nor
Hartmann, had anything to do with my departure from India, and perhaps someday that departure will
be of benefit to the Society and the Cause.17

The Masters later indicated to Blavatsky that Judge showed intuition by leaving India18 that is, that Judge
had taken the correct course of action. Judges response to Blavatsky provokes even more perplexing
questions, which are dealt with in Chapter 17.
In her letter of May 1st, 1885, to Judge, Blavatsky wrote that Hartmann confessed to Mrs. Oakley that he had
burned the shrine. However, he told Hodgson that it was Judge and Bawajee, along with him who burnt it.
According to other theosophical historians the Shrine was either burnt by Judge or he had it burnt. Historian
Michael Gomes maintains that it remains a matter of conjecture as to whether Judge assisted Hartmann
in burning the Shrine.19 Kirby Van Mater, long time archivist with The Theosophical Society (Pasadena),
also agrees that the Shrine had been burnt before Judge left India.20 Gertrude Marvin Williams, in Priestess
of the Occult: Madame Blavatsky, claims Judge admitted taking the initiative to destroy it and that in
the presence of Hartmann and another unnamed Theosophist, Judge hacked the magical cabinet apart and
they patiently burned it, one small piece at a time.21 Victor A. Endersby, author of The Hall of Magic
Mirrors, states: In 56 years of familiarity with the literature I have not seen or heard of any such
statement.22 According to testimony, the Shrine was removed to Damodars room on September 20th, 1884,
but nothing is said about it being seen thereafter. Judge has given no indication that he had anything to do
with its disappearance from Damodars room.
One interesting point which weighs heavily against Richard Hodgson is that none of Judges observations
were ever incorporated in his Report. Judge tells Blavatsky, You must have observed that Hodgson has left
me out. And yet I am an important factor. I was there. I examine[d] all, I had all in charge, and I say there
was no aperture behind the shrine.23 One important point which has not been emphasized is that Judge had
left the Occult Room as he had found it, except for the Shrine which he had carried to Damodars room.
When Hodgson arrived at Adyar on December 18th, 1884, he demanded to see the Occult Room and the
Shrine, but Damodar refused. Two days later, when Blavatsky arrived from Ceylon with Olcott who had
gone there to greet her, Hodgson again requested permission. On entering the Occult Room he noticed that
the wall where the Shrine once stood had been considerably altered and that its walls were covered with
fresh plaster . . . all traces of the alleged machinations of the Coulombs in connection with the Shrine had
been obliterated.24
Olcott somewhat explains what happened to the Occult Room. H.P.B. had requested him to shift his
quarters from his one-story brick bungalow to her new room which the Coulombs had built for her while she
was in Europe in 1884.25 Upon his return to Madras from Europe26 (November 15th, 1884) Olcott found that
with the arrival of the rainy season the new roof was leaking like a sieve. Apparently, being anxious to have
a place to display the new portraits of the Masters which he had received in London,27 without thinking of
the consequences, he ordered the Occult Room torn down and rebuilt. This complicated Hodgsons
investigation and, coupled with Hartmanns strange behavior, Hodgson was easily persuaded to find guilt

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The Judge Case

rather than innocence. When Hodgson saw the fresh plaster his suspicions became more acute, which in turn
caused him to interpret this act as tantamount to a confession of guilt as conspirators.
The theosophists had failed to see, perhaps due to hysterical confusion, or possibly simple mindlessness or
mischief, that by re-plastering the wall they had destroyed crucial evidence that might have completely
exonerated Blavatsky of alleged tomfoolery and cleared the Society of this whole matter.
With Judges departure, Hartmann, as Chairman of the Board of Control was left in charge once again. St.
George Lane-Fox, a member of the Board of Control, had returned to London, arriving September 14th, 1884,
to report to Olcott what had happened at Adyar. Hartmanns strange behavior complicated Hodgsons
investigation even more. Considering Hartmanns conduct it is no wonder that Blavatsky was so infuriated
with him, as per her letters to Judge. Blavatsky was greatly disappointed with both Hartmann and Olcott.
It becomes obvious that Judge and Hartmann did not get along while Judge was at Adyar. Master M easily
recognized Hartmanns bte noire (he was jealous of Judge coming to Adyar to take over the
responsibilities28) and had tried to warn him of it. He had been at Adyar since December 1883, was a good
friend of Olcott, and had been in charge until Judge came along. Besides, Judge was his junior by thirteen
years, so why should he not, at the very least, cause a little trouble to show his resentment? Hartmann was
jealous of Judge and he wanted to be the man in full control of the problem developing at Adyar. His actions
demonstrated that he resented Judges sudden appearance, with full authority no less. When Judge decided
to return to America he later explained Hartmanns reaction to the news: When I announced my intended
return he was pleased as a hen with an egg and almost cackled, but pretended to be sorry and tried to dissuade
me.29
Although the mischief caused by the Coulombs and the subsequent Hodgson Report did not destroy the
Theosophical Society as had been planned by the Coulombs and the missionaries, it did create considerable
difficulties which could have been avoided had the Members of the Society maintained calmness, such
as Judge had demonstrated while he was there at Adyar. The Coulomb plot was not the death-knell of the
Society at all. In fact if it had not been for the machinations of certain individuals and the doubting
Thomases, coupled with those members who were suspicious, the whole of the nefarious Coulomb plot could
easily have been convincingly managed at the time. It appears that up to that point the situation had been
managed well by Judge at Adyar. He was not overly concerned, trusting that Blavatsky would eventually be
cleared of any wrongdoing and that the Society would recover from the bad publicity. Even Blavatsky, up
to this point, was not overly concerned. St. George Lane-Fox, one of the members of the Executive
Committee, evaluated the situation from London on October 5th, 1884, in a letter to the Editor of The Times:
I myself attach very little importance to this new scandal, as I do not believe that the true Theosophic
cause suffers in the slightest degree.
The Theosophical movement is now well launched, and must go ahead, in spite of obstacles.30

But the situation would soon change.

The Seeds of Suspicion
The sequence of events which followed, in conjunction with the previous Coulomb-related incidents,
provided the breeding ground to incubate doubts and suspicions until the proper time when the evil selfserving and cunning Brothers of the Shadow could take advantage of the fermented conditions. Combined
further with the credulity of the Societys members, the perfect venom was produced to use against the
Society to destroy its effectiveness as a united body of members whose Object it was to form the nucleus of
Universal Brotherhood. The incident that ensued eventually created the great rift that divided and literally
fragmented the Society into bits.

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September 11th, 1884, is the date that the Christian College Magazine, a sectarian journal of Madras, printed
its first installment of the articles titled The Collapse of Koot Hoomi, written by its Editor, Rev. Mr.
George Patterson. Advance proofs had been sent to the Press all over India before the issue was published.
Two days later he sent to the Press a Postscript to his advance proofs, written by Mr. Coulomb. The article
was based mainly on fifteen letters alleged by the Coulombs to have been written to them by Blavatsky
during her absence from the headquarters of the Society, at Bombay and Adyar, giving them instructions to
produce occult phenomena fraudulently. In October another batch of letters was published. The Coulombs
claimed that they were Blavatskys sole confederates in showing spurious phenomena and that all the rest
of the members of the Society had been played as dupes and been cleverly deceived for the previous nine
years.
These articles generated much excitement in India, particularly in Madras and at Adyar (by then the
headquarters of the Theosophical Society), in Poona and in Bombay, the previous headquarters of the Society
where some of the alleged phenomena had occurred. Blavatsky and Olcott were both in Germany at the time.
Judge, having been given full authority by Olcott to look after the affairs at Adyar while he was there, was
left to answer the questions generated by this controversy which was creating anxieties in some Indian minds.
It was at this time that Judge received a letter from Judge Nowroji Dorabji Khandalavala (N.D.K.), a Parsee
from Poona, asking him to look at the originals of the published letters, if possible, and also asking Judge
to give his opinion as to whether or not those letters could have been tampered with.31 Judge, apparently
still at Adyar or at least in the Madras area, responded to his request on Adyar letterhead paper on September
17th, 1884. It was Judges response to this letter upon which much of the Judge Case was based some years
later. This is examined in detail in Chapter 15.
Shortly after Judges response to Judge Khandalavalas questions, Khandalavala wrote an article titled
Madame Blavatsky and Her Slanderers which was published in the November 1884 Theosophist on pages
48 and 49. His article more or less summed up the slanderous attacks of the missionaries and answered the
two articles in the Christian College Magazine.
We do not have Khandalavalas letter to Judge but can surmise that he was ambivalent about the authenticity
of the letters supplied by the Coulombs. It would seem that, at the time, he was developing doubts and
wondering if Blavatsky possibly had committed this unthinkable act, and that he may in fact have been
duped. It appears Judges reply had more than satisfied Khandalavalas concerns and brought great relief to
him, and peace of mind to the members of the Poona Branch. Judges letter gave them the encouragement
they needed, the will and determination, to come out from the shadows into the light and provide the
necessary support for the Theosophical Society and for H.P. Blavatsky. Judge Khandalavala in particular,
an active Magistrate in a Court of Law, would have been extremely vigilant about whom he associated with
and would have been equally careful not to prejudice his status in the community. On September 21st, 1884,
he and fourteen members of the Poona Branch of the Theosophical Society, including A.D. Ezekiel, wrote
a letter to Olcott expressing their support for the Founders and the Society.32
A.D. Ezekiel had been mentioned in some of the letters in the articles, The Collapse of Koot Hoomi. Franz
Hartmann described him as a great sceptic and stated he made me promise that if any occult phenomena
should happen after my return to headquarters, I would let him know it.33 In one of the letters forged by the
Coulombs, Blavatsky had allegedly made reference to a telegram, implying that fraudulent phenomena had
been involved with regards to it. Ezekiel was there when the said telegram was received by Blavatsky. He
immediately wrote letters defending her against the accusations which had been brought forward. His first,
dated September 13th, 1884, was addressed to the Editor of The Times of India, as was another on the 18th
explaining the events as he knew them.

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Madame Blavatsky and several others knew too well what an inveterate doubter I am regarding these
phenomena, and she must have been a thorough simpleton, and not the clever imposter she is
represented to be if she called for the telegram to make a tremendous impression as alleged. . . . but
she knew my nature too well to expect anything out of me. She did not make any the least attempt to
produce an impression of any sort upon my mind. . . .34

After the September 17th letter from Judge, A.D. Ezekiel must have been thoroughly convinced of
Blavatskys innocence.
Another Poona member, Pestanji Dorabji Khandalavala, brother of Judge N.D. Khandalavala, wrote a long
letter which was published in the Bombay Gazette on September 19th, 1884, to disprove the authenticity of
the letters published in the Christian College Magazine. He stated:
Madame Blavatsky had put up at my home during her last visit to Poona, and I pass by with contempt
the spurious letter that is made to hang upon a telegram which Mme. Blavatsky cared nothing about
after reading and which telegram was never attempted to be placed before anybody. . . . I shall content
myself by giving only one instance to show how utterly untrustworthy the alleged letters are.35

The above examples are cited not to provide a defense of Blavatsky but to show that Judges September 17th,
1884 letter generated much enthusiasm. The genuine responses at the time by the members of the Poona
Branch inspired others to also support and defend Blavatsky and the Theosophical Movement in India. The
Movement in India was not vibrant at the time and could have easily been discredited. Judge had become
fully aware that the Indians were not embracing Theosophy en masse with enthusiasm, that they were
skeptical, hesitant and it was very difficult for them to break from tradition. These realizations encouraged
him to return to America.
____________________
No further documentation has been found to date regarding Judges stay at Adyar after September 21st, 1884,
the day after Babula, Blavatskys servant, arrived from England. Most historians have assumed that Judge
left India sometime in October but no attention has been paid to what he did in the interim. There appear to
be approximately twenty-eight days which cannot be accounted for while he was there. Other so-called
important members of the Society have had their history recorded and examined closely, for example,
Blavatsky, Olcott, and others who came after. It would seem that it has not been worth anyones time to even
speculate as to what Judge might have done for those weeks. It has been generally assumed that he was either
sick or could not wait until he had his chance to return to America, when in fact he had first decided to go
to India, permanently if necessary, and work for Theosophy.
One of the few to comment on this subject is historian Josephine Ransom who summarized Judges stay at
Adyar in one short paragraph in which she states that he spent time with Damodar K. Mavalankar and other
members of the Council:
But Judge was not happy at Headquarters. He was ill and restless, and, in October, decided to return
to the United States. He and Hartmann did not readily get on together. Hartmann afterwards admitted
that he had dropped a bogus Letter on Judges head, ordering him back to America, though Judge
averred that his departure was in no way influenced by Hartmann, and that he had his own reasons
for leaving. In later years he often harked back to this brief visit, but always with a sense of
uneasiness that he had not made the most of it. He began to feel that the strength of The Theosophical
Society was not in India, but in the West, and that the West should not be neglected as in the past.36

The United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT) in Theosophical Movement 1875 - 1950 briefly states:
Mr. Judge remained in India only long enough to attend to his duties in connection with the Coulomb
conspiracy, but during this period he strengthened the bond of fraternity with Damodar and other
Hindu members whom he knew only by correspondence.37

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The Madras Mail of September 29th, 1884, reported that Judge had addressed some Madras students,38
presumably within a day or two of this published item. This is the last record of Judges activities in India.
Judge had his own personal reasons for being at Adyar, reasons which had not been clear to him in detail,
but he was determined that he would follow his intuition. We can assume that while Judge was at Adyar
taking care of business concerning the Coulombs, which was the primary reason authorized by the President
of the T.S., H.S. Olcott, his personal reasons for being at Adyar were becoming clearer to him. He was there
to be tested by the Masters and possibly initiated. This is detailed in Chapter 17.
Judge had executed all the correct and necessary duties when he arrived at Adyar to ensure that the Coulombs
and the missionaries could not succeed in their endeavors to destroy the Society and Blavatskys reputation.
His actions exhibited that he was not worried about the Coulombs and their conspiracy that he had done
all that was required of him to ensure that this affair would be easily resolved by Olcott and Blavatsky when
they returned to Adyar. He had come to the conclusion that he was no longer as needed in India as he had
first thought and that he must return to America where his duty, more accurately his dharma, lay before him
awaiting his return.
Judge had clearly expressed that he wanted to be useful to the CAUSE; he did not want to be a burden on the
Society he wanted to work for his passage. However, to leave India he needed money so he asked
Damodar for 500 or 600 rupees. At first Damodar refused to give Judge the money because he was in despair
that Judge should leave at that time. Damodar was a reticent self-sacrificing, hard-working and devoted soul,
whom H.P.B. described as trembling at the thought of saying more than was permitted. He had found comfort
in Judges presence at headquarters, as opposed to Hartmanns. Damodar did not have the sum of money
requested by Judge but did manage to get it for him. Blavatsky later explained to Judge that Damodar had
later told Olcott that he felt obliged to furnish Judge the money because he was one of the Founders, had
worked loyally in defending me [Blavatsky] & the Society, and that you were entitled to it. Blavatsky added:
Neither Olcott nor I look upon the transaction as borrowing but as something due to you.39
Historians have based their knowledge on information supplied by Albert E.S. Smythe, the first General
Secretary of the Canadian Section of the T.S., and Lloyds of London records which show that Judge was
on board the British steamer S.S. Wisconsin40 on November 15th, 1884, sailing from Liverpool to New York.
It took approximately three weeks to sail from Bombay to Liverpool in those days, unless the seas were rough
in which case a few more days would have been required for the journey. The same journey sometimes only
took two weeks. Presuming Judge sailed from Bombay, and allowing an average of eighteen days for the
journey, it can therefore be estimated that he left India on or near Sunday, October 26th, 1884. He might have
left from Colombo as well, but likely not as there are no records indicating that Judge ever set foot in Ceylon
at that time. Questions come to mind: Where is the documentation of Judges activities from approximately
September 28th to October 26th, 1884? What was he doing? Where was he? Records were kept at Adyar of
people coming and going at the time. Why has that information not been released?
It has been chronicled that before Judge sailed from Liverpool he went to London for at least a day or two
after buying his ticket to return to America. In his May 16th, 1885, letter to H.P.B., in follow-up to his arrival
from India, he wrote,
When I left India I left letters for you & Olcott fully explaining & also assuring you of my continued
affection & friendship. . . . Then from London I wrote you again assuring you that I was all right.41

He possibly also visited the Arundales for he mentions in this same letter having seen Holloway once since
his return to deliver a pair of (drawers?) which Miss Arundale bought her in London.42

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The Judge Case

It was on this voyage from Liverpool to New York on board the S.S. Wisconsin that Judge first met Albert
E. S. Smythe, the future General Secretary of the Canadian Section of the T.S.43 Smythe later recorded their
meeting in the pages of The Canadian Theosophist. The effects of the last seven years of trial, for that they
truly were, on Judges physical being were obvious to Smythe during their journey on the steamer to New
York: He looked old and pallid and had I been told his age was 33 I would have said it was 20 years out.44
Little did Smythe realize that part of the reason Judge looked so tired was that he had undergone a most
exhausting initiation which had taken a lot of his energy, of which he did not possess much in the first place.
Damodar had also undertaken initiations earlier which at times either had to be delayed due to lack of
physical stamina, or left him grasping for energy. Judge was to also later discover that he had contracted
Chagres disease through his earlier business trips to South America.45
Before he left India Judge wrote two articles which were later published in The Theosophist. The first article
was Thought Transference or Mind Reading and the other was Chirognomy and Palmistry. Both were
published in the 1884 November and December issues respectively. These two articles were likely drawn
from information he gathered and from the talks he delivered when he first arrived in India and may have
been a follow-up to his earlier review of The Hollow Globe.
____________________
Judge was keenly aware that the soil was fertile for the growth of the Theosophical Movement in the West
and that it partly rested on him to make the concepts of the Aryan Philosophy available to it. However, his
innate affinity to India never abated. Although Judge felt compelled to return to America where his future
lay, his feelings for India were never far from his heart. He was obviously quite drawn to it and felt that he
could have a positive impact on the Movement there as well. Two years later in a letter to Olcott, dated
August 3rd, 1886, Judge wrote:
I dont get on here with these . . . Westerners. I am a Hindoo in Irish form, and . . . can do more for
the cause in India than I can here.46

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Chapter 5

Back in America
Upon his return to New York on November 26th, 1884,1 Judge found his financial prospects greatly improved.
He joined the law firm in which Olcotts brother worked, and was thus able to devote more time to the
Society. Olcott later described the inner change that had taken place in Judge.
Mr. Judge felt what you may call the divine afflatus to devote himself to the work and to pick up
the loose threads we had left scattered there in America and carry on. The result shows what one man
can do who is altogether devoted to the cause.2

Judge had immediately started work to build a strong Theosophical Society based on the Original Program
with the continued guidance of the Masters.3 He was not one to boast about his position in the Society or
explain his actions he was a modest, unassuming man who worked hard and was completely devoted to
the CAUSE.
Soon after Judges return, Olcott wrote him letters of abuse and H.P.B. wrote him a letter of distress. Both
were upset that Judge had left Adyar before Olcotts return. On May 1st, 1885, H.P.B. wrote:
There was a time that I regarded you as a true friend, & after your short note, or postal card, from
London I have no reason yet to regard you otherwise. Still everything you said, say & did, would give
me the right to think that there is a great change in you.4

We have to understand H.P.B.s disappointment and her frustrations she had been very sick and was still
convalescing from the fiasco at Adyar where she had been asked to resign her office as Corresponding
Secretary of the T.S.,5 then ousted from headquarters by the very people she trusted, and told to go to Europe
where she would not be seen for a while and where she could write her Secret Doctrine. No doubt she was
very upset, but she was about to find out information that would please her tremendously information
about Judge of which she was not yet aware.
Judge replied to H.P.B. on May 16th, 1885, and expressed his concern over her situation. I am sorry indeed.
Humanity seems to never get any better but steadily worse. He then tells her, My dear HPB if Master will
not enlighten you about me then I must say nothing and remain to work out my own salvation as I can.6 It
is obvious that the Masters had not yet informed H.P.B. what had happened to him while he was in India,
but she was soon to find out from them for Judge never personally told her.
On October 3rd, 1886, while she was in Ostend, H.P.B. wrote to Judge telling him of the changes that
occurred to him while he was in India in 1884.
The trouble with you is that you do not know the great change that came to pass in you a few years
ago. Others have occasionally their astrals changed & replaced by those of Adepts (as of
Elementaries) & they influence the outer, and the higher man. With you, it is the NIRMANAKAYA not
the astral that blended with your astral. Hence the dual nature & fighting.7

From H.P.B.s letter, it can be deduced that the Masters eventually explained to her the extent of Judges
initiation, although it appears that she thought Judge did not fully understand the complexities of it. This
might be true but, as will be outlined in the evidence to be presented, Judge was certainly aware of his
initiation although he might not have fully understood all the intricate details at the time. From this moment
onward one thing becomes evident from H.P.B.s correspondence to him, and that is she had more confidence
in his abilities as an occultist and treated him more as an equal colleague for the CAUSE than any other
individual.

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The Judge Case

There is no doubt that Judges abilities grew and he gained in confidence. Judges despondency and
insecurities of earlier years seemed entirely gone. His will appeared to have gained in strength and he had
become more aware of the energies around him. He revitalized the New York work, reorganizing it under
its original Charter and name, The Aryan Theosophical Society of New York. He held regular meetings,
started a theosophical lending library, and launched the printing of inexpensive literature.8 He quickly
attracted to himself devoted workers who gladly carried out his plans.
In reviewing the situation in America, Judge realized that a radical change was needed in the administration
of the Society. He wrote to H.P.B. and Olcott suggesting that an American Section be formed to replace the
American Board of Control.9 In June 1886 the Council of the T.S. at Adyar dissolved the Board of Control
and in October Judge was elected as permanent General Secretary. The new Section soon prospered under
his dynamic leadership and new branches were chartered all over the country. In April 1886 Judge had
started a new monthly magazine called The Path which later became the official organ of the American
Section of the T.S. In the first issue it was stated:
THIS MAGAZINE is not intended either to replace or to rival in America The Theosophist, nor any
other journal now published in the interest of Theosophy.
. . . To us it appears that there is a field and a need for it in this country. No cultivating of the field
is necessary, for it is already ripe.10

H.P.B. wrote to Judge from Ostend on July 27th, 1886, regarding his new magazine:
. . . I will begin to work from this day to bring Olcott to let you have 50 monthly for your Path. They
must be found for if we were three original ones to this day, very soon we will be two . . .11

As there were few qualified writers in America at the time, Judge wrote many of the articles himself under
a number of pseudonyms.12 His style was simple and focused, and he dealt with a variety of theosophical and
associated subjects. In a letter to Judge, H.P.B. remarked in admiration of his Path magazine that it was
pure Buddhi.13
Under Judges guidance, moves were made to unite in thought and action the membership scattered across
the United States. With himself at first as primary speaker, he eventually placed three full-time traveling
lecturers in the field to aid struggling groups and to support established centers. The Path, leaflets, and
specialized small magazines were regularly circulated among the membership, keeping them in touch with
one another and with the headquarters in New York.* Local speakers were encouraged to start new centers
in nearby communities. With only about a dozen Branches in 1886, by 1896 there were over one hundred.14
While chronicling his memoirs and the history of the Society, Olcott comments about the changes he had
observed in Judge:
His brain was fertile in good practical ideas, and to his labors almost exclusively was due the rapid
and extensive growth of our movement in the United States; the others, his colleagues, but carried out
his plans.15

A Bibliography of Works by and about William Q. Judge is included in this book, The Judge Case: A Conspiracy Which Ruined the
Theosophical CAUSE, Part 1. It details books, pamphlets and periodicals only. Judge also contributed articles to other publications, such as The
Theosophist, Lucifer and The Irish Theosophist, among others, which are contained in various compilations of his articles and letters. These
compilations are also included in this bibliography, as well as titles of an historical and biographical nature.

Many of his other important contributions to the evolution of the Theosophical Movement are found within these pages. Also included, in Part 2,
are Judges letters to Ernest T. Hargrove from the Theosophical Quarterly, which have been republished in Appendix D. Hargrove came from
England on March 31st, 1894, to help Judge during his time of need. He gave talks on theosophical subjects in towns and cities across North America.
These letters touch the hearts of many as they are guided through much of the turmoil surrounding the Movement and the accusations leveled against
Judge while he was trying to carry on with the work of promoting the Theosophical CAUSE until his death in March 1896.

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Chapter 6

Bertram Keightley
By the fall of 1888 H.P. Blavatskys The Secret Doctrine was published. Both Bertram Keightley and his
step-nephew1 Dr. Archibald Keightley, had spent much time helping Blavatsky in reviewing the manuscript
and preparing it for publication. Within a year of its release Blavatsky had decided to offer the services of
Bertram Keightley, her private Secretary at the time and the co-Secretary of the newly formed Esoteric
Section of the T.S., in London, to Judge in America. But one has to wonder why H.P.B. made the offer,
as Judge wrote that Keightley had come to New York in the fall of 1889 according to a request by H.P.B.2
Judge had first met Bertram Keightley in 1884 while in France and considered that his experience working
with H.P.B. qualified him as a respectable speaker to deliver theosophical lectures across the country on
behalf of the Society thereby relieving Judge of the responsibilities of revisiting all the branches he had
started.
Bertram Keightley, a man of means, arrived in New York in late November 1889. He delivered his first
lecture before the Aryan T.S. on The Second and Third Objects of the Theosophical Society as Related to
the First. This lecture was published in June 1890 as Paper No. 1 in Judges new publication, Department
of Branch Work, established to assist branches by providing suggestions for theosophical work and study.
Some years later Judge sent copies of these Papers to Keightley in India where they were read to Branch
members there.3
After a short visit to, and several talks in New York, Washington, Boston and Hartford, Keightley
proceeded to California, where for three months he travelled far and wide, delivering public lectures on
Theosophy, invigorating the existing Branches and founding new ones, filling the press of California with
Theosophic fact and truth.4
Before heading for California Bertram Keightley attended the Annual Meeting of the Chicago Branch on
December 8th, 1889, where he spent several days. He then lectured in Nebraska then went west to San
Francisco, San Jos, Los Angeles and San Diego before returning north again to Sacramento, CA, the State
Capital. He then headed east reaching Omaha on March 31st, 1890, very much broken down from over-work
and the effect of an illness in California, and was laid up until the 6th of April. He then lectured in Lincoln,
Nebraska and, on his way east, in Tekamah and Sioux City, Iowa, expecting to reach Cincinnati on the 25th.5
On April 27th - 28th he attended the T.S. American Section, 4th Annual Convention in Chicago as H.P.B.s
special delegate. On the afternoon of the 27th he delivered H.P.B.s message to the American Convention.
He stayed in Chicago until May 8th, then proceeded to Muskegon (Michigan), Darlington (Wisconsin), and
St. Paul and Minneapolis (Minnesota). He visited Niagara Falls briefly before reaching New York on
Sunday, May 25th, becoming the guest of E.A. Neresheimer, a member of the Executive Committee of the
T.S. American Section. The next eighteen days were spent in and around New York resting and visiting and
giving the odd lecture. On May 27th, 1890, he attended the Aryan T.S. and gave a brief account of his tour.
On June 3rd, he lectured at the Aryan T.S.6 on The Theosophical Doctrine of Evolution.7
An interesting incident occurred on Monday, June 9th, 1890.
When [Bertram Keightley] arrived at The Path office he was told there was a cablegram for him, and
he found it lying on the table in the inner office; as it was addressed Judge, New York, it had of
course been opened. This cablegram bore the word Right, and the cryptograph of Mahtm M., with
a seal impression, at once recognized by him as that of the seal he had seen in H.P.B.s possession
early in 1888. This was the first time that B.K. had seen an impression of that seal, and he at once
asked Mr. Judge whether he knew anything of the seal or writing on the cablegram. Mr. Judge denied

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all knowledge of either, and the presence of the seal and cryptograph had a decisive influence in
causing Bertram Keightley to obey the instructions given in the cablegram.8

Judge later stated: It is quite possible that if this message was sent to my name over the cable I opened it
first. But, I emphatically deny placing those marks upon it.9 At the time, Bertram was satisfied with Judges
explanation as to what had happened and he looked upon it as just another phenomena, such as he had
witnessed before while working with H.P.B. in London; but his mind had seeds of doubt which soon
germinated and later grew to fill his entire mind with suspicions directed towards Judge.
On Thursday, June 12th, 1890, Bertram left for Baltimore, Maryland, and lectured on Friday night to 150
people assembled at Lehmanns Hall. On Saturday he went to Washington D.C. where he held two meetings
and gave interviews to reporters. On Sunday evening he left for New York in consequence of business there
and arrived during the night or morning of June 16th. He delivered his farewell address on Tuesday night
before the Aryan T.S. On June 17th he boarded the City of New York and sailed for England the next
morning.10
Before Bertram Keightleys return to England Judge wrote a very interesting prophecy of coming events
which appeared on the fifth Anniversary of The Path in April 1890.
Let us press forward with new energy in the work of the next four years, for when the second fifth
is reached an important era for theosophists and the world will be at hand, when the result of again
being weighed in the balance of events will be more serious than it is now.11

This prophecy turned out to be so accurate that one can only speculate Judge had been told about these future
events by his Teacher and Initiator, Master Morya. This prediction would account for Judges exhaustive
campaign to spread Theosophical ideas as fast and as wide as possible in order to have a strong established
organization in America able to sustain the Movement through those troubled days ahead.
It appears that the cablegram Bertram Keightley received was an order from H.P.B. to return to London.
H.P.B. had received several letters from American members of the E.S. who had misconstrued what was said
to them by Keightley.12 She immediately wrote a letter to Judge marked private and E.S.:
I answer your question re E.S. and Bert. If he has informed all the E.S. groups . . . that they are to
form the auric egg & are to do this by means of colors, and are to do this 7 times a day & so as until
formed then he has said that which has no more meaning than an order to form a sheep out of a
gooses egg. If he added to this that this was by my order then he was either insane or he fibbed,
not to use a worse word.13

H.P.B. further explained to Judge:

All this . . . have forced me, acting according to the rules, to suspend Bert. I cannot expel him for
ever, as this would be to ruin him for ever but I suspend him for an indefinite period and I send
him to India.14

Bertram Keightleys imprudent behavior prompted H.P.B. to issue a response to his personal speculative
utterances in E.S. meetings which were taken by many members to be H.P.B.s teachings and, therefore,
authoritative. In order to rectify the situation that I have never dreamt of giving any such absurd & idiotic
orders15 she issued a circular Notice on August 9th, 1890. It was marked Strictly Private and
Confidential, E. S. T. S. and stated in part:
1. I have neither written, issued, nor sent through Bertram Keightley any orders or instructions
whatever respecting the above matter. . . .
3. The only orders in Instructions which I issue in the U.S. are through Mr. William Q. Judge, or
those which I myself sign my name to with my physical hand.
4. Any report or statement by any one of orders or instructions alleged to be by me in any other form
than as stated in the foregoing paragraph are and shall be false; and any member acting on any other

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sort of order and without first sending the same to Mr. William Q. Judge, will be expelled from the
Section.16

Many have simply overlooked this very important Notice from H.P.B. where she clearly asserts Judges
status within the Esoteric School, Theosophical Society. H.P.B. made similar statements on numerous other
occasions but not with as much firmness and authority as this.
When Bertram Keightley returned to London H.P.B. wanted to prove a point to him and demanded to see
the telegram she had sent him in New York. The subsequent event was described and signed by Claude Falls
Wright:
In my presence and that of B. Keightley, Countess Wachtmeister, and Kenneth Austin, H.P.B. at
London, immediately after the arrival of Bert Keightley, took a piece of cigarette paper and looking
Bert in the face, while blowing him up for his loss of the telegram, suddenly said with a half smile,
Bert, would you like a telegram; wouldnt you like a telegram, Bert? She rubbed the piece of paper
between her fingers as she spoke and then unfolded it into the lost telegram! On it were several of the
very seal marks about which there has been so much dispute. Bert Keightley claimed the telegram,
but she insisted upon its being handed around to the rest of us, desiring us to examine it closely
saying, Look, those are the Masters marks, look, you may have some day to know them again.
Then she went on to say that we might mention the matter to anybody we chose, except Judge, for,
she said, he does not want to be associated in any way with phenomena.17

On August 9th, 1890, the date that she issued her Notice, H.P.B. also appointed Bertram Keightley to act
as my personal representative in India and Ceylon in all matters relating to the Theosophical Movement.18
Madame Blavatskys instructions to Bertram Keightley were To change his [Olcotts] attitude & bring him
back into touch with HPB & Masters. She reiterated this in her letters to him and in her letter of September
5th, 1890,19 reminded him, Do what you are bid & if you do it well you may atone for much. In her letter
to Judge in August 1890 she wrote,
If he succeeds in saving the situation in India where Theosophy is falling into dreamless sleep &
decay well & good. If not he will have to work until he has atoned for his sins.

In this same letter she also wrote:

I do not want Olcott nor any one to know anything of his guilt or his suspension.20

Just before leaving England for India Bertram Keightley wrote a note (August 9th, 1890) to Judge stating: In
reply to your questions; I never said that they are to form the auric Egg &c &c &c by HPBs orders.21
Keightleys note to Judge was an attempt to justify his actions and it also implicated him with ample motive
to hold Judge accountable for his being reprimanded by H.P.B.
Bertram Keightley reached Bombay on August 31st, 1890, and visited, on his way . . . to the Head-quarters,
the Bombay, Surat, Baroda, Poona, Hyderabad, Bellary, Gooty and Cuddapah Branches.22 To convey to the
Indian membership the hard work needed to start Branches, he recounted that Judge had no easy task in
America and at first had the greatest possible difficulty in getting three members in order to form a quorum
adding that Judge went through the form of meeting by himself, week after week, and magnetized his act
of will afresh into a centre of attraction to make it a success.23
Bertram Keightley was one of the idealistic, well-meaning and well-educated individuals sent by Blavatsky
to help Olcott. Although highly intellectual he was deceived by appearances and easily influenced by those
Indian members who considered themselves by right of descent natural Theosophists not prepared to look
beyond their caste and their old superstitions to assert themselves as true Theosophists, as Damodar had
done. Keightley easily made friends with them and accepted their customs and ways as easily as Annie
Besant did when she went to India a few years later. One who soon became one of his best friends was
Professor Chakravarti. Although Chakravarti had not been active theosophically and was not a member of

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The Judge Case

the Esoteric Section, Bertram Keightley soon came to believe him to be, if not a Mahatma, at least an
Occultist of high rank and one directly connected with the Masters of H.P.B.
____________________
On November 17th, 1890, Bertram Keightley had been appointed General Secretary of the Indian Section,
subject to the approval of H.P.B., and by January 1st, 1891, his appointment took effect, as did the Charter
for the consolidated Indian Section.24

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343

Chapter 7

Richard Harte S Troubles at Adyar

Because of the lack of committed Indian theosophists to the CAUSE, such as Damodar and Subba Row had
been, Olcott recruited among his friends and acquaintances for personnel to take over many of the
responsibilities at headquarters.
W.Q. Judge, like H.P. Blavatsky, acquired his fair share of enemies. One particularly bitter person was
Richard Harte, Olcotts old friend from New York. Olcott had lured Harte1 to Adyar for his journalist skills
to act as the interim Editor of The Theosophist while Olcott left for a tour of Japan, January to July 1889.
In June, Harte wrote an article titled Applied Theosophy and did not indicate that he had written it, which
implied that it had been authored by Olcott.2 Harte also wrote The Situation which was signed F.T.S. and
included in the same issue. Judge claimed this second article obviously was intended to support and enforce
the first.3
Judge quickly took exception to certain ideas embodied in these two articles, one of which was:
Adyar is not a place only, it is a principle. It is a name which ought to carry with it a power far
greater than that conveyed by the name Rome. Adyar is the centre of the Theosophical Movement.
. . .4

Part of Judges article of response was published by Olcott, after his return from his tour, in Centres of The
Theosophical Movement but with the comment:
The criticism of Mr. Judge is marked by his usual force and directness, but at the same time contains
passages of a far too personal character for me to admit them. To do so would be to depart from the
policy of editorial dignity, which I have promised myself to follow out so long as I am the responsible
Editor of this Magazine.5

Although Olcott, President of the Theosophical Society, denies taking sides in this issue, it becomes evident
that he is supporting Hartes ideas regarding Adyar.
H.P.B. had also responded to Hartes articles published by him as acting Editor of The Theosophist. In her
article, A Puzzle from Adyar6 in the August Lucifer, she furiously and personally attacked Harte, charging
him of abnormal fancies and that he might be, owing to the relaxed climate of Southern India, ill and
then defended herself. She also objected strongly to Harte publishing extracts of a private letter to him as a
member of Olcotts Commissioners in India. This letter from Bertram Keightley, Secretary of the Esoteric
Section of the T.S., was never intended to be published. In A Disclaimer in the July 1889 Supplement of
The Theosophist, Harte published the following:
Mr. Keightley tells this Commissioner that he must not believe that the Esoteric Section has any,
even the slightest, pretension to boss the Theosophical Society or anything of the kind. Again he
says: We are all, H.P.B. first and foremost, just as loyal to the Theosophical Society and to Adyar
as the Colonel can possibly be. And yet again he says: I have nothing more to say, except to repeat
in the most formal and positive manner my assurance that there is not a word of truth in the statement
that the Esoteric Section has any desire or pretension to boss any other part or Section of the T. S.

Richard Harte further added to A Disclaimer:

It is to be hoped that after this very distinct and authoritative disclaimer no further private circulars
will be issued by any members of the Esoteric Section, calling upon the Fellows to oppose the action
of the General Council, because Madame Blavatsky does not approve of it; and also that silly
editorials, declaring that Theosophy is degenerating into obedience to the dictates of Madame
Blavatsky, like that in a recent issue of the Religio-Philosophical Journal, will cease to appear.7

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The Judge Case

In A Puzzle from Adyar Blavatsky wrote that he, as acting Editor, had no right to publish it, as had been
indicated in the letter itself. As Judge had stated, she also declared:
It is pure nonsense to say that H.P.B. . . . is loyal to the Theosophical Society and to Adyar (!?).
H.P.B. is loyal to death to the Theosophical CAUSE, and those great Teachers whose philosophy can
alone bind the whole of Humanity into one Brotherhood. . . . [T]he degree of her sympathies with the
Theosophical Society and Adyar depends upon the degree of the loyalty of that Society to the
CAUSE. Let it break away from the original lines and show disloyalty in its policy to the CAUSE and
the original programme of the Society, and H.P.B. calling the T.S. disloyal, will shake it off like dust
from her feet.8

Blavatsky had obviously personally written to Harte on these matters as, in a letter dated August 26th, 1889,
addressed to My dear H.P.B. he responded: I receive your scolding in all humility; no doubt I deserve it
or worse. . . . Seriously my dear teacher, superior and friend, I think you do me a little injustice. . . . He then
proceeds to justify his comments regarding the Esoteric Section:
But I confess that the moral effect of belonging to the E.S. seems to me disastrous in the extreme. To
say nothing of the larger wrecks, look at Judge! He used to be truthful and unselfish, and, I think,
moderately large-minded; but now . . . he does not seem to be able to tell two words of truth, he has
become filled with personal ambition to rule or ruin, and if you do not pull him up by the coat-tails
he will in six months have utterly disgusted the majority of the Fellows in the American Section.9

In a P.S. he stated his objection to the idea of succession for the Presidency: [I]f I find that the idea gets
currency that the Vice-Presidency carries a presumptive right or an understood right to succeed the PresidentFounder I shall contradict it in the largest type in the Theosophist.10
In her response, a letter dated London, Sept 12 1889", Blavatsky wrote:
You ruin systematically the T.S. ever since you took charge of the Theosophist; and by your tactless
and indecent attack in it on the E.S. and the British Section you force me to wash publicly our dirty
linen in Lucifer.

In response to Hartes comments regarding Judge, she stated:

I will not permit Judge to be lowered or humiliated in [The Theosophist]. Judge is one of the
Founders and a man who has ever been true to the Masters. . . . And Judge will be the President of
the T.S. after our death or the T.S. will die with us.11

In this same letter, Blavatsky had stated:

It is the MASTERS who declare that the number of follies (which seem each, if individually viewed
trifling perhaps) that you have committed during Olcotts absence, amount in their totality to an
enormous evil, enormous in its result direct and immediate as also delayed, but as certain,
nevertheless.12

Harte persisted, however, and in January 1890 he wrote an article, Muddled Rule-Makers, which focused
on the policies adopted by the American Section. He wrote, The rules and by-laws fabricated by Branches
for their own government are sometimes rather excentric [sic]. He ridiculed some of the by-laws of a newly
formed Branch in Washington in which Olcott was designated as the Chief President of the government
of the International Theosophical Society adding, And we call upon Mr. William Q. Judge, General
Secretary of the American Section of the Theosophical Society, for some explanation thereof.13
This infuriated Blavatsky and in the February Lucifer she chided Harte for his very untheosophical and
undignified attack made by one officer of the T.S. on another officer of the same. She stated that: Such
harsh expressions . . . are not only objectionable on account of their offensive character, but detrimental and
dangerous to the T.S.14 When Olcott was called to London in the fall of 1889, following publication of
Hartes two articles, Applied Theosophy and The Situation, Blavatsky scolded him and demanded that
Olcott relieve Richard Harte of his position as acting Editor of The Theosophist.

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Olcott returned to Adyar on February 5th, 1890. On February 27th, he issued a Special Notice:
The undersigned resumes the responsible direction of the Theosophist; at the same time thanking Mr.
Richard Harte most sincerely for his valuable services during the period of the absence of the
undersigned from India.15

Richard Harte gave his letter of resignation from the office of Secretary of the Theosophical Society to Olcott
on September 23rd, 1890.16 His editorial relation with The Theosophist ended with the March 1891 issue.
On February 15th, 1891, the day before leaving for Australia, Olcott appointed Bertram Keightley as
Managing Editor of The Theosophist, in place of Harte who, due to supposed private matters obliging,
returned to England.17
During the three years Richard Harte was at Adyar he singlehandedly probably did more harm to the
Theosophical Movement than any other person, other than the Indian members themselves. He originally was
sent there as a representative of the American Section to support ideas which he had been given a mandate
to support by the members in America. He became one of Judges and Blavatskys greatest enemies. Here
is a letter from Judge to Harte which explains their position. The letter is dated October 23rd, 1890.
Dear Harte:
I have your note enclosed in Col. Olcotts, and by the same mail I have copies of your interviews
about Bert in India, and also of your telegrams to him. Inasmuch as these documents are precisely in
line with the stuff you have uniformly been sending me for the last year or two, I believe they are
authentic. At any rate, if they are not authentic, it remains for you to publicly deny them. You refer
to Mme. Blavatskys occult nose being wrong. I should consider it right, especially in your case, as
years ago she told me what harm you would do us and how you would create trouble. Inasmuch as
many people think your intentions are good, I am forced to the conclusion that your definition of
kindness is spitefulness, and that your power to distinguish right from wrong is absolutely atrophied.
In these interviews you have gone to the trouble not only to misrepresent facts but also to make new
obstructions and to set in motion false ideas which will have a tendency to involve the Society with
the government in India. Col. Olcotts reply to your insane drivel is altogether too mild. He ought to
let everybody know that your attack is unworthy of notice, as is that of a man who persistently twists
the right into wrong and makes black white. I sincerely trust that you will be deprived of all official
position, so that in the future whatever you may choose to say will be devoid of the slightest official
sanction. Very truly you are secretary in partibus infidelium. You have hitherto sent me very plain
language about myself, and I now give you some about yourself. The best plan for you to pursue is
to leave India; leave the Theosophical Society alone. Become a Tipperary Nationalist, anything but
to interfere with concerns which you cannot understand. You are a worse enemy to us than Coues is:
Coues is no enemy, he is only an outside lunatic who has no power except what we give him, and we
give him none; whereas, you have a semblance of authority, remain in the Society, and persist in these
outrageous attacks and insinuations, which spring either from lunacy or deliberate malice you can
take your choice. I am writing this way because I know the harm you are doing in India. You can do
no harm here, hence, I have no personal concern as to this country in respect to yourself, although you
have caused me much annoyance and increased my correspondence by the manner in which you have
done some official business with this country. I am,
Sincerely yours,
[Italics added]
WILLIAM Q JUDGE18

Interestingly there have been more articles written about the exploits of Elliott Coues than about Richard
Harte. Most historians have only focused on Hartes relationship with H.P.B. and ignored the main target
of his attack, which was Judge.
The incidents briefly described above involving Richard Harte and his articles, combined with Bertram
Keightleys letter to Harte, and Olcotts naive stance on the whole matter, was the beginning of a lot of
animosity regarding the status of Adyar and that of Judge as well. The issues raised then and the problems

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The Judge Case

which ensued from these incidents have never been fully addressed even to this day. Harte planted the seeds
which created confusion, doubt, and suspicion in the Indian members. He was somehow influenced by the
aura at Adyar and, in turn, became infectious. These ideas regarding Adyar have generated much resentment
and divided the Movement into different sects, each following different loyalties, while claiming to be the
rightful heirs.

