Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1860-01-18
SCENE SECOND.

After the candidates 60 out and the door
is closed, the members in an instant spring to
their feet. light up the room, throw off their
gowns, put away the coffin, &C., and prepaE
for fun. In the meantime the candidates are
being blindfolded SO that they cannot see "a
this condition they are conducted to the door
again by the same parties as before the door
is again raped upon, and this time q. G.
! says in loud voice:
! What is it makes the alarm I?
To which the Sentinel replies:
Friends! who will do US no harmv
To which G C. answers:
Bid them, Beware! Beware!
| And welcome to enter here!'
To which all the members respond, 'Wel-
como to enter hereI
The candidates are then led in, in single
| file, each holding to the coat-tail of the other
! La total darkness they are thus marched about
the room several times while the room is
lighted brilliantly. All is now silence and
| grins-except on the part of the candidates,
| who are sternly commanded to indulge in No
! Levity.' They are brought to the chair of
! the Grand Commander, where they are asked
| all manner of questions. touching their fitness
| to bear arms, to swim, to march, as to the
| condition of their health, their teeth, &C.,
| &c.-as to their moral character-whether
4 tuey are Ut nave Dceu iuteHlpeTaIe-Nnelucr
| they have overstepped the bounds of chastity
and so on. In order to 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 them
selves in honor bound to speak 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 q
G.. says 'tlet it be recorded ;" and the recor-
der sings out in a low, hollow tone, as ne
writes it down in a great book: 1t has seen
so recorded NorE.-The records in that
book must be Interestingly
During these questions the candidates are
tried, to test their ability to swim, to sing, to
play the drum vr .instruments-and it must
be amusing to see staid, sober citizens lying
down face foremost upon the floor and :'stri-
king OUT as if Swimming for dear life from
Florida to Cuba. well as going through
other tests of similar RIDICULOUS character
Bat then, each man thinks, we suppose.
that he must do as all good :'Sons of Malta
have done before him and therefore goes the
whole figure.
After enough of the above questions are
asked and answered, the candidates take an
other solemn obligation having reference to
the conquest of Cuba, which is administered
to them in their blind state, while each places
his hand upon 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 a
rapid decline
|, After this the candidates are told that they |
must retire for moment and prepare to 90 |
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 OF |
time, still blindfolded Each candidate is
brought in, rapidly marched around the room
double quick time between two guards and |
Is then made to run up steeply inclined lad !
der composed of rollers, which are set toge-
ther, and vhich turn under his feet at every
step, and make his legs fly past each other
ike spokes of runaway bugGy-when he
gets to the top OF this ladder he lands upon
platform, where stands two more guards, who
turn him about and tell him to set down he
sits down, and they give him shove down
the ladder, over the rollers Without any
sled, he rides this way to the bottom of the
ladder, where he strikes springing board,
just as it is jerked up by two stout men,
which sends him with bound up towards
the ceiling of the room-as he comes down.
be is caught upon the board in sttin pos
ture-one of his legs is then pulled about so i
that he is astride of the board aud in this
condition be is carried around the room ir a
procession of the members, while drums and
gongs are being beaten in most furious man ].
ner
By this time the candidate, blind as he is
begins to see through the matter, and gets
scared or riled according to the state of his
feelings, but it Is too late to stop. II
After taking him around Fon the room on |
The board, the O.. G. says, ''let the cavern
be opened and that moment the board is !
lowered at one end and hoisted at the other. {
and the candidate slides down to the mouth I
of large sheet-iron cylinder-somethine
similar to the smoke-stack of steamboat G
and as he slides down, rough voice whis
pers in his ear 'scrawl for your life"-fotlow $
ing this advice he crawls through the thing. | t
while all hands are pounding on the outside o
ofit 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 r
stand up straight, and divest himself of all
natter tina. will spoil by coming in contact '
With uater. While he is being thus prepar-
ID for the water, the members have got rea-
ly large canvas sheet with rope all around n
t; this is placed behind him. and held out
tretched by as many as can get hold of the c
opes; as soon as all is ready, the candidate
S thrown from the platform back upon this la
heet, and away he goas-up and down-no