Smyrna times., 1869-01-13
FREEMASONIIY EXPOSED.
BY 4 VICTIM.

have joined the Masonic fraternity. l am
free and accepted son or brother or what
ever it is, Of that ancient and mysterious or
ganiZltiOn. | have belonged to many secret
societies i'll my time | have been an Orange
man, and Son Of Temperance, and a Fenian;
and if | remember Alright. | once belonged to
a gang of coinerS; but this Masonic arrange
ment, this institution Of the compass and
square, distances them all. [ must tell you of
the perls and trials | had to undergo to be-
come a Mason. On the evening in question
presented myself at the door of the lodge
room, No. 66, 600, sign Of the skull and cross
bones. l was conducted to an ante-room,
where five or six melancholy chaps in saShe'
and embroidered napkins were waiting to re-
ceive me. On my entrance they all got up and
turned back somersault, and then resumed
their seats. \ big fat fellow, who sat in the
middle seemed to be the proprietor, then said:
Sinner from the outer world, advance y
advanced. "Will you give up everything to
join us?"
Not if I know it" said: "there's my
wife and fourteen fine
Another party told me to say " Yes as it
was merely a matter of form. So [ said, ''G es,
| give up everything.
The fellows in the towels then groaned, and
said, lis wei" "Do you swear never tc
reveal anything you may see or hear this even
ing to any human being, nor your wife p
| said, Pom my word, will not. :"
They then examined my teeth and felt my
muscle, and made me put out my tongue, anC
then groancd again. | said:
4" If you don't feel we'll | have got littlt
bottle here that"
The fat man here took the bottle from me
and told me to shut up He then, in a voice
of thunder said
6 Bring forth the goat!'
Another fellow then came up with BIZ
cloth to bind me.
"No you don't Mr.. Mason" I said "n
tricks on travellers, if you please | don't be
Heve in playing blind mans buf with goat
I'll ride the devil, if you like, but | don't g
in blind. Stand back, or Iii knock you int
smithereens"
They were too much for me, however; so
had TO submit to be blindloded. The goat wa
then led in, and | could hear him making al
awful racket among the furniture. | began t
feel that | was urgently wanted at home bu
l was in for it and could not help myself. Thre
or four fellows then seized me- and with de
, moniacal laugh pitched me On the animal
, back, telling me at the same time to look ou
for squalls. [ have been in good man
3 scrapes; | have been in an election fight; "
I been pitched out Of a fOurstory window;
have gone down in a railroad collision, and u
in a steamboat explosion; but the little goa
E excursion vas ahead of all. The confOundet
: thing must have been all head and horns.
. bumped ME against the tables and chairs an
Q the stove and the ceiling but hung on lik
Q Trojan. l turned front somersaults, an
/: rolled until thought it was all over me.
o was just on the poir: of giving up when tn
: bandage fell from my eyes and the goat bour
ded through she window witk a yell like
Camanche Indian giving up the ghost. ] wa
o in lodge Of Masons. They were dancing
i l. II IL La,
+ frog and turning hand-springs, and the BIZ
e fat fellow of the ante room was standing on h
e head in the corner The chief engineer of tE
= establishment then put his thumb to his nosC
IS and stretching out his fingers in the shape of
fan towards me, commanded silence, The re