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Chapter 8

Struggles in India
Olcott had been in London in August 1888, so his visit there in the fall of 1889, within a year of his last,
created much inquiry. He had received a cable asking him to come and make a two-month lecture tour of
Great Britain. However, there were more compelling reasons for his visit. Olcott was upset with the set-up
of the Esoteric Section and with the formation of the British Section of the T.S. the year before.1 The stresses
and strains created many problems between Adyar and London. He felt that H.P.B. interfered too much in
his executive matters but conceded that he did not always perceive that esoteric reasons were frequently
involved.2 H.P.B. apparently wanted full Presidential powers as his representative in her area.3 Additionally,
as part owner of The Theosophist, Blavatsky was extremely upset about the way the magazine was being
edited. It was at this time she told Olcott that Richard Harte had to go.
On December 25th, 1889, the day before Olcott left London for Colombo, H.P.B. placed in his hands a
document appointing him as her confidential agent and sole official representative for the Esoteric Section
in Asiatic countries.4 H.P.B.s confidence was such that she trusted him without any Pledges,5 although
Olcott never was a member of the E.S.6
____________________
The T.S. in India had been struggling to keep up with the growth being reported in Europe and America. As
Olcott was in Europe on official business he decided that no Convention would be held at Adyar, as usual,
in December 1889. He did, however, grant permission to the Presidents Commissioners to meet at
headquarters on December 27th for a conference and lectures. Because a number of members would be in
Bombay for other reasons, the General Secretaries of the four Indian Sections7 unanimously decided to hold
this Conference meeting in Bombay during Christmas 1889 instead. One of the General Secretaries, a
prominent Parsee member of the T.S. since November 25th, 1879, Khan Bahadur Nowroji Dorabji
Khandalavala (N.D.K.), took the chair and stated:
For various reasons the work is lagging behind in India. We meet this evening with a view to impress
upon the minds of members the necessity of taking such steps as may put it on better basis. This large
gathering will bring us into contact with those members who have confounded the movement itself
with the phenomena and will afford an opportunity of giving them a correct idea of the significance
of this movement.
Large ideas of philosophy viewed in their true light give us the only right conception of the great work
of the Theosophical Society.8

The underlying concern of the Indian members was the fact that other countries were progressing at a much
faster rate then they were, including Japan where Olcott had spent much of his time of late. They may have
thought that because of all the travels the President had undertaken they were being neglected and had better
do something to revitalize their situation or be left out altogether.
One circumstance which greatly contributed to the good feeling and cheerfulness of the Brothers in
Conference was the news that New York, London and Adyar were in future to pull together in unity
and unison, and that, for the present at least, the disintegrating forces those tending to the breaking
up of the Theosophical Society into a number of separate Theosophical Societies had been
overcome and silenced. It is felt here in India, where it is a common saying that every man is naturally
and by right of descent a Theosophist, that any attempt to discredit or weaken the Society in this
country is simply suicidal. Whether rightly or wrongly, the idea has latterly sprung up among many
of the Fellows here that our European and American brethren were willing to decry Theosophy in
India, in order to enhance their own importance in the movement. This suspicion is happily passing
away, and when the Indian Fellows become fully persuaded that England and America really

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The Judge Case

appreciate the great value of a strong India as a base of operations in other lands, it will undoubtedly
be clearly perceived that it is the duty and should be the delight of the Indian Fellows themselves to
make Theosophy in this country a really impregnable fortress, from which shall issue forth
expeditions into yet unconquered countries, and from which all the younger Sections may be able to
draw moral support in times of need.9

Part of their concern was the fact that unlike India, America and Britain had united all their Branches each
under their respective Section. France, Germany, and Australia were organizing themselves as well. The
newly formed Esoteric Section in London (with Judge as H.P.B.s Representative in America), left the Indian
members seriously concerned that its formation was intended to diminish Indias role as the birthplace of the
very philosophical wisdom the Theosophical Society was advocating. This concern had further been
exacerbated by Richard Hartes publishing of extracts of Bertrams letter in A Disclaimer in the July 1889
Supplement of The Theosophist.
When Olcott returned to India from England he was greeted by the Indian members. He had been struggling
to encourage the Indian members to become more involved with the Society. In November he had asked them
to reorganize the Rules of the Society in order to fulfil their needs, to make them feel that they were
appreciated and an integral part of the whole Movement. Olcott had requested that by February 1st, 1890, they
present him with changes they recommended be made to the code of rules, for review by Olcott and the
General Council. These resolutions had been read, discussed, amended and adopted at the Bombay
Conference. One of the ten resolutions proposed was:
That the division of the Society in India into four different Sections, does not appear to be convenient,
and for the present there should be only one Section for the whole of India, managed by a General
Secretary (with an Executive Council) who will carry on his duties separately from the General work
and management of the Theosophical Society.10

____________________
When Bertram Keightley was sent to India in August 1890 at H.P.B.s special request as her intermediary
and to render Olcott any needed assistance and attend the December Convention as European Delegate,11
she had written an Open letter for him to bring to India to be read by the Indian members and then possibly
handed over to Olcott. April 1890 had marked the fifth anniversary of H.P.B.s departure from India. Her
letter, which has since been printed under title, Why I Do Not Return To India, was addressed To My
Brothers of ryvarta. She wrote:
In Europe and America, during the last three years, I have met with hundreds of men and women who
have the courage to avow their conviction of the real existence of the Masters, and who are working
for Theosophy on Their lines and under Their guidance, given through my humble self.
In India, on the other hand, ever since my departure, the true spirit of devotion to the Masters and the
courage to avow it has steadily dwindled away. At Adyar itself, increasing strife and conflict has
raged between personalities; uncalled for and utterly undeserved animosity almost hatred has
been shown towards me by several members of the staff. There seems to have been something strange
and uncanny going on at Adyar, during these last years. No sooner does a European, most
Theosophically inclined, most devoted to the Cause, and the personal friend of myself or the
President, set his foot in Headquarters, than he becomes forthwith a personal enemy to one or other
of us, and what is worse, ends by injuring and deserting the Cause.12

H.P.B. was not accusing any one individual but from her message it was clear she was quite upset about the
status of Indian members, that their belief in the Masters had steadily dwindled after she had departed from
India. Judge had also recognized this problem while in India in 1884 and had come to the realization that he
could do more for the CAUSE if he returned to America. Judge never saw nor read this Open Letter. When
he addressed this very same problem after Blavatskys death he was met by strong opposition, receiving

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disparaging letters arguing and opposing his views. The protection provided by the Mahatmas at Adyar had
dwindled away and much of it was now under the grip of evil influences.
Meanwhile, Olcott felt it was more difficult to do business with H.P.B. in London. On September 2nd, 1890,
Olcott learned in a casual announcement received from G.R.S. Mead that Bertram Keightley had sailed for
India, without a word to me from anybody that he was coming. This is characteristic of their way of doing
business in London.13 In Old Diary Leaves Olcott wrote:
[H.P.B.] was driving me almost to desperation at about that time, even to the extent of sending out
Mr. Keightley to India with a sort of letter-of-marque, apparently intended to destroy the prestige of
Adyar, and concentrate all exoteric, as well as esoteric, authority in London. Fortunately for all
concerned, he showed this document to one of our strongest Indian members, who begged him not
to show it to another person, for it certainly would give a deathblow to H.P.B.s influence in India.
This was the prickly side of my dear chum.14

There is little doubt that the letter Olcott is referring to is Why I Do Not Return To India and that one of
our strongest Indian members was Judge N.D. Khandalavala from Poona.15
____________________
There was another Indian magistrate who was influential in the affairs of The Theosophical Society: S.
Subramania Iyer, who later became Chief Justice of Madras.
In Theosophical matters he has had great influence, but has exerted it so silently and with such selfeffacement that it is but little known to The Society at large.16

Upon his arrival in Madras in 1885 (from Madura, where he had joined the Society in 1882),
he was at once a member of the inner committee of seven who really managed all the affairs of The
Society, and . . . the President-Founder was always careful to consult him upon all points requiring
decision, and placed great reliance upon his judgment. He was also a member of the committee
appointed to investigate the affair of the Coulombs, and it was largely owing to his advice that
Madame Blavatsky was dissuaded from prosecuting them.17

S. Subramania Iyer was a staunch supporter and very close friend of Swami Vivekananda,18 who was quite
antagonistic to the Theosophical Society following his experiences in America at the time of the Parliament
of World Religions in 1893.

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The Judge Case

Chapter 9

The Wills of H.P.B.

Shortly after reviewing The Secret Doctrine Annie Besant joined the Theosophical Society on March 10th,
1889. Besant had made a name for herself as one of Englands finest orators and her abilities were needed
by the growing Society. Besant showed great promise as a student of Theosophy and was soon sitting at
H.P.B.s side acknowledging her as her new guru. She was quickly brought in as a pledged member of the
Esoteric Section. Just one month before her death H.P.B. appointed Besant (April 1st, 1891) as the Chief
Secretary of the Inner Group of the Esoteric Section and Recorder of the Teachings,1 and arranged for her
to go to America to meet Judge and deliver Blavatskys message to the American Convention held April 26th
- 27th, 1891, as her special delegate. At the time Besant accepted that Judge was an Occultist, a view she later
discounted. On May 8th Blavatsky died in London while Besant was on her way back from America.
Besant had sailed for England on May 6th and, upon receiving word of Blavatskys death, Judge followed on
May 13th, 1891. Olcott would not sail from India until June 15th. Evidentiary facts have been gathered and
are presented here for consideration regarding that period between Blavatskys death on May 8th and the time
of Judges arrival in London on May 21st, 1891.
Blavatsky executed her first Will before she left India in early 1885. According to Olcott she drew up a Will
on January 31st, 1885. Olcott stated:
The witnesses were P. Sreenivasa Row, E.H. Morgan, T. Subba Rao, and C. Ramiah. It contains a
clause to the effect that she wishes her ashes to be buried within the compound of the Headquarters
at Adyar; and another request that annually, on the anniversary of her death, some of her friends
should assemble here and read a chapter of the Light of Asia and one of Bhagavad Gt.2

This is the Will and Testament which is being kept at Adyar to this day, and considered Blavatskys official
Will. But it was not the Last Will and Testament she executed.
A second Will was drawn up in March 1887 while Blavatsky was living in Ostend with Countess
Wachtmeister, who looked after her needs. Ten days before leaving Ostend she lost consciousness while
sitting in her chair. Sylvia Cranston recounts from Wachtmeisters notes:
When the lawyer, doctor, and consul arrived, they found a joyous party. The doctor kept repeating,
But she should be dead, . . . she should be dead. He had never known a case in which a person in
such condition recovered. The drawing of the will went smoothly until the lawyer learned HPB had
left all her worldly goods to the countess and nothing to her relatives. Fearing the countess had
exercised undue influence on her mind, he objected, but HPB vehemently opposed. Madame
Gebhard, to avoid a scene, gently informed the lawyer, perhaps when you know the amount which
Madame Blavatsky has to will away, you will have no further objections to making the will as she
desires, for had Madame Blavatsky died, there would not have been sufficient money to pay for her
funeral expenses.
The party broke up several hours later. Departing, the American consul laughingly said: Well, I think
this is enough fatigue for a dying woman!3

Wachtmeister continued:
I will add that I never saw that will again. After HPBs death at Avenue Road, London, on May 8,
1891, I went to Ostend to see the lawyer and asked him what had been done with the will. He told me
that after my departure he had given the will to HPB. I suppose that she must have destroyed the deed,
as it was never found among her papers.4

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Blavatskys second Will, although very different from the first in content, has one element of similarity
both Wills were drawn up at moments of her pending death.
At the end of March 1889, a few months after The Secret Doctrine was published, according to Cheiro, a
famous palm reader who was in London at the time, Blavatsky invited him to visit her one evening at Avenue
Road. Blavatsky had deduced from evaluating her own palm that her life was nearing its end. She apparently
contacted Cheiro to verify her conclusions and give her a time frame in which she could expect the
inevitable. Again according to Cheiro, Blavatsky thanked him after his reading and said, Your warning will
do me good, for I will now put my papers in order and prepare in earnest for the short time that lies before
me.5 Although a third Will has never been acknowledged, it can be assumed from Blavatskys supposed
comments that she was taking this seriously and that she would take the time to draw up another Last Will
and Testament.
In her 1887 Will, Blavatsky had apparently left nothing to Olcott and nothing for Adyar either; all was to go
to Countess Wachtmeister who was looking after her night and day and receiving no compensation in return.
H.P.B.s circumstances had changed drastically since then and a very different Will was needed to reflect
this new status. Judge had become her most trustworthy supporter and the most dedicated to the CAUSE.
Blavatsky eventually came to realize that her own Master had initiated him in 1884 and she depended on
Judge for the many tasks she needed done. In one of her letters she wrote: I trust Judge more than anyone
in the world. . . .6
Recognizing Blavatskys involvement with Judge in all aspects of theosophical work, and the fact that Besant
had only recently joined the Society, it would seem reasonable to assume that Blavatsky would not have
designated Besant as the main benefactor in her Will. Olcott mentioned that when he had arrived at the
London headquarters on September 4th, 1889, he found Mrs. Annie Besant living in the house, having just
come over from the Secularists into our camp, with bag and baggage.7 Besant claimed, and declared some
months after Blavatskys death, that she was the person who arranged H.P. Blavatskys business affairs in
England8 during that time. It would be reasonable to expect, therefore, that Besant was the person in charge
of Blavatskys Last Will and Testament and would have known where to find it after her death.
It is reasonable to deduce that Blavatsky drafted a new Will sometime after Cheiros visit and also to assume
that Blavatsky drew up her Last Will and Testament circa August 1890 when a Deed of Trust was executed
in which Annie Besants property at 19 Avenue Road was officially vested into the hands of trustees as a
headquarters for the British Section.9 It was agreed at the time that
On the one hand, it was not right to have left the house in Mrs. Besants name, and on the other,
Madame Blavatskys health precluded it being in her own name.10

Once again Blavatskys health was a major concern.

Following are several reasons why a third Will is a possibility:
1.
On July 27th, 1886, Blavatsky had offered Judge her royalties from The Secret Doctrine and Isis
Unveiled.
2.
In August 1886 Blavatsky asked Judge to help her get her royalties from J.W. Bouton for her Isis
Unveiled. She protested that the money was being sent to Olcott at Adyar while she needed the
funds to survive (See Chronology, Aug. 22, 1886 entry for more details).
3.
Olcott mentioned years later in Old Diary Leaves that she also offered to turn over her share of
the Theosophist to Judge and make him her successor.11
4.
When Blavatsky wrote her second Will she wanted Wachtmeister to have all, but her Secret
Doctrine had not been published yet, nor had the Esoteric Section been formed.

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5.

The Judge Case

When Olcott, a lawyer, finally declared six months after Blavatskys death that there was a Will, he
carefully worded his speech at the Sixteenth Convention and Anniversary of the Theosophical
Society at Adyar. He stated:
In the will that she executed here, she left me everything and offered her sister the
copyrights to her books. . . .12 [Italics added]

6.
7.

8.
9.

He not only omitted any reference to the 1887 (second) Will, he carefully avoided mentioning the
words Last Will and Testament when proclaiming Blavatskys Will. (Years later in Old Diary
Leaves he did write that she executed what proved to be her Last Will and Testament. . . . 31st
January 1885.13). Also, in the published transcript of this Will there is no mention of copyrights
being offered to her sister.
Blavatsky had subsequently made arrangements regarding her share of the net profits from the sale
of her books (in 1888 and 1890) and they did not include monies going to Adyar.14
In the interview by William Mulliss in October 1926, Besant claimed that she had been appointed
H.P.B.s literary executor. [See Appendix H for full text.] In Rebirth of the Occult Tradition, Boris
de Zirkoff wrote: As far as English Law is concerned, a Literary Executor can be appointed only
in a Will.15 It is possible that Besant was in fact appointed Literary Executor in a Will that would
have been executed after she became associated with Blavatsky.
It would have been out of character and imprudent for Blavatsky not to have had a new Will
executed to reflect changed circumstances.
If Blavatsky did destroy the second Will, as Wachtmeister speculates, she would not have done so
without another Will to replace it, as it is obvious after reading Why I Do Not Return To India that
she would not leave everything to Olcott and Adyar as stipulated in her first Will.

The interesting question which arises is, what was Judge so concerned about that he would send a telegram
from New York, on May 9th, to 19 Avenue Road telling the members there to Do nothing till I come?16 This
was done shortly upon receiving word of Blavatskys death and only a few days after Besants departure from
New York on May 6th, 1891.
Blavatsky had appointed Judge as my only representative for [the Esoteric] section in America on
December 14th, 1888. On December 25th, 1889, she appointed Olcott as her Sole official representative for
the Esoteric Section in Asiatic countries, although Olcotts position appeared to be mostly in an
administrative capacity. Neither was in England at the time of Blavatskys death. Judge, who H.P.B. claimed
had been a part of herself and of the Great Lodge for aeons past,17 felt very responsible for preserving
the integrity of the E.S. materials. H.P.B. had reinforced this in her circular Notice of August 9th, 1890, in
which she stated that all orders in E.S. Instructions issued in the U.S. would only be through Judge or directly
by herself. This would have been reason enough to spring Judge into action and immediately send that
telegram. Edmund Garrett, Editor of the Westminster Gazette and a friend of Besant, reported that
Avenue-road was at first inclined to resent this ukase,18 that is, an official order, having the force of law.
Interestingly, this telegram of Judges is mentioned by various authors19 but it never appeared in any official
theosophical periodicals of the time. The telegram appears to have been expurgated.
By the time Judge arrived in London on May 21st, Besant was already wearing Blavatskys ring and
Blavatskys body had been cremated. Was Judge the one who was supposed to receive H.P.B.s ring after
her death? There is sufficient information included in the Chronology and Appendix A to cover the details
surrounding this ring. It will not, therefore, be repeated here.
No Will was ever presented to Judge while he was in England. He may not have known at that time that there
was a Will but likely expected there would be. Judge had represented Blavatsky in other legal matters before
and would therefore have found it strange that he was not presented with her Will while in London. Some

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353

years later, Besant admitted that she destroyed very important documentary evidence in her possession
related to the Judge Case stating, I destroyed all the letters I had received from Mr. Judge, as I could not
carry them with me round the world. . . .20 Could it be that Blavatsky did have a third Last Will and
Testament and that it suffered the same fate?
The Mystery Will
Olcott did not arrive in London until nearly two months after Blavatskys death. Upon word of her death
Bertram Keightley went to Colombo on May 21st, 1891, where he was to meet Olcott on the 28th.21 However,
Olcott only arrived in Colombo on June 10th, from Adelaide, met Bertram and sailed on to Bombay. They
left Bombay on a French steamer on June 15th and reached Marseilles on July 2nd. When they arrived in
London, on July 4th, they were greeted by Judge who took them to headquarters at 19 Avenue Road where
[Olcott] had an affectionate greeting from Mrs. Besant and other residents of the house.22
Olcott described what happened shortly after he arrived:
Mrs. B. and I visited the bedroom of H.P.B., and, after a time of solemn meditation, pledged ourselves
to be true to the Cause and to each other. The death of my co-Founder had left me as the recognized
sole centre of the movement, and it seemed as if the hearts of all our best workers warmed towards
me more than they had ever done before.23

There are no reasons to not take Olcotts description of events at face value, although the incident does seem
rather strange. A few days later he stated:
I passed some time alone in her room, and I received there what was necessary for my guidance in
the future; I may simply say, in one word, the gist of it was that I should continue the work as though
nothing whatever had happened. . . .24

One does wonder if Olcott gave all the details of the event or did he purposely leave out some very important
information information that would have undermined Olcotts authority and the whole Adyar organization
that he had built. Apart from the loss of his chum, could the contents of a possible third Will have
contributed to Olcotts melancholy after her death while he was in London? Judge realized a few months
later, when the two of them were in California, that something was troubling Olcott. He included in a cable
to Besant on October 26th, 1891: There is something wrong with H.S. Olcott.25
Serious questions arise concerning what occurred in H.P.B.s bedroom. Why wasnt Judge included in this
little private parley? Why were none of the other residents at headquarters invited into Blavatskys room with
Olcott and Besant? Why Blavatskys room at all?
Olcott first met Besant the night of his arrival in London, September 5th, 1889, when he came to settle his
differences with H.P.B. regarding the E.S. and other matters. Besant, a Secularist at the time, had just joined
the ranks of the Movement. Olcott immediately took to her and thought she was a natural Theosophist. Ten
years later he recalled an incident that transpired that evening:
She had not, I believe, made one public discourse in support of Theosophy, nor had she said one word
of the sort during the conversation between her and H.P.B. and myself. . . . I recollect taking her then
by the hand and saying, just at parting: I think you will find yourself happier than you have ever been
in your life before, for I see you are a mystic and have been frozen into your brain by your
environment.26

Olcott quickly became an admirer of Besants lecturing abilities after listening to her on a number of
occasions.
Now, after having met barely two years prior, they forged an alliance that was only jeopardized once, shortly
after Blavatskys death. What kind of tte--tte did they have to suddenly come out from Blavatskys
bedroom pledging allegiance to each other and to be true to the Cause? Which Cause? Based on the premise

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The Judge Case

that there was a third Will, this would have been the most opportune time for Besant to hand it over to Olcott.
Besant, living in the same house as Blavatsky and looking after her business affairs, may well have been the
only person who knew of the existence of Blavatskys Will. Perhaps when she arrived in London from New
York she immediately read the Will, pondered upon its contents, and wondered what to do with it.
Again presuming the third Will existed, in all probability after reading it Besant was determined to show it
to Olcott first, since he was the President of the Society, and let him decide what to do. Besant must have
felt it her duty to personally hand over Blavatskys Will to him. She appeared to believe at the time that the
Esoteric Section was part of the whole Society and that Olcott as its President was, therefore, the only one
who represents the mission from the Masters themselves.27 This belief becomes even more evident when
reading her statement and resolution at the Annual Convention at Adyar in 1894.28
Supposing that in Blavatskys Will there was nothing bequeathed to Olcott or to Adyar, would that not have
been of concern enough to Besant for her to wait until Olcotts arrival to determine what to do next? And
she was not about to question her perception her truth.
Shortly after joining the Society Annie Besant gave two lectures at the Hall of Science, August 4th and 11th,
1889, on Why I Became A Theosophist. There she described her loyalty to truth as she saw it.
An imperious necessity forces me to speak the Truth, as I see it, whether the speech please or
displease, whether it bring praise or blame. That one loyalty to Truth I must keep stainless, whatever
friendships fail me or human ties be broken. She may lead me into the wilderness yet must I follow
her; she may strip me of all I love, yet I must pursue her; though she slay me yet I trust in her; and I
ask no other epitaph on my tomb but She tried to Follow Truth.29 [Italics added]

Following up on the possibility that there was a third Will, could the Cause that Olcott and Besant both
adopted following their tte--tte have been to maintain the status quo of the Theosophical Society as she
envisioned it was and to which Olcott had dedicated his lifes work? The premise that in this probable third
Will Blavatsky made Judge one of her benefactors, but not Adyar, would have been reason enough for Besant
and Olcott to have pledged allegiance to each other. This Will was their little secret. If Besant did hide the
supposed Will until Olcott saw it, would Olcott not have felt a deep sense of gratitude toward her? How
could Olcott ever repay her for having saved the Society Adyar, which he considered to be the center of
the Theosophical Movement. Olcotts actions certainly lend credence to this probability and he certainly
supported Besant as much as anyone could thereafter. As mentioned earlier, Olcott would likely have found
some very disturbing information in Blavatskys Will information he decided would never be revealed
and it never was, but there is sufficient evidence to establish the probability that a third Will existed and that
Olcott chose to withhold it.
Judge might have suspected that Blavatsky had another Will when he sent that telegram on May 9th, but he
apparently never made a fuss about it. Judge may not have cared much about a Will; his main concern was
the CAUSE.
Like H.P.B., Judge was fully aware that Olcotts Executive responsibility was centered from the first on
being the President and that his authority was mainly exoteric. Judge, on the other hand, although closely
involved with exoteric matters, was mainly concerned with the Esoteric and was loyal to the Theosophical
CAUSE and to its great Teachers. Olcott was always concerned with promoting and sustaining the
headquarters as the center of the organization. He seemed to lose track of the original CAUSE and of the main
objectives while still believing that he was following orders from the Masters and was loyal to H.P.B. In a
letter to Olcott in April 1885 she paraphrased K.H. as saying that Olcott had managed to save the Societys
body but had lost its soul.

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Chapter 10

Olcott is Tested S Suspicions Mount

By the time Olcott arrived in London on July 4th, 1891, following Blavatskys death, he had developed doubts
about H.P.B.s abilities. He had started to suspect that H.P.B. had actually written many if not most of the
letters and messages, claiming and believing that they had been written by the Masters. Three years earlier,
on his way to London in 1888, Olcott had received a letter in his ships cabin in which Master K.H. had
warned against this specifically.
But your revolt, good friend, against [H.P.B.s] infallibility as you once thought it has gone
too far, and you have been unjust to her, for which I am sorry to say, you will have to suffer hereafter.
. . Just now on deck, your thoughts about her were dark and sinful, and so I find the moment a
fitting one to put you on your guard.1

Olcott had received very few messages from the Masters after H.P.B. left India and was not expecting to
receive any more after her death. Judge had been aware of Olcotts message drought and had written letters
to him claiming that he had not received many either. He was hoping that would somehow help to keep
Olcotts spirits up and encourage him. Judge had actually been in contact with the Masters a lot more
frequently than he had been letting on. Olcott had absolutely no idea that Judge had undergone an initiation
in 1884 and he never found out either. Olcotts mind was suspicious and he did not believe that Judge had
any occult abilities. He assumed that Judge knew very little about occultism.
During this time, in London, Besant was a fervent believer in the Masters. She had received letters she
thought to have been written by the Master himself, through Judge, and had no difficulties accepting this as
fact for she claimed she could recognize their well-known script.2 She even boasted in public lectures about
having received letters, which was a violation of the Rules of the Esoteric Section.3 Olcott later published
that once H.P.B. had gone, the precipitated writings must alter,4 which Judge claimed was incorrect and
provided examples to prove otherwise.
A most interesting incident occurred in London between Olcott and Judge which tested Olcotts occult savvy,
his faith in Judge, and his ability to detect if Judge had in fact developed occult abilities. According to Judge,
he had been developing occult powers since the early days in New York without Olcotts knowledge. This
incident also provides information as to whether Olcott respected Judge as a co-Founder and was willing to
work with him. Upon reading the following Statement by Olcott the reader should keep in mind that it was
written from memory, likely in December 1894 or January 1895, when Besant was in Adyar collecting all
she could in preparation for her Case Against W.Q. Judge (see the Compilers Analysis of same in
Appendix A). Most historians know that Olcotts recollection of facts is not always accurate, especially his
Old Diary Leaves, but his records are in fact still used as long as they can be verified by other sources. It
is more difficult to brush aside his known biases against Judge when reviewing the facts, especially his article
Centres of The Theosophical Movement and his negative review of The Ocean of Theosophy,5 along with
all other subsequent conflicts between him and Judge.
If the following incident is read with the idea, using Olcotts own words, that he was being tested by the
Masters, many interesting ideas and facts can be deduced. His loyalty and dedication to the Theosophical
Society and to Adyar are not in question here, but his respect and loyalty towards Judge certainly are as they
had been skewed for whatever reason. In his Statement in The Case Against W.Q. Judge, Olcott provides
an example of his reservations about Judge.
While at London in July, 1891, some conversation occurred between W.Q.J. and myself about the
expenses of the European Convention, and I proposed that as H.P.B.s legatee I should sell some
valuable articles of hers and give the money as her contribution towards those expenses. Judge then

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The Judge Case

told me as from the Master, that I need not trouble myself about it as they would see that the
money was forthcoming, and that I would get a message about it. As I did not get any message soon,
I spoke to W.Q.J., who replied that what he had already told me was all that he had heard from the
Master.
The same day on returning from town and sitting down to my writing-table, I lifted a piece of blottingpaper, and under it found the following message written on paper. I withhold the message until later
(cryptograph and illegible impression of seal).

Later, W.Q.J. left on my writing-table a note as follows:

Dear Olcott, Master says he has sent you a message in a queer envelope and you are to look for it.

Upon searching I found in the ordinary envelope of a private letter, which I had previously received
and which after reading I left open with other letters on my table, a piece of paper bearing writing in
red pencil with cryptograph and a legible seal impression. This at once put me in mind of the Panjab
Seal.6 I showed the paper to Bertram Keightley and gave him a history of the seal. I then put back
the paper in the envelope in which I had found it, and placed it on my table. The substance of this
Mahtm note was to the effect that there was no need to sell H.P.B.s jewels as money would be
provided.
I thereupon spoke to W.Q.J. and asked him if he had seen among H.P.B.s effects a certain seal
(describing the Panjab Seal and telling the circumstances of its making in the Panjab, but not
naming the exact place). Judge said he had not seen the seal, whereupon I remarked that I hoped no
scoundrel would get possession of it, and use it to give colour to bogus Mahtm messages, and
I added that if ever I should see a message which bore the impression of that seal, I should of course
know it to be fraudulent. (I did not at the time inform Judge that I had got the message about which
he had written to me.)
After two days I again looked into the envelope for the paper (which I had replaced) but found that
it was not there.7

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357

In a letter to Olcott dated August 30th, 1893, which was also included in The Case Against W.Q. Judge,
Judge responds to what he claims are wrong notions about him that Olcott has held for many years. Judge
does not deal with this particular incident in great detail but does correct Olcotts errors concerning it.
You are in error when you say I told you you would find a message from M. on the table at Avenue
Road. I did not. I showed you in the cab a note of his on your letter I sent him a message. It is
signed. After that I said he told me he had written you and I so stated. You have added to it about the
table. That I did not say. And once more I deny all you said and think of me in respect to the seal.
That is all I will say.8

In the first paragraph of his relating this incident, Olcotts first concern was money that the expenses for
the European Convention would be met. He was continually concerned about expenses coming out of the
Adyar budget. He was equally concerned that Adyar should get its fair share of revenues royalties from
the publications, mostly through H.P.B.s efforts, were continually diverted to Adyar for their expenses, for
Olcotts tours and for other lecturers coming to India. The second point he mentions is his reaffirmation that
he is H.P.B.s legatee. This may be so, but who was the legatee in Blavatskys second Will when she was
in Ostend? If Olcott was not the legatee to that second Will why should he have been the legatee in the
presumed Last Will and Testament drawn up shortly before Blavatskys death? It was not until after
Wachtmeister could not turn up the second Will that the first one was accepted and Olcott became legatee.
Suspicions that Judge had allegedly been writing red missives on letters to members only surfaced after the
death of H.P.B., although it is believed rumors were circulating at Adyar during the time Richard Harte was
there as acting Editor of The Theosophist. Bertram Keightley, who had reached Bombay on August 31st,
1890, likely became aware of the rumors circulating in India that Judge was allegedly forging Mahatmic
messages. By the time Olcott arrived in London on July 4th, 1891, his perception of Judge may have been
somewhat tainted by what Keightley likely imparted to him during their voyage. Olcott remembered that he
also had heard rumors about Judges alleged talent for imitating handwriting and that he had done some while
at Adyar in 1884.9
The evidence that there were suspicions in India about bogus Mahtm messages being produced by Judge,
at that time, came from a letter Judge had sent to Tookaram Tatya on May 30th, 1891, from Avenue Road,
London. Tatya, suspicious of a seal impression on it, returned the letter to Judge for verification. Tatya
claimed that when he received the letter the impression was perfectly clear but when it was returned by
Judge, the seal impression had been rubbed out. If there had not been suspicions concerning Judge circulating
forged messages in India before Blavatskys death, there would have been no reason to return the letter to
Judge in the first place. From Judges letter to Tatya it will be shown that the rumors about Judge had
originated on the West coast of India and that these rumors had been initiated by the same people who at first
had come to Blavatskys defense in 1884 but who had quickly lost their faith in the Masters.
When Olcott showed the cryptograph to Bertram Keightley, and gave him the history of the Seal, it was as
if he was saying to him I now know what you mean about suspecting Judge. From this point onward it
becomes evident that both Olcott and Bertram Keightley were developing suspicious minds about Judges
abilities to communicate with Master Morya. The matter of the Punjab Seal will not be of primary focus here.
This one episode coupled with the cablegram involving Bertram on his return to London from America in
1890 are sufficient to show that suspicion was slowly developing into a malignancy. This would have been
the opportune time for Bertram Keightley to admit to Olcott that he had seen this cryptograph and seal
impression before and that H.P.B. had demonstrated it by reproducing a lost cablegram, with several seal
marks on it, in his and others presence.
____________________

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The Judge Case

Matters having been settled following H.P.B.s death, Judge left London on August 6th, 1891, and returned
to New York.
Bertram Keightley left London with Sydney V. Edge on August 21st, 1891, to return to Adyar. Bertram was
most excited about his trip to England. He stated: My trip to England has been successful beyond
expectation. He had managed to obtain a promise from Besant to make a rapid tour in India this Christmas,
if the necessary funds can be raised.10 Sydney V. Edge became Bertrams assistant Editor of the new
magazine, The Prasnottara, and assistant General Secretary of the Indian Section.
Olcott left Liverpool on September 16th, 1891, on his way to Japan via USA. He arrived in New York on the
evening of September 23rd, and spoke to reporters at Astor House the following day.
On September 28th, 1891, Olcott took the train from New York to California. Judge had gone ahead and was
lecturing and conversing with inquirers, when Col. Olcott arrived in San Francisco. They were together on
the platform when Col. Olcott lectured, October 7th, the evening before he sailed over the Pacific Ocean for
Japan.11 Judge continued his tour of California and other western centers.
Olcotts suspicions were further piqued when he reached
Colombo on November 29th, 1891, en route for Madras on his
way back from America and Japan. He received a packet of
letters which had been forwarded to him. Among the letters was
one dated October 17th, 1891, from Abbott Clark, of Villa Park,
Orange County, California. Olcott describes what he found:
Inside the letter I found a slip of paper bearing a
message in handwriting resembling that usually
attributed to Mahtm M. and his cryptograph. The
paper employed was Cashmere paper, identical with
a certain sample lot bought by me in Jammoo,
Cashmere, in 1883, to be used in the Theosophist
Office for packing books, being cheap and strong. It
is hand-made paper and some of it was taken by
H.P.B. with her to Europe in 1886.
The message, which is written in red pencil and partly
in black (and has no seal), runs thus, part being
illegible:
Judge is not the forger you think and did not write
Annie. My seal is with me and he has not seen it,
but would like to. Both are doing right, each in his
own field. Yes, I have been training him and can
use him when he does not know; but he is so new, it
fades out often as it may in this letter from an
enthusiast (here follow some illegible words). [Olcott
does not mention the words which follow: it for you
____ know] Facit per alium applies to the Lahore
Brass. No; it is not pencil.
(Signed with Mahtm M.s cryptograph).

Supplement

The message presented two suspicious points. (I) It

speaks of the Panjab Seal as my seal (i.e.,
Mahtm M.s) and also mentions it as the Lahore
Brass.
In reference to the making of the seal, I had simply
mentioned to Judge the Province of the Panjab, and as
Lahore is supposed to be the capital of the Panjab, the
writer apparently thought he could safely call the seal
the Lahore Brass. Unfortunately for him the seal
was not made there.
The quoting of the maxim (qui) facit per alium (facit
per se) is suspicious, and opens the door to any
amount of fraud and deception.
I then caused a letter to be written to Mr. Abbott Clarke to inquire when he had posted the letter. He
replied that although he wrote the letter on the 17th October, he had not posted it till the 20th through
forgetfulness. He also mentioned that Mr. Judge was in the locality about twenty-four hours on
October 17th and 18th.12

Judge later explains:

Now taking up the next charge, that I have sent such messages pretending them to be from the Master
although in reality, as alleged, emanating from myself, it appears that eight affirmations, or grounds,
or bases, are cited by the prosecutor in support of the charge. The first two are entirely false in fact.
They allege, first, error in matter of fact and second, a threat based on a mistake. I have, as a matter
of fact made no error in any of these messages and no threat whatever is made, either based on a
mistake or otherwise. The first alleged error is that in a message said to have been sent by me, the
brass seal previously referred to is called the Lahore brass. About this I know absolutely nothing.
The alleged message was found by Col. Olcott in a letter from Abbott Clark, of California, at a time
when I was in California, it is true, but Abbot[t] Clark swears that I could not have done anything
with his letter, and that he carried it around in his pocket for some time after it was written, while he
waited to procure stamps for mailing it, and did not post it until after I had started for the East. It is
in evidence, as admitted by the prosecutor, that the letter in which this message was found was opened
in Adyar and forwarded from there to Col. Olcott. There were at that time, in Adyar, certain spies and
enemies, who gave out information to those who wished to hurt the Theosophical Society and those
persons opened letters not addressed to themselves. I cannot repudiate as a fact Mr. Abbott Clarks
letter in which this appeared, but I can and do emphatically repudiate, in toto, the message alleged to
have been made by me. In the statement made by the prosecutor, it is taken for granted, as if proved,
that I was misled by Col. Olcotts speaking of the Punjab and that I therefore came to the conclusion
that the seal had better be called, in this alleged bogus message, the Lahore brass. The fact of the
matter is that I know nothing about Lahore, or the Punjab, and all my knowledge of this brass seal,
considered as an object, is derived from Col. Olcotts testimony, together with that of Bertram
Keightley.13

Clark later supplied a statement from San Francisco, California on April 21st, 1894.
I, ABBOTT CLARK, a member of the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, do hereby state and affirm as follows:
I have seen it stated in the newspapers that it is charged that I wrote Col. H.S. Olcott in 1891 to India
and that in that letter was some message not known to me and that Col. Olcott replied asking where
William Q. Judge was at the time and that I replied he was in my house.

359

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The Judge Case

The facts are: That in 1891, Mr. W.Q. Judge was lecturing in this State and I was with him at Santa
Ana and that I had no house, and never had, being too poor to have one. Bro. Judge stopped at the
hotel in Santa Ana, where he came from my home, my fathers house, at Orange, where he had been
at dinner, and at Santa Ana I arranged his lecture, and I stayed at my Aunts in Santa Ana; while in
the hotel a conversation arose with us in which I spoke of Theosophical propaganda among the
Chinese on this coast, and Bro. Judge suggested that I write to Col. Olcott as he knew many Buddhist
Theosophists and might arrange it better than Bro. Judge, and I then myself wrote to Col. Olcott on
the matter showing the letter after it was done to Bro. Judge to see if it should be improved or altered
and he handed me back the letter at once. I put it in my pocket and kept it there for several days
waiting for a chance to buy stamps for postage as I was away from any post office. Bro. Judge left
by himself the morning after I wrote the letter and went to San Diego and the only time I saw him
again was in the train, just to speak to him on his return, after about four days and the letter was not
mentioned, thought of, nor referred to.
I assert on my word of honor that Bro. Judge said nothing to me about any message pretended to be
from Masters or otherwise, and so far as any reports or statements have been made relating to me
herein different from the above they are absolutely false.
From India I got a reply from Adyar T.S. Office from one Charlu saying he had opened my letter in
Col. Olcotts absence, and had forwarded it to him; and Dharmapala told me he had seen letters from
me to Olcott on the matter, received in India away from Adyar. The said Charlu in reply also asked
me where Bro. Judge was when the letter was written, and I wrote that he had been at my house on
that date, which is true as above stated, Orange being but three miles from Santa Ana, as I thought
Charlu wished to have Bro. Judges dates, but thought also the questions were peculiar from such a
distance. I never got any reply to my sincere first question in that letter about propaganda from him,
and never any reply of any sort from Col. Olcott. When Dharmapala was here he did not bring any
message in reply from Olcott, but referred to recollecting speaking with Olcott about a proposal from
California to work with the Chinese. And Charlu did not speak of any enclosure in said letter. A year
later I again wrote on the same matter to Col. Olcott which was answered by Gopala Charlu, now
dead, saying but little if anything could be done by him. To all this I affirm on my honor.14
(Signed) ABBOTT CLARK.
WITNESS SIGNATURE,
(Signed)
ALLEN L. GRIFFITHS.
E. B. RAMBO.

Olcott was obviously becoming ever more suspicious and, indeed, more convinced that Judge was adding
a seal impression to bogus messages to insinuate authenticity, that is, as coming from the Masters. Even
though Abbott Clark insists that Judge had no opportunity to add anything to his letter and indicated this in
his response to Olcotts query (albeit not as clearly as he might have), once again Olcott chose to presume
guilt rather than allow Judge the benefit of the doubt.

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Chapter 11

The Poison Letter

While Olcott was in London (July 4th to September 16th, 1891), he was quite distraught about the whole
matter surrounding Blavatskys death and perhaps also with the presumed third Will given to him. It was at
this time that he stayed as a guest of Miss Henrietta Mller, and at which time they supposedly had an affair.
When Besant became aware of the grave immorality (to quote Herbert Burrows words) she cabled Judge
in New York. She was convinced that the charges were true and wanted to present her evidence to Judge
regarding Olcotts conduct while he had been in London. Judge replied that she may come. Besant had
listened to these accusations, had investigated them according to her own moral standards of what constituted
an investigation, until she became convinced the charges were true.
While Judge was still in San Francisco he wrote, on October 26th, 1891, to Besant about his concerns for
Olcott. Judge had perceived, or been told by the Master, that there was something wrong with Olcott. He also
stated that the Master had desired Besant not to go to India at this time. Besants thoughts were that she had
better go to India in order to see Master M. She had never been told to go to India to see the Master; she
had decided on her own volition that this was what she must do. She had told Bertram Keightley that she
would go if the Indian members could raise the appropriate funds, and now through Judge was told not to
go. The Master knew about Besants wish to see Him but explained that on account of health1 she should
not go to India at this time and had better see Dr. Z. Mennell (Blavatskys doctor) to obtain certificate
advising postpone[ment]2 for her use in advising Bertram Keightley, the General Secretary of the Indian
Section. Judge had also informed Besant that as He has often said one has not got to go there to see Him.3
Besant sent a telegram to Judge on November 18th, 1891, of her sudden sailing. She reached New York on
the 27th or 28th. She recounted to Judge the circumstances and details of the charge as well as the evidence
and demanded that Judge, as Vice-President of the Society, immediately demand Olcotts resignation. Besant
had arranged for a London member to go to India as special messenger so as to avoid all risks from spies
at Adyar.4 After cross-questioning her as to the facts with E.A. Neresheimer, Judge decided to write to
Olcott as a friend concerning these allegations. Judge suggested to Olcott that even if the charges were true
that he had better not resign. Suddenly the pledge Olcott and Besant made to each other after their private
parley in Blavatskys room became secondary to her own moral convictions and her need for moral justice
and exactitude which she had stated she would pursue for Truth. The question is, why didnt she write to
Olcott herself and demand an explanation regarding the alleged rumors? In all probability she needed Judges
involvement to deflect any repercussions from coming her way. (Details regarding Olcotts resignation, his
third, can be found in the Chronology.)
Olcott received a letter from Judge, dated December 28th, 1891, in January 1892. Judge was concerned that
he had not heard from him since he had left San Francisco in October. On opening the letter Olcott found
across the first page, to the left, the following words written in red pencil: I might tell him of your poison
interview with [name given] M. Olcott was greatly incensed by the insinuation and wrote an
indignant reply to Judge. Judge responded:
I have puzzled my head over your reference to poison as if in one of mine; as I never referred to
it I cannot catch on and have given it up in despair.5

This incident generated more suspicions in Olcotts mind of Judges guilt. Olcott by then believed that Judge
was indeed writing missives on letters as coming from Master M to persuade others. Olcott came to the
conclusion that Judge was doing this to undermine Olcotts authority as President of the T.S. in order to step
in and take control of the whole organization at Adyar.6

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The Judge Case

A few more details will help clarify the confusion that occurred surrounding this episode at the time and
which created some misunderstandings which developed into many presumptions regarding Judge.
When detailing her case of moral indecency against Olcott, Besant also confided to Judge under plea of
secrecy about a perfectly harmless conversation Olcott had with an intimate friend on the properties of
certain poisons.7 Judge explains what happened to the letter he wrote to Olcott:
The words of the message, which are in red, are I might tell him of your poison interview with . . .
(name omitted here). The explanation thereof is this. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that
sentence was precipitated in that letter, through me, without my knowledge at the time. It is
unfinished, but would have been completed but for the alteration of conditions at the time and various
hindrances unnecessary to relate. It grew out of the fact of Mrs. Besants explicit statement to me that
a certain person (whose truthfulness we had no reason to doubt) had thrown out hints about Col.
Olcotts being a man capable of administering poisons, and her further averment, at the same time,
that Madame Blavatsky had hinted the same thing to her. This is not the first time Mrs. Besant has
made to me accusations of a serious character against other persons. The statement did not command
my credence, but at the same time I was disturbed by it and it caused some grave questions to arise
in my mind. It influenced me to endeavor to procure from occult sources information on the subject,
and I did obtain at least partial information. All this caused the precipitation of that incomplete
message in the letter, which would have been finished and been a good deal longer were it not for the
disturbance of the conditions necessary for its completion. It would then show that the Master might
tell, or explain, to me about the poison interview which had been a weight on my mind but that the
doubts and suspicions then existing on both sides prevented any useful messages being sent for
mutual use. The person who should have least reason for surprise at the revelation in this explanation
is Col. Olcott, for I have a letter from him in 1892 in which he says:
What do I mean by poison? well you will learn in time; the simple fact is that certain people had
the damnable wickedness and impudence to hint that I might use it on third parties. Damn them. The
people he referred to were in England.8

Besant inadvertently supports Judges claims by explaining facts that the Westminster Gazette had gotten
wrong about the October 26th, 1891 letter she received from Judge.
The message dealt with E.S.T. matters partly, but chiefly with my journey to India. The danger
was a predicted turning of Col. Olcott against the T.S. and H.P. Blavatsky. It had nothing to do with
the idea, rightly characterised by the W. G. as astounding nonsense, that Col. Olcott intended to
poison me. Mr. Judge knew nothing of this absurdity until I told him of it myself when I visited
America later in the year, after my journey to India had been postponed in deference to the above
message. So the W. G. is mistaken in alleging that I was warned not to imperil myself in the
neighbourhood of Col. Olcott, and in supposing that this story, never heard of by any of us till after
the Indian visit had been given up, had anything to do with its postponement.9

Besant further explains where the idea originated.

