The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-12-08
A SECRET SOCIETY.
IPeck,s Sun.I


 belongs to makes him feel pretty big There is sort of protection that he feels, that is lndescribable, and until the society fails ,o do something that is down in the ritual the man has great faith in it, but when 1t fails. il breaks him up. The writer remembers the first experience m secret societies as though the initiation were but yesterday, and yet il was almost thirty years ago. Twelve boys. a, Whitewater, banded themselves together for mutual protection. The society was organized a few days after the bloody fight between the canvassmen of North's circus and body of Irish railroad hands. and it was believed il would fill a want long felt. The boys had seen men knocked silly with tent stakes and long handled spades, and blood seemed 10 fill the air, and a meet ing was called in Senten's barn to organ ite this society for mutual protection. A bloody oath was taken, binding each member to rush to the rescue of any member. on hearing the grand haiIing sign of distress. Each member provided himself with dog whistle. and the sign of distress was to blow three long blasts on the whistle, when any member of the society. hearing 1t, was Tn duty bound to rush headlong ,o the fray. The whistle was to be carried constantly by each member. but never to be used except in case of danger. After the society was duly formed, the members seemed to put on bolder front, and to stand around waiting for somebody to hit them in the car, but nobody had the luck to get into row to test the efficacy of the protection. One Sunday morning, as people were wenelng their way to the different churches, which were all on one street, a long, shrill whistle was heard down towards town, and the boys, who were mostly with their parents on the way to church, heard il, and thrill went through each member of the society, and the boys listened for the second long blast, which soon came. Fiery boy was ready to run Il ,he whistle blew again. Presently a third blast was heard, and dozen boys, dressed in Sunday clothes, broke from the ranks of the church goers and went down the alley in front of The Congregational church in a Stampede. The good people looked on in amazement. Were the boys cray: Nothing like il had ever been seen before in the town. As tine boys ran down the alley towards the poin, of danger, they pulled of their coats to be ready for scene of blood. Hank Hurl- but, the president oi the society, who was the leader, ran oyer COW that was lying down in the alley chewing her cud. and rolled about twenty feet in the dirt, run- ing his Sunday clothes, and Neal Gra- hams dog caught Gus. Scoville by the elbow of the pants and shook Gus. until he could see stars, while George Clark yelled for the boys 10 hurry to the rescue, so loud that he scared Brady's horse. which was being hi,ched up in the alley. until it ran away and tore down an awning in front oi store. The church people went on their way 10 the various churches, the parents of the boys resolved to pun lsh them for their actions. The society arrived at the back of Jim Worms house, where the grand haiiing sign of distress come from, and found linn feeding his setter dogs in the back yard. He had called the dogs by blowing his dog whistle. totally unconscious that he had blown blast tha; was the rallying c:y of OUT society. As the dozen boys climbed u,o on inns fence and looked over 10 ind where the row was. Jim said. in his in- lmitable manner, vat de hell you boys doing in the alley: Get away from dere or set de dog on you." The boys re- turned. some to church and others home. and hat day nine members of the society go, taken acrossshe knees of their parents, but none of them would beiray the secret, and tell the parents what caused the stampede. For months nothing occurred to call ou, the protectors, bu, one day Lew Sentenn, one Of the members. go, into a nght with Alverson, and while ew was blowing his whistle for help. Aver son gave him black eye and kcked couple ot hls pants. and at the nex, meet ing of the society Lew entered com plaint tha, the grand hail,ng sign ot dis .,ress was fraud. No one believed t was fraud. but Lew. until l ics days after. three Q! the members were on back street. and |, was decided 70 blow the signal O. distress. and see i: the boys would hear t and rally. Three blasts were blown, and the blowers waited 10 see the rescuers rally from every quarter. bu; they did no, rally. They biowed the whistle halt the afternoon. bu, no one came. and al the next meeting II was voted 10 disband the society. In think ing i, over row, and remembering the confidence we all had in the protection that would be offered by the society in case of emergency, we came, help shud- dering at the thought that blood might have run in rivers. in the streets of White water, If there had occurred TOW when the boys were in hearing distance oi the dog whistles. But, thank heaven. that blood thirsty society never was called into action.