The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1859-12-16
Tittju at'rrkIp Tribune,
From the Z,ucNille Aufora
SONS OF MALTA.
Grand Disclosures Of the CcrCmonics
aud Mysteries of the Wonderful order.
Don nnd More rnn-..ernnd sclll

M New Orleans some three OF four years
ago. There are two accounts given of
It's origin. II is said, by one account, 20
have originated with the army or"NYnlk-
cr, the Fillihustcr," at the time that wor-
/ thy was preparing TO take Cuba. An
other account says it originated during
the ravagcs OF the yellow fever, aud was
intended TO divert the minds OF the fright
cnCd people, a. well as supply a fund for
charitable purposcs-such as buryiuu the
homeless dead, &c.
However Il may have originated, il is
not the order that outsiders take it tn be;
as We shall presently show.
One of the brethren, who has been
turned out of the important and secret Of
fee, the initials Of which are &c. r. J.
A. has taken uf6nsc at the order und
communicated & us the whole proceed
/ ings-pass-words,& sc.
When about to become a member of
the |. o. 5. NJ. Independent Order Sons
| Malta,) the candidate, or candidates, pre-
sents HIMSELF or themselves, in an outer
room, where he meets committee Of Of
hcers Of the lodge, who como 20 him, out
of the lodgc-room, with drawn swords in
their hands, and kind of three barred
sheet iron hats on, which hide their faces:
these officers put the test question 10 each
candidate; and any candidate who hesi-
tates or fnlters Is allowed 20 depart in
peace; those who remain pay s. each,
and the committee returns To the lodge
room TO report on the cases and have them
bnllotod for.
i The fund thus raised pay the rent of
the room, and the balance is expended i'm
charltiCs-thero are no other dues, for
reasons which will appear hoaral)cr.
Ater the candidates are hallotcd for
aud elected, the Grand Conductor goes
out to the anti-rOom and escorts the cam
d'dates TO the inside entrance door, whore
he pounds on the door with the hilt OF
his sword three times; the inside seminal
raises a little slide in the door; peeps out;
and the chief officer from the inside asks
q in loud voice.
What is the cause Of the huh-bubp
' The seminal answers: Strangers com.
ing in the campn
To which the Chief replies: Let 'eu
rip
) Here the door is unbnrrcd with n great
, clanking of chains and bolts, and the can.
, didatos arc admitted.
What a sight breaks upon the vision
The room is nearly dark, az il is onl,
lighted by lamp of alcohol, which sit,
upon a coffin in the middle of the room
and throws is blue Pickering light aroun,
upon the scene. And such a scene =
The members, dressed as our citizcni
have seen them upon the streets, are rang
ed around the room, thus: one lies upor
his back like a corpse, and another kneel,
down upon his knee beside him in the at.
titude Of a mourner. All is as still as
tomb around the room, except in the cen
ter whore the coffin lies upon the bier and
the pale lamp hickers upon the scene
Beside that coffin, which is covered with
a poll or black cloth, marches an old mar
who carries musket and bayonet upon
his shoulder an old man whose white
locks Of hair hang in weird and tangled
) masses about his neck; with his left hant
he snatchcs unmeRningly at his hair, unt
then mutters 10 himself us he turns upoi
his heelwith military precision and march
es back and forth, passing and re-pHs iinl
the black palled coffin and hckering light
At either end Of the coffin stands figure
draped in white from head 10 foot with
uplilted hands and upturned eyes, mutter
ing lips, from which no sounds issue, nnt
nothing of the face visible but the eyei
} and mouth. At one end of the room sit.
. . the Chief; blazing in red and gold colors
}. but motioness at the other end sits
skeleton with a gilded crown upon hil
headi with one bony hand pointing up
r ward, whlo with the other he clasps I,
his fleshless ribs the figure Of an infant
at either side Of the room sits the Crane
Chancellor and Recorder. Each and al
motionless as the coffin or the skeleton
Around this coffin the candidates marcel
in an oblong ring, passing farthcst from
g., the coffin and nearest 10 the members ant
: officers; thus leaving the old man room
II to pace to and fro, up and down the room
The Grand Conductor marches with drawn
sword at the head, and the Grand Sar
gent Of the sappers and miners marche
also with drawn sword at the tail Of tn
b line Of candidates for imitation. Thre
\ times round the line marches--twice Il
painful silence, through which nothing
heard but the clanking of sword scab
bards AZ they strike, at each step, the leg
Of the Conductor and Sargont--durin
the third round an organ or melodco
I strikes up low, wailing, trcmulous, wild
lie hollow tune, which is echoed back by tn
D. members in low death song, while tn
old man marches more rapidly aud NUT
ters louder and louder, until, as the can
3, didates finish the last round, the q C.
D., (ns the chef is callcd,) says in a dee
ID voice, Peace, venerable father! Lif
], Is made up Of sorrow, and tho world j
ripening for a sorrow greater than thine
Peacel Peace! Be still thou woundel
IL heart 2 To which all the members re
spond, Peacel Peaccl Be still' Thel
the music stops and the old man resume
h, his quiet march.
The candidates are now arranged arounl
the G. r., who questions them as TO thei
motives and intentions. IL the answer
are satisfactory Gas they always aro) tn
candidates are conducted 70 the chair O
the skeleton, where a person hidden be
hind the grim figure administers an obi
\ gaton TO each which binds him from hi
be cradle represented by the infant!) neye
y 70 diyulge what he may there see or Learn
20 After assuming the obligations the car
didates aro conducted back TO the G. c
through the same scene of silence an
H. soHow, who gives them some advice, afte
which they are conducted out to the ante
room. And this ends the first scene.
J. SCENE SECOND.
=. After the candidates 90 out and th
door is closed, the members in an instau
= spring TO their feet, light up the room
throw of their gowns, put away the coihr
&C., and prepare for fun. In the mea
r time the candidates are being blindfolde
., 80 that they can not sect IN this oonditio
a. they are conducted to the door again b
the same parties as beforei the door
again ripped upon, and, this time, the G