First the poison interview was a perfectly harmless conversation with an intimate friend on the
properties of certain poisons; secondly, Mr. Judge knew of this interview prior to the date of the
above letter under pledge of secrecy from Annie Besant, with in addition, a most injurious suspicion
levelled at the Colonel in consequence of a dream the above-named friend had had some months later.
. . .10

In Isis Very Much Unveiled (p.54), Edmund Garrett included what he called The poison threat missive
which had appeared on the letter to Olcott and which is included below:

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The [name given] in Besants Case Against W.Q. Judge is here identified as Mennell, that is, Dr.
Mennell, who had been Blavatskys physician and whom Besant was advised to see regarding her health
during the time of her proposed visit to India.
According to Besants statement above, this intimate friend had a follow-up dream in regard to this poison
question. But Besant had received another warning against her going to India then. Vera Johnston, living in
London at the time, had forwarded a message from her mother, Vera Petrovna Jelihovsky, H.P.B.s sister,
to Annie Besant. Vera Petrovna Jelihovsky describes that she had a feeling, impression, conviction you
may call it whatever name you like came to me in night time. She wrote to Judge:
This was not a dream. . . .
. . . So, according to reason, I did my best to destroy the impression and to get rid of my strange
feeling, the notion that I was obliged to warn her. But it gave me no rest; it positively obsessed and
persecuted me! I felt a painful depression, accompanied by an ever-increasing conviction that I had
better act, as I was prompted to from the beginning, for such was my moral duty.
At last I came to the conclusion that the consciousness under which I felt myself obliged to warn Mrs.
Besant came from my sister; that it was her will to keep Mrs. Besant from going to India and had no
other possibility to act except through me.11 [See Oct. 1891 entry in Chronology for more details.]

After marrying, in the late summer of 1888, Vera and her husband, Charles Johnston, sailed to India with
Olcott, Richard Harte and others on October 22nd, 1888. They stayed in India for a while but had returned
to England before Blavatsky died. It is quite plausible that Vera Johnston, H.P.B.s niece, along with a
number of other people, had heard Olcott speaking about the properties of certain poisons at that time or
later in 1891 when they were all together again in London. As Judge stated, the person who should have
least reason for surprise at the revelation in this explanation is Col. Olcott. It appears that the whole of the
incident was entirely innocent in the first place but suspicion and doubt were stronger than truth. As it turned
out both Olcott and Besant chose to sway suspicion towards Judge rather than simply describe the facts as
they knew them, and then ask Judge directly to explain how the message came to be on the letter to Olcott
in the first place. They chose to see guilt rather than innocence and acted accordingly.
At first Judge indicated that he knew nothing about the missive but he later discovered through Master M
what had actually happened. When Judge asked M why he delayed Annies trip, the Master replied that
Judge would see, that in 1893 a necessity for it would come. In his August 30th, 1893, letter to Olcott,
Judge explained:
That necessity is here, a breach in the ranks not led by you, but not prevented, for you are an older
man on the spot and are the chief officer. It is a breach of interest to the T.S. and not to the E.S., and
you have not dealt well nor wisely in it with me nor with the thing itself.12

In this letter Judge also explains about his occult development and that
In 1875 and up to 1879 the Masters spoke with me and gave me teaching both that way and in writing
and also told me how I was to regard you and act to you. They explained to me many things and
showed what would happen. I have tried to follow the directions but do not pretend to have made a
complete success of it.13

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But then he says:

Just drop 1875 and begin with 1886 if it suits you better, and take it from that on and from now on
and you will find it all right. I could have said all this before, but was not told to, and besides always
found you sneering at me, and saw in your brain, into which I have often gazed, the doubts and the
suspicions.14

____________________
In an undated letter received by Judge from Master M some time after the passing of H.P.B. is the
following statement:
I have spoken to Heliodore in the West, and she may go to India in 93.15

(See the Compilers Analysis of The Case Against W.Q. Judge in Appendix A for details regarding
Heliodore, a name given to Annie Besant.)

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Chapter 12

Suspicions Begin to Sprout

All doubts and suspicions began to sprout in the year 1893. The new year began a few days early with the
arrival of Walter R. Old at Adyar on December 21st, 1892. It appears that Edward T. Sturdy traveled with him
to India at the same time. They joined their friends Sidney V. Edge, Bertram Keightley and H.S. Olcott at
Adyar. E.T. Sturdy had studied Sanskrit for a long time and had decided to go to India to seek for the rarer
Indian books useful for translation, and to superintend that translation.1
Olcott instantly took a liking to Walter Old. Olcott describes what happened:
My time during the rest of the month was largely given to the gathering of material for my Old Diary
Leaves, in addition, of course, to the usual office business, and nothing of a sensational kind occurred
until the 22nd, when Mr. Walter R. Old, of the London working staff, arrived and joined our
Headquarters organization. Almost immediately there was an interchange of confidences between us,
which for the first time opened my eyes to the treacherous policy that Mr. Judge had been following
up with regard to the Society and myself in the matter of his relations with the Masters. I cannot tell
how shocked I was to discover his lack of principle, and to find that my previously more or less vague
suspicions fell far short of the reality. Without making any pretensions to exceptional goodness, I
certainly never did anything to warrant him in making, in a forged letter, my own Teacher and adored
Guru seem to say that, if Mrs. Besant should carry out her intention of visiting India, she might run
the risk of my poisoning her! . . . Mr. Keightley and Mr. Edge were taken into our counsels, and
helped to compare the documents mutually submitted by Mr. Old and myself. On the arrival of the
Delegates to the Convention at the usual time, we submitted the papers to our respected colleague
Judge Khandalvala, of Poona, who decidedly advised me to prosecute the case, as it was too serious
a menace to the Societys prosperity to allow it to go on.2

In the above quotation from Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series, Olcott mentions that he and W.R. Old
exchanged confidences. By the time he started writing his Fifth Series, these confidences had become
notes and memoranda. On page 1 Olcott writes:
As previously shown, the rumblings of the coming tempest about Mr. Judge were beginning to be
heard. Towards the end of last year the arrival of Mr. Walter G. Old of the London staff, with the
budget of notes and memoranda which he had taken, enabled me by comparing documents to see the
depth and fullness of the treachery which Mr. Judge had long been planning. I find from my Diary
of 1893 that the greater part of the first day was spent by Messrs. Keightley, Old, and myself in
summarising the evidence in the case; and needless to say, all our hearts were filled with sorrow, for
this was almost if not the very first case of downright perfidy in our Societys history.3

Here again is a case where Olcotts statement cannot be depended upon for accuracy. His bias against Judge
is most damaging if not questioned and investigated further.
Bertram Keightley and Col. Olcott credit Old with supplying evidence which, in addition to what was
gathered at Adyar, led to the decision to take action against Judge. It appears, however, that Old had very
little of his own evidence, if any, to present when he arrived at Adyar other than innuendoes and suspicions
gathered through friends. Herbert Burrows claimed that what really happened was that
After Mr. Old had been some time in India he came to the conclusion that certain charges against Mr.
Judge, which up to then had been vaguely floating about, were true, and he said so.4

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Old later supplied a lot of the information which was serialized in The Westminster Gazette beginning in
October 1894, and which Edmund Garrett eventually published as a book, Isis Very Much Unveiled. Old
justified this action by claiming:
The published facts are just those which came into the evidence of Col. Olcott and Bertram Keightley,
and upon which the charges were based and action taken; and they are, moreover, part of a body of
evidence, which, from the outset, it was decided to publish.5

The body of evidence he refers to is the material which was gathered over the following year and of which
Old made copies prior to handing it over to Besant shortly after her arrival in India in November 1893. Olcott
acknowledged that the copies and facsimiles made by Mr. Old were taken while [the materials] were in his
custody, in the earliest stages of the inquiry.6 This was also the material which Judge claimed open enemies
of mine had copies while he was never provided with any, to which Old had responded:
I am the only person who holds certified copies of the documents. I was not allowed to make such
copies; I secured such in self-defence at the time of my handing over the originals to Mrs. Besant; for
it must be remembered that I had already brought charges against Mr. Judge, which at that date I had
not had an opportunity of proving. . . .7

Olcott claimed to have been shocked to discover [Judges] lack of principle, and to find that my previously
more or less vague suspicions fell far short of the reality. He felt vindicated his unsubstantiated doubts
were now confirmed. But he may well have been genuinely shocked by a letter that Walter Old uncovered
from among the papers at Adyar in December 1892. This was the letter Judge had written to Judge N.D.
Khandalavala in 1884, which became Exhibit A, and which contained samples of imitations of
handwriting.
It is interesting to note that although Exhibit A was the prosecutions strongest piece of material evidence
it was not mentioned openly by the main characters, other than Judge himself who brought attention to it in
his Reply By William Q. Judge. There is no doubt the intent was to use it against him. In The Case Against
W.Q. Judge Besant never refers to it, although copies of other letters from Judge are included. In the above
quotation, Olcott instead dwells on the poison letter. There appears to have been a concerted effort to
discredit Judge by misleading people to believe that he would stoop to such treachery as to imply Olcott
would poison Besant.8 This leads one to hypothesize that perhaps the individuals involved were unsure about
the Exhibit A letter actually working in their favor.

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Chapter 13

Bertram Keightley Returns to Europe and America

After the so-called evidence against Judge was examined by H.S. Olcott, W.R. Old, S.V. Edge, and B.
Keightley and shown to a few of the Delegates to the Convention likely including Tookaram Tatya and
the papers submitted to Judge Khandalavala for his professional judgment, he advised to prosecute. Bertram
Keightley felt that the burden to find more evidence fell on him and so he volunteered to take the initiative
since his expenses would not be a burden to the Societys treasury. The decision was made and, as B.
Keightley wrote:
In January, 1893, thanks largely to additional facts supplied by Mr. W.R. Old, I felt that sufficient
evidence was available upon which to take public action, and I very strongly urged upon Colonel
Olcott the duty of doing so. He consented; and a full brief of the case was prepared.1

At the December 1892 Annual Convention Bertram Keightley issued a letter to the members of the Indian
Section announcing:
As many of you know, I am an only child, and my widowed mother has now passed the three score
years and ten of ordinary life, and her health is failing rapidly. It is now some eighteen months since
I parted from her, and she has passed through a very severe illness since then. Under these
circumstances, you will, I am sure, recognise that imperative duty obliges me to visit and spend some
time with her in the coming year. My intention is to start from India shortly after the Convention and
return, I trust, after the close of next hot weather, to resume among you the work which I have
undertaken, and which I have not the smallest intention of abandoning.2

Bertram was not always this considerate towards his mother. Some years earlier, in 1884, in France:
Mme. Blavatsky was listening to a young guest . . . , Mr. Bertram Keightley, bitterly complaining
about his mother who was insisting that he either return home to Liverpool, or continue on his journey
through the Continent, undertaken for health reasons. Mother is afraid that I might leave everything
and follow you to Madras, he said. . . . It was then that the postman rang, and among other letters,
there was one from Mrs. Keightley to her son. He opened it without much urgency, but suddenly his
face reddened, and he looked both stunned and frightened. In the letter, his mothers words
concerning the respect and obedience that children owe their parents were underlined in red ink, with
a familiar signature. . . .3

Before leaving Bertram Keightley made arrangements with his Assistant Secretary, S.V. Edge, to look after
The Prasnotarra and his other duties. Besides seeing his mother he had other reasons as well. He also
wanted to persuade Besant to reschedule her trip to India which had been postponed a year earlier. He had
also made all his traveling arrangements, his plans and his excuses, to visit America once more. He had made
friends there during his tour in 1889-1890 and this gave him ample reasons to return, and investigate and
observe Judge through different eyes. All the trappings of a conspiracy were now afoot.
The steamer, S.S. Neiman, that Bertram Keightley boarded from Madras capsized just off the Eastern Coast
of Ceylon near Trincomalee, sinking within a few hundred yards of shore on January 22nd, 1893.
The passengers passed the night in crowded boats, unable to cross the surf till daylight, and then were
obliged to walk many miles through sand, marsh, mud and jungle to the nearest village, the sun
blistering them and hardly any food or water being attainable. Mr. Keightley was barefoot. A few
articles were washed ashore, but almost all of his luggage was totally lost, money, letters, personal
souvenirs, worst of all, the notes collected during two years for a work on Indian literature, and
the cherished letters from H.P.B. Mr. Keightley was well upon arriving in England, but later gave
evidence of the climatic effects of India, and will need no small treatment before entire restoration
to health. To be robbed and then shipwrecked within a few months is certainly Karma in severe form,

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and Bro. K. would seem now entitled to a long stretch of uninterrupted bliss. Perhaps this may include
his attendance at the American Convention in April!4

Keightley was forced to spend time in Ceylon waiting for another ship. The S.S. Yara was to have taken
him from Colombo to Marseilles, but, owing to its having been detained in salvage work, Bro. Keightley was
not able to leave Colombo till the 6th [of February]. . . .5 He stated:
I then returned to England to take action; but on my arrival found that several of the most material
links in our chain of evidence broke down utterly. Hence I felt compelled in justice and fairness to
refuse to proceed further in the matter and therefore advised my colleagues, Colonel Olcott included,
to wait for further evidence.6

Shortly after arriving in London and spending some time with his mother he boarded another ship and sailed
for New York. He attended the American Convention, held on April 23rd and 24th, 1893. He read letters of
greeting from the Indian and European Sections. Numerous other messages were received from abroad,
among them an official letter from Olcott, the President-Founder his first to a Convention of the American
Section. This letter is important as it shows the position he assumed and the means he took to express his
personal views. He also wanted to send a strong and direct message to Judge. Olcotts message, dated March
23rd, 1893, was addressed to The Delegates of the American Section in Convention assembled.
Brethren:
During the past year you have been giving abundant proofs of the tireless zeal with which you have
pursued the work of our Society. The results prove the truth of the oft-repeated statement of our
Masters that their help is always given to the earnest and unselfish worker. We have but one danger
to dread and guard against. This is the subordination of general principles to hero-worship, or
admiration of personalities. I shall not excuse myself for frequent recurrence to this theme, for I am
convinced that, if the Society should ever disintegrate, this will be the cause. The Masters wrote in
Isis that men and parties, sects and schools are but the mere ephemera of the Worlds day; and,
following the precedent of their great recognized exemplar, Buddha Sakyamuni, they taught me to
believe nothing upon authority, whether of a living or a dead person. I pray you to keep this ever in
mind; and when I am dead and gone to recollect that the admission of the microbe of dogmatism into
our Society will be the beginning of its last and fatal sickness.
Wishing you for the coming year a continuance of prosperity, and expressing a hope that I may
sometime personally attend a Session of your Convention, I am fraternally and affectionately yours,
H.S. OLCOTT,
President Theosophical Society.7

While the central message was a warning against hero-worship and admiration of personalities, Olcotts
underlying message was to assert his official authority as President of the T.S. over the whole of the
Theosophical Movement. He indicated that he would not tolerate any other authority (that is, alleged
messages from the Masters) or anyone who chose to regard H.P.B. as a Teacher par excellence. Olcott was
promoting a view similar to that of Richard Hartes that his exoteric authority was supreme and that Adyar
was the headquarters for all of the Movement. This was an attempt to reduce H.P.B.s status. He was also
by now convinced that Judge was sending bogus messages to bolster his own standing in the Movement in
order to replace Olcott as President.
At the American Convention George W. Wright, President of the Chicago T.S., read his report, showing
that the Theosophical Society had been assigned to the fifteenth and sixteenth days of September, 1893, in
the Parliament of Religions at Chicago.8 This announcement created much excitement at the Convention
and it would seem, for a moment, that a lot of the problems which concerned Bertram Keightley suddenly

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became obscure. He was praised as a great man9 and appointed as chairman of the Committee on the
Parliament of Religions matter. A telegram received from London (23rd) was read declaring the approval and
support of the European Section to the plan and announcing that Annie Besant would attend the Conference
in Chicago on her way to India.10 After a number of resolutions were adopted the Committee was
discharged. Bertram Keightley then addressed the Convention at length on India and the Theosophical
Society. Upon Bertram Keightleys suggestion Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti, a Brahmin from Allahabad,
was invited to be a delegate from India at The Theosophical Congress in Chicago.

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Chapter 14

Fears of Dogmatism
Olcott had issued warnings against hero-worship of H.P.B. two years prior to his strongly worded letter to
the 1893 Delegates of the American Section. He had made reference to this at the Annual Convention at
Adyar in December 1891, warning then against idolatry of H.P.B. The incident which prompted Olcotts
initial warning originated with an article which appeared in The Path [See Chronology, Aug. 1891 entry]. The
article attributed to Jasper Niemand was published while Judge and Olcott were in London the summer of
1891. Olcott had taken exception to the message from the Mahatma in the article, accusing Judge of having
written it under the pseudonym Jasper Niemand and expressing fears the article encouraged dogmatism and
fanaticism in the Society.
When Besant re-visited America (November 30th, 1892 to February 25th, 1893) Judge showed her some of
his correspondence with Olcott, including an unpublished letter written by Judge in reply to questions raised
by Olcott on the message in the Niemand article. Besant seized the opportunity and asked if she could
publish the letter. Upon her return to London she included it in Lucifer, April 1893. This letter was not
published as having been addressed to Olcott because of the restriction imposed by Judge. It was titled An
Interesting Letter and subtitled Written to an Indian Brother.
Olcott published two responses to An Interesting Letter in the July 1893 Theosophist. One was titled
Theosophic Freethought and was supplied by Walter R. Old and Sydney V. Edge. The second was by N.D.
Khandalavala (N.D.K.) and titled Theosophy in The West: The Tendency Towards Dogmatism. One of
N.D.K.s objections was to Judges statement that our true progress lies in fidelity to Masters as ideals and
facts. He implied that Judge was no better than the missionaries in India with their attempts to convert the
Hindus. Another of his objections centered on Judges statement: a very truism, when uttered by a Mahatma
has a deeper meaning for which the student must seek. N.D.K. wrote: In the first place, however, we must
have evidence to convince us that the alleged truism was actually written by a Mahatma.1 In his letter
Judge had also written: my means of proof and identification are within myself, a statement to which
N.D.K. took equal exception. Judge had alluded to the fact that no external evidence was required for one
who knew and no amount of proof was sufficient for the disbeliever.
N.D.K. also quoted from H.P.B. on the great need for unbiassed and clear judgment in all matters, but
apparently forgot, or never read, her article Lodges of Magic (Lucifer, October 1888), in which she
discussed this very question of the evidence of messages from the same standpoint as Judge.2 Judge wrote:
If you have not the means yourself for proving and identifying such a message, then signature, seal, papers,
watermark, what not, all are useless.3
The other article, Theosophic Freethought, by W.R. Old and S.V. Edge, was also published to repudiate
An Interesting Letter with the full endorsement of Olcott. After quoting Tennyson, There is more faith
in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds as justification for their actions, they stated that it calls
for the frankest possible criticism. They wrote:
Certain statements made therein appear to us so far-reaching in their tendency, and at the same time
so contrary to the spirit which has hitherto animated the T.S., that to pass over them without comment
or protest would amount to a consent we are by no means inclined to yield to them.4

Both questioned Judges statement in An Interesting Letter:

As to Masters seal, about which you put me the question, I do not know. Whether He has a seal
or uses one is something on which I am ignorant. In my experience I have had messages from the
Master, but they bear no seal and I attach no significance to the point.5

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They challenged Judge by stating in a footnote in Theosophic Freethought:

In regard to this statement we can only remark that Mr. Judges memory must be seriously defective.
We must therefore remind him that a very important step in connection with the re-organization of
the Esoteric Section of the T.S. was taken, after the death of H.P.B., on the authority of a certain
message, purporting to come from one of the Mahtms, and which bore, as Mr. Judge will now
remember, a seal-impression, said by him to be that of the Master. No doubt Mr. Judge will take
the opportunity of either rectifying his statement or of showing how his acting upon the authority of
the Masters seal at one time, and professing ignorance of it at another, may be regarded as
consistent.6

After consultation, Judge and Besant jointly suspended Walter R. Old and Sidney V. Edge in August 1893
from their membership in the E.S.T. for violating their pledge of secrecy. In a jointly issued Circular, Judge
and Besant wrote:
The article was given to public printers and sent in advance to many persons in Europe, but it was not
sent in time in London, where Brother Judge was in July, to permit our cabling to India, and no
previous notice was given Brother Judge, nor was he asked his views.
This footnote is, first, a violation of the pledge of secrecy made by Brother Old, in that it published
to the world a statement by him in relation to a private E.S.T. Council meeting, and second, is a
violation of honor and confidence as a member of the Council of the E.S.T. By reason of the above
we are compelled to take action.7

This was a most interesting position for Besant to take and raises suspicions about her motives and integrity.
Apparently Besant had already been made aware within the last year by a member of the Bombay Branch
about certain innuendos and their suspicions of Judge committing acts of fraud, but she was still publicly
supporting Judge and his policies as before, equal in her eyes to the policies of H.P.B.8
Another article by E.T. Sturdy contributed much to malaise within the Society. He had asked Besant, Editor
of Lucifer, to publish his article, Gurus and Chelas, which she did in the August 1893 issue. However she
expurgated three paragraphs at the end of the article, without disclosing so, which were aimed at Judge.
Sturdy was a close follower of Olcott and a great admirer of Besant. Upset with the results, Sturdy asked
Olcott to re-publish his article in The Theosophist. Olcott obliged and reprinted it in the October 1893 issue
with the formerly removed paragraphs. Here are Sturdys expurgated paragraphs, which he considered the
pith of his argument:
[Of concrete things and persons we need concrete proofs. Of concrete letters and messages from
living men, we need concrete evidence; not metaphysical or mere argumentative proof. Yet you can
never disprove these claims. If I choose to send a letter in green, blue, or red or any other coloured
ink or pencil and tell you I received it from a Mahatma for you, or merely say nothing and enclose it
in a letter to you; you may be very much astonished, but you can prove no lie or forgery against me.
If you are wise you will act as if you had never received it; unless indeed you make a mental note or
two against me; one of folly for my having done such a thing and given no proofs, and another of
watchfulness as to my character generally.
Nor does it seem probable that the Mahatmas, who, as far as we know, teach no dogmas, but always
act by the amount of understanding an individual has, would encourage a system of mere statement
and claim without accompanying proof; for this would be to lay the seeds in mens hearts of a faith
in the statements of other men quite outside their experience and quite unsupported, men whose hearts
they had not fathomed. This would lead back to all the evils of the past, not forward into light and
knowledge.
All such is glamour: there is no false mystery in chelaship; all nonsense about developing intuition
is merely making excuses for what cannot be proven and is about the same in the end as the Christian

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faith. Let a man go on his path acting sternly by what he knows, not by what he is asked or
persuaded to believe. Let him act by no directions which may be merely the thoughts of others no
wiser than himself. How does he know? He does not know. Then let him be quite clear and
straightforward in this, that he does not know.]9

Within a few weeks of returning to England from America following The Theosophical Congress in Chicago,
Besant left for her first visit to India, accompanied by Countess Wachtmeister. They reached Colombo on
November 10th, 1893. Walter R. Old who had been at Adyar for one year by then must have been excited with
Besants arrival in India. He documented that at Tuticorin Mrs. Besant set foot on Indian soil on the 16th
Nov. at 10h. 24m. A.M.10 There were a number of issues he wanted to confront her with.
Old, a professional astrologer, was working on Besants astrological chart at the time. He likely wanted to
discuss a few details about her horoscope which he was planning to publish under his pseudonym, Sepharial,
in the January issue of The Theosophist. When preparing the progression part of her chart he recognized
that there were evil influences which appeared to be affecting her.
From the present year (1893) till the close of the century, a series of evil primary directions are
formed in the horoscope, and it is to be hoped that the effects signified thereby severe illness, loss
of friends, changes in life, severed links, home troubles and losses, will lose some of their keen
edge when working out their destined purpose in a life already charged with so much sorrow and
hardship.11 [Italics added]

In August that year he and Sidney V. Edge had been suspended from their membership in the E.S.T. for
violating their pledge of secrecy governing this body. This was the crucial issue Old was particularly
concerned with and he wanted to justify his actions to Besant. Old later explained what happened in a letter
to the Westminster Gazette:
For this act of mine, I was suspended from my membership in the Esoteric Section, under the
authority of the joint signatures of William Q. Judge and Annie Besant, Outer Heads of the E.S.T.,
and my name was dishonourably mentioned before the members of the E.S., among whom I numbered
many an old colleague and friend. The mandate somehow found its way into the public Press.
However, there was one advantage. After her official action in suspending me from membership Mrs.
Besant was, of course, bound to hear my justification. This happened at Adyar in the winter of 1893.12

Old continued with his explanation as to what happened next.

Mrs. Besants first remark to me after reading the case and examining the documents was, You were
perfectly justified by the facts before you.
In the presence of the president-founder Colonel Olcott, Mrs. Besant, Countess Wachtmeister, Mr.
E. T. Sturdy, together with Mr. Edge and myself, it was decided that the task of officially bringing
the charges should devolve upon Mrs. Besant, and that the whole of the evidence should be published.
Consequently, the documents were handed over to Mrs. Besant for the purpose of drawing up her
charges, and the president sent an official letter or, as Colonel Olcott now claims, a private letter
in official form dated at Agra, February 12[7th], 1894, to Mr. Judge as vice-president. . . .13

There is sufficient information in the Chronology to enable one to undo the significant knots being tied
during this time 1893.

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Chapter 15

Suspicions Take Root S The September 1884 Letter

As outlined in Chapter 2, in 1884 the Coulombs collaborated with the Christian missionaries to denounce
Blavatsky as a fraud. It was shortly after publication of a series of articles titled The Collapse of Koot
Hoomi (the first of which appeared on September 11th, 1884, in the Christian College Magazine of
Madras) that Judge N.D. Khandalavala had written to W.Q. Judge asking him to look at the originals of the
published letters. He was seeking Judges opinion as to whether or not those letters could have been
tampered with.1 Judge did see some of those letters and his response to N.D.K.s queries, dated September
17th, 1884, eventually became Exhibit A in the Judge Case which ensued some ten years later.
Among the documents reviewed on December 22nd, 1893, the day after the arrival of Walter Old and Edward
Sturdy, was the September 17th, 1884, letter. The puzzling question is, how did this letter (Exhibit A) from
W.Q. Judge to Judge Khandalavala, of Poona, get to Adyar? There are a number of possibilities:

Judge Khandalavala brought it with him to Adyar for the Ninth Annual Convention held at Adyar
on December 27th to 31st, 1884.

Judge Khandalavala gave it to Bertram Keightley in September 1890 shortly after Keightleys arrival
in India or when, as General Secretary of India, Keightley visited Poona from January 31st until the
morning of February 3rd, 1892,2 and was his guest.

Judge Khandalavala gave it to someone in his Branch and they brought the letter to Adyar.

In December 1889 during the time of the Bombay Convention, Judge Khandalavala handed the letter
over to Richard Harte.
The first option is highly unlikely. If the letter had been brought to Adyar at that time then Olcott would have
seen it. It could have been brought to Adyar and left there for Olcott to review whenever possible but
Olcott apparently did not see it then.
At first Judges 1884 letter was comforting to Khandalavala and induced him to write letters in Blavatskys
defense. But Khandalavalas nature was such that he quickly began to doubt Judge, which aroused in him
doubts and suspicions about Blavatsky as well. He pondered the possibility that she was not what he had first
been convinced she was, and that she was in fact a medium and the Mahatmas were only a figment of her
imagination. Although he liked Blavatsky very much and kept in contact with her after she left India, he
began to doubt the involvement of the Masters. It is also possible that he brought the letter to Adyar shortly
after receiving it and that he used it to influence other members of the 1885 Committee to cast suspicion and
doubt about Blavatskys innocence, which contributed to the Committees recommendation that Madame
Blavatsky should not prosecute her defamers in a Court of Law.3
The second possibility is also unlikely. Although Bertram Keightley had just delivered Blavatskys Open
Letter (later published as Why I Do Not Return to India), Khandalavala did not know him well
Keightley having just arrived in India for the first time. N.D.K., therefore, would not likely have entrusted
him with such a responsibility. Nor would it have been convenient to give it to Keightley in early 1892 as
he was on a tour and was not returning to Adyar for some time. Both of these possibilities are further negated
since it appears Keightley initially found out about the letter only after it was uncovered by Walter Old.
The possibility of Judge Khandalavala having given it to a Poona member to bring to Adyar is also unlikely,
considering the perceived significance of this document.

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The most likely scenario is the letter having been handed over to Richard Harte. He had demonstrated
through his articles in The Theosophist that he had a certain affinity toward the Indians. Hartes two main
articles, Applied Theosophy and The Situation, were certainly supportive of the Indian psyche. They
encouraged the membership from all over the world to look upon Adyar as a holy place deserving recognition
as the giver of life to the rest of the Theosophical Society. Once again there is sufficient information
elsewhere within these pages to follow what occurred as a result of Hartes articles. Richard Harte, who was
acting Editor while Olcott was away in Japan, would have attended the Bombay Conference in December
1889 to report on activities and fraternize with members. Judge Khandalavala likely felt secure in trusting
Harte and gave him the 1884 letter from W.Q. Judge to bring to Adyar. Olcott, being away in Japan, would
not have seen it then.
Although Judges 1884 letter to Khandalavala was now at headquarters in Adyar, Olcott did not see it until
Old uncovered it. Bertram Keightley was busy touring and lecturing and had started the first Indian Section
journal, The Prasnottara (Questions and Answers).With Harte having brought the Judge letter to Adyar the
rumors which had been circulating around Poona and Bombay were now also being circulated around Adyar.
Richard Harte returned to England after his editorial relation with The Theosophist ended in March 1891.
Walter Old left England in late fall of 1892, and arrived at Adyar on December 21st, 1892 where, on
December 22nd the letter was uncovered. The most likely scenario is that Harte informed Old about the letter
and where he could find it once he got to Adyar. This Old did and showed it to Olcott first then to the other
conspirators, as described by Olcott.
There is yet another alternative as to what may have happened with the 1884 letter. When Richard Harte
returned to England he could have brought the letter with him to London and later given it to Walter Old.
Old left some time in late fall of 1892 and would have had plenty of opportunity to show it to Besant before
they were both in Adyar in December 1893. There is only a very slight possibility this could have occurred
as Besant did not see the evidence until she reached India. If Harte had indeed brought the letter to London
he could have used it to confront Blavatsky and justify his actions against Judge. Had this in fact transpired,
a record of Blavatskys reaction to such an event would surely have surfaced; this is something she would
not have ignored. Also, if the letter had been in Olds possession for any great length of time he would have
had a duplicate made and it would have surfaced either in Isis Very Much Unveiled or in some other
medium. Following its discovery it was always kept by Olcott and then belonged to the Archives at Adyar.
____________________
Judge had not been supplied with copies of the documents as legally required in order for him to prepare a
defense, nor was he granted an inspection of them prior to the Judicial Committee hearing in London July
7th and 10th, 1894. He persisted with his request to at least be shown the documents before returning to
America. (See Chapter 21 for details.) As far as can be determined, of the documents Judge was shown July
19th, 1894, in the presence of Dr. Buck, only one crucial piece of material evidence has surfaced.
A document came into the hands of the writer in spring 1989. It was a single sheet of paper; a letter that was
hard to read except for the header and the date. It was handwritten on Adyar letterhead paper, 10 inches
by 8 inches, folded in half, thereby making four pages, each measuring 5 inches wide by 8 inches. Page 1
is on the right hand side of this sheet; page two on the left hand side and, when folded in half, page 2
becomes page 4, leaving the opposite side (inside) of the sheet blank. The paper was very thin and the writing
on the opposite side could easily be seen through it. When the back of the letter was inspected more closely,
a date was discovered written at an angle across the first page. The note was Seen by W.Q.J. July 19/94.
Doris and Ted Davy were asked to transcribe it and my wife and I did likewise. A copy of the letter and the
transcript are included here.

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The Judge Case

A
SECRETARYS OFFICE OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
ADYAR, (MADRAS) INDIA

Sept. 17,

1884

It is not at all like her handwriting. Your amateur is not expert; I can do better
myself, witness these by a [friend].
H.S. Olcott
H.P. Blavatsky
A.D. Ezekiel

N Dorabji

So you see that forgery can be committed. And if you saw Coulombs clever
forgery of Dr. Hartmanns letter you would begin to be sure that to forge Mme
Bs writing would be childs play to her.

"Do not show these

to anyone but Ezekiel
and cut them out of ___."

Dear Brother Navroji

We have an explanation of the telegram. You know it was not for [Jacob] Sassoon. It was
for Madam.
At the proper time R[amalinga] Deb will be produced and it will be shown how Mrs. C.
got the telegram. So do not be distressed nor in a hurry. As for phenomena they have
happened here since H.P.B. went away and they have happened in N.Y. to me. Hereafter
let philosophy and not phenomena be spoken of because this is not spiritualism where
phenomena are produced for money under conditions.
You must have the pamphlet by this time. HPB is sick in London with rheumatism. Olcott
will be returning as soon as he meets Lane-Fox who will be there in a few days.
Regards to Ezekiel
Fraternally
William Q. Judge

On other side of page: Seen by WQJ July 19/94"

[The note on side of sheet is not in W.Q. Judges handwriting but was likely written by
Navroji D. Khandalavala himself. Compiler]
_______________________

See First Report: Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, p.211 and Appendix I, pp.318-321.

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Examining Exhibit A
The A at the top right hand corner of this letter must have been placed there to indicate that it was the
primary material evidence to be used against Judge at the July 1894 Judicial Committee. Judge explains
the significance of this letter (Exhibit A):
The last item brought forward by the prosecutor should, if a good piece of evidence, have been
produced in the beginning of the charges. It is a letter written by me when I was in India in 18[84]4,
to the Parsee Judge Khandalavala, at the time of the Coulomb charges against Madame Blavatsky.
He had written to me asking me to look at the originals of the published letters, if possible, and give
him my opinion. I did see some of those letters and wrote to him on the subject, which was whether
any of the letters could have been tampered with. In the middle of the letter I gave him four samples
of imitations of handwriting which I say are written by a friend, the words being witness these, by
a friend, after which follow bad imitations of Col. Olcotts, Madame Blavatskys and other
signatures. I also refer to a clever forgery, by Mme. Coulomb, of Dr. Hartmanns handwriting. This
letter proves nothing whatever except that I wanted to show this man that forgery could be committed.
The prosecutor has hoped to make it appear by this letter, that the execution of a forgery was nothing
to me. But if it be put forward to sustain that view, it is weak, because the imitations in it are poor,
whereas the prosecutors say that my alleged imitations in messages are perfect. It could be used
against me by suppressing the words, witness these, by a friend.5

Let us analyze some of Judges statements. First, he admits to having written the letter. Second, he states that
a friend has supplied the imitation signatures. The question then arises, who was the friend? This will be
explored later. Third, that for the prosecutors to use this material evidence effectively against him, they
would have to suppress the words witness these, by a friend. With the words a friend missing, in this
case covered up with a note, the letter reads witness these by H.S. Olcott, H.P. Blavatsky, A. D. Ezekiel,
Dorabji, which makes it look like Judge wrote the four sample imitations.
The next obvious question is, who wrote the added note? The note is in a different handwriting and is
certainly not Judges. Another question is why would the note have been positioned where it was when it
could have been placed at the top, above the Adyar letterhead or just below it? Interestingly, part of the a
was not fully suppressed. This in itself supports Judges statement that if words were suppressed, it could
be used against me. This only leads to the conclusion, as explained above, that the note was purposely
placed there in order to conceal the words a friend to give the reader the impression there were no other
words after by in the sentence. This would make the sentence read as indicated above. By purposely
suppressing the words a friend it not only implicated Judge as capable of forging other peoples signature
but it could be used to claim that he was a fraud as well.
After hours of painstakingly trying to sort out this whole situation the signs keep pointing to the recipient
of the letter: Khan Bahadur Nowroji Dorabji Khandalavala (N.D.K.). It is here suggested that after receiving
the letter from Judge in 1884, it was Khandalavala who wrote the note which reads: Do not show these to
anyone but Ezekiel. . . . We can only imagine, because there is no strong evidence to support our claim, that
the note was added to the letter and handed over to Pestanji Dorabji Khandalavala, Judge Khandalavalas
brother, who in turn, as requested, showed the letter to A.D. Ezekiel, an elderly member of the Poona Branch.
Ezekiel was mentioned in some of the letters in the articles, The Collapse of Koot Hoomi, and therefore
had a strong interest in the whole situation at the time. As a result of having been shown Judges letter by
his brother, Pestanji Dorabji Khandalavala had also written a letter in support of H.P.B., dated September
19th, 1884, to the Bombay Gazette, at the time of the Coulomb controversy.
There are a number of issues involving Judge Khandalavala which lead us to question his integrity and his
trustworthiness as a member of the Theosophical Society and true friend of the Founders. Perhaps the most
troubling incident occurred after Walter Old arrived at headquarters on December 21st, 1892, and uncovered

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Judges 1884 letter. After the letter was paraded about to the members at Adyar, Olcott requested
Khandalavalas legal advice as to how to proceed in handling this seemingly difficult matter regarding Judge.
According to Olcott:
On the arrival of the Delegates to the Convention at the usual time, we submitted the papers to our
respected colleague Judge Khandalavala, of Poona, who decidedly advised me to prosecute the case,
as it was too serious a menace to the Societys prosperity to allow it to go on.6

Khandalavala was repeatedly consulted on the matter, not only by Olcott but also by Annie Besant, a full
year after the initial legal consultation requested by Olcott.
Khandalavala was regarded as a highly respectable member of the Theosophical Society and was involved
very closely with Olcott and Blavatsky. He had been a member of the special Committee which in 1885
advised Blavatsky not to prosecute her defamers in a Court of Law. He was especially close to Olcott after
H.P.B. left India and never returned. Khandalavala could organize and influence large groups of Indians to
join and support the efforts of the Theosophical Movement in India. In a letter to Blavatsky regarding The
Collapse of Koot Hoomi articles in the Christian College Magazine, he wrote:
I made the best of the situation and sent two letters signed by Ezekiel to The Times of India which
greatly restored the peace of mind of our fellows and sympathisers. It was the Poona Branch that did
the most to restore confidence and at best a hundred members if not more have been kept perfectly
steady by me.

Regarding Blavatskys wish to prosecute, he continued:

Last year at the convention [1884] they were just about to make a mess by rushing into the arms of
the law. I had intuitively grasped the real danger that lay before us from the very first day of the
publication of those blessed letters and in spite of all difficulties I came to Adyar and helped along
with others to avoid a course which would have sealed the fate of the Society and overwhelmed us
with eternal ruin and shame. Whatever the trust it was not in a Court of Justice that you were to
have it.7

Khandalavala was the person who received one of H.P.B.s most important letters, Why I Do Not Return
To India, hand-delivered by Bertram Keightley in August 1890. This Open Letter, addressed To My
Brothers of Aryavarta, was kept hidden for many years before it was ever published. His influence on the
Society and in particular on Olcott is hard to ascertain for he kept himself in the shadows, but enough
information has surfaced to cast a large black cloud over his head a cloud of machinations.
The most troubling question is, why did Khandalavala not admit that the words a friend had been
suppressed from Judges 1884 letter when asked by Olcott in December 1892 for his expert legal advice
regarding the matter? Why did he not reveal that there were words missing in the letter which altered the
message? He was a provincial Magistrate in a Small Cause Court in Poona and was, therefore, a lawyer well
acquainted with the Law. Being a lawyer and a Magistrate he would have possessed a keen mind for details
and should have remembered the specifics of Judges letter. One would think that he would have known the
legal consequences of tampering with what became known as Exhibit A, the prime piece of material
evidence supporting the allegations against Judge. The suppression was so accurately done that no one even
suspected the strangeness of the sentence as demonstrated earlier. It leaves us to wonder why he would have
suppressed the words a friend unless he had a change of heart.
In July 1893 Khandalavala wrote Theosophy in The West: The Tendency Towards Dogmatism, in response
to Judges article, An Interesting Letter. [See previous Chapter for details.] In this article N.D.K. wrote:
In the early days of the Society, much vagueness, and inaccuracy, and many hasty assertions, found
their way into the movement. A part of this was excusable at the time, but now the most jealous regard
for truth, accuracy of statement, and a banishment of everything tending in the remotest degree to
mislead or delude, are peremptorily needed. Eager enthusiasm showing the maximum amount of
boldness with a minimum amount of evidence, is scarcely commendable.8

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I leave to those who seek further answers to digest for themselves the reasons why those words were
suppressed, and how.
Who Wrote the Imitation Signatures?
It has been explained why Judge wrote the September 17th, 1884, letter, which became known as Exhibit A,
to Khandalavala. It is here proposed that it was in Madras that Judge wrote the letter, using the letterhead
paper from Adyar. It is important to note that Judge did not carry his own paper with him; it was customary
for him to take letterhead paper from one headquarters and use it to write letters from another location. He
did this in numerous instances and Olcott even tried to use this against him after Blavatskys death. It is
further proposed that the friend9 Judge referred to in his Reply by William Q. Judge, dated April 29th,
1895, was Master M and that he was present at the time of writing.
Prior to September 17th, 1884, in all likelihood Judge wandered off from Adyar. As he had done while in
London, he would have explored Madras, the nearest city. Judge had a quiet, placid nature and other sensitive
qualities, combined with a propensity to work for Theosophy. He was perhaps even influenced to get away
from the tension and swarming activity at the headquarters compound and go to Madras which was a
relatively short distance from Adyar. It may have been in Madras that he met Master M for the first time
while in India as this was the most logical place for them to meet. There is also a less likely possibility
that they met in solitude as Judge sketched the buildings of headquarters. See Chapter 17 for evidence that
Judge did have contact with Master M while he was in India.
____________________

Interestingly, Khandalavalas ability to imitate her handwriting shocked even H.P.B. In a letter to Sinnett she
wrote the following regarding a letter (dated December 29th, 1885) she had received from N.D.K.
I send you a funny thing. Read the 3rd, 4th, & 5th & 6th lines. This is undeniably my handwriting.
Kandhalavala copied it from my letter to him. When I received and saw it I was positively startled.
Let me write it staunch fearless friends whose devotion to the Master and yourself has not wavered
one hairs breath I wrote it without looking at it, so as not to be impeded by the desire of copying
it. Now I ask you, were such a letter a whole letter written in the same handwriting as these two
lines wouldnt [you] swear it was my handwriting? Please put it carefully away and keep it. Why
Khandalavala should have copied that sentence in my handwriting I do not know. Once he had written
three letters copied from my own and brought them to me and I swore to them myself, not knowing
what he meant. . . . I tell you these lines are in my handwriting and I, the first, would swear to them
in any Court.10

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Chapter 16

Indians Summoned For The CAUSE

Judges September 17th, 1884, letter to Judge Khandalavala with the help of his friend (Master Morya)
was to provoke a response from him and from the members of the Poona Branch (Blavatskys friends)
to summon their courage, to declare their allegiance to the Movement, to mount a defense for their friend
(H.P.B.), to show their commitment to the Theosophical CAUSE and to declare themselves true Theosophists.
The Mahatmas had tried on other occasions to stimulate the environment in India but all the attempts had
failed. In a letter to A.P. Sinnett, in a venture to establish a new journal, Mahatma Koot Hoomi (K.H.) wrote:
That effort must be made by your friends in the world, and every Hindu theosophist who has the good
of his country at heart, and not very afraid to spend energy and his time.1

In 1883 the Mahatmas had a plan in place for Sinnett to return to India after his visit in England to start a new
project, the Phnix journal, which would have been devoted to the interest of my [K.H.s] benighted
countrymen2 and would have been a strong voice supportive of theosophical thought. Mahatma K.H.
continues: Our paper once established I will never concern myself any more with any worldly enterprise.3
The letter to Khandalavala, by Judge and Master M, was the last attempt to see if the Indians were willing
to declare their support. K.H. wrote:
Moreover, we are permitted to reward those who will have helped the most effectually to realize this
grand idea (which promises in the end to change the destiny of a whole nation, if conducted by one
like yourself).4

Had the Phnix project been undertaken by Sinnett the whole of the Coulomb affair would have been
minimized to a great extent and could possibly have been averted altogether had there been a friendly
newspaper in India supporting the Theosophical CAUSE. Before the Christian College Magazine published
The Collapse of Koot Hoomi in September 1884 proofs had been circulated among other papers in India
in order to mount support. Much of what ensued could have been avoided if Sinnett had accepted the offer
from the Mahatmas to start this newspaper venture.
Khandalavala had come to realize by 1889 that the situation in India needed to be revitalized. He arranged
to host a Conference in Bombay in December to see what could be done. He stated:
For various reasons the work is lagging behind in India. We meet this evening with a view to impress
upon the minds of members the necessity of taking such steps as may put it on better basis. . . .
Large ideas of philosophy viewed in their true light gives us the only right conception of the great
work of the Theosophical Society.5

The Bombay Conference concluded with a Vote of Confidence and Thanks To The Founders. The
statement read as follows:
The Conference further wishes to convey to both of the Founders of the Society, the assurance of its
most cordial and grateful recognition of the great services they have rendered to India and are now
rendering to the world at large.6

The Indian members were flush with their adulation but always fell short with their total commitment to the
Theosophical CAUSE and to become true theosophists. Very few Brahmans would ever commit themselves
to adopting the teaching of Theosophy. Although their system had degenerated they still preferred promoting
their own rather than adopting Theosophy, which would have explained theirs. Master Morya stated it
plainly:

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They join the Society, and though remaining as stubborn as ever in their old beliefs and superstitions,
and having never given up caste or one single of their customs, they, in their selfish exclusiveness,
expect to see and converse with us and have our help in all and everything. . . . Their forefathers have
driven away the followers of the only true philosophy upon earth away from India and now, it is not
for the latter to come to them but to them to come to us if they want us.7

The Indian members came to the realization that they were losing their Aryan advantage now that The Secret
Doctrine was published and, with the formation of the Esoteric Section, their belief that in India every man
is naturally and by right of descent a Theosophist8 was in danger of being depreciated. Their salvation came
when Besant arrived on Indian soil in 1893 and adopted Hinduism and their system of beliefs.
In his letter to Olcott on August 30th, 1893, Judge summarized the words of Master M:
Now as to the general matter of India, here is what he has said to me in substance: India is spiritually
proud, that is why the Indian section is the weakest in the T.S.; the pioneer work of the past should
have been followed up by using native agencies to get hold of devotion and devoted work in Hindu
members. . . .9

This statement also gives us clues as to why Judge decided to leave India. When Judge was in India,
headquarters was being looked after by Indian members of the T.S. Both Subba Row and Damodar held
major positions while other Indians were there in minor positions. Master Morya must have mentioned to
Judge at that time that his services to the CAUSE would be put to greater use if he returned to America where
his true destiny lay. However, as a result of the Hodgson investigation into the Coulomb conspiracy Damodar
left headquarters in frustration within the year, never to be seen again, and Subba Row resigned in 1886 on
account of differences with H.P.B. and Judge in the publishing of The Secret Doctrine.
Olcott was always so busy with administration, and attending to his lecture circuit and touring various
countries, that he took the easy way to replenish his staff by convincing members from abroad to come to
India and serve the CAUSE at Adyar headquarters. This to a great extent discouraged Indian members from
dedicating themselves to the Society in such a way as to encourage others to rally together, as might have
occurred had they been given the opportunity to serve in major positions at the time.

