Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-01-26
"Friendsl who will dono harm"
To which the G.. C. answers:
"Bid them beware


In total blindness they are thus marched
about the room several times, while the
room is lighted brilliantly. All is now 81
lence and grins, accept on the part of the
candidates, who are sternly commanded tt
indulge in mo levity.' They are brought
to the chair of the Grand Commander
where they are asked all manner of cues
t1ons touching their fitness to bear arms, tt
swim, to march; as to the condition of theil
health, teeth, &c. &c.,-as to their mora
haracter-whether they have been intem
perate-whether they have overstepped the
bounds of chastity, and so on. In order te
get this information, one of the previously
initiated heads the line and stammers out
answers to the questions, gradually and
painfully making himself out mighty bad
fellow. The others, who are blinded and
cannot see, of course, hold themselves in
honor bound to speak out the whole truth
in such solemn place as they imagine this
still to be-as they cannot see how the
scene has changed. At each answer the
G. c. says, Let it be recorded, and the
recorder sings out in low, hollow tone, as
he writes it down in a great book, 1T has
been so recorded [Note.-The records
in the book must be interesting.]
During these questions the candidates
are tried to test their ability to swim, tc
play the drum or instruments it mus,
be amusing to see staid, sober citizens ly
ing down face foremost on the floor and
striking out as if swimming for dear life
from Florida to Cuba, as we'll as going
through other tests of a similar ridiculous
character. But then, each man thinks, We
suppose, that he must do as all good 'Sous
of Malta have done before him, and there
fore he goes the whole figure.
After enough of the above questions are
asked and answered, the candidates take
another solemn obligation having reference
to the conquest of Cuba, which is admins
tered to them in their blind state, while
each places his hand upon a big book, which
is always carried in procession, and which
contains nothing but the pictures of two
jackasses, one in the prime of life, and the
other in rapid decline.
After this the candidates are told that
they must retire for a moment and prepare
to go through trying ordeal, which will
severely test their nerves and manhood.
They retire, and so ends scene second.
SCENE THIRD.
The candidates are now brought in one
at time, still blipd-folded. Each candi-
date is brought in, rapidly marched around
the room, double quick time, between two
guards, and is then made to run up steep
ly inclined ladder, composed of rollers,
which are set close together, and which
turn under his feet at every step, and make
his legs fly past each other like the spokes
Of runaway buggy; when he gets to the
top of the ladder he lands upon platform,
where stand two more guards, who turn
him abont and tell him to sit down; he sits
down, and they give him shove down the
ladder over the rollers.
Withou. any sled, ne rides this way to
the bottom Of the ladder, where be strikes
4 srringing board, inst as it is jerked up by
;wo stout men, which sends him with a
. bound up toward the ceiling of the room !;
is he comes down he is caught upon the
board in sitting posture one of his legs
S then pulled about, so that he is astride
If the board, and in this condition be is
carried around tberoou in procession of the
members, while drums and gongs are being
beaten in most furious manner.
BY this time the candidate. blind as he
S, begins to see through the matter, and
gets scared or riled, according to the state
If his feelings; but it IS too late to stop.
After taking lin around the room on
he board, the G. G. says, Let the cavern
be opened and at that moment the board
IS lowered at one end and hoisted at the
other, and the candidate slides down to
the mouth of large sheet iron cylinder
similar to the smoke stack Of
a steamboat-and as he slides down, rough
voice whispers in his ear, Crawl for your
iife'-followipg this advice he crawls
through the thing, while all hands are
pounding on the outside of it with sticks
just as he comes out he is taken, again, up
the steep ladder of rollers to the platform at
the top. He is now told..to stand up straight
aud divest himself of all matter that will
spoil by coming in contact with water.
While he is being thus prepared for the
water, the members have got ready q large
canvas sheet with rope all around it; this is
placed behind him, and held out-stretched
by as many as can get hold of the ropes.-
As soon as all is ready, the candidate is
thrown from the platform back upon this
sheet, and away he goes-up and down -
no sooner down than up again-like Sancho
Papza tossed in hlanket-until the men,
bers get tired of tossing him, at which time
be is let down upon mattrass; from
which he is lifted back upon the platform,
where he is set upon the top roller, with his
feet directed toward the bottom, an UNI
brella without any covering, is then hoisted
and given to him in his left hand, while in
his right hand is placed COW bell; he is
told to hold up the umbrella and ring the
bell, and thus sails down over the rollers
into tub full of wet sponges, at the bot
tom. Here the blinds are taken from his
eyes, and he beholds himself surrounded by
about fifty persons in their shirt sleeves, all
laughing at him.
At first the candidate is astonished, then
he gets angry, and finally he laughs with
the rest, and becomes Jealous mcnber of