Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-04-24


yelled horrors that darkened the cere.
monials of the Masonic brotherhood.
The House was packed with Masons and
anti-Masons, and among the former was
a well known Mason, master of lodge
in the State, who had been summoned to
Harrisburg, in relation to the matter then
about to be investigated in all its details,
and him Thad., as grand inquisitor, pro-
posed to examine first.
When all was in readiness the self
constituted champion of the anti-masons
commenced his interrogations thus -
"Are you a mason 2" II am sir"
do you belong to lodge in this State?"
81 do, SIR" "What position do youhold
in the lodge?" "The position of master"
"What are the initial proceedings con
sequent upon the meeting of lpdge?"
''The lodge is opened with prayer ~
"Well, go on, and state what follows ?"
II am waiting for your questions" :" ,
"Well, what are the ceremonies incident
to the admission of member?" ''He is
ballcted for, and if no votes be cast
against him is admitted a member of the
/ order" What then? Please state the
subsequent proceedings. What follows
next?'' @ E
"Mr. Stevens" said the witness, with
mischievous twinkle in his eye, '.if. on
the = of -, 18-, you had been
found worthy, you would have become
member of the - Lodge in -, and
would have been initiated in all the Sc
crects and mysteries connected with the
order, and would have possessed a
knowledge that, except he becomes
member, no man ever will possess" The
witness sat down. Stevens was thrown
completely back upon his launches by
this unexpected thunderbolt coming from
serene sky, and paralyzed from the
effects of the blow, stupified with aston
ishment, he ignominiously wilted. The
fact was, he had some years previ-
ously been proposed for member
ship in one of the lodges of
the State of Pennsylvania. but
was black balled," which "little cir
cumstance he supposed forgotten. The
reminder, hurled at him at this partic-
ular juncture, knocked him completely
off his pins. There was universal buzz
of satisfaction from the large number of
Masons in the house as the point blank
shot of the brother went so true to its
aim, and amid the commotion consequent
from the mark being so sosquarely hit, the
further examination of Masonic witness
es was postponed until the next day.
1t is needless to say this was the end of
the matter. The whole thing, as far as
legislative interference was concerned,
was very wisely dropped.
1t was during this session that Thad
Stevens introduced a bill providing for
the building by the State of railroad
from Harrisburg to Gettysburg, in which
place Thad had large iron interests
The project originated with him, and no
one person, other than he, would have
been so greatly benefited by the build
ing of said road. By reason of its mnl
tifarious windings around and about the
mountains, the road exceeded about five
times the distance in bee line between
the two places, and on account of its
length and crookedness was christened
by its opponents ''Thad Stevens Tape
worm" Maps of the contemplated
road in all the beauty of its winding
way were circulated throughout the
State with the euphonious and elegant
title of "Thad Stevens Tapeworm'' at
tached.
As the road was to be built by the State
and as Thad. would not be necessita-
ted thereby to the taking of any stock,
he worked hard for it and succeeded in
getting it through, and in due time it
was commenced; but the next Legisla-
ture, composed that year largely of Ma
sons, repealed the act'of the anti Mason
ic body, and the road which would have
proved miserable failure, as far as prof
it or benefit to the public were concern
ed, was never built.
There are many men in Pennsylvania
and some in this city who we'll remem-
Der "Thad. Stevens Tapeworm," the
Masonic investigation which he headed.
and the point blank shot that laid him
low in that encounter.