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Chapter 17

W.Q. Judges Initiation

Dr. Franz Hartmann, who was at Adyar when Judge arrived there on August 10th, 1884, had been warned by
Master M to not give Judge a hard time. He had received a note from Master M stating: Be friendly
towards W.Q. Judge. He is true, faithful and trustworthy. . .1 From this note we can gather that M had
been observing Judge for some time actually since 1875 after all, H.P.B. stated in 1888 that Judge had
been a chela of thirteen years standing.2 Judge was in India because of a note written in red pencil attached
to one of Damodars letters which stated: Better come M .3 It was customary for Master Ms notes to be
written in red pencil.
Upon his arrival at Adyar headquarters, Judge was busy organizing witnesses to examine the handiwork of
the Coulombs and record their findings. Over three hundred people examined the conditions and appearance
of things and signed their names to a declaration in a register. At times he would wander off by himself and
sketch the buildings at headquarters where he was staying. Judge stated that he knew intuitively that he had
to go to India. Olcott had seen an opportunity to take advantage of Judges talent as a lawyer to send him
there to take charge of the investigation into the Coulomb affair. Judge on the other hand was at Adyar for
other reasons and he soon discovered why.
Adyar headquarters was not the most hospitable place for a sensitive man like Judge. Apart from all the
commotion regarding the Coulomb investigation and the endless visitors there were other influences at work
as well. Hartmann describes his experience at Adyar during his nine months stay at headquarters.
If we are once convinced that there are Adepts in White Magic, it will require only a small stretch of
the imagination to believe that there are black magicians too, and that they are naturally opposed to
and trying to counteract everything that the former wish to accomplish. Although those black
magicians necessarily work in secret and in the dark, nevertheless I have received during my stay at
Adyar a certain amount of evidence that such black magicians exist and that they are working to
counteract and impede the work done by the Theosophical Society. . . .
. . . [O]ne night I saw a black magician in my room. He was there in his astral body, standing in
midair about two feet from the floor and was making magnetic passes over me of a kind that I had
never seen before, and which instead of seeming to communicate some influence to me appeared to
draw something from me. . . . Something told me, to get up and take a certain amulet, which was lying
upon the table, and which I had received from the Master. This I did and the influence left, but on
subsequent occasions I frequently felt it again; it would appear suddenly and without provocation, and
tempt me to say and do things which were against my better judgment; but I believe that except in
minor and insignificant cases I have always been able to overcome them.4

Amulets or talismans were quite often used by the Brothers of White Magic, in this case by the Mahatmas
of the Theosophical Society. H.P.B. wore her signet ring as a talisman, as well as other jewelry. As detailed
in Chapter 2, Judge wore H.P.B.s ring for a day while in Paris to stabilize his constitution. Judge explained
that she gave me to wear all day her talisman ring which is of great value and strength. It has a double
triangle and the Sanscrit for life on it. This helped me. . . .5
Another example of the use of amulets was the case of Dharbaghiri Nath. As a youth, before the formation
of the Theosophical Society, he had been visited by the Master who gave him an amulet for protection for
his wanderings through the jungles. In telling his story he claims that he had been attacked by Dugpas and
other Black Magicians and the amulet helped to save him from harm.

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As there is the law of perfect justice and equilibrium which pervades nature,6 and by the law of analogy
and correspondence, Adepts of black magic and Dugpas also have their ways of magnetizing objects, others,
or even themselves in order to captivate their intended victim. Such was the case with Chakravarti on Annie
Besant during the summer of 1893. That summer Besant had removed H.P.B.s signet ring from her finger
to have it fitted with another ring on the inside so it would fit better on her finger and reduce the risk of her
losing it. Chakravarti arrived in London in July and was there for two months7 before leaving with Besant
for the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. It was at this time that Archibald Keightley and others observed
Chakravartis frequent magnetization of Besant.
It is not known whether Judge was given an amulet or talisman before going to Adyar to wear as protection
against evil influences but we do know that he was being closely watched by Master M. In her Open Letter
addressed To My Brothers of Aryavarta and later published as Why I Do Not Return to India, mentioned
earlier, H.P.B. recognized that after her departure from Adyar in early 1885 there had been an increase in
strife and conflict among personalities there. It becomes obvious that the Adyar headquarters was under
constant supervision by the Adepts of Black Magic in order to take advantage of opportunities to influence
the people working there. Headquarters was a very busy place, with known visitors as well as unknown, in
both physical and other forms. It is no wonder that Judge would have gone off on his own to seek refuge from
all the activity.
Sparse documentation concerning the activities of Judge while he was in India has led to certain deductions
having to be arrived at. For example, it was earlier determined that Judge would have had to leave India on
or around October 26th, 1884, in order to be in England for a day or so, as he indicated in a letter to H.P.B.,
then board the British steamer S.S. Wisconsin on November 15th, 1884, for New York. Unfortunately, Judge
became very silent about what happened to him in India after September 21st. Sometimes this in itself can
prove to be most revealing. In a letter to Jasper Niemand Judge explained:
[T]he true chela does not talk much of his Master and often does not refer to that Masters existence.
It has almost become the same as unnecessarily waving the red flag at a bull. Those of us who have
experience do not do it; but the younger ones do.8

One has to look hard to find clues as to what happened during this time. By also studying Judges behavior
before and after 1884 it becomes apparent that he experienced something of great significance at that time.
We know that Judge was living at the Adyar headquarters while he was attending to business. At times the
place was crowded with visitors coming there as witnesses or simply out of curiosity. The Visitors Book, the
record that can provide information regarding Judges comings and goings from headquarters, has not been
produced. As explained earlier, none of the reports published at the time depict Judges involvement at any
functions, ceremonies, writing or signing any documents at headquarters after September 21st, 1884, the day
Judge witnessed Babulas Statement after his return from Europe.
To show that Judge was not present at Adyar headquarters after September 21st, 1884, it is important to note
that certain functions occurred at which he should have been present or at the very least have his name
mentioned since he was the person in charge at the time. The following incident is one such event, but there
is no mention of his name. It is provided below as it was recorded.
THE THEOSOPHICAL EXPOSURE
(From our own correspondent.[Bombay Gazette])
Madras. Sept. 27, [1884]
This morning the Rev. Mr. Alexander and the Rev. Mr. Patterson, both connected with the Christian
College Magazine, with Mr. Gribble of the Madras Civil Service, and Mr. Padfield, visited the
Theosophical Headquarters and compared the alleged letters of Madame Blavatsky with some in the
possession of the Theosophists. In a letter to this evenings Mail, Dr. Hartmann says: As would

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naturally be supposed, the handwriting of the letters produced by our visitors resembled to a certain
extent the handwriting of Madame Blavatsky; but the general appearance of them, as well as other
minor details, make it appear plain to us that Madame Blavatskys letters have not been altered in the
original, but that they have been copied, and that such additions have been made as were considered
necessary to answer the purpose for which they were intended, while some of the most aggravating
letters may be entirely spurious. But it is impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion before we
hear from Madame Blavatsky. We have been requested to exhibit the occult room to our visitors,
which during the past two weeks, has been visited by many people, who were unanimously astonished
at the absurdity of the tricks prepared by Mr. Coulomb.9

It was reported in the Madras Mail, September 29th, 1884, that Judge had addressed some Madras
students10 presumably within a day or two of the published item. Some of Judges activities can be traced
up to this point, but where was he until the estimated time of his departure from India circa Sunday, October
26th, 1884? When did he leave Adyar? What was he doing? Who was he with?
It has been pointed out that Judge was likely with Master M on September 17th, but there are approximately
twenty-eight days, from September 28th on, which cannot be accounted for. Fortunately, H.P.B. gives us the
best possible explanation as to what occurred to Judge during those days when he went missing. In a letter
from Ostend on October 3rd, 1886, she stated:
The trouble with you is that you do not know the great change that came to pass in you a few years
ago. Others have occasionally their astrals changed & replaced by those of Adepts (as of
Elementaries) & they influence the outer, and the higher man. With you, it is the NIRMANAKAYA not
the astral that blended with your astral. Hence the dual nature & fighting.11

At the time of the Mystery Schools the initiated, under penalty of death, would never reveal any of its great
secrets to the uninitiated or profane. Judge did not mention his initiation at all, not even to H.P.B., his mentor
in this incarnation since 1875. H.P.B. had to inquire through her Master (Morya) to obtain any
information regarding what had happened to Judge while he was in India. Judge most likely took initiations,
in general, very seriously and would not even mention any aspect of his own initiation directly; but he could
not hide the fact that he had been initiated for through his writings the secret is revealed. His style of writing
was simple and direct, much different from that of H.P.B.s. She stated regarding his magazine, The Path:
Once that the Masters have proclaimed your Path the best, the most theosophical of all theosophical
publications, surely it is not to allow it to be rubbed out. . . . [Lucifer] is the fighting, combative
Manas; the other (Path) is pure Buddhi. . . . Lucifer will be Theosophy militant and Path the shining
light, the Star of Peace. If your intuition does not whisper to you IT IS SO, then that intuition must
be wool-gathering. No, sir, the Path is too well, too theosophically edited for me to interfere.12

From this letter of H.P.B.s, and from Judges own writings, we can determine with some confidence what
kind of preparation Judge underwent, what kind of initiation ensued and how it affected him. As there are
myriad initiations we confine our attention to what is available through the writings of H.P.B. mainly. If
initiations are associated with the five elements, plus two more, and in relation with the sevenfold
constitution of man, then the candidate or chela would be initiated with his corresponding element. The
candidate would be tested shortly after having his aura cleansed and that test would determine where the
candidate ranked and which initiation he or she was qualified to undertake. For example, H.P.B. states that
for the third initiation, the candidate must have the capabilities to use his Will to produce effects associated
with feeling, hearing, and seeing. The chelas power is always proportionate to the intensity of his Will.
While Judge was in Paris in the spring of 1884 his astral was destabilizing his constitution. There was a need
to drive away the negative energies which were the cause for his mental anguish, hence, the blues he was
suffering at the time. H.P.B. gave Judge her talisman ring to help him, which it did. When Judge received
a copy of the Prayag letter in 1893 from an Indian correspondent, he quickly recognized the authenticity

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of the letter. He was able to determine its genuineness not only from his intuition but also from his own
experience of similar incidents which had occurred to him while in France. This in itself is an indication that
the Master must have done something else to or for Judge at that time which he recognized in the content of
the letter.
In a biographical series titled, William Q. Judge, which ran in The Irish Theosophist in 1896, Jasper
Niemand (Julia Keightley) wrote:
It is a matter of record that, when the seven years probation of this life were over, the Master best
known in connection with the T.S. sent to Mr. Judge, through H.P.B., His photograph, inscribed upon
the back to my colleague, with a cryptogram and signature; and, a little later, a letter of thanks and
advice, delivered to Mr. Judge in Paris by H.P.B. A message sent to him through H.P.B. in writing
from the Lodge at about this time ends by saying: Those who do all that they can and the best they
know how do enough for us.13

While they were in Paris, H.P.B. had informed Judge that the Master had told her in India, that he [Master
M.] was doing, or about to do something with and for me.14
Judge gained in confidence and his Will appeared to gain in strength following his experiences in Paris. As
indicated in Chapter 2, H.P.B. tested his ability to pick up on messages and impressions coming to her, and
he became more aware of the positive energies around him. It was also during this time that he was instructed
on how elementals and elementaries affect ones constitution. What Judge went through during his stay in
France were simply preparations that all chelas have to undergo prior to the actual event. The initiation took
place later that year while he was in India.
A few years later H.P.B. stated that for Judge it was the Nirmanakaya which blended with his astral.
Nirmanakayas of the Path of Compassion are:
[D]eceased Adepts who refuse Nirvana and prefer doing good to the world by remaining present and
alive in the astral body in the sphere of the earth. They differ from the astral shades of ordinary
mortals in so far that the Mayavi Rupa remains whole, and with the exception of the physical body
they have all the other principles.15

There are many different degrees of Nirmanakayas. Judge gives us a hint as to what happened to him by
using Napoleon as his example of an historical person who had been overshadowed and influenced by a
Nirmanakaya. Judge states:
Nirmanakayas constantly engage in this work deemed by them greater than earthly enterprises: the
betterment of the soul of man, and any other good that they can accomplish through human agents.
. . . Nirmanakayas . . . work behind the veil and prepare the material for a definite end.16

The complexities of Judges initiation appear to have been very substantial and must have taken the Masters
some time to conduct. We can only surmise that Judges body was placed somewhere and protected from any
influences while his consciousness underwent this initiation. Judges body was presumably laid in a
comatose state and his consciousness extricated for initiation. The other option was for Judge to have
personally gone to Tibet, as had Blavatsky years before, but this was unlikely.
Having an initiation is comparable to having surgery a certain amount of time is needed to convalesce.
Sometimes it takes months or years depending on the operation required. In Judges case the blending of the
Nirmanakaya with his astral may have taken a substantial amount of time. A noticeable change occurred in
him at about the time he started his Path magazine in the spring of 1886.

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H.P.B. also indicated the high level of confidence and respect she had in Judges abilities by acknowledging
Judges initiated status, stating:
W.Q.J. is the Antaskarana between the two Manas(es) the American thought & the Indian or
rather the trans-Himalayan Esoteric Knowledge.17

This declaration by H.P.B. in itself indicates that he had been initiated by the Masters of Esoteric Buddhism.
After his initiation Judge decided, or was advised, that there were no reasons for him to stay in India. The
Coulomb affair was under control and Olcott and Blavatsky were expected back at Adyar soon. Judge left
letters behind for them, fully explaining and assuring his continued affection and friendship. After his return
to New York Judge received letters from Olcott criticizing him for leaving early, accusing Judge: you left
India because you have 2 children and Ah! you left because Hartmann palmed off on you a pretended
(directive?) so to do.18 At first, not knowing that Judge had been initiated, H.P.B. was quite upset with Judge
for leaving early or even at all. Judge says that Blavatsky wrote to him to grieve over my backsliding. The
idea had been that Judge might even stay in India for good he had made arrangements for his wife in the
event that he did not return. After his initiation all changed. In his letter of May 16th, 1885, to Blavatsky,
Judge gives clues as to what happened. He states:
I did not leave India because I got a message from a Mahatma. I never got any message from any
Mahatma either pretended or real while I was in India. That disposes of Hartmann. . . . My dear HPB
if Master will not enlighten you about me then I must say nothing and remain to work out my own
salvation as I can. . . .
I tell you neither you, nor Olcott, nor Holloway, nor deceit, nor trick, nor message, nor devil, nor
Hartmann, had anything to do with my departure from India, and perhaps someday that departure will
be of benefit to the Society and the Cause.19

At first glance it appears that Judge had covered all the bases but by analyzing his statement some interesting
information is discovered. He mentions what did not make him leave India but left out the real reason why
he did, and implies that he must say nothing. Hence, H.P.B.s letter from Ostend dated October 3rd, 1886,
which clearly reveals that Judge had been initiated while he was in India. Both were initiated by Master
Morya and both fell under his direct responsibility.
Judge specifically mentions that he did not leave India because of any messages but this excludes the fact
that he had direct contact with Mahatmas. The only logical conclusion which can be drawn from his letter
is that he met with Master Morya leading up to his initiation. As explained earlier, Judge met with Master
Morya on September 17th, 1884, when the letter which included the four samples of imitations of
handwriting . . . written by a friend20 was penned, and then sent to Judge Khandalavala in Poona.
Another significant passage is perhaps someday that departure will be of benefit to the Society and the
Cause. This again alluded to his initiation but it also had other significance. This meant that he had to return
to America where the duty rested upon him to establish the Theosophical Movement in the West, in
particular North America. Although India had maintained the Ancient Wisdom, much had deteriorated into
superstitions, beliefs and rituals. Many of the books of Occult treasures were disintegrating and were badly
in need of a revival in order to preserve the Aryan philosophy. H.P.B. stated:
Without the revival of Aryan philosophy, for which we are labouring, the West will tend towards the
grossest materialism. . . .21

Judges responsibility, in part, was to encourage the Indian theosophists to cooperate with him to release their
treasures for the western world. After returning from India Judge made it one of his priorities, and in 1891
founded the instrument for publishing a large number of Oriental Department Papers consisting of Sanskrit
and other Oriental Scriptures. (See: Bibliography of Works by and about William Q. Judge.) In the

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Supplement to the March 1891 issue of The Theosophist, (pp.xxx-xxxii), Bertram Keightley, in his General
Secretarys Report quotes extensively from a circular received from Mr. William Q. Judge, the General
Secretary of the American Section, which bears the official endorsement of the Executive Committee of that
Section, and a strong recommendation, both personal and official, from our revered H.P. Blavatsky. Judge
proposed a cooperative effort to translate and publish Hindu texts to give to the world the impression that
this work is the united work of the entire Society. His plan was to make this a distinct department of the
American work, giving, however, to the Indian Section . . . full credit for the matter printed. He proposed
printing uniform pamphlets of these translations and papers. . . every month or oftener as occasion may
require, and in quantity sufficient to distribute them freely to all our American members, and to send back
to India enough to meet the needs there.
Judge understood and expounded the value of the Aryan literature. His adaptations and commentaries are
highly valued in some theosophical circles and are used in various universities as references.

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Chapter 18

Convention of 1893
One year after the arrival of Old and Sturdy at headquarters and the uncovering of allegedly incriminating
evidence against Judge, the Annual Convention held at Adyar, December 27th to 30th, 1893, appears to have
been the opportune time to discuss and sanction the previous years decision to proceed with the case against
Judge. A number of skillful lawyers who were on the various Boards and Committees, for example, G.N.
Chakravarti, were in attendance and, according to Besants Diary for December 20th and 22nd, 1893, Judge
Khandalavala of Poona was also present for consultations.1
Besant, who had arrived in India for the first time on November 16th, 1893, was scheduled to be in Madras
from December 19th, 1893, leaving January 7th, 1894, and expected in Calcutta on the 10th. The much
anticipated gifted orator, as she had been promoted by Bertram Keightley, was received by huge crowds
wherever she went. It was no wonder that the attendance was exceptionally large2 for the Anniversary
meeting held at Adyar from December 27th to 30th. There she met Tookaram Tatya from Bombay, Judge
Khandalavala from Poona and her new guru, G.N. Chakravarti, from Allahabad.
Olcott opened the Adyar convention with his Annual Address. After welcoming his brothers, friends and
colleagues, he stated:
The nights blackness is rolling away, the dawn of a happier day is breaking. Thanks as I believe
to the kind help of those whom I call my Masters and the Elder Brothers of the race, our patient
and loyal persistence is about being [sic] rewarded by help of the most valuable kind, for they have
sent me Annabai [Annie Besant] to share my burden, relieve our mental distress, and win the
respect and sympathy of good people. While she is not yet able to quite fill the void left by the
departure of my co-Founder, H.P.B., she will be in time, and meanwhile is able to render service that
her Teacher could not, by her peerless oratory and her scientific training. This meeting will be
historical, as marking her first appearance at our Annual Conventions: her first, but not her last,
for I have some reason to hope that she will devote a certain part of her future years to Indian work.
(Great applause.)
Mrs. Besants and my close association in the Indian tour now in progress, and the consequent mutual
insight into our respective characters and motives of action, has brought us to a perfect understanding
which, I believe, nothing can henceforth shake. She and I are now at one as regards the proper scope
and function of the E.S.T. as one of the activities carried on by our members. . . . Whatever
misunderstandings have occurred hitherto with respect to the exact relationship between the Society,
as a body, and the Esoteric Section which I chartered in 1888, now known as the Eastern School
of Theosophy and of which she is the sweet spirit and the guiding star, have passed away I
hope, forever.3 [Italics added]

The reader should bear in mind the specific declaration of H.P.B. that the E.S.T. (Eastern School of
Theosophy) has no official connection with the Theosophical Society4 as a body, and the historical fact that
its formation was opposed and its conduct under H.P.B. disapproved by Olcott. By this time Olcott had
become reluctant to ever allow Judge to become President of the T.S. and had in fact declared his preference
for Besant. She had already committed her support to Judge as Olcotts successor pending his retirement
(announced January 21st, 1892) and had issued a Circular to this effect on March 11th, 1892. Upon withdrawal
of his resignation, Besant expressed complete support for Olcotts ideas, his plans and his policies.
Olcott, fully hoodwinked by the maleficent influences at Adyar and by his Hindu and Parsee friends, either
did not realize that Besant had never been accepted as a chela by the Masters or he simply assumed she had
been because of her recent position as joint head of the E.S. After Blavatskys death, and before Olcott

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arrived in London, a Council Meeting had been held on May 27th, 1891, in which Judges plan had been
endorsed by the Masters. They had inserted a message, W.Q. Judges Plan is right, which Besant found
amongst her papers. This message only endorsed Judges suggestion that he and Besant be co-heads of the
E.S.,5 but was never intended as a message of their acceptance of her as their chela. H.P.B. never stated nor
insinuated, and no records were ever published to indicate that Besant had been accepted as a chela of the
Masters. Yet Olcott boldly states:
Annabai will in time become to me what H.P.B. was, and I shall try to prove as staunch and loyal
a colleague to her as I think you will concede I have been to my lamented co-Founder of this Society.
In her bright integrity, her passionate love of truth, her grand trained intellect and her unquestioning
altruism, I feel a strength and support which acts upon me as the elbow-touch of the comrade to the
soldier in battle. Disciples of the same Master, devoted to the same cause, and now friends who know
and trust each other. . . .6

The President-Founder had considered retiring but as a result of his infatuation with Besant decided to stay
on as President, determined to fight it out and rid the Society of Judge. While Judge was promoting harmony
and good-will among all Theosophists, Olcott and Besant were plotting against Judge in secrecy. But they
were not the only ones.
Both Judge Khandalavala and G.N. Chakravarti were members of the T.S. but neither was ever a member
of the Esoteric Section. These two were part of Olcotts eminent counsel whom he depended upon for legal
advice. They were members of the Committee which, at the Convention in December 1884, unanimously
recommended that no defense be made on behalf of H.P.B. against the Coulomb charges. They were also
among the powers behind the President who influenced his decision-making. Both were in favor of having
Adyar as the spiritual center for all of the Theosophical Movement around the world and both felt indignant
about Judge, each for their own reasons.
The Brahmans in India were suspicious that the Theosophical Society was losing its impartiality as equal
friend to all religions and was becoming distinctly Buddhist in its sympathies and affiliations. The Brahmans
hesitated to enter its membership and to cooperate in its work by withholding aid in bringing out priceless
literary treasures to make available to the West. Judge was aware of this problem and sent out an Open Letter
on April 5th, 1893, to as many Brahmans as he could reach. The letter was marked To The Brahmins of
India7 and its purpose was to encourage a revival of their confidence in the Theosophical Society.
Shortly after Judges Open Letter, he received a note along with a copy of a letter from Benee Madhad
Battacharya, at one time the president of the Prayag T.S. in Allahabad. It was a message which Sinnett was
directed by one of the Brothers, writing through Blavatsky in November 1881, to convey to the native
members of the Prayag Branch of the Theosophical Society. Professor G.N. Chakravarti arrived in New York
on September 2nd, 1893.8 When Judge showed him the copy of this (the Prayag) letter, Chakravarti declared
it a forgery and a humbug, as did Besant. The letter was later published by Judge in The Path under title,
A Mahatmas Message to Some Brahmans, as a genuine message. Judge stated that its philosophical
and occult references are furthermore confirmed by the manuscript of part of the third volume of the Secret
Doctrine, not yet printed.9 This letter added to Chakravartis reasons for resenting Judge. Khandalavala had
similar reasons for resenting Judge as well.
In the April 1895 Theosophist Olcott added a presidential Postcript, dated March 27th, 1895, to denounce
A Mahatmas Message to Some Brahmans published by Judge.
The message is one of the most transparently unconvincing in the history of Mahatmic literature. It
bears upon its face the seal of its condemnation. It is an ill-tempered attack upon the Brahman
gentlemans orthodoxy, under the guise of a general threat that none of his caste can approach the

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Masters save by giving up entirely caste . . . old superstitions . . . faith in the gods or god, etc.
. . .10

Franz Hartmann had received a letter from Olcott in which Olcott called his attention to the Postscript in
The Theosophist. Hartmann was aghast and wrote to Judge on April 25th, 1895:
What is the matter? Has the world become struck with blindness, and does the President of the T.S.
not know what Theosophy is? Have all the lectures of Mrs. Besant been after all nothing but
eloquence mixed with gush? Do our own Theosophical writers only repeat parrot-like what they hear,
but without understanding?
. . . I never imagined it possible that anybody could not see the plain meaning of that letter to some
Brahmans, in which the Master asks them to strive to outgrow their orthodox beliefs and superstitions,
faith in gods or a (separate) god, and to attain real knowledge.11

For a conspiracy to transpire the fewer people involved the better, and in this case only one person was
needed to create enough suspicion and doubt for the entire case against Judge. Once the dominoes were in
place, with the proper evil influences to fan the doubts and suspicions, they fell as intended. The plan was
to regain Indias heritage as the rightful birthplace from which all Spiritual wisdom came and from which
it was to disseminate, with Indians at the controls.
One of the difficulties of proving a conspiracy is knowing who the conspirators are and finding the
documentation to support the claim. Strategies planned behind closed doors are not usually revealed to the
general public, but because as in this case only one individual had the key, others were needed to
naively release information in order to substantiate the allegations against Judge. One of those naive persons,
one of the easiest to manipulate, was Olcott. Although as mentioned earlier, Olcotts Old Diary Leaves
cannot be unquestioningly trusted for accuracy, they do provide a valuable source from which to glean
important details, sometimes mentioned only in passing in the telling of an unrelated story. Also, whether
a topic is included or left out is sometimes equally telling. When pertinent information is sifted properly it
can also produce details to implicate the one who conveniently avoided publicity, and thereby prove that
Judge Khandalavala had ongoing involvement in the case against Judge.
____________________
By December 1893, Olcott, President, and his obedient General Council had changed all the original Rules
of the Society since its inception in 1875. Olcott governed with absolute autocracy, by decree and Executive
Notice. The newly Revised Rules proclaimed by Olcott were drawn up specifically to shift power from
the general membership to a much more manageable group, a Judicial Committee, whereby the authorized
few could divest themselves, with a three-fourths majority, of censurable officers of the T.S. namely
William Q. Judge.

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Chapter 19

G. N. Chakravarti
Shortly after the invitation was sent to Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti asking him to be the delegate
representing India at The Theosophical Congress (at the Worlds Fair in Chicago) a discouraging reply was
received and at first it seemed that he could not come.1 He was apparently too busy, having only
completed his law degree from the University of Allahabad in January 1893, and joined the Bar at Allahabad
in April. After the American Convention Bertram Keightley returned to England and waited for further word
from his friend. Judge also left for England to attend the Third Annual Convention of the European Section
held on July 6th and 7th, 1893. Judge arrived at Southampton June 24th, where Dr. and Mrs. A. Keightley met
him, and he got to Headquarters on the evening of the same day.2
Sometime in June [Chakravarti] consented at the risk of losing his caste, and started for London.3 Having
researched the meaning of the words at the risk of losing his caste some interesting explanations have been
elicited regarding the Hindu religion but more specifically the high-caste system of some Brahman families
at that time. These words have little significance in todays world but had great importance to some Hindus
even fifty years ago. The religious implication of losing caste to a distinguished Brahman such as Chakravarti
would have been devastating.
Theosophy (ULT) magazine explains the dilemma.
Serious difficulties at once supervened, for while Mr. Chakravarti was very agreeable to the proposed
plan, grave objections were raised among the Brahmins. Such a mingling with Mllechhas
(foreigners) was offensive to their teachings and traditions, and it was a violation of caste for a
Brahmin to cross the seas. Thus, if he attended at all, Chakravarti would be outcaste for the time
being and would be compelled upon his return either to renounce his caste or to submit to
purificatory rites which, to Western minds, would be superstitious and degrading, and to an
orthodox Brahmin extremely humiliating.4

The above comment goes a long way in explaining the Brahman belief system but Chakravarti provided, in
his first speech at the Theosophical Congress, the deeper philosophical reasons for his dilemma that the
East is Spirit and the West is Matter.
To the East is given the sacred satisfaction of having given birth to all the great religions of the world,
and to the West belongs the proud privilege of having supplied the world with all that can make
physical life comfortable and even luxurious.5

A study of the states of consciousness (lokas and talas), reveals the following definition for the word Ptla:
The nether world, the antipodes; hence in popular superstition the infernal regions, and philosophically the
two Americas, which are antipodal to India.6 In The Secret Doctrine H.P.B. writes of Ptla as undeniably
being America. Pt or Pd means foot in Sanskrit, and is associated with the earth, therefore ptla is
something under the feet.7 Before The Secret Doctrine was published the interpretation of Ptla had
degenerated to insinuate the unclean, the Brahmans interpretation for beneath the feet. Some Brahmans have
related to the writer that many wishing to come to America in the last century were faced with the same
dilemma as Chakravarti.
It was partly for this reason that Subba Row, he being an initiated Brahmin and holding to the Brahmanical
esoteric teaching8 refused to help H.P.B. with The Secret Doctrine.
He was greatly disturbed by the vulgar profanation of the Masters names which had then taken place,
and, as a Brhmana, he strongly disapproved the fact that H.P.B. revealed to the public some of the
inner meanings of the Hind Scriptures, concealed until then in the secrecy of the inner temples.9

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H.P.B. says: Such as Subba Row uncompromising initiated Brahmins, will never reveal even that
which they are permitted to. They hate too much Europeans for it.10
To continue Theosophy (ULT) magazines comments:
Nevertheless, the difficulties were resolved and all objections overcome. Mr. Chakravarti formally
accepted the invitation to attend the Parliament as the guest of the Society and three Brahminical
associations were induced to countenance his mission by appointing him to represent them. They
were: the Hari Bhakti Prodayini of Cawnpore; Varnashrama Dharma Sabbha of Delhi, and the
Sanatan Dharma Rakshani Sabbha of Meerut. All this, as may be inferred, occupied several months
in its accomplishment.11

The American Section had always been very generous with donations going to Adyar. Being the hosts and
having the responsibilities for bringing these Delegates to The Theosophical Congress stretched the budget
of the American Section to the point that it was necessary to borrow a part of the needed money in order
that Prof. Chakravarti might sail in time.12 Judge added a note in the August Path earnestly inviting the
members from Europe and America to send whatever money they could spare for this object.
Chakravarti arrived in London in July and on August 10th, 1893, the occasion of Bro. Bertram Keightleys
interesting lecture on India and the Theosophical Society, the [Blavatsky] Lodge had, for the first time, the
pleasure of hearing Bro. Chakravarti.13 On the 17th Bro. Chakravarti again spoke, as also did Bro.
Dharmapala, who is likewise passing through London on his way to represent the Buddhists at the Parliament
of Religions.14 The former stayed at headquarters on Avenue Road while the latter stayed with Sir Edwin
Arnold.
Many Theosophists who met Chakravarti at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago were not impressed with
his demeanor. Although he spoke well they considered him condescending. Professor Arthur H. Nethercot,
in The First Five Lives of Annie Besant, wrote the following:
Chakravarti, a light-complexioned, rather fat-faced, sleepy Brahmin, originally from the sacred city
of Benares, with a small, drooping, pointed black mustache, a black, observing eye, a shiny black
turban and a flat white necktie, had taught physical science and mathematics at various Indian
colleges and now held the chair of mathematics at Allahabad University. He had also just passed the
bar examination there and had a great reputation as a mystic, a student of the great Indian religious
literature, and a skilful hypnotist. He spoke a soft, classical English, with a slight accent but with
much expressiveness. He had gentle, dignified manners, and yet withal looked rather contemptuously
at those about him. Annie Besant was at once fascinated by both his manner and his words. She knew
immediately that she would gladly become a chela of this new guru, even if she was old enough to
be his mother.15

Besant was completely bewitched by Chakravarti who was also the President of the Prayag Students
Theosophical Association at Allahabad.16 Chakravarti had made it his duty in life to study the psychic
realms and to develop occult powers. He was a member of the Prayag Society in Allahabad which the
Mahatmas had warned about. The members of that Lodge were mostly Orthodox Brahmans who indulged
in these practices. From the time Chakravarti arrived in London in July 1893 until their return from America
to London on October 4th, 1893, when he went to stay with [his friend] Mr. Bertram Keightley and his
mother,17 Besant traveled and lectured with him.
In response to a letter from Jasper Niemand (Julia Keightley) Judge explained why he had been cold to
Besant at the time.
It is true Annie suffered through my cold and hard feelings. But it was her fault, for I say now as then
to Annie, that she, absorbed in Chakravarti, neglected my members, who are my children, and for
whom I wanted her best and got her worst. That made me cold, of course, and I had to fight it, and

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didnt care if Annie did not like it: I have no time to care. I am glad she has gone to India. It is her
trial and her chance, and when she gets back she can see for herself if she is able to prevent the big
head from coming on as has happened with others.18

Besant had been taking occult instruction from Chakravarti, as her new guru. During conversation with Dr.
J.D. Buck and Dr. Archibald Keightley in 1894, Besant confided [t]hat she took orders through Mr.
Chakravarti as coming from the Master.19 Many of Besants friends in England had come to realize that
since she had met Chakravarti her behavior had changed. Judge wrote, in a letter to Edmund Garrett:
But you were right when you say that Mrs. Besant made a remarkable change in respect to me. That
is true, and Mr. Chakravarti whom you name is, as you correctly say, the person who is responsible
for it. Before she met Chakravarti she would not have dreamed of prosecuting me. . . .
. . . But by the influence of the Mr. Chakravarti whom you mention the whole power of the society
was moved against me. . . .20

Albert Smythe recounted an episode in Toronto during Besants visit there following the Congress of
Religions at the Worlds Fair where he noted the beginnings of change in Besant. At a reception in her honor
Besant specifically asked each person she was introduced to whether or not they were members of the
Society. If the answer was yes she shook their hand; if the answer was no she said Oh and passed on to
the next, without a further word and declining to shake hands. . . . Smythe wrote that this gave us a setback
in Toronto that we did not recover from for a long period.21
Ten days after returning to London from America urgent business compelled Chakravartis return to India
and on October 20th, 1893, Besant proceeded overland to Marseilles, where Countess Wachtmeister joined
her for their voyage to India Besants first. Bertram Keightley stayed in London with his mother.

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Chapter 20

The Proceedings Begin

On February 7th, 1894, Olcott wrote an official communication to Judge. After stating that demands had been
forwarded to him by Besant for an official enquiry for his alleged misuse of the Mahatmas names and
handwritings, Olcott gave Judge two options: to retire from all offices or face an enquiry (Judicial
Committee). Besant had made her plans and formulated her demands from Allahabad where she had been
staying with Chakravarti. Chakravarti by then had strong occult influences over Annie Besant, Walter Old
and Bertram Keightley, as well as a few other Europeans at Adyar. Judge Khandalavala may have been
influenced as well but it is doubtful as it is believed that his actions were his own, and probably more
damaging to the whole of the Theosophical Society and particularly to Judge. As events unfolded it appears
that Judge Khandalavala had a strong control over Olcott.
Olcott no longer had H.P.B. to help guide him but now he had his new guiding light, his star, his ally:
Annie Besant. She was a potent influence in the world and a member of the Esoteric School. Little did Olcott
realize that the only occult guidance she was receiving was from her new guru, Chakravarti. Olcott had
confused Besants seeming integrity, her professed passionate love of truth and her intellect for occult
knowledge and wisdom.
The deck was being stacked. Walter Old announced on February 29th, 1894, that acting under medical
advice received during a recent illness, he was going to England for the summer and would leave Madras
about the 31st March.1 W.R. Old left Adyar on the evening of 7th April for Europe per S.S. Avoca, vi
Colombo. . . .2 Old had made copies of the evidence related to the alleged charges to be laid against Judge
and was prepared to take action when the time came. The familiar explanation of his departure was merely
a cloak to hide the fact that the main tactic was to spread the charges against Judge among the English and
to assess their response. Bertram Keightley, who was still in England with his mother, was familiar with the
documentation and was to remain in England to support Old.
At midnight on March 12th, 1894, Olcott met Besant and Sturdy at Dhond Junction and proceeded on to
Poona where they stayed for a few days. Olcott had been with Besant throughout most of her tour. He had
taken five days to return to Adyar for the purpose of searching through his records for any documentary
evidence in the case of Judge. He wrote in Old Diary Leaves:
The result arrived at was the getting together of a large number of Judges private letters to H.P.B.
and myself in which he complains of his absolute inability to get into touch with the Masters and begs
us to intervene on his behalf. Of course, this proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the falsity of the
pretensions he had been making to his American colleagues and others, that he had been allied with
those Personages for many years and was doing what he did under their instructions and with their
approval.3

However, once the letters which Olcott mentions are understood and placed in their proper context it is
believed that they actually enhance Judges position rather than damage it. It was felt among Judges
supporters that it was not very commendable of his accusers to make public correspondence between Judge
and H.P.B. (pupil and teacher) and between him and Damodar (his fellow-disciple) written during Judges
period of probation. H.P.B. described this period as one of mental suffering and that at such times the pupil
feels utterly alone, deserted, even though the Master might actually be quite near. These letters of Judge were
eventually published in The Theosophist starting with the January 1931 issue but were quickly stopped
when they started showing Judge in a brighter light. Quotations from some of the letters are included in the
Chronology.

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After consulting one more time with Khadalavala on how to handle the case against Judge, Besant left Poona
with Olcott for Bombay where they consulted again with Tookaram Tatya and Muncherjee M. Shroff before
she boarded her ship which sailed at 5 P.M. on March 20th,4 bound for England.
M.M. Shroff was the Secretary of the Blavatsky Lodge T.S. in Bombay and one of the oldest members of
the Society, along with Kavasji Mervanji Shroff who was its Vice-President. Both were very instrumental
in the development of the Branch in Bombay. M.M. Shroff, concerned with the rumors circulating around
the west coast of India at the time, had written a letter to Besant on April 2nd, 1892, in which he stated that
Judge was strongly suspected of having forged all along letters in the name of the Masters after H.P.B.s
departure. H.S. Olcott, B. Keightley, and Edge are absolutely convinced that Judge forged these letters, and
has been duping and deceiving poor Annie!5
Besant had written back on April 22nd, 1892, I know that Col. Olcott has made random statements to that
effect (that Judge forged the letters), as he made random statements about H.P.B. committing frauds.6 M.M.
Shroff also wrote to Judge about this matter and was told that he should ask Olcott for the proof of the
charges against him for he is the one who has given them out and is their sole author.7 The plot was
thickening and Besant, now convinced that Judge had acted inappropriately, was willing to carry the torch
all the way and confront him. For example, in a letter from Calcutta, dated January 11th, 1894, she wrote:
You must resign the outer headship (of E.S.T.) held jointly with myself, or the evidence which goes
to prove the wrong done must be laid before a committee of T.S. . . . And you must resign the position
of President-elect.8

She wanted to confront Judge not because she wanted to find the truth, for she was convinced she had that,
but to trap him into admission of guilt.
In documenting the details for this sensitive Case one is often misled with information incorrectly
documented by other authors works on the history of the Theosophical Movement. For instance, in A Short
History of the Theosophical Society, Josephine Ransom states on page 299:
A copy of the demand for investigation was posted 7 February, to Mr. Judge. Mrs. Besant also sent
him copies of all the papers upon which she based her statements, an action to which the President
strongly objected.

