The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1859-12-15

FUN AND MORE FuN--GRAND SELL.
In almost every town and city in thi Is
country, there is lodge Of the Sous o.
Malta. This mysterious order took il.
rise in New Orleans some three or four
year ago. There are two accounts Civ
en- Of its origin. 1t is said. by one &C
count, TO have originated with the army
OF Walker, the Fllhuster, at the time
that worthy was preparing 10 take Cuba
Another account says it originated during
the ravages OF the yellow fever, and was
intended to divert the minds of the frigh.
tened people, as well as TO supply fund
for charitable purposes-such as burying
The homeless dead, &c.
However it may have originated. il is
not the order that outsiders take it to be :;
as we shall presently show.
One Of the brethren, who has been turn
ed out Of the important and secret office,
the initials Of which are "G. r. j. A."
has taken offence at the order, and com.
municated to us the whole proceeding
pass words, gripes, signs, &c.
When about to become member Of
the |. o. 8. M. independent Order Sons
Mslta) the candidate or candidates pre-.
sents himself or themselves in an order
room, where he meets a committee OF
officers Of the lodge who come to him out
Of the lodge room, with drawn swords in
their hands, with kind Of three barred
sheet.iron hats on, which hide their faces;
officers put tho test questions to each
candidate; and any candidate who hesi-
tates or falters, is allowed to depart in
peace; those who remain pay i've dollars
each, and the committee returns to the
lodge-room to report on the cases, and
have them ba,loted for
The fund thus raised pays the rent
Of the room, and the balance is expend.
cd in oharitios--there are no other dues,
for reasons which will appear hereafter.
After the candidates are balIoted for
and elected, the Grand Conductor goes
out to the ante-room and escorts the can
didates to the inside entrance door, where
he pounds on the door with the hilt Of
his sword three times--the inside sent-
mel raises little slide in the door, peeps
out; and the chief officer from the inside
asks ia low voice:
"What is the cause Of the hub. .bub?"
The sentinel answers: Strangers com
ing into camp!"
TO whom the chief replies, "Let 'em
rip"
Here the door is unbsrred with great
clanking Of chains and bolts, and the can
didates are admitted.
What a sight breaks upon their vision
The room is nearly dark, as it is only
lighted by lamp Of alcohol which sits
upon coffin in the middle of the room
and throws It's blue, Pickering light
around the scene. And such a scene!--
The members, dressed as our citizens
have seen them upon the street. are rang.
ed around the room thus: one lies upon
his back like a corpse, another kneels
down upon his knee beside him in tho
attitude of mourner. All is still as a
tomb around the room, except in the CEN
tire, where the coffin lies upon the bier
and the pale lamp flickers upon the scene.
Beside that coffin, which is covered with
pail or black cloth, marches an old man
who carries musket and bayonet upon
bis shoulders-an old man whose white
locks Of hair hang in weird and tangled
masses about his neck--with his left hand
be snatches unmeaningly at his hair, and
then mutters to himself as he turns upon
his heel with military precision and mar
ches back and forth, passing and repass-
ing the black palled coffin and Pickering
light. At either end Of the coffin stands
. figure draped in white from head to
foot, with uplifted hands and upturned
eyss muttering lips from which no sounds
issue, and nothing Of the face visible but
the eyes and mouth. At one end Of the
room sits the Chief--blasing in red and
gold colors, but motionless the other
end sits skeleton with gilded crown
upon his head; with one bony hard poin-
ing upward, while with the other he
clasps to his feshless ribs the figure Of an