The similarities of the San Saba Mob to a lodge are frightening. Each organization appealed to good men and met monthly. They both had rituals, signs, passwords, oaths and a penalty for violating their oaths. The similarities stopped there as this "dark Lodge" was strictly operative and not speculative. The penalty for talking was death and was applied to members and non members alike. The sign of a Mob killing was an assassination with nine bullet holes expertly placed in the victim. This penalty was more likely than not carried out about two-hundred times from 1868 – 1896. It is difficult to comprehend today, but many good, upstanding, church going men belonged to this dark brotherhood. Ranchers, farmers, ministers, deacons, sheriff’s, teachers and other public officials all fell into this mysterious organization of secret assassins. The citizens’ became so terrorized that even normal conversations with ones neighbor became too dangerous. Because of the ultra-secretness of the San Saba Mob, each man might or might not be considered a member. Therefore, people were careful not to offend anyone nor venture too far from home.

Eventually this behavior spilled over into the lodge. Instead of peace and harmony and a place for Masons to meet and work, it became a place of suspicious men unable to trust each other as brothers should. The lodge never had a large membership; eighty-one members were reported in 1874 and by 1882, it had declined to only forty-four. Unfortunately history bears out that many members of the lodge belonged to the Mob, as was the perception at the time. On 19 September 1882, the lodge unanimously adopted a resolution to surrender its charter to the Grand Lodge of Texas. Considering the challenges and problems throughout its history, it is commendable that San Saba Lodge No. 225 lasted as long as it did. Its greatest achievement was no doubt the establishment of San Saba Masonic College, bringing public school education to San Saba.