This is a prime example of skewing information. The author leads the reader to believe that Besant sent
Judge the February 7th letter along with the complete set of copies for him to prepare for his defense. In fact,
after Besant had written to Olcott on the 6th from Allahabad, Olcott was the one who sent Judge a letter on
February 7th, 1894, giving Judge his options to resign or defend himself, but with no papers. Also, according
to evidence, Besant did not send Judge copies of all the papers but did send him much later a copy of her
statement of her complaint and the six charges against him. Besant never sent Judge any documentation at
that time either for him to prepare his defense against the accusations. An analysis of the facts by Dr.
Archibald Keightley is presented in Chapter 21.
Judge received Olcotts February 7th letter on March 10th and cabled his reply the same day. Charges
absolutely false. You can take what proceedings you see fit; going [to] London [in] July.9 In his circular of
March 15th, 1894, Judge stated:
The accused person has the right to fix the place of trial. When the President calls the committee, I
shall fix on London as the place for its meeting, as I am going to attend the European Section
Convention next July.10

In her Statement at the European Convention of the T.S., July 12th, 1894, Besant stated: I offered to take on
myself the onus of formulating the charges against [Judge].11 In the published version, Olcott added the
following Note:

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I cannot allow Mrs. Besant to take upon herself the entire responsibility for formulating the charges
against Mr. Judge, since I myself requested her to do it. The tacit endorsement of the charges by
persistence in a policy of silence, was an injustice to the Vice-President, since it gave him no chance
to make his defence; while, at the same time, the widely-current suspicions were thereby augmented,
to the injury of the Society. So, to bring the whole matter to light, I, with others, asked Mrs. Besant
to assume the task of drafting and signing the charges.12

Judge explains the conspiracy against him quite well:

But there was an object in accusing me as Vice-President. The chief prosecutor has said in the
presence of many persons that she would not prosecute me as an individual, and that the object of the
attack was to make me give up the Vice-Presidency and an office which she called Successor to the
Presidency but which had no existence.13

Olcott had resigned from the Presidency on three separate occasions at this point. Each time it had been
either arranged or implied that Judge, as Vice-President, would inherit the position or be designated as the
next President and each time, Olcott withdrew his resignation. At the time of Olcotts latest resignation,
January 1st, 1892, Judge had the support of the members of the Theosophical Society to replace him. In
February 1892 Olcott revoked his resignation, with Judge encouraging him to do so. Olcott later stated, in
his Address at the Annual Convention at Adyar in December 1893:
With the formation of my present close acquaintance with Mrs. Besant, my course has become very
clearly marked out in my mind. Unless something unexpected and of a very revolutionary character
should happen, I mean to abandon the last lingering thought of retirement and stop at my post until
removed by the hand of death.14

By then it had been decided that Besant should become the next President, and the perceived threat of Judge
succeeding to the Presidency had to be resolved, even though that year the General Council had revised the
Rules. Olcott stated:
The only radical alteration has been in the term of the Presidential office, which we have fixed at
seven years, in the belief that a satisfactory incumbent will be indefinitely re-elected, while an
unsatisfactory one should not be immovably fixed in office.15

This was not applicable until after Olcotts death as he had been deemed President for life. It did, however,
establish that any future President was to be elected.
Walter Old (Sepharial) did Judges astrological horoscope. Sepharial. . . in India in 1893 calculated that
Judge would not live long and that Olcott need not worry about him that Mr. Judge could not live more
than three years.16 But still, Olcott plotted and planned just in case.
In 1895, summarizing the conspiracy against him, Judge wrote:
The design from the beginning was to get me out of the way to the Presidency of the T.S. Mrs. Besant
was to demand my resignation, after that Col. Olcott was to resign his office, then Mrs. Besant was
to be nominated as President; Vice-Presidency probably to go to Bert. Keightley, though on that the
outer proofs are not yet definite. In London last July [1894] Mrs. Besant said several times that the
object of the proceeding was to prevent my succeeding to the Presidency. . . .
In July [1894] she [Annie Besant] told me the first day, as explaining the sentence above quoted about
a high example [referring to Besants letter dated Feb. 14th, 1894 to Judge where she stated: That
you had made an intellectual blunder, misled by a high example.] and another, that I was largely
a victim, that her theory was first, that H.P.B. had committed several frauds for good ends and made
bogus messages; second, that I was misled by her example; and third, that H.P.B. had given me
permission to do such acts. She then asked me to confess thus and that would clear up all. I
peremptorily denied such a horrible lie, and warned her that everywhere I would resist such attack on
H.P.B. These are the facts, and the real issue is around H.P.B.17

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Although Olcott had received Judges March 10th, 1894, denial of the charges, he was confident that with
Besants prestige and Bertram Keightleys status with the American members that given the facts, Judge
would be removed. If the matter came to a tribunal hearing before a Judicial Committee, Olcott was
convinced that he held that Committee by a majority. If the matter should go before the Sections they
controlled two out of the three absolutely. Olcott was sure of India, sure of Britain, and sure that he had
nothing to fear in America as, at best, Judge could count on nothing more than a division and a split in the
American Section.
Upon becoming aware of Olcotts February 7th ultimatum to Judge, G.R.S. Mead and Bertram Keightley
(who was still in England), General Secretaries of European Section and Indian Section respectively, issued
an official joint response, dated March 27th, 1894. Olcotts situation was reversed. Both condemned Olcotts
procedures and the highhanded way in which he had proceeded against Judge. They felt that even if Judge
were guilty, he was entitled to the preliminary assumption of his innocence until that guilt was conclusively
established. It was evident that both Mead and Keightley saw at once that Olcott and Besant had grossly
violated the principles of universal brotherhood as well as the constitution of the Theosophical Society. In
addition, although Mead and Keightley were likely not aware when they sent Olcott their official response,
by then Olcott had sent Judge two more letters, both dated March 20th, 1894, in follow-up to Judges response
of March 10th. In the second letter, addressed To William Q. Judge, Esq., Vice President T.S., Olcott wrote:
Pending the decision of the Judicial Committee, I hereby suspend you from the office of Vice
President T.S. as required by our Revised Rules.18

Another unexpected disappointment for Olcott was Judges four page circular dated March 15th, 1894. Judge
had sent 5000 copies to as many theosophical members as he could, stating:
It is disagreeable to talk much of oneself, but sometimes it is necessary, and in this case it has been
made a necessity by the action of others, as also by the existence of many vague and suppressed
rumors which have been flying about in quarters not public but sufficiently active to compel action
on my part. Hence I now make known in advance that which has been spoken obscurely for some
time, and which is now before me officially from the President, Col. H. S. Olcott, to the end that all
members of the Society and friends of my own in all parts of the world shall be in possession of facts
so that surprise and perhaps confusion may be prevented.19

Two of Olcotts strongest allies and co-conspirators, Annie Besant and Walter Old, were on their way to
England, therefore, Olcott was left with the influential members of his General Council (among them,
Khandalavala, Chakravarti, and Subramania Iyer) to plan the next strategies. Olcott knew that if the matter
were to go before the Sections, he and his allies had the control they needed, except perhaps in America. It
was therefore decided that another section was needed to ensure that his plans would come to fruition. On
April 27th, 1894, Col. Olcott, P.T.S., in his usual autocratic way, dispensed another Executive Notice. It
is reprinted here in its entirety:
The undersigned avails of Mrs. Annie Besants forthcoming visit to the Australasian Colonies, to
invest her with the functions of Presidents Commissioner, with authority to represent him in all
current Society business during her tour, and act for him and in his name in disposing of the same,
as perfectly as though it were his individual act. Mrs. Besant is empowered to organize a Section or
Sections; to authorize the formation of Branches; to admit persons to Fellowship; to regulate
disagreements and disputes within the Society; to remit at her discretion in cases of great poverty the
whole or any part of any fee or other pecuniary contribution chargeable as a condition of membership;
and, generally, to exercise the same powers as are constitutionally enjoyed by the undersigned in his
Presidential capacity.
Mrs. Besant will, of course, make or cause to be made to the undersigned a full report of her official
actions under the above special commission and according to the Revised Rules of the Society.20

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Besant had been in the Society barely five years by this time and yet Olcott willfully empowered her with
full authority to represent him in all business functions. Along with Olcott, she had visited the sacred places,
attended religious festivals and proclaimed herself an Indian at heart, as well as taking the Brahmanical
thread. Olcott had forged a strong accord with Annabai, her given name by the Hindus, and praised her highly
in The Theosophist with a long personal tribute and extensive articles covering her tour. Annie Besant, he
declared, was to share his burden.
Olcott had also ordered his General Council to revise the Rules of the Society to take into consideration
the disposing of Officers of the T.S. for misconduct. Section 2 of Article VI was changed to read:
[T]he President may be deprived of office at any time, for cause shown, by a three-fourths vote of the
Judicial Committee hereinafter provided for (in Section 3). . . .
Section 4 of Article VI declares that the same procedure shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the cases
of the Vice-President and President; thus making the former, as well as the latter, amenable to the
jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee for offences charged against him.

It was under this customized clause that the Vice-President [was] arraigned.21
Olcott officially ratified and proclaimed the changes himself on December 31st, 1893.22 In reality, however,
there is substantial evidence to support the legal opinion that Olcott had no actual power and the Society he
operated was a de facto organization, and that the General Council of the T.S. was based on wholly illegal
proceedings.23 With this latest procedure, all the original Rules of the Society had been changed since its
inception in 1875.
Olcott had no plans to attend the Judicial Committee in London but circumstances quickly changed and he
was compelled to go. But Olcott was confident he had made all the correct changes necessary that the
plot to rid the Society of Judge would eventually be accomplished.

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Chapter 21

Delays and Withholdings

Much of the material covering both the General Council meeting and the Judicial Committee meeting held
in London on July 7th and 10th, 1894, respectively has been covered in the Chronology. Important documents
have been carefully scrutinized for passages which cast more light on puzzling and obscure circumstances
and explain interesting events. Some of the details, when unraveled, are extremely important for they
sometimes expose the motive behind the persons behavior.
One of the not so obvious bits of information, of importance to the understanding of this case, is timing.
Some say timing is everything, and in this case timing has much to do with how events unfolded. One such
important incident was the restricted time allowed to Judge for him to prepare a defense against the
Charges brought by Besant.
Again, before dealing with the evidence which Judge did eventually manage to see it is important to provide
the reader with what Dr. Archibald Keightley compiled. In his letter found in Truth and Occultism in The
Irish Theosophist, March 1895, pp.92-95, Dr. Keightley exposes a few of the misstatements published
regarding Judge. It is mentioned in The Path, with the following statement:
It is strange that falsehood and vituperation should be considered proof and argument, and
evidently the original Truth and Occultism pamflet from which this article takes its name, is an
exemplification of the old French adage Qui sexcuse, saccuse!1

Dr. Keightley first quotes Annie Besant in her article Should Mr. Judge Resign?
Let me say I had drawn up six charges to lay before the committee. Under each of these charges I had
drawn up the evidence on which the charge depended. I had made what would be called a brief; the
charges were the indictments, and the evidence was practically the speech of the counsel stating what
the charges were. My only deviation from the legal action was this that I sent a complete copy of
the whole statement that I proposed to make, to Mr. Judge; that, I knew, was outside the legal duty,
but I did it in order that the case might be met upon its merits, that he might know everything I was
going to say, every document I was going to use, and every argument I was going to employ.2

Dr. Keightley responded:

Much virtue is continually claimed for sending Mr. Judge the little that was sent him in regard to the
charges. The course followed is alleged to be a deviation from the legal procedure for the benefit of
Mr. Judge. It was a deviation, but not in the sense implied by Mrs. Besant. Quite the reverse. I am
professionally informed that the procedure in an action of law is as follows:
1. A statement of the complaint must be sent to the defendant. This Mrs. Besant did, though
vaguely. Her statement consisted of the six charges and a specification of documents upon which they
were based.
2. A full statement setting forth the purport of all the documents upon which the complaint
is founded must be sent to the defendant. This Mrs. Besant did not do. She sent a partial statement
insufficiently setting out some of the documents only and entirely omitting others which, according
to the specification, were intended and therefore had to be used, unless the defendant consented to
their withdrawal. This partial statement Mrs. Besant calls her prosecutors brief. Here, therefore, she
departed from legal procedure and entirely in her own favour.
3. The defendant must put in what is called a defence. This Mr. Judge did even before
the second item of procedure was taken by the plaintiff.
4. The plaintiff must give full opportunity for the defendant and his agents to inspect and
take copies and extracts and facsimiles or photographs of all documents intended to be used against
him, and no document can be used except those produced. This Mrs. Besant did not do and never has
done.

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5. At least six weeks, sometimes six months or more, are allowed before the trial for the
preparation by the parties of their respective evidence and witnesses. It has been forgotten that the
genuineness of all documents has to be proved on oath unless admitted to be genuine by the opposite
party. If evidence is required from abroad the Court will postpone the trial until it can be obtained.
The fact is that Mrs. Besant delayed taking procedure No. 2 until Mr. Judge was actually leaving the
U.S.A. to attend the trial, the date of which had already been fixed. This was a flagrant injustice
which would not be tolerated in any Court of Law. No opportunity whatever was given for inspection
and copying documents before the trial. This also is a gross breach of even legal procedure.

Besant boarded ship at Bombay on March 20th, 1894, at 5P.M. Besants document of so-called charges was
dated March 24th, 1894, on board the S.S. Peninsular, Indian Ocean.3 A letter mailed from India would
generally take approximately five to seven weeks for delivery to New York. By the end of April Besant had
arrived in London.4 It only took seven days for mail, via ship, to go from England to New York. Judge and
Dr. Buck arrived in London on July 4th which means they left New York on June 26th or 27th. If Judge
received Besants papers just before sailing, as stated above, Besant would have had to mail her papers
around June 15th or 16th or later for Judge to have received them on June 23rd, giving him three or four days
to prepare a defense. Besant held on to those papers for nearly two months before mailing them to Judge.
WHY? Did she purposely delay mailing her so-called charges to Judge to allow him the smallest possible
window of opportunity to prepare his defense?
Judge stated regarding the so-called charges, that:
It follows no rule of legal, military, or ecclesiastical procedure with which I am familiar. The real
charge was the one sent me by Col. Olcott of misuse of Mahtms names and handwritings; these
so-called charges should have been in the form of proper specifications under the main charge.5

Dr. Keightley continues:

And now Mr. Judge is (vide Vhan, March, 1895) arraigned before the whole Society on charges
which it has not seen, on evidence supplied neither to the Society nor to the defendant.
I suppose it to be upon the strength of Mrs. Besants statement in Lucifer, as above quoted, that Mr.
Mead is issuing an official statement, advance copy of which has been sent to me, as member of the
Executive Committee, in which, in reply to Mr. Judges official letter saying that he has no copies of
the evidence, Mr. Mead replies that Mr. Judge has copies of all that was to be used against him. I at
once notified Mr. Mead that the above statement was not true, and gave my reasons (in part) therefor.
But as I now find other advance copies have been sent out, and Mr. Thomas Williams has published
the same incorrect statement in Light, I am obliged to make public contradiction of the above. The
facts are as follows:
Mrs. Besant sent Mr. Judge: (a) a rough specification of some seventy-eight exhibits (letters,
telegrams, etc.) as evidence in support of six charges. I say some seventy-eight, because such items
as the following occur:
Various sentences written in Judges letters to A. B., Babula, Olcott, Tookeram, Cooper-Oakley.
Allotting in all such cases one letter to each person named, there are seventy-eight pieces of evidence.
But there is nothing to show whether there are one or a dozen such letters to each person. This
specification in my hands is a certified copy of the original one sent to Mr. Judge in New York.
(b) Mrs. Besant sent also what she calls a brief. It contained many arguments based upon many
assertions. In this brief were quotations from a few of the seventy-eight pieces of evidence. I am
told by three persons who have seen this brief that there are under a dozen pieces of evidence given.
These latter are all the copies of evidence which Mr. Judge has or has had, and this is the way in
which Mr. Judge has known every document I was going to use, or has had, as Mr. Mead says,
copies of all that was to be used against him. It cannot be denied that Mrs. Besant intended to use
against him all the seventy-eight or more pieces of evidence quoted, for the six charges and rough

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specification were the official documents to be used before the T.S. Judicial Committee, not one of
which could subsequently be withdrawn by Mrs. Besant, or anyone else, at their own discretion. I
have not seen this brief, as Mrs. Besant required Mr. Judge to give his word of honour that he would
show it to no one (Dr. Buck having previously seen it), and told several of us that she had ordered it
to be burned when the matter was supposed to be settled. It now appears that Miss C, who is not
a T.S. official, has it in charge and has shown it to members. Three members who have seen it pledge
their honour to the statement that it contains under a dozen of the pieces of evidence.
Moreover, Mr. Judge has not even seen all the evidence. None of that which is the property of Mr.
Bertram Keightley was even shown to him!
Furthermore, Mrs. Besant at Richmond, in July, 1894, promised Mr. Judge, in the presence of Mr.
Mead, Dr. Buck, Mr. B. Keightley, Mrs. A. Keightley and myself, that he should have copies of all
the evidence. Why did she so promise if, as is now said, Mr. Judge had knowledge of every document
and copies of the evidence before leaving America? As a portion of this conversation is now being
used against Mr. Judge and is distorted, I here give the real context. Other parts of that conversation
have yet wider bearing.
Mr. Judge asked Mrs. Besant if she would then give him back his letters, which were the so-called
evidence, seeing that the closing of the matter was under consideration. It was evidently useless to
talk about bringing the matter to a conclusion, if the alleged evidence was to be promptly handed over
to one of his avowed enemies, who would naturally have continued the office of prosecutor, even if
that office had been laid down by Mrs. Besant. In reply to Mr. Judges question, Mrs. Besant said that
they were not all hers to give. The question was not so strange as it is made to appear, as Mrs. Besant
and Mr. B. Keightley were, with Colonel Olcott, owners of the bulk if not all of the evidence socalled. Colonel Olcott had been and was consulted on this head. Mr. Judge then said, in almost these
exact words:
Well, Annie, if the case was reversed, I would take the consequences of returning you your letters
under the same circumstances. However, will you give me copies?
Mrs. Besant consulted Mr. Mead by a look and Mr. Mead said:
Why, yes, Annie, I think Judge ought to have copies.
Mrs. Besant then agreed that the copies should be given. Four of the seven persons present
remember this as here set forth. The copies NEVER have been given, and the statement made by Mr.
Judge in his letter, published by Mr. Mead in The Vhan,[March 1st, 1895 issue] and in The Irish
Theosophist for February, 1895, is in every particular correct.
Mr. Judge is being asked to reply to charges based upon letters and telegrams beginning 1875 down
to the present day, often very vaguely specified, as in the extract above, part of which he has not even
seen. And when he makes his very natural and necessary demand, untrue statements are made in
regard to him.
In any case it is not only unjust, but contrary to every code of common fairness, to endeavour to prove
charges such as those brought against Mr. Judge on the strength of brief extracts from supposed
letters. Everyone must know that carefully selected extracts can be made to prove almost any villainy.
It is significant that Mrs. Besant admitted to many persons in July, 1894, that she was aware these
charges could not be actually proven against Mr. Judge.
Mr. Judge has not at his command the lists of the Theosophical Society kept at Adyar, as have his
accusers, the statements even of Mrs. Besant and my step-uncle, Mr. Bertram Keightley, being
circulated all over the world by those lists, so that I must ask members who receive this statement of
Dr. Buck and myself to circulate it as widely as possible.

Included next is a shorter version of the same principal details, written by Judge, which was published in the
February 1895 issue of The Irish Theosophist, pp.85-86.

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The Judge Case

THE CHARGES AGAINST WILLIAM Q. JUDGE.

EDITOR Irish Theosophist:
A long and sustained attack has been made on me and charges have been brought forward by Mrs.
Besant, and in The Westminster Gazette, which it is thought I should reply to more fully than I have
as yet. A very good and decisive reason exists for my not making that full reply and explanation, and
it is time Theosophists should know it. It is as follows:
I have not been furnished with copies of the documentary evidence by which the charges are said to
be supported. These documents being letters written by myself and some of them ten years old
have been in the possession of Mrs. Besant from about February, 1894, to July 19th, 1894, and open
enemies of mine have been allowed to make copies of them, and also to take facsimiles, but they have
been kept from me, although I have demanded and should have them. It must be obvious to all fairminded persons that it is impossible for me to make a full and definite reply to the charges without
having certified copies of those documents.
I arrived in London July 4th, 1894, and constantly, each day, asked for the copies and for an
inspection of the papers. Mrs. Besant promised both, but never performed her promise. The
proceedings and the Convention closed July 13th, and for six days thereafter I daily asked for the
copies and inspection, getting the same promise with the same failure, until July 19th, when I
peremptorily demanded them. Mrs. Besant then said she had just given them to Colonel Olcott, to
whom I at once applied. He said he had sent them all to India. I at once told this to Mrs. Besant,
saying I would give the facts to the daily papers, whereupon she went to Colonel Olcott, who said he
had made a mistake as they were in his box. He then I being in a hurry to leave from Liverpool on
the 21st let me hastily see the papers in Dr. Bucks presence, promising to send me copies. I had
time to copy only two or three short letters. He has never fulfilled that promise.
These facts the members should know, as they ought at last to understand the animus under the
prosecution. I shall not reply until I have full certified copies. It would seem that I am in this matter
entitled to as much opportunity and consideration as my open enemies have had. Yours,
WILLIAM Q. JUDGE
New York, Jan. 25th, 1895.

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Chapter 22

Khandalavala and Besant

Like Olcott, Judge Khandalavala was also quite enamored with Annie Besant. He wrote a long article titled
Hypatia and Annie Besant which appeared in The Theosophist, January 1895. In his article he stated:
If the individual soul has its life made up of many lives, and it lives and manifests its power in a series
of bodies carrying with it all its accumulative forces for good and evil, then must the soul of Hypatia
have reincarnated over again on this earth in a suitable body through which it could carry on its
unfinished work. To those who would take the trouble to think of the incidents in the lives of Hypatia
and of Annie Besant, there cannot but appear a remarkable similarity in these two personalities. . . .
The fervour for leading a truly religious life was apparent from her earliest years in Mrs. Besant,
exactly as the soul of Hypatia. . . . Both personalities are seen to keep their audiences spell-bound by
their eloquence. . . . Mrs. Besants love for India and the Hindus is not to be wondered at.1

Judge Khandalavala, himself a Parsee, had placed Annie Besant on such a high pedestal and revered her so
much that it would be hard if not impossible for her to disregard such adulation. In fact, however, while he
was praising her he was also misleading her. In actuality, convincing Besant was easy once one appealed to
her ego and her sense of perceived moral justice. The prominent Indian members needed to convince
someone special (a dupe) with their concerns about Judge, whose influence they seemed to perceive as a
threat to the status quo of both Indian culture and religion. Khandalavala used her by encouraging her into
believing that Judge was guilty of fraud. Why? Besides his correlation between Hypatia and Besant, they
needed someone whom they could take advantage of one who would be in sympathy with them, their
religious beliefs and their culture. Most Indian members were not prepared to become a thorough
theosophist i.e. to do what D[amodar] Mavalankar did, give up entirely caste, his old superstitions and
show himself a true reformer. . . .2 Besant had become Indian, having adopted the Hindu religion, the
Hindu culture, their creed and their ethical values and teachings instead of being neutral as Olcott had
expressly warned the members who attended the Congress of the Parliament of Religions in 1893. Olcott,
still somewhat cognizant of Blavatskys teachings at the time, had emphasized to the Theosophical Members
attending the Congress the importance of remaining totally impartial that the Society was completely
neutral of any creeds. He stated:
Of course, it is to be distinctly understood that nothing shall be said or done by any Delegate or
Committee of the Society to identify it, as a body, with any special form of religion, creed, sect, or
any religious or ethical teacher or leader; our first duty being to affirm and defend its perfect
corporate neutrality in these matters.3

By 1896 Olcott appears to have modified this requirement. He wrote:

Mrs. Besant herself has proved the star of highest magnitude in our theosophical sky since the death
of H.P.B. in 1891: no woman of our times is so widely known, admired and loved as she; even by
those who do not accept her religious views.4

Blavatskys message since the inception of the Society had always been that:
Theosophists have no dogmas, exact no blind faith.5
Our mission does not consist in spreading any dogmas, whether Buddhist, Vedic or Christian; we are
independent of any formula, any ritual, any exotericism. . . . [T]he essential attitude of the
Theosophical Society is to declare and maintain the Truth common to all religions, the real Truth,
unsoiled by the inventions, the passions, and the requirements of the ages, and to invite all men to
partake of it, without distinction of sex, colour or rank, and, which is much more, of beliefs.6

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With Besant adopting the Hindu Brahman culture and willing to defend and promote it as her own, why
would any Brahman, or any Indian for that matter, object? The Theosophist reported that during Besants
tour, under the title of The Battle of the Gods, the Amrita Bazar Patrika wrote:
[S]he extolled the Hindus, confessed herself a Hindu, and appealed to her countrymen and countrywomen, nay, to the world at large, to adopt the Hindu method, for the regeneration of the race.

The Calcutta paper, Hope, devoted no less than three columns of its leader to Mrs. Annie Besants arrival
in Calcutta, and Mrs. Annie Besants place in the movement of Hindu Revival. The Editor remarked:
Mrs. Annie Besants acceptance of the cardinal principles of Hindu Religion and Philosophy marks
a new epoch in the history of the development of the Theosophic Movement in India.7

In his Annual Address at the 20th Anniversary Convention held at Adyar in December 1895, Olcott stated:
I am most happy to tell you that the restraint formerly used towards myself as to the work in the
Eastern School of Theosophy has all passed away with the American crisis. I am now in a position
to cordially testify to the value of the teachings given by Mrs. Besant, to her personal competency,
and to recommend such as incline towards the study and practice of Indian Esotericism to place
themselves under her. There is no sign of dogmatic assumption nor of desire to interfere in the
practical working of the Society. And in every one of her relations with us Mrs. Besant has won our
love, confidence and respect.8

The Hindus had found the perfect person they could trust to help them keep their traditions as well as their
caste system while professing themselves true theosophists. After all in India it was a common saying that
every man is naturally and by right of descent a Theosophist.9 Because of the adoration Besant received
from the Hindus the whole of the Theosophical CAUSE was severely compromised.10
H.P. Blavatsky described the Indian members situation well in her Open Letter (Why I Do Not Return To
India) addressed To My Brothers of Aryavarta.
In India, . . . ever since my departure, the true spirit of devotion to the Masters and the courage to
avow it has steadily dwindled away. At Adyar itself, increasing strife and conflict has raged between
personalities; uncalled for and utterly undeserved animosity almost hatred has been shown
towards me by several members of the staff. There seems to have been something strange and
uncanny going on at Adyar, during these last years. No sooner does a European, most Theosophically
inclined, most devoted to the Cause, and the personal friend of myself or the President, set his foot
in Headquarters, than he becomes forthwith a personal enemy to one or other of us, and what is
worse, ends by injuring and deserting the Cause.11 [Italics added]

The fact is that many Hindus involved with the Theosophical Society were Orthodox Brahmans who did not
want to change. They resisted encouragement to change their attitude regarding caste, old superstitions and
beliefs and were particularly resistant to any attempts from Judge, who remained true to the original CAUSE
and continued to expound the same philosophy as H.P.B. The Hindus were not willing to be true
Theosophists as outlined in the Prayag Letter. Master M stated their position quite well in this Mahatma
Letter when he stated:
What have we, the disciples of the true Arhats, of esoteric Buddhism and of Sang-gyas to do with the
Shasters, and Orthodox Brahmanism?12

The objective at the time was to humiliate William Q. Judge before his peers and before the world, pressure
him into a confession of guilt as a fraud, just as had been attempted with his teacher and colleague, H.P.
Blavatsky. By destroying Judges reputation, H.P. Blavatskys reputation was being tarnished by association
she had supported him until the very end when she died on May 8th, 1891. Judge once wrote that she
always signed off her letters to him Yours till death and after, H.P.B.13

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Madame Blavatskys reputation had already been damaged by the Coulomb conspiracy. Not because she had
been denounced as being an imposter or allegedly having performed so-called Occult Phenomena by
alleged fraudulent manner, but because she was not supported or permitted to defend herself in a Court of
Law. The fifteen men of the Committee formed by Olcott were too embarrassed and would not support
her. They bought her a ticket and shipped her to Europe, away from the media, despite her being in terrible
health at the time. Blavatsky stated:
But the loyalty and courage of the Adyar Authorities, and of the few Europeans who had trusted in
the Masters, were not equal to the trial when it came. In spite of my protests, I was hurried away from
Headquarters. Ill as I was, almost dying in truth, as the physicians said, yet I protested, and would
have battled for Theosophy in India to my last breath, had I found loyal support.14

In his Historical Retrospect, Olcott focused only on H.P.B.s health when he touched upon her departure
from India. He wrote:
Madame Blavatsky falling ill to the point of death, at Adyar, was ordered by her physician to return
to Europe, and settle herself in a genial climate where she would for some time enjoy perfect solitude
and freedom from worry. So I overcame all her opposition, bought her tickets, and sent her away by
the French mail steamer of the 31st March, 1885. She had to be hoisted aboard in a hospital chair. Dr.
F. Hartmann, Miss Flynn, and Bawaji, a Madras Brahmin yogi, accompanied her.15

A few weeks later H.P.B. wrote to Olcott, expounding on the consequences of the actions taken. In her letter
of April 11th, 1885, she quotes Mahatma K.H.:
The Society has liberated itself from our grasp and influence and we have let it go we make no
unwilling slaves. He [Olcott] says he has saved it? He saved its body, but he allowed through fear its
soul to escape; it is now a soulless corpse, a machine run so far well enough, but which will fall to
pieces when he is gone. Out of the three objects the second alone is attended to, but it is no longer
either a brotherhood, nor a body over the face of which broods the spirit from beyond the Great
Range. His kindness and love of peace are great and truly Gautamic in their spirit; but he has
misplaced that kindness.16

Regarding the events of 1884-1885, H.P.B. stated:

It was during that time and Colonel Olcotts absence in Burma, that the seeds of all future strifes, and
let me say at once disintegration of the Theosophical Society, were planted by our enemies.17
[Italics added]

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The Judge Case

Chapter 23

The Judicial Committee S Pre and Post

A consensus had been reached by all parties in July 1894 but, because of the lack of occult knowledge and
the personal bitterness towards Judge, the whole intrigue continued until his death.
Before returning to the events of the official enquiry (Judicial Committee) it is important to place in proper
perspective the consequences of Olcotts actions, undertaken when he sent Judge the letter accusing him of
alleged misuse of the Mahtms names and handwriting. By virtue of the discretionary power given to
Olcott in the Revised Rules (ratified by himself on December 31st, 1893) and without consulting members
of the General Council, on March 20th, 1894, he suspended Judge from the office of Vice-President. As
mentioned earlier both G.R.S. Mead, General Secretary of the European Section T.S. and Bertram Keightley,
General Secretary of the Indian Section T.S. (who was in England at the time), wanted to place on record
their emphatic protest against Olcotts departure from constitutional procedure.
Moreover by so doing you place yourself officially in the position of having prejudged the case and
virtually announce before any enquiry has taken place or even any specific charges have been
formulated, that you believe Mr. Judge guilty.
It appears to us that such an attitude is inconsistent with that strict impartiality and justice which ought
to characterize at least the official actions of the President of the T. S., and that it is calculated to
bring discredit upon the Society by laying its chief executive officer open to the charge of
condemning a colleague without even giving him a hearing.1

Both protested that Olcott was abusing his power as President of the T.S. and that if the inquiry were to take
place it would set a precedent from which the Society might not recover.
As this is the first time that any official proceedings against an officer of the Society have been
inaugurated, it is evident that the precedents thereby created will be of extreme importance in the
future history of the Society. Moreover the nature of the allegations involved is such as to cause
danger that the free and unsectarian basis of our organization may be compromised, by the
proceedings in relation thereto amounting to an official declaration by the Society of a dogma, to wit:
either belief or disbelief in the existence of Mahatmas.
Hence it is very necessary that every step taken in the premises should be strictly constitutional and
impartial, and should be most carefully considered both as making a precedent and as involving
constitutional questions of grave importance. It is therefore our plain duty as the General Secretaries
of two out of the three Sections of the T.S. and members of its General Council, to call your attention
officially to the following points with a view to safeguarding (1) the Constitution, (2) the nonsectarian character, and (3) the impartiality of the Theosophical Society.2

The Mahatmas certainly did not choose Olcott to become part of the T.S. for his proficiency as an attorney,
as in accounts of incidents researched Olcott does not come across as very effective. One must acknowledge
that he did do a lot for the Movement at first, but on the other hand, after being separated from H.P.B. he
became confused and easily swayed by the people who surrounded him and he ruled the Society as an
autocratic dictator, dispensing Executive Notices. A number of examples of his ineptitude appeared at the
meeting which took place in London in July 1894.
Olcott had suspended Judge as Vice-President of the Society pending disposal of the charges by an official
enquiry, a committee set up to investigate the accusations. At the July 7th, 1894, Council Meeting Judge
protested that he had never been legally elected as Vice-President of the T.S. and could not be charged as
such. In his March 15th, 1894, Circular Judge declared:

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The only charges that could be made against the Vice-President would be those of failing to perform
his duties, or misusing the office when there were any duties attached to it.3

Olcott objected saying that as far back as December 1888 at the Adyar Convention he had appointed Judge
as Vice-President in open convention. The choice was approved by the Delegates assembled. At another
Convention of 1890, with a new set of Rules, Bertram Keightley moved nomination of Judge, with Olcott
supporting it, and he was duly elected Vice-President. Judge claimed that although these things may have
occurred he was never officially given notice of the appointment, to which Olcott admitted that Judge was
correct. Nevertheless, because his name was duly published in the Official List, Olcott ruled that Judge was
in fact the Vice-President of the T.S.4
Judge raised another point, that even if he were Vice-President he
was not amenable to an enquiry by the Judicial Committee into certain alleged offences with respect
to the misuse of the Mahatmas names and handwriting, since if guilty the offence would be one by
him as a private individual, and not in his official capacity; he contended that, under our Constitution,
the President and Vice-President could only be tried as such by such Committee for official
misconduct that is misfeasances and malfeasances. An opinion of council in New York which he
had taken from Mr. M.H. Phelps, F.T.S.,5 was then read by him in support of this contention. The
matter was then debated. Bertram Keightley moved and G.R.S. Mead seconded:
That the Council, having heard the arguments on the point raised by William Q. Judge, it declares
that the point is well taken; that the acts alleged concern him as an individual; and that consequently
the Judicial Committee has no jurisdiction in the premises to try him as Vice-President upon the
charges as alleged.6

Olcott had to concur with the motion and it was declared carried. Judge did not vote. On Mr. Meads
motion, it was then voted that above record shall be laid before the Judicial Committee.7 Again Judge did
not vote.
The President then laid before the Council another question mooted by Mr. Judge, to wit: That his
election as successor to the President, which was made upon the announcement of the Presidents
resignation, because ipso facto [by the fact (or act) itself] annulled upon the Presidents resumption
of his office as President. On motion, the Council declared the point well taken, and ordered the
decision to be entered on the minutes. Mr. Judge did not vote.
The President called attention to the resolution of the American Convention of 1894, declaring that
his action in suspending the Vice-President, pending the settlement of the charges against him was
without the slightest warrant in the Constitution and altogether transcends the discretionary power
given the President by the Constitution, and is therefore null and void. Upon deliberation and
consideration of Sections 3 and 4, Article VI, of the General Rules, the Council decided (Mr. Judge
not voting) that the Presidents action was warranted under the then existing circumstances, and that
the said resolutions of protest are without force.
On motion (Mr. Judge not voting) the Council then requested the President to convene the Judicial
Committee at the London Headquarters, on Tuesday, July 10th, 1894, at 10 a.m.8

At the Judicial Committee Olcott admitted that he had made a number of errors. What he neglected to say
is that these errors were strategic ones which impeded him from gaining advantage over Judge. Olcott also
made errors in his legal proceedings against Judge. He admitted that when he sent Judge the February 7th,
1894, letter to either retire from all offices of the T.S or have a Judicial Committee convened to proceed with
the alleged matter of misuse of the Mahatmas names and handwritings, he had omitted to mark the letter
Private. With the letter addressed to Dear Sir and Brother, Judge perceived it as being an Open Letter
as well as a breach of the Constitution, and vehemently protested in a public circular addressed To all
Members of the Theosophical Society. Judge stated in his circular:

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Hence the Presidents alternatives, offered as above, are mistakes, and are the initial steps to the
promulgation of the dogma of belief in the Masters.9

Another error of Olcotts was that

The name of the accuser not being mentioned, the wrong impression prevailed that I [Olcott] was the
author of the charges, and at the same time intended to sit as Chairman of the tribunal that was to
investigate them.10

Olcott at first wanted to keep these accusations against Judge within the reach of his own supporters only,
but by making these errors Judge was enabled to take advantage of the situation and reach out to as many
people as he could so that
. . . all members of the Society and friends of my own in all parts of the world shall be in possession
of facts so that surprise and perhaps confusion may be prevented.11

Olcott had to retreat and admit:

It having been made evident to me that Mr. Judge cannot be tried on the present accusations without
breaking through the lines of our Constitution, I have no right to keep him further suspended, and so
I hereby cancel my notice of suspension, dated February 7th, 1894 [actually March 20th, 1894], and
restore him to the rank of Vice-President.12

Judge stated:
At that meeting of the Council it was decided that it would be a breach of the Constitution and of the
neutrality of the T.S. to try the question raised, because involving the existence or non-existence of
Mahatmas, and that I could not be tried by the Committee because that can only deal with the VicePresident for acts done as such.13

Olcott concluded the July 10th, 1894, meeting by stating:

The meeting was worth holding for several reasons. In the first place, because we have come to the
point of an official declaration that it is not lawful to affirm that belief in Mahatmas is a dogma of the
Society, or communications really, or presumably, from them, authoritative and infallible. Equally
clear is it that the circulation of fictitious communications from them is not an act for which, under
our rules, an officer or member can be impeached and tried. The inference, then, is that testimony as
to intercourse with Mahatmas, and writings alleged to come from them, must be judged upon their
intrinsic merits alone; and that the witnesses are solely responsible for their statements. Thirdly, the
successorship to the Presidency is again open (vide Gen. Council Report of July 7th, 1894), and at
my death or at any time sooner, liberty of choice may be exercised in favour of the best available
member of the Society.
I now bring my remarks to a close by giving voice to the sentiment which I believe to actuate the true
Theosophist, viz., that the same justice should be given and the same mercy shown to every man and
woman on our membership registers. There must be no distinctions of persons, no paraded selfrighteousness, no seeking for revenge. We are all as I personally believe equally under the
operation of Karma, which punishes and rewards; all equally need the loving forbearance of those
who have mounted higher than ourselves in the scale of human perfectibility.14

It was agreed that statements would be read by the accuser and the accused, Annie Besant and W.Q. Judge,
before the membership at the July 12th, 1894, Third Session of The European Convention of the T.S. Besant
stated: We come to you, our brothers, to tell you what is in our hearts. She then immediately shifted the
blame from herself onto others and denounced that all this mass of accusations against Judge was inspired
largely by personal hatred for Judge and hatred for the Theosophical Society, adding:
The charges were not in a form that it was possible to meet, a general denial could not stop them, and
explanation to irresponsible accusers was at once futile and undignified. . . . [Italics added]

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. . . [T]he charges themselves were repeated with growing definiteness and insistance [sic], until they
found expression in an article in The Theosophist signed by Messrs. Old and Edge. At last, the
situation became so strained that it was declared by many of the most earnest members of the Indian
Section that, if Mr. Judge became President with these charges hanging over him unexplained, the
Indian Section would secede from the T.S.

She then added:

I hold strongly that, whatever may be the faults of a private member, they are no concern of mine, and
it is no part of my duty, as a humble servant of the Lords of Compassion, to drag my brothers faults
into public view, nor to arraign him before any tribunal. . . .

. . . I agreed to intervene, privately, believing that many of the charges were false, dictated and
circulated malevolently, that others were much exaggerated and were largely susceptible of
explanation, and that what might remain of valid complaint might be put an end to without public
controversy.15

Walter Old immediately wrote a letter to the President-Founder in London in which he objected to the two
paragraphs in the Statement of Mrs. Besant and asked for his letter to be published.
I . . . am greatly disturbed by the mention of my name (in conjunction with that of Mr. Edge) in what
appears to me, and must appear to all others, I think, as an invidious connection. . . .
The circular having now gone out to the public and to members of the Society, it is too late to request
that my name be withdrawn entirely from the proceedings, as I certainly should have done had I
known of it earlier; but I must ask you to kindly take such steps as will set it forth clearly to all to
whom this publication of the General Council may have gone, that neither Mr. Edge nor I are to be
regarded as in the category of persons referred to in the paragraph immediately preceding the mention
of our names. . . .16

Besant continued shifting the responsibility from herself by claiming that she was not responsible for her
actions. She stated: my vision is not always clear in these matters of strife and controversy which are
abhorrent to me.17 In biographies about Annie Besants life it is easy to come to the conclusion that her
whole life, up to this point, was a constant struggle in strife and controversy. One is left to wonder about
her clarity of vision in, for example, the accusation of grave immorality against H.S. Olcott which she
brought before Judge and E.A. Neresheimer in November/December 1891. A few years later Judge wrote
regarding this episode and the letter he subsequently sent to Olcott, against my inclination and judgment,
under great pressure and being also somewhat convinced by Mrs. Besants arguments:
I found for myself that Mrs. Besant had acted hurriedly, impulsively and injudiciously, and that no
such letter should have gone from me to Col. Olcott.18

Perhaps Besants great need for moral justice and exactitude blinded her from being an objective and fairminded individual.
As in many other instances she portrays herself as having sacrificed herself for the greater good of the
Society, all the while generating great strife against others by attacking and therefore breaking many of the
Rules of the Esoteric Section.
Besant then stated:
I did my utmost to prevent a public Committee of Enquiry of an official character. I failed, and the
Committee was decided on. And then I made what many of Mr. Judges friends think was a mistake.
I offered to take on myself the onus of formulating the charges against him. I am not concerned to
defend myself on this, nor to trouble you with my reasons for taking so painful a decision; in this
decision, for which I alone am responsible, I meant to act for the best. . . .

