|
Correspondence from Charles Stansfeld Jones to Karl Germer
20 April 1948
Care Frater Saturnus,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law!
Thank you for your letter of April 17th from San Francisco. Things seem to be working out very well. Will do my best to answer the points you raise. Am glad you heard from Yorke [Gerald Yorke]. You had not previously answered my letter of 8th.
I quite understand how busy you must be. A good deal of responsibility rests on your shoulders, but I think you are just the right man for the job. It will be a pleasure to meet and get to know you better whenever the time is ripe. I note with interest your change of plans from West to East for your headquarters.
Am quite shocked to hear of the passing of Max Schneider, but it is a very interesting point, happening just when it did. I will briefly explain what I meant by papers handed to him.
Prior to A.C. sending from England the large stock of uninventoried books (which I never asked for), there were two cases of special books which he sent to the Universal Book Stores and which he opened and displayed himself on their arrival in 1919. At that time I was the accountant for the Book Stores and also held A.C.'s Power of Attorney. These two cases contained his choicest bound books and also a number of manuscripts. He left them with Universal Book Stores on consignment.
On February 10, 1920, foreseeing that the Book Stores were going bankrupt and wishing to protect A.C.'s property, I went down into the basement where the special books etc. were stored, wrapped each of the fine bindings in tissue paper, packed everything into the two original cases (without making any list, or looking at the manuscripts), and called an Express man and had the two cases taken to Leonard Warehouses Inc. of Detroit—depositing them in A.C.'s name and my own under his Power of Attorney. There they remained until 1926, with storage paid regularly every month, and bills coming in each month showing two cases on hand there. I have never seen the contents of those two boxes again.
But when Max Schneider had A.C.'s Power of Attorney and I was told to hand over all property to him, I wrote to Leonards Storage and told them to send the two cases to Chicago. They replied that they could find only one case but would look for the other, and asked instructions.
My lawyer advised that I tell the Storage people to send the one box; this he received and put into another Storage house, without my even seeing it. This was the Peterson Express and Van Co. Chicago, and Check No. was 2264 on the box. This box was never opened by me (but by Schneider later) and I do not know whether it was the one containing most of the special books or the one containing the manuscripts.
The papers I turned over to Schneider at time of signing Mutual Release in regard to all property were those relative to this special box and the correspondence, bills, etc. with Leonards Storage showing that they had had the other box and were looking for it. I made over the right to collect it or to sue over it to Schneider, as part of the Mutual Release. He then had in his hands all the evidence, and I had none—except the legal papers in regard to the transaction. These were sworn to before Notary Public. One of these, relative to the special books, reads as follows:
J.E. Harrington Attorney at Law Chicago Temple Building.
June 4, 1926
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That I C. STANSFELD JONES, assign, transfer, and convey, unto MAX R. SCHNEIDER, Attorney-in-Fact for ALEISTER CROWLEY, all my rights, title and interest in and to one lot of books or cases placed in the Leonard Warehouse, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan, under Lot No. 40759B, also any and all claims which I may have against the said Leonard Warehouse, Inc., under that lot number and warehouse receipt therefore because of any non-delivery of all the cases placed in storage on that lot number.
It is hereby understood one case placed in storage on that warehouse receipt has been delivered to me by the Transcontinental Freight Company and the said Max R. Schneider, Attorney-in-Fact for Aleister Crowley is hereby authorized and empowered to pursue any action at law or in equity to recover any damages for any case not included in that case or warehouse receipt also to take any and all receipts as fully as I might do.
Given under my hand and seal this 4th day of June A.D. 1926. ———————(SEAL)
Subscribed and sworn to before me a Notary Public in and for the County of Cook, State of Illinois, by the said C. Stansfeld Jones, personally known to me, this 4th day of June, A.D. 1926. ———————Notary Public.
(incidentally the above may show you how amazed I was when in 1936 A.C. suddenly turned and accused me of having these special books and manuscripts in my possession, holding them until after his death. When I explained that this was not the case he tried to "expel" me from O.T.O. for this "crime".)
What Max Schneider than did with the books and other stock, or with the money I paid to settle balance of my account, I have not the least idea. His death removes the chance of getting this information from him. And there the matter stands.
I hope that this (and other papers if necessary) will enable you to see clearly that A.C. was misinformed or formed a wrong judgement of the situation. Having thus been led into error, his work suffered accordingly and was deflected from the expected course—as he admits in writing. I trust, also, that those who like yourself were misinformed will not continue to perpetuate this error any longer.
Now to deal with your other points. Yes, I, too, saw and read most of the manuscript on Astrology while in New York with A.C. It was an excellent book. I never, however, had a copy of it. One reason why I went to such length above to explain about the special boxes of books is that since I packed them in a hurry to get them out of Universal Book Stores, and have never seen the contents of the one box that I know was safe, I cannot tell for certain whether this manuscript of Astrology (or any other you might mention) was in that box or not. Schneider might have remembered—he opened the box after it was turned over to him intact. The same applies to proof-sheets of Volume III/2 of The Equinox.
In regard to the latter, there were two (or more) sets of proofs. One of these A.C. gave me because they contained a part of my Magical Diary which needed to be checked. But thereafter he asked for the proofs back and I handed them to him.
I might remark that at one time I had a typescript of Liber 888 [The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw]—about the composite Jesus etc. A.C. then asked (if I remember right) that it be sent to "The Rationalist Press", London, England, where he hoped they would publish it. I sent it as requested, and do not know what further happened to it.
You will see, then, that while I can explain the matters you mention, I can do nothing really to help you to discover the missing things. Have none of them in my hands.
I do understand the responsibility you feel concerning the literary remains of A.C., etc., and I think by what you tell me you are doing the right thing in that respect. It will be a pleasure to see some of these things—such as the Manuscript of Liber Legis—if I get to New York this year.
Thanks for promise of copy of Will. I want to see wording in order that in carrying out my share of the job I shall do nothing to conflict with that aspect. As things have now turned out we each seem to have a very important job to do, wherein there need be no conflict whatever if we both face the facts.
Yours in Unity & Love,
Achad.
|