Antonin Scalia Spent His Last Day on Earth Living It Up With Members of a Very Old and Mysterious Hunting Society
According to the Washington Post, the late Justice Antonin Scalia spent his final day on this earth surrounded by members of a secretive, centuries-old, all-male society of wealthy sportsmen called the International Order of St. Hubertus.
John Poindexter, the man who owns Cibolo Creek Ranch, and C. Allen Foster, the Washington attorney with whom Scalia traveled to the ranch, hold leadership positions within the Order, the Post reports. It remains unclear whether Scalia himself had any official affiliation with the group, however.
Named for the patron saint of hunters, the Order was founded in 1695, in the Kingdom of Bohemia, by Count Franz Anton von Sporck—it came to the United States in 1966, via San Francisco. Its motto is “Deum Diligite Animalia Diligentes,” which means “Honoring God by honoring His creatures.” (Honoring how? And which creatures?)
Poindexter told the sheriff that in the evening after Scalia and Foster’s arrival in Texas, they “had supper and talked for a while” before Scalia “said that he was tired and was going to his room for the night.” His body was found the next morning.
After the justice’s death, Poindexter told reporters that he met Scalia at a “sports group” gathering in Washington, where the Order’s U.S. chapter is ostensibly headquartered, and the Presidio County Sheriff’s report names Foster as Scalia’s close friend. At least two other men present are affiliated with the Order as well. From the Post:
Planes owned by Wallace “Happy” Rogers III and the company of A.J. Lewis III left from San Antonio and arrived at the ranch just after noon Feb. 12. The planes departed the ranch about 30 minutes apart Feb. 14, according to flight records provided to The Post by FlightAware.
Rogers owns the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum in San Antonio. He has donated $65,000 dollars to Republican candidates since 2008. Lewis is the owner of a restaurant supplier company, also based in San Antonio. He has given $3,500 to GOP candidates since 2007.
Rogers and Lewis have both served as prior officers in the Texas chapter of the International Order of St. Hubertus, according to Texas business records. Rogers spoke to a Post reporter briefly on the phone and confirmed that he was at the ranch the weekend of Scalia’s death, He declined to comment further.
Lewis did not respond to several attempts for comment.
Members of the Order have gathered at Poindexter’s ranch at least twice before, and in 2011 new members from Houston were inducted in a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.
“There is nothing I can add to your observation that among my many guests at Cibolo Creek Ranch over the years some members of the International Order of St. Hubertus have been numbered,” Poindexter told the Post in an email. “I am aware of no connection between that organization and Justice Scalia.”