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In due course I formulated the charges, and drew up the written statement of evidence in support of
them. They came in due course before the Judicial Committee, as you heard this morning. That
Committee decided that they alleged private, not official, wrongdoing, and therefore could not be tried
by a Committee that could deal only with a President or Vice-President as such. I was admitted to the
General Council of the T. S. when this point was argued, and I was convinced by that argument that
the point was rightly taken.19 [Italics added]

She then stated:

And now I must reduce these charges to their proper proportions, as they have been enormously
exaggerated. . . . 20

and that:
I regard Mr. Judge as an Occultist, possessed of considerable knowledge and animated by a deep and
unswerving devotion to the Theosophical Society. I believe that he has often received direct messages
from the Masters and from Their chelas, guiding and helping him in his work.21

One cant help but feel that she only acknowledged Judge as an Occultist because she wanted to include
herself as a recipient of messages from the Masters and could, therefore, be also regarded as an Occultist.
What was most disturbing to Judge about Besants statement before the Delegates of the European
Convention was that she once again broke the Rules of the Esoteric Section. Rule seven states:
If a member, whether falsely or truly, asserts that he has received letters or communications from
Masters, unless directed to divulge the same, he will ipso facto cease to derive any benefit from the
teachings, whether the fact be known or unknown to himself or to others. A repetition of such offense
gives the Head of the Section the right to expel the offender in discretion.22

Three years earlier, in her public lecture at the Hall of Science in August 1891, Besant declared that she had
received messages from the Masters.
Judge must have approached Besant about her statement, telling her that she had just broken one of the Rules
of the E.S. This in all likelihood infuriated Besant for she immediately prepared a statement condemning the
righteousness of Judge over her moral virtues and circulated it to all the London papers. Judge wrote:
Statements were made at the local Convention by Mrs. Besant and by me, and a resolution to close
the whole matter was passed, and these were included in the pamphlet [Neutrality of the
Theosophical Society]. This was intended in good faith to stop the whole thing in the T.S., but
almost the next day Mrs. Besant issued a circular to the world, sending it to all the London papers,
entitled Occultism and Truth, as a direct attack on me, asserting that the doctrine of the end justifies
the means must not be allowed to prevail in the T.S., though she did not name me. Since then she
has admitted that it was intended for me. With such a spirit, and after such an immediate going-back
upon a solemn resolution declaring the matter closed, it was plain that the matter was not closed.
Shortly afterwards The Westminster Gazette reopened the whole matter with additional and elaborate
charges of fraud and duplicity in the matter of messages from Masters, and this was immediately
seized upon by prominent English members, by Mrs. Besant and B. Keightley, as a reason for
reopening the disgraceful persecution of a fellow-member. Since then the attacks have been incessant,
and the end and purport of them all was to secure a vacancy in the Vice-Presidency. Mrs. Besant and
B. Keightley attended Indian meetings and, proposing and seconding, had carried a set of resolutions
reiterating charges and requesting the President to demand my resignation as Vice-President.23

This seeming about-face of Annie Besant and her flippant, castigating and snide remarks directed towards
Walter Old resulted in keeping the case against Judge before the public. By making it appear that she was
conciliatory, deflecting the strife onto others, she plotted the course of action without missing a beat. The
plan by the conspirators was to rid the Society of Judge and she was determined to achieve that goal. Olcott
and Besant, along with the Indian members, considered him a threat to their ideas of what the Society should
be. Each for their own reasons felt threatened by Judge. The Brahmans of India were particularly worried

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that the Society was promoting Buddhist ideals and they wanted to maintain and promote their own religious
creeds. The accusers were intent on destroying Judges reputation, and by doing so damages would also be
inflicted upon the reputation of Mme. Blavatsky. This assault on Judge was encouraged by the black forces
at work behind the scenes whose objective was to discredit the messengers of the Society and thereby also
desecrate the Teaching.
____________________
After the European Convention the accusers felt confident that at least they had achieved a small victory over
Judge. They did not obtain a confession but did end up getting him removed as the successor to Olcott. In
her editorial remarks On the Watch-Tower for the August 1894 issue of Lucifer Besant stated:
This number of LUCIFER contains the text of the Enquiry into the charges made against Mr. W.Q.
Judge. The statement appended to it, read by myself at the evening meeting of the Convention on July
12th, gives succinctly my own position in the matter, and contains all that I need say on the past. The
future lies before us, and the Society will go forward unbroken; it has surmounted imminent danger
of disruption, which threatened it. Had Mr. Judge succeeded to the Presidency, according to the
election of 1892, with these charges hanging over him, India would have rejected him and the Society
would have been rent in twain; but in the course of these proceedings, that election has been declared
null and void, and the choice of the Society of its future President remains unfettered.24

Besant continued her assault by fueling the flames of suspicion and doubt towards Judge. Following her
editorial she published her declaration in Truth Before and In All Things. This was meant to be the
introduction to her article Occultism and Truth. In it she stated:
The following declaration is aimed at an opinion too often finding expression among would-be
Occultists of an untrained type, that what is falsehood on the material plane may in some Occult
way be truth on a higher plane, and that the plea of Occultism excuses conduct inconsistent with
a high standard of righteous living. The spread of such views would demoralize the Society, and
would tend to degrade the lofty ideal of Truth and Purity which it has been the effort of every great
religious teacher to uphold and to enforce by example.25

In her statement at the Convention on July 12th, 1894, although she acknowledged the fact that Judge had
done nothing wrong officially, Besant personally believed that he was guilty of giving a misleading material
form to messages received psychically from the Master in various ways, without acquainting the recipients
with this fact.26 She stated she had been misled:
I believe that Mr. Judge wrote with his own hand, consciously or automatically I do not know, in the
script adopted as that of the Master, messages which he received from the Master or from chelas; and
I know that, in my own case, I believed that the messages he gave me in the well-known script were
messages directly precipitated or directly written by the Master.27

She further claimed:

Now personally I hold that this method is illegitimate and that no one should simulate a recognized
writing which is regarded as authoritative when it is authentic. And by authentic I mean directly
written or precipitated by the Master himself. If a message is consciously written it should be so
stated: if automatically written, it should be so stated. At least so it seems to me.28

At the T.S. Convention in Boston in 1895, Judge made the following statement (read by Dr. A. Keightley
on his behalf):
I have to state, that during all the years since 1875 I have been taught much about occultism by the
Masters and their friends, and have been shown how to produce some phenomena, among others the
precipitation of writing for the Masters at certain times. . . . And, from that time on, . . . I have been
in communication with the Master and friends of his, receiving help and direction from him and them
in my Theosophic work and sending for him, very frequently, I may say hundreds of times
messages to friends and correspondents, without identifying them all as such.29

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Judges take on precipitated messages was always that:

The outer senses cannot give a safe final judgment upon a precipitated message, they can only settle
such physical questions as how it came, through whom, the credibility of the person, and whether any
deception on the objective plane has been practiced. The inner senses, including the great combining
faculty or power of intuition, are the final judges. The outer have to do solely with the phenomenal
part, the inner deal with the causes and the real actors and powers.30

Blavatsky wrote in Lodges of Magic that, unless the individual has been given the key by which to test the
communication:
The inevitable consequence of applying his untrained judgment [to determine the genuineness of a
precipitated letter] would be to make him as likely as not to declare false what was genuine, and
genuine what was false.31

Besant claimed that

The source of messages can only be decided by direct spiritual knowledge or, intellectually, by the
nature of their contents, and each person must use his own powers and act on his own responsibility,
in accepting or rejecting them.32

Blavatsky once wrote about Besant, She is not psychic nor spiritual in the least all intellect. . . .33 One
is led to conclude that, while she seemed to understand the process, and considered herself trained as an
Occultist (under the tutelage of Chakravarti), she lacked the intuition to discern their authenticity for herself
and wanted to be told directly. As Mahatma K.H. explains, the key to occult knowledge is intuition.34

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Chapter 24

Summary
After careful examination of the available documents for The Judge Case it becomes evident that the
Orthodox Brahmans and the Shasters then associated with the Theosophical Society, because of their cultural
and religious degeneration over the years, had become influenced by Dugpas and Black Magicians.1 This was
the cause of most of the troubles for the Theosophical Society. The first objective of these Black Magicians
was to get H.P. Blavatsky away from Adyar and out of India forever. This they managed to do with the
accusations of fraud brought against her by the Coulombs in complicity with the missionaries in 1884 and
1885. With Blavatsky physically gone from Adyar the door opened wider and wider for them to invade and
influence the atmosphere there the Masters beneficent influences progressively dwindled and were
replaced proportionately by evil influences. Judge became aware of such incursions at the time he was at
Adyar and chose to return to America where the influences of the dark forces were not as pervasive and
penetrating, and where Theosophy could take root and do the most good for humanity.
The Adepts of the dark forces knew well what Judge was capable of accomplishing. They therefore
encouraged some of the Brahmans to discredit his work and his strong support for H.P.B. and the
Theosophical CAUSE. The Brahmans were easily convinced by occult means that they had to protect their
cultural heritage, their identity. With their tools of deception, doubt and suspicion, the evil forces also
managed to confuse the western men and women who went to work at Adyar. Their ideals became distorted
and backbiting became commonplace. Separateness in ideals became the focus, and unity of purpose became
simply an impossible dream. The Masters had made it clear that the men and women first chosen to work
for the CAUSE had no prior religious convictions or biases. Unfortunately the Indians were difficult to sway
from their predispositions.
Western orientalists, from the ancient Greeks to our more modern philosophers, have all drawn from the
abundant wealth which India possessed. The world is indebted to India for preserving much of the ancient
wisdom. Unfortunately, her people became indifferent, the caste system became enclosed and segregated
leaving only those of fortunate birth with access to their ancient wisdom. The have-nots, although
outnumbering the haves, were excluded from this knowledge, creating much suffering. With the advent of
Theosophy the Masters of Wisdom, the true keepers of that Knowledge, chose H.P. Blavatsky as their agent
to reintroduce the ancient wisdom, Brahma-Vidya, to the West. As with all things esoteric, those who were
infected with the old system refused to change and mounted a defense to destroy the new movement.
In his Presidential Address, on the growth of the Society, Olcott reported that by December 27th, 1893, there
were 322 living Branches. Of those branches, 175 were in Asia, 86 were in America, 48 in Europe and 13
in Australasia.2 With the excitement surrounding Annie Besants visit to India in 1893 the Indian section
only managed to increase the number of branches by 3 while in America the increase jumped by another 23
and Europe by 10. The problem was that although India reported a large number of Branches many were
inactive or basically dead. Sometimes statistics can be deceiving.
In Judges General Secretarys Report for the Ninth Annual American Convention, 1895, he exposed the
problems with the statistics reports of the Indian Section.
I beg to report that in accordance with your direction of last April I requested of the General Secretary
of the Indian Section information as to the rule prevailing there in regard to voting by members or
Branches. To this I have not received any reply; but unofficially I was informed by an F.T.S. who
spent eight months there lately that dues were collected direct from members because if attempted to
be collected though Branches there would be no collection; and he also stated that of the whole
alleged list of Branches dues were paid by members of only 90, and that not 40 of those 90 were

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The Judge Case

active. Recent official report shows that only 70 Branches voted on the question of removal of their
Headquarters.3

The facts became clear to Judge that India was not pulling its own weight when it came to collecting dues
to maintain its own expenses. In fact, Judge became aware that although the Indian Section reported a large
number of branches most of them only existed on paper. Of those active branches only a small minority of
members actually participated in the movement, which resulted in only a few who actually controlled the
movement in India. Few of the natives participated in lecturing from center to center most of that was
performed by foreigners. Therefore few Indians saw the virtues of becoming dedicated to Theosophy or to
the Theosophical CAUSE. On the other hand America had grown to 102 active branches by April 1895. In
his report from the American Section to the Adyar Convention for 1894 Judge reported:
There has been no diminution of the work in this country, no loss of interest with the public, but an
increase of public knowledge and inquiry, and of steady effort on the part of members, both new and
old, since last year. The largest meeting of the year was that at San Francisco, where in April we held
our Convention. It was fully attended by members and the public.4

Both in the Western and Eastern parts of America lecturers were going from center to center holding
meetings expounding the teachings of Theosophy.
As demand grew for funds the American section decided to change their method of accounting and record
keeping. Demands on the American Section to send more and more money each year to Adyar became
economically unfeasible and unattainable. At the Convention in San Francisco the membership changed the
Sections constitution by striking out the clause which required them to send Adyar 25% of their receipts,
most often leaving them unable to meet their own expenses. Judge explained:
For instance, much money paid out for lecturing is entered in the books, but as it often equals in
expense what comes as receipt, it would be hardly fair to consider that a basis for 25% to Adyar. And,
again, donations are made to us for particular purposes, and neither should those enter into the
calculation.5

Judge explained to Olcott that this was in no way a notice that the Americans intended to stop helping Adyar
but that the current practices could no longer be sustained as in the past. Sending 25% off the top was
considered unreasonable. This may have contributed significantly to Olcotts resentment towards Judge.
After the 1895 American Convention in Boston, Judge, now President of T.S. in America, sent Olcott
information of the action taken, along with copies of the Resolutions regarding the formation of the T.S. in
America. Albert Smythe, a fellow Irishman and friend of Judge, was present at the American headquarters
when Judge received word from Olcott. Smythe explained what happened.
The splitting of the Society was the act of Colonel Olcott who hated Judge. Judge had expected that
the Colonel would recognize the autonomous T.S. in America and affiliate it with Adyar, but Olcott
changed his mind and refused to do this, and Judge, who had apparently been advised to the course
taken in Boston in 1895 by Mrs. Tingley, was much disappointed with the Colonels refusal. I was
in the office at 144 Madison Avenue when Judge received a letter from Olcott postmarked and
stamped from Spain, and Judge remarked Now everything will be all right. But the letter was not
what Judge expected and his disappointment was very obvious. This phase of the situation has never
been explained, and I have never been able to learn whether Judge counted with warrant on Olcotts
support, or whether it was really a right-about-face on Olcotts part, for Judge certainly expected
Olcott to support him.6

Judge expected Olcotts support that Judge would be President of the American Society with Olcott the
International President of the Society. Legally this made a lot of sense, but Olcott did not see it that way. As
with his other interpretations of the laws, Judge was always one or two steps ahead of Olcott. This could
account for Olcotts acrimonious attitude towards Judge, in addition to his resentment of Judges close
association with H.P.B. and involvement with the Esoteric Section. Olcott always perceived that the E.S. was

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a threat to his authority and was chided for having those thoughts by Master K.H. himself.7 This, along with
the fact that he eventually lost contact with the Masters made him more resentful and bitter.8 Unfortunately,
he was being influenced by the forces which took control over Adyar after 1885. This can be easily
established by reviewing the people Olcott hired as managing editors of The Theosophist and for other
office duties.9 Olcotts demeanor towards Judge can be easily followed in the Chronology and in letters
included in some of the Appendices.
When Judge and the American members democratically voted to reform the American Section into one less
dependent on Olcott, he took exception to the American action. His response in this instance was similar to
that in 1889 when Blavatsky formed the Esoteric Section. Over the years Olcott had always been extremely
slow in his response to Judges requests when it came to organizing the movement in America. By this time
it appears the Masters could no longer communicate with Olcott because his mind was filled with suspicions,
resentments towards Judge and strongly influenced by other forces.
It seems that over the years Olcott, although well-meaning, got caught in delusions of his own making. For
example, in her response to a letter from Hartmann, H.P.B. wrote:
As to . . . that portion of your letter where you speak of the army of the deluded and the
imaginary Mahatmas of Olcott you are absolutely and sadly right. Have I not seen the thing for
nearly eight years? Have I not struggled and fought against Olcotts ardent and gushing imagination,
and tried to stop him every day of my life? Was he not told by me (from a letter I received through
a Yogi just returned from Lake Mansarovara) in 1881 (when he was preparing to go to Ceylon) that
if he did not see the Masters in their true light, and did not cease speaking and enflaming peoples
imaginations, that he would be held responsible for all the evil the Society might come to? Was he
not told that there were no such Mahatmas, who Rishi-like could hold the Mount Meru on the tip of
their finger and fly to and fro in their bodies (!!) at their will, and who were (or were imagined by
fools) more gods on earth than a God in Heaven could be, etc., etc., etc.? All this I saw, foresaw,
despaired, fought against; and, finally, gave up the struggle in utter helplessness. . . .

. . . Olcott to this day is sincere, true and devoted to the cause. He does and acts the best he knows
how, and the mistakes and absurdities he has committed and commits to this day are due to something
he lacks in the psychological portion of his brain, and he is not responsible for it. Loaded and heavy
is his Karma, poor man, but much must be forgiven to him, for he has always erred through lack of
right judgment, not from any vicious propensity.10
Annie Besant, although very intelligent, was quite naive about occult matters until she received some training
from Chakravarti. Unfortunately his psychic training drew her away from the true Theosophical CAUSE as
set out by the Masters and drew her into a world of fancy and mediumship which H.P.B. had tried to draw
people away from in the first place. We only have to review her later associations, for example with C.W.
Leadbeater, to realize that she took the Theosophical Society in a completely different direction.
Besant summarizes and ties in her own moral convictions as well as the Indian position quite well while
describing Chakravarti.
Among his own people he is honoured and trusted, not only as a Brhman, but as maintaining the
Brhman traditions in a careless and loose-living age.11

G.N. Chakravarti was fearful of Judges theosophical influence; he was concerned that through Judges
efforts Brahmanism in India would be eroded. Using his occult influence and his constant magnetization over
Besant he was able to work on her linga sharira to release it out of her body. With Besants strong desire
(strong kamic forces) for justice, he was able to take advantage of these needs and thereby assist her to harass
Judge astrally and physically12 in order to get a confession from him. She thought that she could frustrate
Judge, hence, confuse him. Judge was aware of these techniques but in addition to this, and his health

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problems (he suffered from Chagres fever, a malignant type of malarial fever which often leaves a
predisposition to tuberculosis in its trail), he also faced the efforts of the Dark Powers to kill him, the
venomous hatred of his persecutors and slanderers, once his close associates, supplying the lines of contact
for the major onslaught.13 He was too tired to keep up the fight by staying where he could be found. This
intrusion created many problems for Judge which further affected his vitality.
To rehabilitate his health he decided to move around so that his enemies could not trace him down. He wrote
from Cincinnati on May 20th, 1895, I am away from home for my health [which is] much hurt by others
hate.14 Secrecy became necessary. Judge wrote to Hargrove, June 14th, 1895, There was no need for me
to write you because we communicate other ways. He added:
Claude [Falls Wright] is now running the T.S. office in my absence, as it appears I shall have to stay
away a considerable time. I am on the move like a pilgrim. But I am better a little each day. Been with
Dr. Buck for a month. Dont give away the address. Address will remain 144 Madison Avenue for
all.15

By this time Judge could only trust a few of his friends, one of whom was E.T. Hargrove who looked after
many of Judges needs until he died.
In his May 20th, 1895 letter Judge stated the following about Annie Besant:
I wish we could all ignore Mrs. B. once and for all. She lives by fighting or flattery now. But what
blasphemy to say that, even be I guilty, the Master would stoop so low as to bid her hound me over
the world trying to murder my character. I pity her in her next life. It will not be I who will then annoy
her but the hundreds who have been insulted and outraged by her acts and words agst me. Instead
of one she will then have hundreds of enemies and obstructions.16

Years of fighting Chagres fever, and after 1894 the evil influences and the hatred sent towards him, Judge
could no longer sustain the fight and died at 9:00 a.m.17 on March 21st, 1896.18 The Masters of the
Theosophical Movement did not intervene as they had done with Blavatsky on many occasions. It is
presumed by some that the Masters withdrew their direct influence following the deaths of Blavatsky and
Judge, and that the Movement was left to karma and to those who could find the true spirit upon which it had
been founded. Judge died with a longing to continue to serve the Theosophical CAUSE. His accusers and
those who influenced them cast a large shadow of doubt and suspicion, a spell, over Judges work in the
Theosophical Movement. This created a rift which has never healed and most likely never can because of
the divisions of philosophy which transpired. These divisions, likely orchestrated, have given people the
choice between True Wisdom and pseudo wisdom.
Those who followed Judge also broke into factions, each believing they had captured the true spirit of the
Movement and had the proper leader in place to continue Judges endeavors. With Judge barely dead his
followers reorganized themselves and quickly became at odds with one another, some believing at first that
Judge had found his successor while others recanted. With all these organizations in place, each believing
they had the approval of the Masters and unable to move the other into reconciliation, Judge remained unvindicated, and basically forgotten by those who had cast him aside as a fraud. Judge was a Founding
Member of the original Theosophical Society. H.P.B. on at least one occasion referred to him as My CoFounder, W.Q. Judge, General Secretary in America.19 He was also the only North American initiated by
the Masters, in 1884.
Franz Hartmann, who H.P.B. once thought she could train as an occultist, and who had been exposed to the
astral influences of the black magicians at Adyar, expressed succinctly when reviewing Edmund Garretts
Isis Very Much Unveiled:
To me it appears that the author is a clever and sharp reasoner, but without a great deal of intuition,
or to express it in theosophical language, one in whom Kama-Manas has been excessively

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developed at the expense of Buddhi-Manas, as is generally the case among the higher classes of
educated Englishmen, whose principal characteristic is superficiality of thought with a great
knowledge of insignificant details but absent of profundity of intelligence.20

Hartmanns comments were specific and to the point. He made sure that his perception of the facts not only
included those outside Theosophical circles but also those highly intellectual persons, many of whom were
in complete support of Besants actions. Among these were Bertram Keightley, G.N. Chakravarti, Walter
Old, N.D. Khandalavala and others with strong intellectual capabilities. One interesting note is that all the
persons involved with the writing of Besants The Case Against W. Q. Judge were lawyers. It is amazing
that this document, which was intended to be her prosecutors brief, was such a dud. That alone indicates
that Besants actions to bring Judge before the Judicial Committee were not the real reason in mind at the
time. The real reason was to bring accusations against Judge in order to discredit him before his peers, ruin
his reputation and prevent him from ever becoming President or hold office in the Theosophical Society ever
again.
Ruining a mans reputation is worse than killing his body for the body is dissipated after death but the
thoughts of injury to a mans character may continue to affect that Ego for a long time thereafter. Such
harmful actions condemn that Ego to be subjected to resentment and prejudice in subsequent lives. Persons
bringing about or executing accusations based on unsubstantiated innuendoes will also suffer (seemingly)
great injustices as a result of their previous actions.
In 1906, while in America and away from the influences of Adyar, Olcott confessed shortly before he died
that he had wronged Judge, not wilfully or with malice; nevertheless, I have done this and I regret it.21 This
admission in itself indicates that Olcott was not in full control of his own mind at the time his actions were
taken against Judge that his mind was being influenced by external forces.
Annie Besant although not as forthright in her reflection did admit:
As I said, I too have made many mistakes, and that in regard to Judge, I was young in the Movement
then, impetuous, and in my zeal did things that I would not think of doing to-day. Judge did a great
work in the West and although I still believe that some of his claims are untenable, he did a splendid
work for Masters and for Theosophy in America.22

As for the others involved in conspiring to formulate unsubstantiated accusations against W.Q. Judge, there
are no records available to show that any effort was made by them to make amends. Most of these people
became less and less involved with the T.S. Bertram Keightley had given H.P.B. a promise that he would
never leave the T.S. and he never did, but he found himself so utterly out of touch with it in India . . . that
he took no part in its activities.23 He became very demoralized with the Society after Besant took it over.
He lived out his last years near his friend, G.N. Chakravarti, in Allahabad and surrounded himself with a
number of highly educated Hindus and developed a good understanding of the Advaita Vedanta.24
After about eleven years, Annie Besants association with Gyanendra N. Chakravarti came to an end. It was
reported that she had been disappointed in her expectations from her association with him.25 Little is
recorded of Chakravartis involvement with Besant and the T.S. but his influence over her is quite noticeable
in her writings which
were tinged with Brahmin thought and dogma, and she never recovered the independence and purity
of Theosophic thinking, for she had barely escaped from the Guruship of Mr. Chakravarti until she
fell under the spell of Mr. Leadbeater and his psychic revelations.26

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The Judge Case

N.D. Khandalavala remained with the Theosophical Society and served on the General Council of the T.S.
well into the 1930s. He maintained possession of much archival material, especially the most famous letter
from H.P.B., Why I Do Not Return to India, which was published for the first time in 1932.
The Dugpas and Black Magicians who acted upon the naive and the weak-minded theosophists achieved their
goal of destroying what they could of the Theosophical Society. They played with members best virtues and
ruined much of the Theosophical CAUSE, to the extent that most theosophists today are still caught in the web
of Maya which was spread over the Society. Some maintain and believe that they are following the Original
Program as set up by the Masters, but how can they be sure when there are more enemies within the
Theosophical Movement than there are without? These members still believe that if they follow their leaders
and remain loyal to these organizations, salvation and help will come from the Masters that if they join
certain Esoteric groups they will be the ones chosen to achieve enlightenment while those outside will not.
Although there is more theosophical literature available today than at any time prior, the amount of
dogmatism has increased in proportion.
During a series of crises in 1889-1890 H.P.B. wrote what appear to have been prophetic words regarding both
Judge and the Society. In the Preliminary Explanations to E.S. Instruction No. III she affirmed that Judge
has ever remained faithful to his original pledge. She claimed that although he was being targeted, Brother
Judge refuses to defend himself, then stated the following:
Is it the part of a Brother-Fellow to remain indifferent and inactive when one who has done so
much for the noble and sacred CAUSE is vilified for its sake . . . when he is selected by the enemy as
the mark of all the lying and damaging attacks of those who wish to destroy the Society in order to
build on its ruins another, a bogus Body of the same name, and to enshrine therein an idol with feet
of clay and a heart full of selfishness and evil, for the admiration and worship of credulous fools? Can
we allow them to achieve this object when they seek to ensure success by ruining the character of this
most unselfish champion of our T.S.?27

Those who really knew Judge had a great deal of respect for the man. One incident worth noting is the
following, which appeared in The Irish Theosophist.
In the Convention of 1895, some ninety persons out of four thousand or thereabouts, were found,
after six months active work and search, to sign a species of memorial unfavorable to Mr. Judge. Not
half a dozen of these were active workers. With a single exception they could not be said to be
persons of any marked standing. They had, as against them in judgment, men and women whose
names are as well known in foreign cities, or upon the great foreign exchanges, or through the United
States, as they are known in the cities of their residence. Commenting upon this fact, a party of such
men were lunching in New York, just after the Convention, 1895, and said to an English guest: Here
are we, whose word is our bond in the communities where we live and beyond them; we can raise
thousands of dollars upon our mere word at half an hours notice, and that financial test is the great
test of the present time. We know Judge intimately; we have seen him almost daily for years. He can
have anything he wants of us, and he wants nothing for himself. We know his character and daily life;
the whole community knows it, and we know these charges are untrue. A man is known where he
lives as he is known nowhere else. We are by no means fools, as our business contemporaries can tell
you, and we stand by Judge to a man.28

If we judge a tree by its fruit then we should judge William Q. Judge by his deeds. He stated:
We have entered on the dim beginning of a new era already. It is the era of Western Occultism and
of special and definite treatment and exposition of theories hitherto generally considered. We have
to do as Buddha told his disciples: preach, promulgate, expound, illustrate, and make clear in detail
all the great things we have learned. That is our work, and not the bringing out of surprising things
about clairvoyance and other astral matters, not the blinding of the eye of science by discoveries
impossible for them but easy for the occultist. The Masters plan has not altered. He gave it out long
ago. It is to make the world at large better, to prepare a right soil for the growing out of the powers

Supplement

of the soul, which are dangerous if they spring up in our present selfish soil. It is not the Black Lodge
that tries to keep back psychic development; it is the White Lodge. The Black would fain have all the
psychic powers full flower now, because in our wicked, mean, hypocritical, and money-getting people
they would soon wreck the race. This idea may seem strange, but for those who will believe my
unsupported word I say it is the Masters saying.29

The End

421

422

The Judge Case

ADDENDUM
Certain issues need to be addressed today regarding the failure by those who have controlled the information,
namely the Presidents of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, to make public important documents relating
to the Judge Case. Olcott charged Judge of alleged misuse of Mahtms names and handwritings, which
was immediately followed by Besants brief of six so-called charges. Since then most theosophical
historians have ignored this controversial case. Adyar has maintained that Judge was guilty, and historical
records have been kept in check to reflect this. Because Adyar had control over most of Blavatskys papers,
Olcotts papers, Judges letters to H.P.B., Olcott and others, it has been relatively easy to maintain the status
quo. Most people who came to the Society after this whole affair were sincere students who blindly followed
their leaders (who were hoping that it would just be ignored). But, to quote Judge, sincerity does not confer
of itself knowledge, much less wisdom.1
Accurate history is important and its study by any would-be theosophist should be encouraged. It should not
be distorted to protect a Societys image. Responsibility to protect and defend historical archives from
corruption falls upon officials entrusted with this obligation. One is left with the impression that the powers
controlling Adyar policy may not want certain truths exposed.
History is never totally forgotten and can sometimes rise from the ashes, Phoenix-like, to punish those who
have ignored it. Theosophical organizations have a responsibility to release historical documents to its
membership so they may be made aware of the karmic ties they are associating themselves with. It is
incumbent upon the membership to request that these documents be released.
Among the items listed below are records covering the time period of Judges stay in India. These are
valuable documents which could supply pertinent information to clear up many controversial details.
Some of the important historical documents that should be in the Archives at Adyar include:
1.
Exhibit A, which H.S. Olcott, Annie Besant, Judge Khandalavala, Walter R. Old, W.Q. Judge and
Dr. Buck, and others have seen.
2.
The Register in which Judge kept a record of all the witnesses who viewed the Shrine and the
Occult Room at Adyar.
3.
The Visitors Book kept during the time Judge was at Adyar. All persons coming and going had to
sign in and out.
4.
According to Josephine Ransom in A Short History of the Theosophical Society, Annie Besant
kept a Diary of events when she traveled during the years 1893, 1894 and 1895 in which she
recorded details of important incidents involving her.2
5.
The letters from W.Q. Judge to H.S. Olcott which were not published in The Theosophist. The
letters published were the ones where we find Judge struggling during his years of probation, before
he went to India where he was initiated by Master M.
6.
All the documentation mentioned in Annie Besants The Case Against W.Q. Judge, which was
never supplied with her document.
7.
Before leaving India in 1884 Judge left letters behind to Olcott and to H.P.B. explaining and
assuring them of his continued affection and friendship.
8.
Documents, Records, and Private Letters in connection with the Coulomb, Judge, Leadbeater and
other Cases, and with many other incidents; all in the Archives of the Theosophical Society
according to Josephine Ransom in A Short History of the Theosophical Society, p.563.

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423

In 1889 Richard Harte wrote Applied Theosophy in which he equated Adyar to the Rome of
Theosophists. This statement3 was and is still accepted and promoted by Adyar as their philosophy,
attributing it to Olcott all these years. But Adyar is not the centre of the Theosophical Movement and true
theosophists do not need Adyar in their hearts in order to aspire to the true CAUSE as established by the
Masters and H.P. Blavatsky, and sustained and promoted by William Q. Judge.

Notes

425

Chapter 1 ~ The Early Years

1. See Appendix J ~ Astrological Observations.
2. See A Practical Occultist in Fohat, Vol. 7, Fall 2003, pp.53-54, 69.
3. Theosophy (Path), Vol. 11, May 1896, p.52.
4. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 13, May 1932, p.66.
5. The Lamp, Vol. 2, April 1896, p.131.
6. Mrs. Judge eventually came to see the value of the teachings and joined the United Lodge of Theosophists in 1915. WQJ T.
Pioneer, p.6.
7. The Lamp, Vol. 2, April 1896, p.131.
8. These accounts were collected and published as a book one year later, titled People From The Other World.
9. Yours Till Death and After, H.P.B., by W.Q. Judge in H.P.B., In Memory of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky By Some of her
Pupils. (1931), pp.65-66.
10. WQJ T. Pioneer, pp.6-7, as related by John H. Judge during a visit to Point Loma Theosophical headquarters, August 25th, 1914.
11. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.7, taken from A Historical Retrospect 1875-1896 of the Theosophical Society, H.S. Olcott, Madras,
1896, p.19. The authors of WQJ T. Pioneer added: This was written from memory. As Olcotts Diaries of the earliest years of the
T.S. have strangely disappeared, there is no way of confirming what occurred at the time.
12. General Report of the 21st Anniversary of the T.S., 1896, pp.4-5 and A Historical Retrospect 1875-1896 of the
Theosophical Society, p.3.
13. General Report of the 21st Anniversary of the T.S., 1896, p.20 and A Historical Retrospect 1875-1896 of the
Theosophical Society, pp.18-19.
14. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 4, March 1896, p.114.
15. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.11.
16. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.11.
17. Dmodar K. Mavalankar was born in September 1857 at Ahmedbd, Gujart, to a wealthy Brahman caste family. He became
involved with the Theosophical Society as a very young man and was a disciple of Master Koot Humi. He became the business
manager of the publications department of the Society, which consisted mainly of The Theosophist at the time, for which he wrote
numerous articles. (See: Damodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement, compiled and annotated by Sven Eek, pp.3-5.)
18. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.11. See Damodar, Sven Eek, pp.78-100.

Chapter 2 ~ Judge in London and Paris

1. Original letter is in the Adyar Archives. The letter from Damodar referred to has been lost. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.11. Judges letter
was reprinted in Damodar, pp.76-77.
2. Damodar, Sven Eek, p.76.
3. The Word, Vol. 14, March 1912, p.331.
4. The Word, Vol. 14, March 1912, p.328.
5. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.20.
6. LBS, Letter XXXIV [34], p.82.

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The Judge Case

7. Old Diary Leaves, Third Series (1904), pp.90-94, and Michael Gomes Blavatsky Lecture 2001, pp.19-21.
8. Old Dairy Leaves, Third Series, 1895, p.94. But the problem was not settled, as the members of the Hermetic Branch wished
to belong also to the London Lodge, so as to benefit by the course of instruction being given there. This Col. Olcott disallowed, and
made a Provisional Rule forbidding multiple membership. This decision upset the plans for the Hermetic Lodge. The Colonel
suggested that Mrs. Kingsford return her Charter and form her friends into an independent Society, and thus make it feasible for them
to belong to both. This was done. A Short History of the Theosophical Society, Josephine Ransom, 1938, pp.198-199.
9. BCW, Vol. 1, (1977), p.438.
10. Creating the New Age: Theosophys Origins in the British Isles. Michael Gomes Blavatsky Lecture 2001, p.19.
11. BCW, Vol. 1, (1977), p.498.
12. The Word, Vol. 14, March 1912, p.328.
13. Damodar, Sven Eek, p.76.
14. Judge had written other mystical articles before, such as The Wandering Eye, The Tell Tale Picture Gallery and A Weird
Tale. All of these articles were later republished in a small and very rare 86 page book titled Occult Studies. It was privately printed
and published in Boston, Mass. by W.W. Harmon most likely after Judges death in 1896.
15. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, July 1884, pp.251-254.
16. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, Feb. 1884, p.122. An Editors Note following Judges comments states he was not justified in these
remarks and that Sinnett had most decidedly for the first time clearly explained to the world of the profane the allegories that lay
scattered in the Hindu sacred literature.
17. Report of Investigation, p.59.
18. The Word, Vol. 14, March 1912, p.332.
19. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.17.
20. Mahatma Letters, Letter No.LXXXIV [84], pp.397-398. Mohini had been selected by the Masters to accompany Blavatsky on
this European trip to impress the French and to educate the English. He had been sent notes by K.H. just prior to H.P.B.s arrival in
Paris one of which stated: Appearances go a long way with the Pelings. One has to impress them externally before a regular,
lasting, interior impression is made. Remember and try to understand why I expect you to do the following: When Upasika [H.P.B.]
arrives, you will meet and receive her as though you were in India, and she your own mother. You must not mind the crowd of
Frenchmen and others. . . . it is the interior man, the indweller you salute, not H.P.B. Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom,
Second Series, Letters 62 and 63, pp.111-113.
21. Babula or Baboola. His real name was Vallah Bulla. Report of Investigation, p.133.
22. Old Diary Leaves, Third Series (1895), pp.79, 86.
23. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.17.
24. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.18.
25. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, pp.18-19.
26. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, pp.22-23.
27. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.22.
28. Vania, p.180.
29. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.18.
30. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. CXXXIV [134] (The Prayag Letter), pp.461-464.

Notes

427

31. Experiencing such occult powers is often equated to undergoing surgery. As with any operation the patient has to convalesce,
therefore, Judge would have gained in strength and confidence over time. The old axiom applies here also: one has to learn to walk
before one can run.
32. Rebirth of the Occult Tradition, Boris de Zirkoff, p.5. and BCW: The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1, as Historical Introduction,
p.5.
33. Lucifer, Vol. 8, July 1891, p.359.
34. Reminiscences of H.P.B., pp.102-104. Much of Judges conversations with H.P.B. while they were in France centered around
Elementals and Elementaries. After Judge started The Path and his other magazines to answer questions for students, he included
some of his knowledge which he received through his experiences and that which was imparted to him by H.P.B. at that time, in 1884.
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Judges passing the Bombay Company (ULT) in India published a small book, Vernal Blooms,
which included much of that occult knowledge.
35. LBS, Letter from Judge to H.P.B. dated Feby. 5, 1886, p.313.
36. The Theosophist, Vol. 53, November 1931, p.197.
37. The Theosophist, Vol. 53, November 1931, p.197.
38. The Theosophist, Vol. 53, November 1931, p.196.
39. The Theosophist, Vol. 53, November 1931, p.201.
40. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. LXII [62], p.355.
41. My Guest, Francesca Arundale, p.49.

Chapter 3 ~ Judge Goes To India

1. Emma Coulomb met Blavatsky in Cairo, Egypt, in 1872 at which time she apparently gave Blavatsky some money as she was
really in want. Emma married one year later and she and Alexis almost immediately lost their fortune. They then moved to Calcutta
in 1874 where they struggled to survive. They lived for a while in Galle, Ceylon, and eventually moved to Bombay in March 1880.
They sought out Blavatsky there and she invited them to live at the headquarters where apparently one week later, Olcott asked Emma
to direct the domestic affairs. Some Account of My Intercourse with Madame Blavatsky, From 1872 to 1884; . . . by Madame
Coulomb, (1884), pp.3-8.
2. Damodar, Sven Eek, pp.580-583.
3. Franz Hartmann stated that during her stay at headquarters Madame Coulomb claimed no wages. She had arrived at head-quarters
penniless and taken into the house by Madame Blavatsky out of charity, and been given full control over everything, including the
purse; and when she left the head-quarters she sported a large roll of bank notes. (The household expenses at the head-quarters since
the Coulombs left, have been each month 230 to 270 Rupees less than the monthly expenses during their presence.) Report, p.25.
4. Report, pp.39-41.
5. Vania, pp.210-211, 227.
6. Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, p.123.
7. Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, p.204. In a letter to Padshah, Feb. 5, 1886, Judge wrote: I went there with full authority and from
the first moment saw all, had all the keys and took complete charge. Practical Occultism, p.15.
8. A Short History of the T.S., p.201 and Old Diary Leaves, Third Series (1895), p.155.
9. A Short History of the T.S., p.203.
10. Practical Occultism, pp.13-14; The Theosophist, Vol. 53, December 1931, pp.307-308, letter from Judge to Olcott.
11. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, September 1884, Supp. p.128.

428

The Judge Case

12. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, September 1884, Supp. p.128.

13. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, September 1884, Supp. p.128.
14. Theos. Movement, Bombay, March 17, 1934, p.66.
15. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, Sep. 1884, Supp. pp.128-129.
16. The Hyderabad Theosophical Society was formed on December 17th, 1882. Dorabjee Dasabhy, President; Babu Gya Prasada,
Secretary; Babu Raghunath Prasad, Assistant Secretary. The Theosophist, Vol. 4, February 1883, Supp. p.2.
17. The Secunderabad Theosophical Society was formed on December 25th, 1882. M. Etherajulu Naidu Garu, President; I.M.
Ragoonayakulu Naidu Garu, Vice-President; C. Kuppuswani Aiyar Avergal, Secretary. The Theosophist, Vol. 4, February 1883,
Supp. p.2. By October 1884 it was reported that the President, M.E. Naidu, had resigned and Bezonji Aderji was elected to replace
him for the un-expired term. The Theosophist, Vol. 6, October 1884, Supp. p.143.
18. The Theosophist, Vol. 6, October 1884, Supp. pp.141-143.
19. The Adoni Theosophical Society was formed on October 1st, 1883. With the President-Founder in the chair an election was held.
Elected were B.Veerasamiah Garu, President; A. Theruvengada Mudaliar, Vice-President; C. Munusawmy Nayudu, Secretary and
Treasurer. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, November 1883, Supp. p.21.
20. The Gooty Theosophical Society was formed on December 14th, 1883 with W .T. Brown presiding over the election of officers.
I. Sreneivasa Row Garu, President; Pattu Kesava Pillai Avergal, Vice-President; Bangalore Pappu Narasimiah Garu, B.A., Secretary.
The Theosophist, Vol. 5, January1884, Supp. p.8.
21. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, September 1884, Supp. p.129.

Chapter 4 ~ Judge At Adyar

1. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, February 1884, Supp. pp.41-42.
2. The Theosophist, Vol. 5, March 1884, Supp. p.54.
3. BCW, Vol. 8, (1960), p.448.
4. The So-Called Expos of Madame Blavatsky by W.Q. Judge. First appeared in the Boston Index, March 11, 1886 and copied
in the Banner of Light, April 3rd, 1886. Also found in Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, pp.122-124, and Theosophy, Vol. 35, pp.107109.
5. J.D.B. Gribble was a retired Anglo-Indian official employed by the missionaries as an expert. He visited the headquarters with
Rev. Patterson on September 27th, 1884, and at the end of October issued a pamphlet, Report of an Examination into the Blavatsky
Correspondence. This was followed by the missionary-sponsored pamphlet by Emma Coulomb, Some Account of my Association
with Madame Blavatsky from 1872 to 1884, under the date of November 29th, 1884, and issued in December. Vania, p.251. [On
the cover of the 1885 reprint the title has been changed to: Some Account of my Intercourse With Madame Blavatsky . . . .]
6. The So-Called Expos of Madame Blavatsky by W.Q. Judge. Theosophy, Vol. 35, pp.107-109; Echoes of the Orient, Vol.
3, pp.122-124.
7. Vania, pp.220-221.
8. Babula left England for India on August 16th, 1884, apparently on account of his wifes illness. According to Hodgsons Report,
at first he, and then Subba Row questioned Babula thinking that he was responsible for the disappearance of the Shrine on the 20th
of September. Babula was being accused of taking the Shrine from the Occult Room and destroying it under orders from Mme.
Blavatsky. Upon questioning by Hodgson, Damodar then claimed that Babula had returned on the morning of the 21st instead, but
the Visitors Book had a written entry of him returning at 9PM on the evening of the 20th. This created more confusion and suspicions
with Richard Hodgson. First Report, [Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research], p.227.
9. The other four witnesses to Babulas Statement, dated September 21st, 1884, were Babajee Dharbagiri Nath, F.T.S., Damodar K.
Mavalankar, Nivaran Chandra Mookerjee and V. Coopooswamy Iyer, Pleader, of Madura. Interestingly Hartmanns name was not
among these. Report of Investigation, p.134.

Notes

429

10. Report of Investigation, pp.133-134.

11. Madame Blavatsky in India, A Reply to Moncure D. Conway by W.Q. Judge. Theosophy, Vol. 34, May 1946, pp.250-251
and Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, pp.198-205. The article first appeared in The Arena, (5: 28), March 1892.
12. The So-Called Expos of Madame Blavatsky by W.Q. Judge. Theosophy, Vol. 35, January 1947, pp.108-109, and Echoes
of the Orient, Vol. 3, pp.122-124.
13. Richard Hodgson arrived at headquarters on December 18th, 1884. He spent three months pursuing his inquiries and returned
to England in April 1885. His Report to the British Psychical Research Society was released while Blavatsky was in Germany in 1885.
First Report [Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research], p.219.
14. First Report [Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research], Mr. Hodgsons Report, p.224.
15. Letter from H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge dated May 1st, 1885. Theos. History, Vol. 5, No. 2, April 1994, pp.52-54.
16. Theos. History, Vol. 2, April 1994, p.52. A year later, in a letter to Hartmann dated April 3rd, 1886, H.P.B. wrote: [Olcott] was
led on blindly by people as blind as himself to see you in quite a false light, and there was a time, for a month or two, when I myself
notwithstanding my inner voice, and to the day Masters voice told me I was mistaken in you and had to keep friends shared
his blindness. (This was apparently in reference to Olcott having been made to believe Hartmann wanted to oust him from the
presidency.) The Path, Vol. 10, March 1896, p.368.
17. Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P.B. Theos. History, Vol. 6, January 1997, pp.165-166. His foretelling statement and perhaps
someday that departure will be of benefit to the Society and the Cause is explored in Chapter 17: W.Q. Judges Initiation.
18. LBS, Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P. Blavatsky, pp.313-314.
19. Theos. History, Vol. 5, No. 2, April 1994, p.49.
20. Sunrise, April/May 1996, A Biographical Sketch, pp.99-111.
21. Priestess of the Occult: Madame Blavatsky, Gertrude Marvin Williams, p.243. New York, Alfred Knopf, 1946, 345 pages;
New York, Lancer books, circa 1970, 384 pages.
22. The Hall of Magic Mirrors, Victor Endersby, A Hearthstone Book published by Carlton Press, Inc., New York, 1969, p.218.
His original investigations first appeared in his periodical, Theosophical Notes, which Edmonton Theosophical Society republished.
23. LBS, Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P. Blavatsky, (February 5, 1886), p.313.
24. First Report [Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research], Richard Hodgsons Report, p.220.
25. Old Diary Leaves, Third Series (1895), pp.246, 378.
26. Olcott, accompanied by Rudolph Gebhard of Germany, left Marseilles, France, on October 20th, 1884, on the S.S. Colombo,
arriving at Bombay on November 10th. Old Diary Leaves, Third Series (1895), p.183; BCW, Vol. 6, pp.xxxvii-xxxviii.
27. The portraits of the Masters were started on June 19th, 1884, by Hermann Schmiechen, a German painter. They were given to
Olcott for the Theosophical Society.
28. Most of Judges investigative and preliminary work when he first arrived at Adyar, such as his register of witnesses, was never
brought forward and hardly even mentioned by Hartmann in any of his reports. In fact, when Hodgson arrived at Adyar he asked
Hartmann to help him gather testimonies from members regarding the Shrine and the Occult Room.
29. Theos. History, Vol. 6, No. 5, January 1997, p.165.
30. The Latest Attack on the Theosophical Society, issued by The Council of The London Lodge, London, 1884, 23 pp., (p.4).
31. Reply by William Q. Judge . . . p.20; Two Replies by William Q. Judge, p.46.
32. The Latest Attack on the Theosophical Society, issued by The Council of The London Lodge, London, 1884, 23 pp., pp.7-10.
33. Hartmanns statement was directly related to Ezekiels mental state immediately after H.P.B. and her party left Bombay for
Europe on February 20th, 1884. Statement from F. Hartmann, First Report [Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research],
Richard Hodgsons Report, p.123.

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The Judge Case

34. Vania, p.225.

35. Vania, p.226.
36. A Short History of the T.S., p.203.
37. Theos. Movement, 1875-1950, p.118.
38. Theosophy Unveiled, pp.58, 74, and Theosophy Exposed, p.80.
39. Theos. History, Vol. 5, No. 2, p.52.
40. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.12; Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 20, April 1939, p.35.
41. Theos. History, Vol. 6, No. 5, January 1997, p.165.
42. Theos. History, Vol. 6, No. 5, January 1997, p.166.
43. Judge and Smythe likely agreed to correspond when they were both settled again but as far as can be ascertained, they had no
communication between 1884 and 1889.
44. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 20, April 1939, p.35. This is corroborated by Mrs. Judge in a letter to Theos. Movement, quoted in Vol.
1, No.9, July 1931, p.35 (and reprinted in Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 12, September 1931, p.209) where she wrote, You remember
he spent several months in India but at a most trying and unsettled time, and came back very worn and ill.
45. What Killed William Q. Judge?, Fohat, Vol. 7, Summer 2003 (Part I), pp.29-34, and Fall 2003 (Part II), pp.60-64, 69-70.
46. General Report of the 21st Anniversary of the T.S., 1896, p.22, and A Historical Retrospect 1875-1896 of the
Theosophical Society, p.21. Also see A Practical Occultist, Fohat, Vol. 7, Fall 2003, pp.53-54, 69.

Chapter 5 ~ Back in America

1. WQJ T. Pioneer, (from Lloyds of London records), p.12.
2. Report of Proceedings T.S. in Europe, First Annual Convention of the T.S. in Europe, London, July 1891, p.49; also in WQJ
T. Pioneer, p.13.
3. In a letter to Olcott (see August 30, 1893 entry) Judge mentions that he had been receiving teachings from the Masters since 1875
and that Olcott did not know of it. (Reply By William Q. Judge, p.15.) According to Olcott there was a period during those years
in New York when H.P.B. was writing her Isis Unveiled that Judge had stayed away for a while. Olcott claimed there had been some
trouble between Judge and H.P.B. This may have been one of Judges tests during his probation period.
4. Letter from H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge, dated May 1st, 1885 from Naples. Theos. History, Vol. 5, April 1994, p.50. In this
letter she tears a strip off everyones hide, especially Hartmann.
5. Blavatsky resigned her position as Corresponding Secretary of the Theosophical Society on March 21st, 1885. Her letter is
reprinted as Retirement of Madame Blavatsky in the Supplement to The Theosophist, Vol. 6, May 1885, p.195.
6. Theos. History, Vol. 6, January 1997, p.165.
7. Theos. Forum (P.L.), Vol. 3, August 1932, pp.251-253, and WQJ T. Pioneer, pp.18-19.
8. Sunrise, April/May 1996, p.104.
9. Report of Proceedings, Second Annual Convention, 1888, p.7. In his Report of the General Secretary Judge also stated: Of
course the American Branches could have met together and formed themselves independently, but since we draw our real inspiration
from India, it would seem unwise as well as disloyal to have failed to try and keep the orderly and regular succession.
10. The Path, Vol. 1, April 1886, p.1.
11. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.7. From an unpublished letter of H.P.B.s.

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431

12. See Appendix I ~ Judges Pseudonyms and Words of Wisdom, for a list of William Q. Judges pseudonyms.
13. WQJ T. Pioneer, p.14; Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, June 1895, p.156.
14. Sunrise, April/May 1996, p.105. See Report of Proceedings for the Second Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society
in America, New York, April 26th and 27th, 1896, Presidents Report, pp.10-13.
15. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), p.508.

Chapter 6 ~ Bertram Keightley

1. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, March 1895, p.95.
2. The Path, Vol. 8, August 1893, p.144.
3. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, April 1891, Supp. pp.l-li.
4. Report of Proceedings, American Section, 1890, p.9.
5. The Path, Vol. 5, May 1890, p.66.
6. Details of Bertram Keightleys tour after the Chicago Convention and including his stay in New York: The Path, Vol. 5, June
1890, pp.96-98; July 1890, p.130.
7. As far as can be determined, this lecture has never been published.
8. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.55.
9. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.21.
10. The Path, Vol. 5, July 1890, p.131.
11. The Path, Vol 5, April 1890, pp.1-2.
12. Theosophy, Vol. 9, August 1921, p.306. See Chronology, April 1890 entry.
13. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, p.92.
14. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, p.92.
15. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, p.92.
16. Theosophy, Vol. 9, August 1921, p.306.
17. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.21.
18. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.309.
19. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, p.91.
20. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, p.92.
21. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, pp.92-93.
22. General Report of the 15th Convention and Anniversary of the T.S., 1890, p.13.
23. At the December 1890 Annual Convention in Adyar Bertram Keightley gave a lecture, Theosophy in the West, which
incorporated many of his experiences in America while touring there the year before. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, July 1891, p.589.
24. General Report of the 15th Convention and Anniversary of the T.S., 1890, p.12.

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Chapter 7 ~ Richard Harte S Troubles at Adyar

1. Richard Harte was an experienced journalist from New York and a Fellow of the T.S. since 1877. Harte accompanied Olcott to
India, arriving in Bombay November 10th, 1888, to assist with the editorship of The Theosophist. After three years of service, Harte
returned to England.
2. One is left to wonder why Adyar has continually insisted that Applied Theosophy be attributed to Col. Olcott. By May 1921,
United Lodge of Theosophists, in their magazine Theosophy (Vol. 9, No. 7, May 1921, pp.193-208), had proven that it had been
written by Richard Harte in June 1889. In November 1930 Adyar first republished Applied Theosophy as No. 143 in their Series
of Adyar Pamphlets, indicating H.S. Olcott as the author. In 1975, on the occasion of the Centenary of The Theosophical Society,
Adyar once again published the article in a 280 page book titled Applied Theosophy and other Essays, still attributing it to Olcott.
It was also reprinted in The American Theosophist, Vol. 69, June 1981, pp.164-170, and again attributed to Olcott. There is
abundant evidence in The Theosophist to show that Olcott did not write this article. (See the Chronology section for details.)
3. Theos. Forum (P.L.), Vol. 28, July 1950, p.386.
4. See Chronology, June 1889 entry.
5. The Theosophist, Vol. 10, September 1889, p.703.
6. Lucifer, Vol. 4, August 1889, pp.506-509, and BCW, Vol. 11, pp.378-384.
7. The Theosophist, Vol. 10, July 1889, Supp. pp.cxix-cxx.
8. Lucifer, Vol. 4, August 1889, p.507, and BCW, Vol. 11, p.380.
9. Theos. Forum (New Series), Vol. 5, January 1934, pp.130-131.
10. Theos. Forum (New Series), Vol. 5, January 1934, p.132.
11. Theos. Forum (New Series), Vol. 5, January 1934, p.133.
12. Theos. Forum (New Series), Vol. 5, January 1934, p.133.
13. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, Jan.1890, Supp. pp.lxxv-lxxvi. See Chronology, Jan. 1890 entry.
14. Lucifer, Vol. 5, Feb. 1890, pp.517-518. See Chronology, Feb. 1890 entry.
15. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, March 1890, Supp. p.cv.
16. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, October 1890, Supp. p.ii.
17. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, March Supp. p.xxix. Also see the biographical sketch of Richard Harte in the Chronology section.
18. Practical Occultism, pp.225-227.

Chapter 8 ~ Struggles in India

1. The British Section of the T.S. was formed on October 19th, 1888. The Lodges forming the Section were: Blavatsky, Scottish
Theosophical Society, Dublin, and those newly formed in Cambridge and Glasgow. Sinnett refused to belong to this British Section.
He obtained formal consent from Col. Olcott as President of the whole Society, recognising the right of the London Lodge to
continue as an integral part of the Theosophical Society though remaining outside the organisation of the British Section. A Short
History of the T.S., p.251.
2. See Appendix H ~ Miscellaneous Letters, for letter from K.H. to Olcott.
3. Hammer on the Mountain, pp.237-238.
4. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.484.
5. See Chronology, Sep. 12, 1889 entry.

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433

6. The Theosophist, Vol. 53, August 1932, pp.607, 609.

7. The Conference, though not numerous, was thoroughly representative. Three out of the four General Secretaries being present,
and nearly 200 other Fellows from all the Sections, including many of the best workers and most respected men in the Society in
India. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxvii.
8. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxiv.
9. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxiii.
10. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxvi.
11. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, October 1890, Supp. pp.ii-iii.
12. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.158.
13. Theos. History, Vol. 6, July 1996, p.91.
14. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), p.245.
15. N.D. Khandalavala, quoting some short passages from this Letter in his article, H.P. Blavatsky and Her Masters (The
Theosophist, Vol. XX, October, 1898, pp.23-24), states that it was at first intended to be circulated to the Indian Members, but was
afterwards, for certain reasons, not published. He was permitted to take a copy of it. With the climate prevailing at the time in the
Indian T.S., the reasons which Khandalavala does not specify are easy to determine. [BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), pp.156-157.] Shortly
after B. Keightleys arrival in India with the Letter, Col. Olcott expressed that he wished to resign as President of the T.S. Blavatsky
thrice reiterated by letter and cable to Olcott that resigning was not an option for him and that she would withdraw Keightley from
India if he did.
16. The Theosophist, Vol. 64, March 1943, p.439.
17. The Theosophist, Vol. 64, March 1943, p.439.
18. Vivekananda was especially opposed to Hindus joining the Esoteric Section. Vivekananda: Complete Works, Vol. 3, pp.209210.

Chapter 9 ~ The Wills of H.P.B.

1. The title conferred on Besant by H.P.B. was nothing more than that of Chief Secretary to take notes just as one would for any
other meeting. There was no occult status to this position other than that her notes would have been the ones kept on record. This
position would be the first step taken for training in her role as pupil. Besant never actually recorded a meeting of the Inner Group.
She missed meetings, and then H.P.B. died.
2. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), p.418; The Theosophist, Vol. 60, February 1939, pp.355-360; The Theosophist, May
1892, Supp. p.lix..
3. H.P.B., by Sylvia Cranston, p.321.
4. Reminiscences of H.P.B., p.64 (Quest, 1976) or pp.77-78 (1893).
5. Mysteries and Romances of the Worlds Greatest Occultists, by Cheiro (Count Louis Hamon), London: Herbert Jenkins
Limited, 1935; p.178. Also see Fohat, Vol. 5, Spring 2001, p.6.
6. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, June 1895, p.156.
7. Old Diary Leaves. Fourth Series (1910), p.171.
8. The Theosophist, Vol. 13, March 1892, Supp. p.xlv.
9. The lease of 19, Avenue Road, purchased for 1,600 in 1883, was given to H.P.B. in 1890 by the then owner, and by H.P.B.s
wish was at once vested in the hands of trustees. . . . The lease was burdened with a mortgage . . . the responsibility for this remaining
with the donor of the lease. A cheque for [405 16s 11d.] was given to Annie Besant [by a theosophist who requested anonymity]
last month, and paid by her to the mortgagees, thus releasing the property. (The Vahan, Second Series, No. 2, September 1, 1891,

434

The Judge Case

p.7.) In December 1896 Olcott named some of the prominent financial supporters: The Blavatsky Lodge acquired permanent
premises in Avenue Road, through the abundant generosity of Mrs. Besant, the Countess Wachtmeister, the Messrs. Keightley and
others. . . . General Report of the 21st Anniversary of the T.S., 1896, p.15, and A Historical Restropect 1875-1896 of the
Theosophical Society, p.14.
10. General Report of the 15th Convention and Anniversary of the TS, 1890, p.59. In A Short History of the T.S., p.257, Ransom
writes this as having taken effect in August 1889. The General Report, however, states that in the early part of this year [1890] .
. . the Theosophical Society had become possessed, through Mrs. Annie Besants generosity, of the lease of her house as its HeadQuarters . . ., p.58. Alterations were undertaken and additions built. The headquarters were inaugurated July 3rd, 1890. The
Theosophist, Vol. 11, August 1890, pp.661-662.
11. Old Diary Leaves, Third Series (1904), p.379.
12. General Report of the 16th Convention and Anniversary of the TS, 1891, p.49.
13. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), p.418.
14. See Chronology, Apr. 4, 1888 and March 9, 1890 entries.
15. Rebirth of the Occult Tradition, pp.65-66.
16. See Chronology, May 9, 1891(est.) entry.
17. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 4, March 1896, p.115.
18. Isis Very Much Unveiled, 2nd ed., p.28.
19. For example: Arthur H. Nethercot mentions this telegram on p.357 in The First Five Lives of Annie Besant. His references are
The Theosophist, July 1891; Bright, pp.20-21; Williams, The Passionate Pilgrim, p.204. We do not have the reference for Bright
and the latter is mentioned on p.205 not 204; the first reference does not exist in The Theosophist.
20. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.82.
21. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, June 1891, Insert in Supp. at p.lxxi.
22. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), pp.301-303.
23. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), p.303.
24. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, September 1891, p.707.
25. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.42.
26. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), p.172.
27. Annie Besants Address of Welcome to the President-Founder at the First Annual Convention of the T.S. in Europe, held in
London, July 9th and 10th. 1891. The Theosophist, Vol. 12, September 1891, pp.705-706.
28. General Report of the 19th Anniversary of the TS, 1894, pp.39-46.
29. A Short History of the T.S., p.257.

Chapter 10 ~ Olcott is Tested S Suspicions Mount

1. Letters from the Masters of the Wisdom 1st series, pp.51-52. Extracts appeared in Lucifer, Vol. 3, August 1888, pp.146-147.
See Appendix H ~ Miscellaneous Letters for full text.
2. At the Third Session of the European Convention on July 12th, 1894, Annie Besant read her statement before the members present.
She stated: I believe that Mr. Judge wrote with his own hand, consciously or automatically I do not know, in the script adopted as
that of the Master, messages which he received from the Master or from chelas; and I know that, in my own case, I believed that the
messages he gave me in the well-known script were messages directly precipitated or directly written by the Master. Neutrality of
the T.S., Minutes of A Judicial Committee of the Theosophical Society, p.13 and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.460.

Notes

435

3. Refer to Chapter 23 for quotation from E.S. Rule 7 to this effect.

4. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, letter from Judge to Olcott, August 30th, 1893, p.30.
5. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, September 1893, pp.762-763.
6. See Appendix A ~ The Case Against W.Q. Judge, for details regarding the Panjab Seal.
7. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, pp.69-70. See Appendix A ~ The Case Against W.Q. Judge, for more details. Facsimiles of the
images inserted in the text were reproduced from Isis Very Much Unveiled, pp.37-38.
8. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.35.
9. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.72.
10. The Theosophist, Vol. 13, October 1891, Supp. p.ii.
11. The Theosophist, Vol. 13, December 1891, Supp. p.xxvii.
12. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, pp.70-71.
13. Reply by William Q. Judge, pp.15-16.
14. Reply by William Q. Judge, pp.16-17.

Chapter 11 ~ The Poison Letter

1. In another letter dated November 12th, 1891, Judge further explains what the Master had to say about her health. He () says your
health is not in the best order, and that that is sufficient reason for the outside, and advised you to see Mennell and get a certificate
to that effect so as to use in India, etc. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, pp.42-43.
2. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.42.
3. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.42.
4. English Theosophist, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 1895, p.28.
5. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.71.
6. Olcott was unusually concerned in general about being ousted from the presidential chair, suspecting various individuals at various
times including, at one point, Franz Hartmann. See The Path, Vol. 10, March 1896, p.368fn.
7. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.62.
8. Reply by William Q. Judge, pp.18-19.
9. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.42.
10. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, pp.62-63. Also see Compilers Analysis to same in Appendix A ~ The Case Against W.Q. Judge,
footnote 33, regarding the changes made to conceal this persons identity.
11. The Path, Vol. 10, April 1895, pp.25-26.
12. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, pp.32-33.
13. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.29.
14. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.33.
15. Theos. Forum (P.L.), Vol. 25, October 1947, p.577 + facsimile reproduction on facing page.

436

The Judge Case

Chapter 12 ~ Suspicions Begin to Sprout

1. Lucifer, Vol. 11, December 1892, p.265.
2. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), pp.507-508.
3. Old Diary Leaves, Fifth Series (1932) 1975, p.1.
4. Isis Very Much Unveiled, 2nd ed., p.83.
5. Lucifer, Vol. 15, December 1894, p.338.
6. The Theosophist, Vol. 16, April 1895, Supp. p.xx.
7. Lucifer, Vol. 16, March 1895, p.67.
8. This is only one example of Olcotts misleading information and biased renditions of history, which have caused many historians
to be misled by Olcotts version of events.

Chapter 13 ~ Bertram Keightley Returns to Europe and America

1. Lucifer, Vol. 15, February 1895, p.507.
2. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, December 1892, Supp. p.xvii.
3. H.P.B., by Sylvia Cranston, pp.252-253.
4. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, March 1893, Supp. p.xxxvi, and The Path, Vol. 8, April 1893, pp.30-31.
5. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, March 1893, Supp. p.xxxvi.
6. Lucifer, Vol. 15, February 1895, p.507.
7. Report of Proceedings, American Section, 1893, p.4.
8. Report of Proceedings, American Section, 1893, p.16.
9. Report of Proceedings, American Section, 1893, p.17.
10. Report of Proceedings, American Section, 1893, p.17.

Chapter 14 ~ Fears of Dogmatism

1. The Theosophist, Vol.14, July 1893, pp.624, 627.
2. This same standard was also expressed by Mahatma K.H. in his first letter to A.P. Sinnett regarding Sinnetts suggestion of the
simultaneous production in Simla and London of one days editions of the London Times and The Pioneer. (Mahatma Letters,
Letter No. I, p.2.) Judge added part of H.P.B.s Lodges of Magic in his 1895 Reply by William Q. Judge to Charges . . . which
is included in Appendix A ~The Case Against W.Q. Judge.
3. Lucifer, Vol. 12, April 1893, p.103.
4. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, July 1893, p.606.
5. Lucifer, Vol. 12, April 1893, p.103.
6. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, July 1893, pp.609-610.
7. A circular, To All Members of E.S.T., signed by Annie Besant and William Q. Judge, August 1893, p.2.

Notes

437

8. Theosophy Exposed, pp.34-35.

9. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, October 1893, pp.31-32.
10. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, December 1893, Supp. p.xiii.
11. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, January 1894, p.223.
12. Isis Very Much Unveiled, 2nd edition, p.85.
13. Isis Very Much Unveiled, 2nd edition, p.85.

Chapter 15 ~ Suspicions Take Root

1. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.20; Two Replies by William Q. Judge, p.46
2. The Theosophist, Vol. 13, March 1892, Supp. pp.xlvii-xlviii. On the evening of the Feb. 1st, 1892, Bertram Keightley and
K.B.N.D. Khandalavala each spoke to a group of about 100 native gentry. Bertram Keightley . . . spoke about the entirely
unsectarian character of the Theosophical Society, after which many difficult questions were asked and in the answers given by
Brother Keightley as well as by Brother Khandalvala [sic] many misconceptions were removed. It was at this time that Keightley
and N.D.K. seemed to have forged a strong bond with each other.
3. Report of Investigation, p.4.
4. In the original copy of Reply by William Q. Judge, the year was printed as 1894 instead of 1884.
5. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.20. See Appendix A ~ The Case Against W.Q. Judge, for the complete text.
6. Old Diary Leaves, Fourth Series (1910), pp.507-508.
7. LBS, Letter LXIIIA (63A), p.161.
8. The Theosophist, Vol. 14, July 1893, p.628.
9. E.T. Hargrove claimed H.P.B.s Master called [Judge] friend. Theosophical Quarterly, Vol. 36, July 1933, p.89.
10. LBS, Letter (No. LXIII) to A.P. Sinnett, after December 29th, 1885 but undated, p.158.

Chapter 16 ~ Indians Summoned to the Cause

1. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. LXXVIII [78], p.378.
2. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. LXXVIII [78], p.381.
3. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. LXXVII [77], p.378.
4. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. LXXVIII [78], p.378.
5. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxiv.
6. The Theosophist, Vol.11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxvii.
7. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. CXXXIV [134], pp.461-462.
8. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxiii.
9. The Case Against W.Q. Judge, p.34.

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The Judge Case

Chapter 17 ~ W.Q. Judges Initiation

1. BCW, Vol. 8 , (1960), p.448.
2. BCW, Vol. 10, (1964) 1974, pp.194-195. Facsimile of document appointing William Q. Judge sole representative of the Esoteric
Section in America.
3. Damodar, p.76.
4. Report, p.23.
5. The Word Vol. 15, April 1912, p.18.
6. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. XII [12], p.68.
7. Opening comments by E.T. Hargrove in The Letters from William Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove, p.316. [Chakravarti] sailed
from India in June, 1893, spent two months in England, and had securely laid the foundation for all that followed by the time he sailed
for New York with Mrs. Besant on August 26th.
8. Letters That Have Helped Me, pp.103-104.
9. Vania, pp.232-233.
10. Theosophy Unveiled, pp.58, 74, and Theosophy Exposed, p.80.
11. Theos. Forum (P.L.), Vol. 3, August 1932, pp.251-253, and WQJ T. Pioneer, p.18-19.
12. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, June 1895, p.156.
13. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 4, March 1896, p.115.
14. The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912, p.17.
15. Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, p.461.
16. Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, pp.23-25.
17. See Chronology, Oct. 23, 1889 entry for more quotes from H.P.B. Also see WQJ T. Pioneer, pp.20-21.
18. Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P. Blavatsky. Theos. History, Vol. 6, January 1997, p.166.
19. Letter from W.Q. Judge to H.P. Blavatsky. Theos. History, Vol. 6, January 1997, pp.165-166.
20. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.20.
21. BCW, Vol. 2, (1967), p.381.

Chapter 18 ~ Convention of 1893

1. A Short History of the T.S., p.299.
2. General Report of the 18th Anniversary of the T.S., 1893, p.1.
3. General Report of the 18th Anniversary of the T.S., 1893, pp.1-2.
4. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.485.
5. See Chronology, July 6, 1891 entry.
6. General Report of the 18th Anniversary of the T.S., 1893, p.15.
7. The Path, Vol. 8, May 1893, pp.52-56.

Notes

439

8. The Path, Vol. 8, October 1893, p.223.

9. The Path, Vol. 9, March 1895, pp.430-431.
10. The Theosophist, Vol. 16, April 1895, p.475.
11. The Path, Vol. 10, June 1895, pp.96-97.

Chapter 19 ~ G. N. Chakravarti
1. The Path, Vol. 8, October 1893, p.205.
2. The Path, Vol. 8, August 1893, p.155.
3. The Path, Vol. 8, October 1893, p.205.
4. Theosophy, Vol. 10, May 1922, p.203.
5. Theos. Congress Worlds Fair 1893, p.14.
6. Theosophical Glossary, ULT, 1973, p.251.
7. Inner Group Teachings of H.P. Blavatsky, compiled and annotated by Henk J. Spierenburg, 2nd and revised edition, 1995, p.46.
8. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. LXXVI [76], p.376.
9. BCW, Vol. 5, (1950), p.270.
10. BCW, Vol. 5, (1950), p.270.
11. Theosophy, Vol. 10, May 1922, p.203.
12. The Path, Vol. 8, August 1893, p.159.
13. The Vahan, Vol. 3, August 1, 1893, p.7, and September 1, 1893, p.7.
14. The Vahan, Vol. 3, September 1, 1893, p.7.
15. First Five Lives of Annie Besant, pp.390-391.
16. Lucifer, Vol. 12, August 1893, p.605. Chakravarti explained where he was from in his first address at the Theosophical
Congress. He stated: I come from the city of Allahabad, the capital of the Northwestern Provinces of India, the Hindu name of which
is Pryaga. It is called the Tvitha-raja, or the king of the different places of pilgrimage, as it is situated on the confluence of two of the
most sacred rivers of the Hindusthe Ganges and the Jumna. (Theos. Congress Worlds Fair 1893, p.13.) The Prayag
Theosophical Society was established on November 6th, 1881, and was renamed Prayag Psychic Theosophical Society effective
January 1st, 1883.
17. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, December 1893, p.194. They left New York on the City of Paris on September 27th, 1893. (The Path,
Vol. 8, October 1893, p.224.)
18. Theosophical Quarterly, Vol. 29, July 1931, p.40. See Appendix D ~ Letters From William Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove.
19. The Path, Vol. 10, June 1895, pp.97-98.
20. Isis Very Much Unveiled, 2nd ed., pp.124, 129.
21. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 19, March 1938, pp.5-6.

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The Judge Case

Chapter 20 ~ The Proceedings Begin

1. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, February 1894. A printed slip pasted at the front of the pages of the Supplement.
2. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, May 1894, p.528.
3. Old Diary Leaves, Fifth Series (1932) 1975, p.144.
4. Old Diary Leaves, Fifth Series (1932) 1975, p.149.
5. Theosophy Exposed, p.34. From part 4. Critical Historical Review of The Theosophical Society, reprint of A Paper read at
the Chicago Psychical Science Congress by Wm. Emmette Coleman, Member, American Oriental Society, Member Royal Asiatic
Society of Great Britain [and Ireland], Member Pali Text Society, etc. Reprinted in the Chicago Religio-Philosophical Journal,
September 16th, 1893.
6. Theosophy Exposed, p.34.
7. Theosophy Exposed, p.34.
8. The Path, Vol. 9, March 1895, p.432.
9. See Chronology, Mar. 10, 1894 entry.
10. Charges Against William Q. Judge. To All Members of the Theosophical Society, (4pp.), p.2.
11. Neutrality of the T.S., p.12, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.458.
12. Neutrality of the T.S., p.15, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.462.
13. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.2.
14. General Report of the 18th Anniversary of the T.S., 1893, p.15.
15. General Report of the 18th Anniversary of the T.S., 1893, p.14.
16. Modern Astrology, (Old Series) Vol. 1 (Aug. 1895 - July 1896), p.291.
In Sepharials The Horoscope of Annie Besant he predicted Annie Besant will live to her 60th year, but will not reach her 60th
birthday. . . . (The Theosophist, January 1894, p.224.) She actually lived to within days of her 86th birthday.
17. The Path, Vol. 9, March 1895, p.432.
18. Report of Proceedings, Eighth Annual Convention, 1894, p.23.
19. Charges Against William Q. Judge. To All Members of the Theosophical Society, (4pp.), p.1.
20. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, May 1894, Supp. p.xxvi.
21. Neutrality of the T.S., p.4, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, pp.449-450.
22. Four page letter. For the information of the Members of the European and Indian Sections of the Theosophical Society.
Theosophical Society, European Section; From G.R.S. Mead, Gen. Sec. European Sec. T.S. and Bertram Keightley, Gen. Sec. Indian
Sec. T.S., March 27th, 1894, p.3.
23. The Path, Vol. 10, May 1895, pp.57, 59. See Appendix C ~ Historical Sketch, for full text.

Chapter 21 ~ Delays and Withholdings

1. The Path, Vol. 10, May 1895, p.61.
2. Lucifer, Vol. 15, February 1895, p.456. Also included in The Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, March 1895, p.92.
3. Reply By William Q. Judge, p.6. See Appendix A ~ The Case Against W.Q. Judge, for full text.

Notes

441

4. The Vahan, Vol. 3, May 1, 1894, p.6. The Vahan came out on the 1st of the month. In the May issue there is an announcement
by Besant about a new policy at Headquarters, and a list of her forthcoming lectures. Also Alice Cleather mentions Annie Besant as
having returned by the time Cleather posted her May report to The Theosophist.
5. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.6. See Appendix A. ~ The Case Against W.Q. Judge, for full text.

Chapter 22 ~ Khandalavala and Besant

1. The Theosophist, Vol. 16, January 1895, pp.252-253.
2. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. CXXXIV [134], p.462.
3. See Chronology, May 27, 1893 entry.
4. General Report of the 21st Anniversary of the T.S., 1896, pp.15-16 and A Historical Restropect 1875-1896 of the
Theosophical Society, p.14.
5. BCW, Vol. 1, (1966) 1977, p.304. A Society Without a Dogma.
6. BCW, Vol. 10, (1964) 1974, pp.[116-117] 121-122.
7. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, February 1894, pp.331-332.
8. General Report of the 20th Anniversary of the T.S., 1895, p.5.
9. The Theosophist, Vol. 11, January 1890, Supp. p.lxiii.
10. The Theosophist, A World Magazine, (published in Hollywood, CA), Vol. 1, January 1930, p.389, reprinted a statement by
Dr. Besant from New India: The revival of [Indias] religions by Colonel Olcott and myself as channels of the power of the
Hierarchy, the Inner Government of the World, has opened the path to her physical freedom.
11. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.158.
12. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. CXXXIV [134], p.462.
13. H.P.B., In Memory of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, by Some of Her Pupils, (1931), p.65.
14. BCW, Vol. 12 (1980), p.162. Why I Do Not Return To India.
15. General Report of the 21st Anniversary of the T.S., 1896, p.15, and A Historical Retrospect 1875-1896 of the
Theosophical Society, p.14.
16. The Theosophist, Vol. 53, August 1932, pp.606-607.
17. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.160. Why I Do Not Return To India.

Chapter 23 ~ The Judicial Committee S Pre and Post

1. Circular. Theosophical Society. European Section. General Secretarys Office. London, March 27, 1894, p.4.
2. Circular. Theosophical Society. European Section. General Secretarys Office. London, March 27, 1894, p.2.
3. Charges Against William Q. Judge, To All Members of the Theosophical Society, (4pp.), p.2.
4. Neutrality of the T.S., p.5, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.451.
5. Myron H. Phelps joined the T.S. on June 4th, 1890.
6. Neutrality of the T.S., p.9, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.455.
7. Neutrality of the T.S., p.9, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.456.

442

The Judge Case

8. Neutrality of the T.S., pp.9-10, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.456.
9. Charges Against William Q. Judge, To All Members of the Theosophical Society, (4pp.), p.3.
10. Neutrality of the T.S., p.4, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.450.
11. Charges Against William Q. Judge, To All Members of the Theosophical Society, (4pp.), p.1.
12. Neutrality of the T.S., p.7, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.454.
13. Report of Proceedings, 1895, p.10.
14. Neutrality of the T.S., p.8, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.454.
15. Neutrality of the T.S., p.11, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.458.
16. Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, pp.463-464. See Dec. 29, 1929 for a biographical sketch of Walter Old in the Chronology.
17. Neutrality of the T.S., p.12, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, pp.458-459.
18. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.11.
19. Neutrality of the T.S., p.12, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.458.
20. Neutrality of the T.S., p.12, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.459.
21. Neutrality of the T.S., p.13, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.460.
22. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), p.494.
23. Report of Proceedings, 1895, pp.10-11.
24. Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.441.
25. Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.441. Truth Before and In All Things.
26. Neutrality in the T.S., p.13, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.460.
27. Neutrality in the T.S., p.13, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.460.
28. Neutrality in the T.S., p.13, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.460.
29. Reply by William Q. Judge, p.15.
30. The Path, Vol. 8, November 1893, p.233, and Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 1, p.370.
31. Lucifer, Vol. 3, October 1888, p.93.
32. Neutrality in the T.S., p.14, and Lucifer, Vol. 14, August 1894, p.461.
33. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 27, January 1947, p.340. (See Chronology, Dec. 15, 1946 entry.)
34. Mahatma Letters, Letter No. XLVIII [48], p.279.

Chapter 24 ~ Summary
1. The Masters of the T.S. were well aware of the impending problems the Shasters and Orthodox Brahmans could cause to the
Theosophical Movement. In 1881 Master Morya dictated, through H.P.B., what became known as the Prayag Letter. (See Mahatma
Letters, 2nd edition, pp.461-463). This letter was a forewarning of the problems which could arise with the Allahabad members who
were involved with psychism and the influences they were opening themselves up to. Throughout the Societys history some members
and detractors have been influenced by dark forces to create disharmony and discord, to attack, distract and derail those members
and groups working in unison to promote the Movement as a Universal Brotherhood. All strong, focused groups have found
themselves under attack at one time or another and most have been destroyed. As a result, numerous organizations calling themselves

Notes

443

theosophical have deviated from the Original Program and become very political, dogmatic, and followers of ritualistic worship.
2. General Report of the 18th Anniversary of the T.S., 1893, p.10.
3. Report of Proceedings, 1895, p.10.
4. General Report of the 19th Anniversary of the T.S., 1894, p.22.
5. General Report of the 19th Anniversary of the T.S., 1894, p.23.
6. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 10, July 1929, pp.156-157.
7. See Appendix H ~ Miscellaneous Letters, Item No. 4.
8. Cyril F. Willard, an experienced newspaper man, claimed that Franz Hartmann had told him in 1896 that Olcott complained to
him, with tears in his cross eyes, that the Masters had deserted him after all he had done for Them. Cdn Theosophist, Vol. 13, May
1932, p.66.
9. Mr. A.J. Cooper-Oakley, although a fine scholar, was the first in a long list of people who exhibited much bitterness in his attitude
and was the cause of unfortunate friction and disharmony at Headquarters. BCW, Vol. 12 (1980), p.733.
10. The Path, Vol. 10, March 1896, pp.368-369, 371.
11. The Theosophist, Vol. 15, December 1893, Supp. p.xi.
12. See Appendix F ~ W.Q. Judges Last Messages.
13. Theosophical Quarterly, Vol. 30, July 1932, p.31.
14. Letters That Have Helped Me, p.185. This letter is also included in Appendix D ~ Letters From W. Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove.
15. Appendix D ~ Letters From W. Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove, June 14th, 1895.
16. Letters That Have Helped Me, p.185. Letter dated May 20th, 1895. This letter is also included in Appendix D ~ Letters from
W. Q. Judge to E.T. Hargrove.
17. The Lamp, Vol. 2, April 1896, p.130.
18. See What Killed William Q. Judge?, Fohat, Vol. 7, Summer 2003 (Part I), pp.29-34, and Fall 2003 (Part II), pp.60-64, 69-70.
See also Appendix J ~ Astrological Observations.
19. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, June 1895, p.155.
20. Lucifer, Vol. 15, January 1895, pp.427-428.
21. The Word, Vol. 22, October 1915, p.10.
22. Mulliss interview with Annie Besant in 1926. See Appendix H ~ Miscellaneous Letters, for full text.
23. Eirenicon, Dec. 1944/Jan. 1945, p.4; Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 25, January 1945, p.339.
24. Eirenicon, Dec. 1944/Jan. 1945, p.4; Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 25, January 1945, p.339.
25. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 17, December 1936, p.323.
26. Cdn. Theosophist, Vol. 17, December 1936, p.324.
27. BCW, Vol. 12, (1980), pp.594-595.
28. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 4, March 1896, p.116.
29. Irish Theosophist, Vol. 3, January 1895, p.56.

444

The Judge Case

Addendum
1. By Masters Direction. E.S.T. Circular. November 1894, p.4.
2. In A Besant Diary of Principal Events which appeared in The Theosophist, (Vol. 69, October 1947, pp.84-88), one of the three
entries listed in 1894 is Engaged in the Judge case.
3. The following statement by Richard Harte was criticized by Judge in his article Centres of The Theosophical Movement and
by H.P.B. in A Puzzle from Adyar.
Adyar is not a place only, it is a principle. It is a name which ought to carry with it a power far greater than that
conveyed by the name Rome. ADYAR is the centre of the Theosophical Movement. . . . Every loyal Fellow has
in his heart a little ADYAR, for he has in him a spark of the spiritual fire which the name typifies. ADYAR is the
symbol of our unity as a Society, and so long as it exists in the hearts of its Fellows, the powers of the enemy can
never prevail against the Theosophical Society.
(The Theosophist, Vol. 10, June 1889, p.523, and The American Theosophist, Vol. 69, June 1981, p.170.)

Index to Supplement

A
Adhmar (see dAdhmar)
A Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343, 348
Adyar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 329-335, 337-338, 343-355,
. . . . . . . . . . 357-361, 365-366, 368, 370, 372-375 [378],
. . . . . . . . . . 380-381, 383-386, 388, 390-391, 394, 396,
. . . . . . . . . . . 398, 403, 406-407, 409, 415-419, 422-423
animosity toward H.P.B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
looked upon as a holy place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374, 391
spies, enemies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348, 359, 361, 385
under the grip of evil influences . . . . . . . 349, 385, 390,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415, 417-419,
Alexander, Rev. Mr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
A Puzzle from Adyar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343-344
A Mahatmas Message to Some Brahmans . . . . . . . 391
An Interesting Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370, 380
Antaskarana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Applied Theosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343-344, 374, 423
Arundale, Miss Francesca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 324, 335
Astor House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Astral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337, 384, 386-387, 417-418, 420

left Adyar for France (Feb. 20th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . 325

left Adyar permanently (Mar. 31st, 1885) . . . . . . . . . 407
left New York for India (Dec. 18th, 1878) . . . . . . . . 318
Last Will and Testament . . . . . . . . . . 350-354, 357, 361
resigned as Corresponding Sec. (Mar. 21st, 1885) . . 337
returned to Adyar (Dec. 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
royalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351, 357
ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323, 352, 384-386
Board of Control (Adyar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 329, 332
Board of Control, American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Bombay . . . . . . . . . . . . 321, 325-326, 329, 333, 335, 341,
. . . 347-348, 353, 357, 371, 373-374, 382, 390, 397, 402
Bombay Gazette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 334, 379, 385
Bouton, J. W. (H.P.B.s publisher) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Boston Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Brown, W.T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Buck, Dr. Jirah Dewey . . . . 374, 395, 402-404, 418, 422
Buddhi-Manas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Buddhi, pure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338, 386
Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338, 406
Burrows, Herbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361, 365

Babula [Vallah Bulla] . . . . . 321, 323, 330, 334, 385, 402

Battacharya, Benee Madhad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Bawajee (Bawaji) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331, 407
Besant, Annie . . . . . . . . . . . 341, 350-355, 358, 361-367,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369-372, 374, 380, 383, 385, 390-392,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394-406, 410-415, 417-419, 422
Annabai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390-391, 400
adopts Hindu religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405-406
appointed Chief Secretary of E.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
arrival in India (Nov. 1893) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372, 390
cables Judge in New York re: Olcott (1891) . . . . . . . 361
destroys important evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
first met Olcott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
joined the T.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
lectures at the Hall of Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
promise to B. Keightley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
revisits America (1892-1893) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
sails from Bombay (1894) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
sails from New York (May 6th, 1891) . . . . . . . . 350, 352
Black Magicians . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384-385, 415, 418, 420
Blavatsky, H.P. (H.P.B.):
Blavatskys room at Adyar . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 329-331
died (May 8th, 1891) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Eddy Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
first met W.Q.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
in France (1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321-324
imitation signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 [378]

Cables / cablegrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 339-340, 347,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353, 357, 361, 397
Caithness, Lady (Duchesse de Pomar) . . . . . . . . 321-322
Canada (Steamship) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Canadian Theosophist, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Case Against W.Q. Judge, The . . . . . . . . . . . . 355, 357,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363-364, 366, 422
Centres of the Theosophical Movement . . . . . . 343, 355
Chagres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336, 418
Chakravarti, Professor G. N. . . . . 341, 369, 385, 390-391,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393-396, 399, 414, 417, 419
Chatterji, Mohini M. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321-322, 324
Cheiro (Count Louis Hamon) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Chetty, G. Muttuswami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Chittenden, VT (see Eddy Farm)
Christian College at Madras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Christian College Magazine 333-334, 373, 380, 382, 385
City of Limerick (Steamship) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Clark, Abbott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358-360
Collapse of Koot Hoomi, The . 333, 373, 379-380, 382
Colombo, Ceylon . . . . 335, 347, 353, 358, 368, 372, 396
conspiracy . . 325, 334-335, 338, 367, 383, 392, 398, 407
Cooper-Oakley, Mr. & Mrs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 330-331, 402
Coues, Elliott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Coulombs, The . . . . . . . . . . 325-326, 329-335, 349, 373,
. . 375 [378]-379, 382-384, 386, 388, 391, 407, 415, 422
Coulomb, Alexis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 330

446

Index to Supplement

Coulomb, Mrs. Emma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 330

belief in the Mahatmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

D
dAdhmar, Count Gaston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
dAdhmar, Countess Marguerite Josphine . . . . . . . . 323
Daily Graphic, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Dasabhy, Dorabjee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Damodar (see Mavalankar):
Davy, Doris and Ted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Deb, Ramalinga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 [378]
de Zirkoff, Boris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317, 352
Dharmapala, A.H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360, 394
Dogmas or dogmatism . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368, 370-371, 380,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405-406, 408, 410, 419-420
Doubleday, Major-General Abner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Dublin, Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Dugpas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384-385, 415, 420

Hall of Magic Mirrors, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Hargrove, Ernest T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338, 418
Harisinghji, Prince . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Harte, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343-348, 357, 363,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368, 373-374, 423
Hartmann, Dr. Franz . . . . . . . . . 325, 329-335, 375 [378],
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379, 384-385, 388, 392, 407, 417-419
arrived at Adyar (Dec. 1883) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
jealous of Judge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Heliodore (name given to Besant) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Hermetic Lodge of the T.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Hinduism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Historical Retrospect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Hodgson, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330-332, 383
arrived at Adyar (Dec. 18th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Holloway, Laura (L.C.H.) . . 320, 322-324, 331, 335, 388
Hollow Globe, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321, 336
Hume, A. O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

I
E
E.S. or E.S.T. (see also Esoteric Section) . . . . . 340, 344,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352-353, 362-363, 371-372,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390-391, 397, 412, 416, 420
Eek, Sven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Eddy Farm (Chittenden, VT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318, 320
Edge, Sydney V. . . . . . 358, 365, 367, 370-372, 397, 411
Elementals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318, 321-324, 387
Elementaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322-323, 337, 386-387
Endersby, Victor A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345, 348, 406, 420
Enghien, France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323-324
Esoteric Section (see also E.S. or E.S.T.) . . 339, 342-344,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347-348, 350-352, 354-355, 371-372,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383, 390-391, 411-412, 416-417
Ezekiel, A.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333-334, 376, 378-380
imitation signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 [378]

F
Felt, George H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Flynn, Miss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 330, 333, 356, 359, 371, 373,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379, 397-398, 405-407, 412, 415, 418

G
Garrett, Edmund . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352, 362, 366, 395, 418
General Council . . . . . . . . . 325, 329, 334, 338, 343, 348,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392, 398-401, 408, 410-412, 420
Gomes, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Griffiths, Allen L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Gribble, Mr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329, 385
Gurus and Chelas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

H
Handwriting . . . . . . . . 357-358, 366, 375 [378], 379, 381,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385-386, 388, 396, 402, 408-409, 422

Initiation . . . . . . . . . . . . 323, 336-337, 355, 384, 386-388

Irish Theosophist, The . . . . . . . . . . . 317, 338, 387, 401,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403-404, 420
Isis Unveiled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318, 322-323, 351, 368
Isis Very Much Unveiled . . . . . . . . . . 362, 366, 374, 418
Iyer, S. Subramania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349, 399

J
Jelihovsky, Vera Petrovna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Johnston, Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Johnston, Vera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Judicial Committee . . . . . . . 374, 379, 392, 396, 399-401
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403, 408-409, 412, 419
Judge, Alice Mary Quan:
Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
died giving birth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Judge, Frederick C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Judge, Frederick H.:
Father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Judge, John H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
brother of W.Q.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
met H.P.B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317-318
Judge, W.Q. (W.Q.J.):
admitted to State Bar in 1872 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
American citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
arrived at Adyar (Aug. 10th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
arrived at Bombay (July 15th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
arrived in London (July 4th, 1894)
for Judicial Inquiry & European Convention . . . . 402
arrived in New York (Nov. 26th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . 337
arrived in Paris (Mar. 25th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
arrived in Southampton (June 24th, 1893)
for European Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
asked to go to Adyar by H.S.O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
asked to go to Adyar by M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
born (April 13th, 1851) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
died (March 21st, 1896) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
elected General Secretary of American Section . . . . . 338

Index to Supplement
expected Olcotts support re: T.S. in A. . . . . . . . . . . 416
founding member of T.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
initiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336-337, 351, 355, 384-388
in London (1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320-321, 350, 352
left India (Fall 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335, 383, 385
left for India (June 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
left Liverpool for N.Y. (Nov. 15th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . 335
left Liverpool (August 6th, 1891) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
left New York for London (May 13th, 1891) . . . . . . 350
lectures in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326-328
letter of Sep. 17th, 1884 . . . 333-334, 357, 373-382, 388
married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
met H.P.B. (Fall 1874) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
shrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329-331
sent telegram to London after H.P.Bs death . . . . . . . 352
started The Path (Apr. 1886) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
status in E.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340-341, 348, 352
suspended from Vice-Pres. (Mar. 20th, 1894) . . 399, 408
W.Q. Judges Plan is right (message) . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
works on The Secret Doctrine . . . . . . . . . . . . 322, 324

447

M
Madame Blavatsky and Her Slanderers . . . . . . . . . . 333
Madras Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335, 386
Mahatma(s) . . 325, 327, 339, 342, 349, 358-359, 370-371,
. . 373, 382, 384, 388, 394, 396, 406, 408-410, 414, 417
Master M (see Morya):
Massey, Charles Carleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
founder of SPR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Mavalankar, Damodar K. . . 319-320, 323, 325, 330-331,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334-336, 341, 343, 383-384, 396, 405
Maitland, Edward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Mead, G.R.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349, 399, 402-403, 408-409
Mennell, Dr. Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361, 363
Moodr, C.V. Loganada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Morgan, E.H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Morya (M) . . . . 322-323, 329, 332, 339-340, 357-359,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361, 363-364, 381-388, 406, 412, 422
Better come M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 323, 384
Muddled Rule-Makers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Mller, Miss Henrietta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Mulliss, William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

K
Karma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323-324, 367, 410, 417-418
Khandalavala Khan Bahadur Nowroji (N.D.K.) . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 325-327, 333, 347, 349, 366-367, 370, 373-374,
. . . 379-382, 388, 390-392, 396, 399, 405, 419-420, 422
doubts and suspicions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
imitation signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 [378]
Khandalavala, Pestanji Dorabji . . . . . . . . . . 325, 334, 379
Keightley, Dr. Archibald . . . . . . . . . . 339, 385, 393, 395,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397, 401-402, 413
quotes Besant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401-403
Keightley, Bertram (B.K.) . . 323, 339-343, 345, 348-349,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353, 356-359, 361, 365-369, 373-374,
. . . . . . . 380, 389-390, 393-399, 403, 408-409, 412, 419
Managing Editor of The Theosophist . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Keightley, Julia (Jasper Niemand) . . . . 387, 393-394, 403
Kinnavan, Bryan (Pseudonym of W.Q.J.) . . . . . . . . . . 321
Kingsford, Dr. Anna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 322
Koot Hoomi (K.H.) . . . . . . . . . . . 321-322, 324, 333, 355,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373, 379, 380, 382, 414, 417
Kunte, M.M. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

L
Lane-Fox, St. George . . . . . . . . . . . . 329, 332, 376 [378]
Leadbeater, C.W. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417, 419, 422
Lloyds of London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Lodges of Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370, 414
London . . . . . 320-325, 331-332, 335, 337, 339-341, 344
. . . . . . . . . . 347-355, 357-358, 361, 363, 365, 368-371,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 374-375 [378], 381, 385, 391, 393-395,
. . . . . . . . . . . 397-398, 400-402, 404, 408-409, 411-412
London Lodge (L.L.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 323
Loyal / loyally / loyalty . . . . . . . . 335, 343-344, 354-355,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390-391, 407, 420
loyalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Lucifer . . . . . . . . . 338, 343-344, 370-371, 386, 402, 413
Lyon, Professor Wm. F. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

N
Napoleon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Nath, Dharbaghiri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
New York . . . . . . . . . . 317-318, 320-321, 327, 335-341,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343, 347, 352, 354-355, 358, 361, 368,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385, 388, 391, 402, 404, 409, 420
Niemand, Jasper (see Keightley, Julia)
Nirmanakaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337, 386-387
Neresheimer, Emile August . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339, 361, 411

O
Occult Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 330-331, 386, 422
Occultism and Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412-413
Ocean of Theosophy, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Olcott, Colonel Henry Steel . . . . 318-322, 324-327, 329,
. . . . . . . . . . . 331-338, 341, 343-345, 347-363, 365-368,
. . . . . . . . . . . 370-375, 379-381, 383-384, 388, 390-392,
. . . . . . . . . . . 396-400, 402-413, 415-417, 419, 422-423
admitted to errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
alleged immorality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361, 411
arrived in London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 353, 357
Besant to share his burden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390-391
confessed he wronged Judge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
first met Besant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
gives Judge two options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396-397
imitation signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 [378]
lack of right judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
left Adyar for France (Feb. 20th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . 320
left Paris for London (April 5th, 1884) re: L.L. . . . . . 322
left Bombay for London (June 15th, 1891) . . . . 350, 353
left for Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343, 358
left Liverpool for USA / Japan (Sep. 16th, 1891) . . . . 358
left London for Colombo (Dec. 26th, 1889) . . . . . . . . 347
left New York for India (Dec. 18th, 1878) . . . . . . . . 318
loyalty to Adyar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343, 355

448

Index to Supplement

returned to Adyar (Dec. 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

returned to Adyar from London (Feb. 5th, 1890). . . . . 345
returned to London (June 13th, 1884) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
sends Besant to Australia as Presidents
Commissioner to form new section. . . . . . . . 399-400
upset with Judge for leaving India . . . . . . . . . . . 337, 388
Old Diary Leaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349, 351-352, 355,
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357, 365, 392, 396
Old Walter R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365-367, 370-374, 379,
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390, 396, 398-399, 411-412, 419, 422
arrived at Adyar (Dec. 21st, 1892) . . . . . . . . . . . 365, 379
left Adyar (April 7th, 1894) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
Sepharial .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372, 398

Shroff, Kavasji Mervanji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Shroff, Muncherjee M. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Shrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329-331, 422
Sinnett, A.P. . . . . . . . . . . 320-321, 323-324, 381-382, 391
Smith, Ella Miller:
married W.Q.J. in 1874 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Smythe, Albert E.S. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335-336, 395, 416
on Besant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Society for Psychical Research (S.P.R.). . . . . 320, 378, 330
S.S. Neiman (coastal steamer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
S.S. Peninsular (steamship) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
S.S. Yara (steamship). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
S.S. Wisconsin (steamship).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335-336, 385
Sturdy, Edward T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365, 371-373, 390, 396
Successor .. . . . . . . 324, 351, 390, 398, 409-410, 413, 418

P
Padfield, Mr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Padshah, B.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Paris, France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320-325, 384, 386-387
Parliament of Religions . . . . . 349, 368-369, 385, 394, 405
Path, The . . . . 321, 338-340, 370, 386-387, 391, 394, 401
Patterson, Rev. Mr. George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329, 333, 385
Phelps, Myron H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Phenomena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320, 326, 329-330, 333-334
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340-341, 347, 376 [378], 407, 413-414
Phnix, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Poison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361-363, 365-366
Poona, India . . . . . . . . . 326-327, 333-334, 341, 349, 365,
.. . . . . . . . . . . 373-374, 379-380, 382, 388, 390, 396-397
Prasnottara, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358, 374
Prayag Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386, 391, 406
Prayag T.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391, 394
Precipitated / precipitation . . . . . . . . . . 355, 362, 413-414
Priestess of the Occult: Madame Blavatsky .. . . . . . . 331

T
Tatya, Tookaram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326, 357, 367, 390, 397
The Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343-344, 374
Theosophic Freethought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370-371
Theosophist:
true . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341, 382, 406, 410, 423
The Theosophist .. . . . . . . . . 321, 326-327, 333, 336, 338
.. . . . . . 343-345, 347-348, 351, 357, 370-372, 374, 389,
.. . . . . . . . . . . 391-392, 396, 400, 405-406, 411, 417, 422
Theosophy in the West, The Tendency Towards
Dogmatism .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370, 380
The Times of India .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333, 380
The Times (London). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Thurmann, Dr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
To The Brahmins of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Trap-door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325, 329-330
Truth and Occultism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Truth Before and In All Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

R
Rambo, Edward B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Ransom, Josephine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334, 397, 422
Rajamiengar, T.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Ramiah, C. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Ranade, Rao Bahadur Mahadev Govind . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Reply by William Q. Judge to the Charges . . . . 366, 381
Revised Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392, 398-399, 408
Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343, 423
Row, T. Subba (Rao). . . 329, 331, 343, 350, 383, 393-394
Row, P. Sreenivasa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329, 350
Row, R. Ragoonath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Rumors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357, 361, 374, 397, 399

S
Sassoon, Jacob .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 [378]
Seal (Masters seal or Punjab seal) .. . . . . . . . . . . 339-341
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356-360, 370-371
Secret Doctrine, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322, 324, 337, 339,
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350-351, 383, 391, 393
Sepharial (see Walter Old):
Sherman Dr. M.L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Should Mr. Judge Resign? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

V
Van Mater, Kirby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Venezuela, South America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319-320, 336
Vivekananda, Swami .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

W
Wachtmeister, Countess . . . . 341, 350-352, 357, 372, 395
Westminster Gazette, The . . 352, 362, 366, 372, 404, 412
Why I Became A Theosophist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Why I Do Not Return to India . . . . . . 348-349, 352, 373,
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380, 385, 406, 420
Will:
first Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350, 352
Last Will and Testament .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350-353, 357
second Will .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350-352, 357
third Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351, 353-354, 357, 361
Williams, Gertrude Marvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Wimbridge, Edward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
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BCW

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Cdn. Theosophist ETS*

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Eirenicon

Eirenicon. No true occultist dare fash with hurt feelings. Most likely edited
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The English Theosophist (New Series). Edited by W.A. Bulmer. Vol. 2,
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Another report was published later as part of Proceedings of the Society
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General Report of the 19th

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General Report of the 21st

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The Grail ETS

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Hammer on the Mountain

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A Historical Retrospect
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H.P.B. A Great Betrayal

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H.P.B. Theos. Movement

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H.P.B. by Sylvia Cranston

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In Honor of W.Q. Judge

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The Internationalist ETS

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Irish Theosophist ETS

The Irish Theosophist. Edited by D.N. Dunlop. Dublin, Vol. 1, Oct. 1895 to
Vol. 5, Sep. 1897.

Isis and the Mahatmas ETS

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Isis Very Much Unveiled,

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The Lamp ETS

The Lamp. Edited by Albert E.S. Smythe. Toronto, ON, Canada, Vol. 1, Aug.
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Last Four Lives of Annie

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The Latest Attack on the

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LBS

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Letters from the Masters of

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Letters That Have Helped

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Light

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Lucifer

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Lucifer (P.L.)

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Magic

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Modern Astrology

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Modern World Movements

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Mrs. Annie Besant A

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My Guest

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New England Notes

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Northern Theos. ETS

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The Occult Review

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Official Report of the Ninth

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Official Report of the Ninth Session of the General Convention and of the
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Old Diary Leaves

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Ourselves

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Oxford Companion to
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Pacific Theos.

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Palmistry

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Report of Investigation ETS

Report of The Result of an Investigation into the Charges Against

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Ninth Annual Convention, American Section T.S. and First Convention,

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Second Annual Convention of The Theosophical Society in America, Held

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Theosophical Society in Europe, Report of Proceedings. First Annual

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Review of Reviews

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The Search Light

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Some Account ETS

Some Account of My Intercourse with Madame Blavatsky, from 1872 to

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Sunrise

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The Theosophical Congress Held by the Theosophical Society at the

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Theos. Messenger

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1944 to Vol. 37, Summer 1981, Bi-monthly.

Theosophic Isis ETS

The Theosophic Isis. Edited by Dr. Herbert A. W. Coryn. London, Vol. 1,

No. 1, Jan. 1896 to Vol. 2, No. 2, Feb. 1897, Monthly.

Theosophical News

Theosophical News. A Weekly Report of Activities. Boston, Vol. 1, June

22, 1896 to Sep. 20, 1897, 4-8 pp.

Theosophical Notes ETS

Theosophical Notes. An independent publication, not controlled by or the

organ of any Lodge or Association. A Monthly by Victor Endersby from
Berkeley, CA then from Napa, CA, Dec. 21, 1950 to Apr. 1978.

Theosophical Quarterly

Theosophical Quarterly. Founded by Clement A. Griscom. Issued by The

Theosophical Society in New York. Vol. 1, July 1903 to Vol. 35, Oct. 1938.

The Theosophical Society

and The Westminster
Gazette

The Theosophical Society and The Westminster Gazette by Annie Besant

and Bertram Keightley. Madras, India, Dec. 23, 1894, 16 pp.

The Theosophist

The Theosophist. Started in Bombay, India by H. P. Blavatsky as Editor, Vol.

1, Oct. 1879, as A Monthly Journal with Supplements. Still in publication.

458

Works Cited

Theosophists: Reunite!

Theosophists: Reunite! by F. Pierce Spinks. Boston: The Christopher

Publishing Press, 1958, 387 pp.

Theosophy

Theosophy. Los Angeles, CA: The United Lodge Of Theosophists, Vol. 1,

Nov. 1912 to present, Monthly.

Theosophy at the Worlds

Fair

Theosophy at the Worlds Fair, September 15-16, 1893. Pamphlet. New

York. Issued in May 1893 by William Q. Judge, Gen. Sec. American Sec.
T.S., 8 pp.

Theosophy Exposed ETS

Theosophy Exposed or Mrs. Besant and Her Guru. An Appeal To

Educated Hindus. Madras, India: The Christian Literature Society, 1893,
113 pp.

Theosophy (Path) ETS**

Theosophy. Formerly The Path. New York: Theosophical Publishing

Company. Continued as Vol. 11, Apr. 1896 to Vol. 12, Oct. 1897 then
changed to Universal Brotherhood, Vol. 12, Nov. 1897 to Vol. 14, Dec.
1899.

Theosophy Unveiled

Theosophy Unveiled by John Murdoch. Madras, India: The Christian

Knowledge Society, 1885, 93 pp.

T.N.C.A.B.

Theosophy In The Nineteenth Century: An Annotated Bibliography by

Michael Gomes. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1994, 582 pp.

Transactions of the L.L. ETS

Transactions of the London Lodge. London. Published lectures presented at

their meetings. Forty four issues were published in all starting with June
11th, 1884 to Apr. 1906, then four issues of the New Series, from Mar. 1913
to Jan. 1916.

Transactions of the Scottish

Lodge ETS

Transactions of the Scottish Lodge of the Theosophical Society (18911893). Vols. 1 - 4. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Darien Press.

Two Replies by William Q.

Judge

Two Replies by William Q. Judge. Los Angeles, CA: The Theosophy

Company, 53 pp.

The United Lodge of

Theosophist, Its Mission
and Its Future

The United Lodge of Theosophist: Its Mission and Its Future. Los
Angeles, CA: The Theosophical Company, 26 pp.

Universal Brotherhood
(Path/Theosophy)

Universal Brotherhood. Formerly The Path, changed to Theosophy, Vol.

11, April 1896 to Vol. 12, Oct. 1897, then to Universal Brotherhood, Vol.
12, Nov. 1897 to Vol. 14, Dec. 1899. Edited by Katherine Tingley and E.A.
Neresheimer. New York: Theosophical Publishing Co. The name changed
to Universal Brotherhood Path with Vol. 14, Jan. 1900 to Vol. 17, Mar.
1903.

The Vahan

The Vahan. Edited by G.R.S. Mead. London: The European Section of the
Theosophical Society. Second Series [Vol. 1], Aug. 1891 to Vol. 30, Dec.
1920. Monthly.

The Vahan IS

The Vahan. Initial Series. A vehicle for the interchange of Theosophical

News and Opinions. Issued by the council of the British Section of the T.S.
for free distribution to members. No. 1, Dec. 1890 to No. 15, July 1891.
Published bi-weekly, 8 pp.

Works Cited

459

Vania

Madame H.P. Blavatsky Her Occult Phenomena and The Society for
Psychical Research by K.F. Vania. Bombay, India: Sat Publishing Co.,
1951, 448 pp.

Vivekananda

The Yogas and Other Works by Swami Vivekananda. New York:

Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1953 and 1984 editions, 954 pp.

Vivekananda, Complete
Works

The Complete Works of the Swami Vivekananda. Part III. Almorya,

Himalayas: Advaita Ashrama, 4th Mayavati Memorial Edition, 1932, 461 pp.

The Westminster Budget

The Westminster Budget. The pages are the same size as the pages of Light
magazine. No other information available except what has been entered in
the text.

What is the Theosohical

Organization?

What is the Theosophical Organization? Pamphlet. Dublin: The Irish

Theosophist Press, June 3, 1895, 20 pp.

Word, The

The Word. Edited by Harold W. Percival. New York: Theosophical

Publishing Company, Vol. 1, Oct. 1904 to Vol. 25, Sep. 1917.

WQJ T. Articles

William Q. Judge Theosophical Articles. 2 vols. Los Angeles, CA: The

Theosophy Co., 1980.

WQJ T. Pioneer

William Quan Judge: Theosophical Pioneer. Compiled by Sven Eek and

Boris De Zirkoff. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1969, 96
pp.

NOTE:

ETS

Indicates re-published works by Edmonton Theosophical Society.

* Volumes 1 - 20 only.
** The Path and Theosophy only.
*** Prasnottara, Vols.1-4, 1891-1894 only.

460

Works Cited

Circulars, Letters and Newspapers

1875-1891 A Fragment of Autobiography by Annie Besant. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1891, 14
pp.
Anagarika Dharmapala And The Theosophical Society by Michael Gomes. Madras, India: Maha Bodhi
Society, Centenary Souvenir (1891-1991), 8 pp.
An Occultists Life. Hargrove issued circular to E.S.T. members regarding K. Tingley, May 17th, 1896, 7 pp.
Application For Fellowship. The Theosophical Society, Application For Fellowship. Most application forms are
accompanied with an Obligation.
An Urgent Appeal. E.S.T. circular. Strictly Private and Confidential. E.T. Hargrove. New York, May 14, 1896, 4
pp.
Book of Rules, E.S.T. 144 Madison Avenue, New York City. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. Katherine A.
Tingley, (date unknown), 20 pp.
The Blavatsky Lodge of the T.S. AT A SPECIAL ADJOURNED MEETING. FOR MEMBERS ONLY. Circular,
January 5th, 1895, 1 page
By Masters Direction. E.S.T. by William Q. Judge. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND ONLY FOR E.S.T. MEMBERS. New York,
Nov. 3, 1894, 12 pp.
THE CASE AGAINST W. Q. JUDGE, A REVIEW by Basil Crump, Barrister-at-Law. London, May 5, 1895, 4 pp.

Charges Against William Q. Judge. To All Members of the Theosophical Society by William Quan Judge, New
York, March 15, 1894, 4 pp.
Chicago, May 20, 1895. A letter addressed to Dear Sir by Geo. E. Wright, President Chicago Branch, Room 48,
Athenaeum Building, Chicago, 1 page.
Circular Letter. From J.D. Buck to E.S.T. members. (Only Bucks return address [Cincinnati] as header), Feb. 1st
1895, 2 pp.
Circular Letter. Issued by members of the T.S. in New York and Brooklyn through Henry T. Patterson.
[Estimated date, Dec. 1894.] 3 pp.
A Common-Sense View of MR. JUDGES CIRCULAR OF NOVEMBER 3, 1894. Issued by Bertram Keightley
in London, Feb. 1895, 8 pp.
COUNTESS WACHTMEISTER REFUTES HERSELF. A reprint, published by J.D. Buck. June 10, 1895, 1 page.
The Crusade of American Theosophists Around the World. Report by Katherine A. Tingley. New York: The
Theosophical Society in America, 1897, 16 pp. First published in Theosophy (Path), Vol. 11, Mar. 1897;
pp.378-385.
Dear Mr. Willey: The Theosophical Society, International Headquarters, Point Loma, California. Letter by Joseph
H. Fussell, Secretary General. 2 pp.

Works Cited

461

Eastern School of Theosophy by A. Besant from Colombo, Ceylon, December 19, 1894, 4 pp. PRIVATE AND
CONFIDENTIAL. FOR E.S.T. MEMBERS ONLY.
Esoteric School of Theosophy by Katherine A. Tingley. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. 144 Madison
Avenue, New York City, estimated date Jan. 1898, 8 pp.
Esoteric School of Theosophy by Katherine A. Tingley. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. 144 Madison
Avenue, New York City, February 18, 1898, 1 page.
E.S.T. circular. 144 Madison Avenue, New York City. May 21, 1896, 7 pp.
E.S.T. circular, by Archibald Keightley. London: Printed Privately by Members of the E.S.T. on The Irish
Theosophist Press, Jan. 12, 1895, 17 pp.
E.S.T. Order No. II of 1894. Order No. II of 1894, New York, Dec. 3, 1894, 1 page. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND FOR
E.S.T. MEMBERS ONLY.
E.S.T. Order No. III of 1894. Order No. III of 1894, New York, Dec. 10, 1894, 1 page. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND
CONFIDENTIAL
E.S.T. Private. 144 Madison Avenue, New York City, (undated), 1 page circular.
European Section of The Theosophical Society. Constitution and Rules. 1891, 19 pp.
Extracts from meeting with Dr. Henry A. Smith, President, American Section of The Theosophical Society
(Adyar), April 2,1962, 3131 McCall Street, San Diego 6, Calif.
Present: Henry A. Smith, L. Gordon Plummer, H. W. Dempster, W. E. Small (at Dempsters home).
Fellow Theosophists. A Circular letter to Fellow Theosophists by Robert B. Holt. March 5th 1895, 1 page.
Fellow Theosophists. A Circular letter to Fellow Theosophists by Robert B. Holt. March 20th 1895, 2 pp.
Fellow Theosophists by A Fellow of the Theosophical Society. Circa 1895, 3pp.
A Forgotten Pledge by Che-Yew-Tsang (E.T. Hargrove), Feb. 3rd ,1895, 14 pp.
Letter from C.A. Griscom Jr. to Albert E. S. Smythe. March 22, 1896, 2 pp.
Letter from E.A. Neresheimer to Basil Crump. February 27th, 1932, 2 pp.
Letter from the Board of Trustees of the Aryan T.S. Addressed To The Secretary of____Branch T.S.
Signed by all the Trustees (except, of course, Mr. Judge). 144 Madison Ave., New York City, January 18,
1895. 1 page.
Letter signed by Hildor Barton to Boris [de Zirkoff]. January 18, 1966.
A Letter to Mrs. Annie Besant on the Recent Crisis in the Theosophical Movement by Amy Constance
Morant. London. August 17, 1895, 4 pp. Also contains a brief reply by Annie Besant, Aug. 22, 1895.
A Letter to The European Section. Circular by G.R.S. Mead, Feb, 1st 1895, 6 pp.
Letter from Sydney H. Old to Mrs. Fielding. Handwritten and signed, dated January 31, 1939 from Kelowna,
British Columbia (Canada). 5 pp.

462

Works Cited

MEMORANDUM OF INTERVIEW WITH DR. ANNIE BESANT. A 6 page interview with Dr. Annie Besant by
William Mulliss a Canadian newspaper man from Hamilton, Ontario. The unsigned Memorandum is dated
October 6, 1926. Mulliss also added an Addmemo which is dated October 25, 1926.
Minutes of Council E.S.T. Held at London, May 27th, 1891, after the departure of H.P.B. Issued at New York,
November 1894. STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. 8 pp.
Mr. Crumps notes on Mr. Neresheimers Paper on Some Reminiscences of William Q. Judge. Estimated
date, after Feb. 25, 1932, 5 pp.
A Narrative by Alexander Fullerton. New York, May 14, 1895, 4 pp.
New England Theosophical Corporation, 24 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. March 19, 1894, 2 pp.
To President H.S. Olcott, signed by the Pres. and Sec. of the Boston, Malden, Cambridge T.S., Robert Crosbie,
L.F. Wade, Geo. D Ayers, F.J. Goodwin, M.L.Guild, Anna Carret.
Newspapers:
Boston Herald
The Daily Chronicle (London)
The Journal (New York)
The Mail and Express (New York)
The Morning Advertiser (New York)
New York Press
New York Daily Tribune
New York Sun
The San Diego Union
San Francisco Chronicle
New York, April 6th, 1895. Includes an opening statement signed by ten members of the American Section. 34 pp.
Notes By Basil Crump. Basil Crumps comments on E.S.T. circular of April 3rd, 1896. A transcribed copy, 5 pp.
A PAGEANT OF THE FIFTH ACT: A Study of Mrs. Annie Besant by Herbert Coryn. London, May 1895, 4 pp.

THE JUDGITES. A THEOSOPHICAL POPE. Independent Theosophists Protest. A 1 page circular issued
by The Independent Theosophists of Boston. (From Boston Herald, April 30, 1895.)
Presidents Office. To All Members of the T.S.A. E. Aug. Neresheimer, President T.S.A. 144 Madison Avenue,
New York, Jan. 18, 1898, 1 page.
The Presidents Resignation. Issued by the Theosophical Society, European Section. General Secretarys office,
March 9th, 1892, 7 pp. Contains Olcotts Jan. 21, 1892 letter of Resignation, W.Q. Judges Feb. 22, 1892 letter
to Col Henry S. Olcott and Judges letter to G.R.S. Mead, General Secretary of the European Section, T.S.
Rerganization of the T.S. Includes a Draft of Proposed Constitution for The Theosophical Society in Great
Britain and Ireland. Date estimated, Summer 1895, 4 pp.
Reply of Mr. N.P. Subramania Iyer, President, Bangalore Cantonment Lodge, T.S., to B.P. Wadia, with
reference to the latters statement that accompanied his resignation. September 18, 1922, 10 pp.
Should Mr. Judge Resign? Speeches by Annie Besant and Bertram Keightley at the Dec. 25th, 1894 T.S.
Convention at Adyar, 15 pp.

Works Cited

463

To The General Secretary, Indian Section T.S. Letter by B.P. Wadia. Los Angeles, CA, July 18, 1922, 1 page.
Theosophical Society, European Section. General Secretarys Office. For the information of the Members of the
European and Indian Sections of the Theosophical Society. G.R.S. Mead, Gen. Sec. European Sec. T.S. and
Bertram Keightley, Gen. Sec. Indian Sec. T.S. London: The H.P.B. Press, March 27, 1894, 4 pp.
Theosophical Society, European Section. No. 2. General Secretarys Office. For the information of the
Members of the European and Indian Sections of the Theosophical Society. London: The H.P.B. Press, June 15,
1894, 2 pp.
The Theosophical Society and The Secession Therefrom by Constance Wachtmeister and Alexander Fullerton.
New York, January 1897, 4 pp.
The Theosophical Society and the Westminster Gazette by Annie Besant and Bertram Keightley. Madras, India,
Dec. 23, 1894, 16 pp.
Three Letters from The Anagarika Dharmapala to Alice Leighton Cleather. Aug. 27, 1921, 2 pp.; Feb. 6, 1922,
1 page; March 3, 1922, 1 page; (Typed transcripts).
To All Fellow Theosophists and Members of the Theosophical Society: A Statement by B.P. Wadia, July 18,
1922, 18 pp. ETS
To All Members of The E.S.T. by Annie Besant and William Q. Judge. London: Eastern School of Theosophy,
May 27, 1891, 8 pp.
To All Members of E.S.T. by Annie Besant and William Q. Judge. London: The H.P.B. Press, August 1893, 4 pp.
To All Members of The Universal Brotherhood. 144 Madison Avenue, New York, March 1st, 1898, 1 page.
To . . . ., Dear Friend. Theosophical Society in America. Headquarters, 144 Madison Avenue, New York City. A
letter from the President of T.S. in America, William Q. Judge, with enclosed Resolutions passed at the Annual
Convention of the American Theosophical Society. May 8th, 1895, 3 pp.
To Each Branch of the Theosophical Society Throughout The World. John M. Pryse, Clerk of Meeting. Jan.
15th 1895, Circular, 1 page.
To E.S.T. Members in Europe. E.S.T. London Office of William Q. Judge. December 30, 1894, 1 page.
STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.
To Members of the Theosophical Society by Alexander Fullerton. New York, June 18, 1896, 3 pp.
TO MY FELLOW-MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. Circular by Alexander Fullerton. 144 Madison
Ave., New York City, January 16, 1895, 1 page.
To the Fellows of the Theosophical Society by Geo. W. Russell., F.T.S., March 26, 1894, 8 pp.
To the Members, Branches and Sections of the Theosophical Society by J.D. Buck.
[date estimated March 1895 from Albert Smythes notes]
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BLAVATSKY LODGE. E.S. Circular issued by Annie Besant as President of
Blavatsky Lodge, 1 page.
To the Members of the E.S.T. E.S.T. circular. 144 Madison Avenue, New York City, March 29, 1896, 1 page.

464

Works Cited

To the Members of the E.S.T. E.S.T. circular. 144 Madison Avenue, New York City, April 3, 1896, 19 pp.
To the Members of the E.S.T. E.S.T. circular. Katherine A. Tingley. 144 Madison Avenue, New York City,
September 3, 1897, 2 pp.
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY by Henry T. Patterson and signed by 121 American members,
8 pp.
T.S American Section. Theosophical Society, American Section, General Secretarys Office, New York. Alexander
Fullerton Gen. Sec. American Section T.S. 3 pp.
Two page letter. Letter (March 12, 1930) written from Point Loma, CA by Joseph H. Fussell to Mr. J.W. Willey.
Copy of letter in the H.P.B. Library. From the files of Basil Crumps miscellaneous letters.
Two page letter from Peking, China. Letter to Neresheimer from Basil Crump (Nov. 25, 1931). Copy of letter in the
H.P.B. Library.
The T.S. The Theosophical Society. 4 pages of Minutes and a Draft Code of Rules. Copy of the official minutes
of October 19, 1888, for the formation of the British Section of the Theosophical Society.
T.S. Application for Membership Original Application forms of the Theosophical Society, in the Archives of
Edmonton Theosophical Society.

Bibliography of Works by and about William Q. Judge

Books, Pamphlets and Periodicals
Abridgement of Discussions upon Theosophical Subjects, Held at Meetings of the Aryan Theosophical Society
of New York [and Elsewhere]. No. 1, April 1886, 4 pp.; No. 2, May 1886, 4 pp.; No. 3, June-Sep. 1886, 4 pp.;
No. 4, Nov. 1887, 4 pp.; No. 5, Mar. 1888, 4 pp.
Astral Intoxication and Other Papers. New York: The Path, 1895, 19 pp.
The Bhagavad Gita. The Book of Devotion. Prepared in collaboration with James H. Connelly. New York: The Path,
1890.
The Bhagavad-Gita. Recension by William Quan Judge, Combined with his Essays on the Gita. Pasadena, CA:
Theosophical University Press, 1969, 220 pp.
Culture of Concentration and Of Occult Powers and Their Acquirement. New York: The Path, 1895, 29 pp.
Cyclic Impressions and Other Papers. With Archibald Keightley, J.D. Buck, G.R.S. Mead, William E. Gates, and
Mrs. M.C. Brainard, Cleveland, Ohio: The Dharma Press, 1892, 58 pp.
Department of Branch Work. New York: Theosophical Society, American Section. 46 issues published from June
1890 to November 1894. These Papers, be it understood, are furnished only to the Branches, not to individuals.
(The Path, Vol. 5, July 1890, p.136.) They contain valuable suggestions for Theosophical work and study.
[Republished by Edmonton Theosophical Society 1992.]
Dr. Elliot Coues in his Letters. June 14, 1889, 12 pp. pamphlet.
Echoes from the Orient. A Broad Outline of Theosophical Doctrines. New York, 1890, 68 pp.
An Epitome of Theosophy. New York: The Path Office, 1887, 4 pp. Published as a leaflet for free distribution.
An Epitome of Theosophy. New York: The Path Office, 1888, 27 pp.
Isis and the Mahatmas. A Reply by William Q. Judge. With Correspondence, Original Articles, and Portrait.
London, 1895, 88 pp. [Republished by Edmonton Theosophical Society.]
Light on the Path and Mabel Collins. 1889, 8 pp. pamphlet.
Notes on the Bhagavad Gita. The first seven chapters were originally published in The Path from 1887 to 1895 under
the pseudonym William Brehon. Remaining chapters were written by Robert Crosbie at a later date. Los
Angeles, CA: The Theosophy Company, 1918, 237 pp.
Ocean of Theosophy. New York: The Path Office, June 1893, 154 pp.
Occult Studies. Boston, Mass.: W.W. Harmon, n.d., 86 pp. A series of reprints from the writings of Wm. Q. Judge,
together with a review of a book titled The Hollow Globe.

466

Bibliography

Oriental Department. New York: Theosophical Society, American Section, Oriental Department, Irregular, bimonthly, January 1891 to April 1897. Consisting of Sanskrit and other Oriental Scriptures specially translated for
this Department by Professor Manilal Dvivedi and Charles Johnston. [Republished by Edmonton Theosophical
Society 1988.]
The Path. Edited by W.Q. Judge. New York, Vols. 1-10, April 1886 to March 1896, Monthly. [Republished by
Edmonton Theosophical Society 1986.]
Reply by Mr. Judge to Charges of Misuse of Mahatmas Names and Handwritings. Read at Boston, Mass., April
29, 1895 by Dr. Archibald Keightley on behalf of W.Q. Judge, 29 pp.
The So-Called Expos of Madame Blavatsky. Letter to the Editor, The Index (Boston), March 11, 1886. pp.441-442.
Reprinted in The Esoteric She, compiled and edited by Daniel Caldwell. San Diego: Point Loma Publications,
1991, pp.22-24, and in Echoes of the Orient, Vol. 3, compiled by Dara Eklund. San Diego, CA: Point Loma
Publications, 1987, pp.122-124.
The Theosophical Forum (Original Series). Started as an 8-page Question and Answer pamphlet for members-atlarge as a result of a proposal by W.Q. Judge. Edited by Alexander Fullerton. Issued from April 1889 to April
1895. Contains many of Judges answers to questions. [Republished, with an Index, by Edmonton Theosophical
Society 1992.]
Theosophical Forum (New Series). Started by W.Q. Judge then edited by E.T. Hargrove from April 1896. New York:
Theosophical Society in America, monthly magazine. Vols. 1-10, May 1895 to April 1905. [Republished, with
an Index, by Edmonton Theosophical Society 1991.]
Theosophy Generally Stated. Bombay, 1893/94, 8 pp.
Universal Brotherhood, A Fact in Nature. Bombay, 1893/94, 8 pp.
The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali. An interpretation by W.Q. Judge, assisted by James H. Connelly. New York: The
Path Office, 1889.

Compilations of W.Q. Judges Articles and Letters

Articles by William Q. Judge. Los Angeles, CA: The Theosophy Company. 31 pamphlets. Also published in 1980
as Theosophical Articles by William Q. Judge: Reprinted from Original Sources, Vols. 1 & 2.
Conger, Arthur L. [Editor]. Practical Occultism. From the Private Letters of William Q. Judge. Covina, CA:
Theosophical University Press, 1951, 307 pp.
Eek, Sven [Compiler]. Damodar and the Pioneers of the Theosophical Movement. Contains correspondence
between W.Q. Judge and Damodar K. Mavalankar, Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1965, 720 pp.
Eek, Sven [Compiler]. Damodar: The Writings of a Hindu Chela. Contains W.Q. Judges reworking of their
correspondence as A Hindu Chelas Diary. Point Loma, CA: Theosophical University Press, 1940, 338 pp.
Eklund, Dara [Compiler]. Echoes of the Orient. Vol. 1. San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1975, 582 pp.
Eklund, Dara [Compiler]. Echoes of the Orient. Vol. 2. San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1980, 517 pp.
Eklund, Dara [Compiler]. Echoes of the Orient. Vol. 3. San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1987, 534 pp.

Bibliography

467

Eklund, Dara [Compiler]. Echoes of the Orient. Vol. 4 S Cumulative Index. San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications,
1993, 135 pp.
Forum Answers by William Q. Judge. Reprinted from The Theosophical Forum (1889-1896). Los Angeles, CA:
The Theosophy Company, 1982, 141 pp.
GLEANINGS: FROM UNPUBLISHED LETTERS OF W. Q. J. The English Theosophist. Vol. 2, Oct. 1898, pp.140-143;
Vol. 3, Jan. 1900, pp.206-209; Feb. 1900, pp.238-243; Mar. 1900, pp.267-268. [Republished by The Theosophy
Company in Letters That Have Helped Me, 1946 edition, pp.167-178. Republished by Edmonton Theosophical
Society: See Part 2, Appendix I, THE JUDGE CASE: A Conspiracy Which Ruined the Theosophical CAUSE.]
The Heart Doctrine. A collection of articles by W.Q. Judge. Los Angeles, London & Bombay: The Theosophy
Company, 1951, 211 pp.
Langford, Laura Holloway. Extracts from Letters Written by William Q. Judge from London and Paris in the Spring
of 1884 to a Longtime Friend. The Word (New York), Vol. 15, March 1912, pp.324-32, April 1912, pp.17-24.
Letters From the Archives. The Theosophical Forum (Point Loma, California), Vol. 22, Feb. 1944, pp.82-83, Mar.
1944, pp. 131-132, May 1944, pp.215-216, June 1944, p.261, Nov. 1944, p.514, Dec. 1944, pp.546-551; Vol. 23,
Jan. 1945, pp.23-25, Feb. 1945, pp.78-79, Apr. 1945, pp.160-161, Sep. 1945, pp.419-420; Vol. 24, Feb. 1946,
pp.76-77, Apr. 1946, p.171, May 1946, p.226.
Letters From William Q. Judge. Written to E.T. Hargrove. Theosophical Quarterly (New York), Vol. 28, Apr.
1931, pp.314-326; Vol. 29, July 1931, pp.25-45, Oct. 1931, pp.107-122, Jan. 1932, pp.238-247; Vol. 30, July 1932,
pp.27-38, Oct. 1932, pp.122-129, Jan. 1933, pp.206-212; Vol. 31, July 1933, pp.31-35; Vol. 32, Jan. 1935, pp.198205. [Republished by Edmonton Theosophical Society: See Part 2, Appendix D, THE JUDGE CASE: A
Conspiracy Which Ruined the Theosophical CAUSE.]
Niemand, Jasper (Julia Keightley) [Compiler]. Letters That Have Helped Me. New York: The Path, 1891.
[Republished by The Theosophical Publishing Co. New York, 1911, 90 pp.]
Niemand, Jasper (Julia Keightley) and Thomas Green [Compilers]. Letters That Have Helped Me, Vol. 2. England,
1905. [Published by The Quarterly Book Department, New York: 1918, 126 pp.]
Theosophical Articles. 2 vols. Los Angeles, CA: The Theosophy Company, 1980, 621 pp., 655 pp.
Two Replies by William Q. Judge. Los Angeles, CA: The Theosophy Company, n.d., 53 pp.
Vernal Blooms. A collection of articles by W.Q. Judge. Los Angeles, London & Bombay: The Theosophy Company,
1946, 257 pp.

Historical / Biographical
Bates, Ernest Sutherland. Judge, William Quan. Dictionary of American Biography, ed. by Dumas Malone. Vol.
5, New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1933, pp.233-234.
Bragdon, Claude. Episodes from an Unwritten History. Rochester, NY: The Manas Press, 1910, 2nd (Enlarged) ed.
pp.23-25.
Deveney, John Patrick. An 1876 Lecture by W.Q. Judge on His Magical Progress in The Theosophical Society.
Theosophical History, Vol. 9, July 2003, pp.12-20.

468

Bibliography

de Zirkoff, Boris. William Quan Judge A Founder. Found in The Dream That Never Dies. San Diego: Point
Loma Publications, 1983, pp.85-90. Originally published in Theosophia, Vol. 17, Spring 1961.
de Zirkoff, Boris. William Quan Judge: His Occult Status. Theosophia, Vol. 31, Spring 1975.
Eek, Sven. William Quan Judge. A Theosophical Pioneer. The American Theosophist, Vol. 50, April 1962, pp.6572.
Eek, Sven and Boris de Zirkoff [Compilers]. William Quan Judge: The Life of a Theosophical Pioneer and some of
his Outstanding Articles. Wheaton, Ill., Madras, India and London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1969, 96 pp.
Fohat. Issue dedicated to W.Q. Judge. Edmonton, AB: Edmonton Theosophical Society, Vol. 7, Fall 2003, pp.49-72.
Fullerton, Alexander [Editor]. Department of Branch Work Papers. New York. Nos. 1/2 - 9/10, June-Dec. 1890;
11-22, Jan.-Dec. 1891; 23-29, Jan.-Dec. 1892; 30-38, Jan.-Dec. 1893; 39-36, Feb.-Nov. 1894.
Gomes, Michael. The Dawning of the Theosophical Movement. Wheaton, Ill: Theosophical Publishing House,
1987, 248 pp.
Greenwalt, Emmett. California Utopia: Point Loma: 18971942. San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978,
pp.1-46. Originally published in The Point Loma Community in California: 18971942. Chapters 1-4. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press, 1955.
In Honor of William Q. Judge. Point Loma, CA: Theosophical Publishing Company, 1901, 51 pp.
Knoche, Grace F. A Salute to William Quan Judge. Sunrise, Vol. 35, April/May 1986, pp.157-160.
Langford, Laura Holloway. William Quan Judge, A Reminiscence. The Word, Vol. 22, Nov. 1915, pp.75-89.
Leaves of Theosophical History. The Theosophical Forum (Point Loma, California), June 15, 1932 to Nov. 1937,
Oct. 1939 to Nov. 1941.
Leslie-Smith, Leslie H. 100 Years of Modern Occultism: A Review of the Parent Theosophical Society, 1987, 69
pp. Contains a segment on The Controversy Concerning W.Q. Judge, pp.26-32. Found in Theosophical History
Centre, Miscellaneous Papers.
The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky to W.Q. Judge. With notes by Michael Gomes. Theosophical History (California
State University), Vol. 4, Oct. 1992Jan. 1993; Vol. 5, Apr., July, Oct. 1994, Jan., Apr., July, Oct. 1995. 9 letters
printed out of 16.
Pelletier, Ernest E. What Killed William Q. Judge? Fohat, Vol. 7, Summer 2003, Part I, pp.29-34; Fall 2003, Part
II, pp.60-64, 69-70.
Report of Proceedings and Documents. The Theosophical Congress Held by The Theosophical Society at the
Parliament of Religions, Worlds Fair of 1893, at Chicago, Ill., September 15, 16, 17. New York: American
Section T.S., 1893, 195 pp. [Republished by Edmonton Theosophical Society 1988.]
Ryan, Charles. H.P. Blavatsky and the Theosophical Movement. Point Loma, CA: Theosophical University Press,
1937, 370 pp.
Sunrise: Special Issue. Contains 21 articles on W.Q. Judge commemorating the centenary of his death. Vol. 45,
April/May 1996, pp.97-192.

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The Theosophical Movement, 18751925: A History and a Survey. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1925, 705 pp.
Originally published in Theosophy Magazine (U.L.T. Los Angeles), Feb. 1920 to Oct. 1922.
The Theosophical Movement, 18751950. Los Angeles, CA: Cunningham Press, 1951, 351 pp.
Theosophical Society, American Section, Report of Proceedings. Held at Chicago, 1888, 55 pp.; Chicago, 1889,
69 pp.; Chicago, 1890, 88 pp.; Boston, 1891, 51pp.; Chicago, 1892, 45 pp.; New York City, 1893, 32 pp.; San
Francisco, 1894, 52 pp.
Theosophical Society in America, Report of Proceedings. First Convention, held in Boston, Mass., April 28-29,
1896, 62 pp.; Second Annual Convention, New York City, April 26-27, 1897, 48 pp.; Third Annual Convention,
New York City, April 25-26, 1897, 60 pp.
Tingley, Katherine [Editor]. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Point Loma, CA: The Womens International Theosophical
League, 1921, 81 pp. Includes articles by W.Q. Judge about H.P. Blavatsky.
W.Q. Judge: Biographical Notes. Los Angeles, CA: United Lodge of Theosophists, 1996, 63 pp. Bio-Chronology
on William Quan Judge from 1851 to 1896.
Wadia, Sophia. William Quan Judge A Lover of India. The Kaiser-I-Hind, March 21, 1937, pp.3,7.

Illustrations: Sources
Part 1 & Part 2

Cover: William Quan Judge Universal Brotherhood Path, Vol. 15, June 1900
Inside cover: William Quan Judge aiming bow and arrow Courtesy of United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT) Los Angeles, CA.
Part 1:
Frontispiece: William Quan Judge (July 1895) Sunrise, April/May 1991
1. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, circa 1877-1878 Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
2. William Quan Judge Blavatsky Collected Writings, Vol. 11
3. Henry Steel Olcott in 1875 The Theosophist, August 1932
4. Dr. Jirah Dewey Buck Universal Brotherhood, February 1898
5. (Mrs.) Melissa M. Buck The Theosophical News, August 30, 1897
6. Major General Abner Doubleday Internet photo, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-B8172-1497
DLC)
7. Edward Burroughs Rambo Universal Brotherhood, October 1897
8. Dr. Jerome A. Anderson The Path, April 1893
9. Bertram Keightley The Theosophist, September 1909
10. Dr. Henry Travers Edge Theosophia, Spring 1960
11. Dr. Archibald Keightley and Dr. Herbert A.W. Coryn Universal Brotherhood, December 1897
12. George Robert Stowe Mead Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society; also found in The Theosophist, January 1910
13. Alfred Percy Sinnett The Theosophist, September 1909
14. Emil August Neresheimer Theosophy, August 1897
15. Alexander Fullerton The Theosophist, March 1910
16. Walter Richard Old The Astral Tramp, courtesy of Kim Farnell
17. Claude Falls Wright The Path, February 1894
18. Annie Besant Isis Very Much Unveiled by Edmund Garrett, 2nd edition
19. Julia Keightley (Jasper Niemand) The Path, April 1894
20. Countess Constance Wachtmeister The Path, November 1893
21. Isabel Cooper-Oakley The Path, July 1894
22. Daniel Nicol Dunlop The Theosophical News, June 7, 1897
23. Ernest Temple Hargrove The Path, September 1894
24. Dr. Franz Hartmann The Occult Review, January 1908
25. Alice Leighton Cleather Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society, courtesy of The H.P.B. Library
26. Basil Crump Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society, courtesy of The H.P.B. Library
27. Tookeram Tatya The Path, May 1894
28. Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti The Path, October 1893
29. Subramania (Subrahmanya) Iyer The Theosophist, August 1909
30. Nowroji (Navroji) Dorabji Khandalavala The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society
31. Bertram Keightley, William Q. Judge, Colonel Olcott and George R.S. Mead The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society
32. William Q. Judge (wearing his pill-box hat) Echoes of The Orient, Vol. 3; H.P.B.: The Extraordinary Life & Influence
of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Illustration No.8
33. Workers at London Headquarters after Blavatskys death in 1891 The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society
34. Annie Besant, Colonel H.S. Olcott and William Q. Judge in 1891 The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society
35. The Neresheimer residence at Bayside, Long Island, New York The Theosophical News, July 26, 1897

472

Illustrations: Sources

36. Delegates to the Worlds Parliament of Religions, Chicago 1893 Sunrise, April/May 1996
37. Group of prominent Theosophists prior to attending the Worlds Parliament of Religions at Chicago Archives of Edmonton
Theosophical Society, courtesy of Dara Eklund
38. William Q. Judge and Colonel Olcott, San Francisco, CA, October 1891 The American Theosophist, May 1914; Blavatsky
Collected Writings, Vol. 15; Sunrise, May/April 1996
39. Mahatma Koot Hoomi Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
40. Mahatma Morya Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
41. Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris (side view) Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
42. Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris (front view) Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
43. Le Chteau cossais at Enghien, near Paris, France Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
44. Le Chteau cossais at Enghien, near Paris, France Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
45. Photo of the original Minute Book of The Theosophical Society Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
46. First page of the original Minute Book of The Theosophical Society Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
Part 2:
Frontispiece: William Quan Judge (1892) The Word, Vol. 15, April 1912
47. Annie Besant (1891) The Theosophist, October 1931
48. William Q. Judge (1891) Blavatsky Collected Writings, Vol. 13
49. Colonel H.S. Olcott (1906) The Theosophist, October 1906
50. Cover of the June 1895 issue of The Path Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
51. Clement Acton Griscom Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society, courtesy of Raymond P. Tripp, Jr.
52. Ernest Temple Hargrove The Lamp, August 1895
53. Henry Turner Patterson The Theosophical News, August 2, 1897
54. George William Russell The Canadian Theosophist, August 1935
55. Charles Johnston Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society, courtesy of Raymond P. Tripp, Jr.
56. Group photo: H.P. Blavatsky with her sister Vera Jelihovsky, niece Vera Vladimirovna Johnston (nee Jelihovsky) and her
husband, Charles Johnston, and Col. H.S. Olcott Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society
57. Diploma, The Theosophical Society of The Arya-Samaj of Arya-Wart The American Theosophist, May 1913
58. Albert E.S. Smythe Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society, courtesy of Ted G. Davy
59. William Mulliss Williams (W.M.W.) [He never used the name Williams.] The Canadian Theosophist, February 1932
60. Dr. Henry Newlin Stokes The Canadian Theosophist, January 1943
61. James Morgan Pryse The Path, June 1894
62. Robert Crosbie Universal Brotherhood, February 1898
63. Alice L. Cleather at the birthday party of the blind Abbot of Kwan Yin Temple Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society,
courtesy of The H.P.B. Library
64. Annie Besant with her new colleagues in Theosophy (1894) The Passionate Pilgrim by Gertrude Marvin Williams
65. Kavasji Mervanji Shroff The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society
66. Damodar K. Mavalankar The American Theosophist, December 1913
67. Mohini Chatterji Archives of Edmonton Theosophical Society, courtesy of The H.P.B. Library
68. Anagarika Hevavitarane Dharmapala The Path, December 1893
69. Headquarters of The Theosophical Society in America, 144 Madison Avenue, New York Universal Brotherhood, February
1899
70. Katherine Tingley Sunrise, April/May 1998
71. Katherine Tingley and Claude Falls Wright on board the steamship Paris (1896) The Theosophical News, August 1896