The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-21
A woMAN,s ADVENTURE.
BlOod-Curdling Experience of a Female Who
Tried to Join Secret Society.

Baltimore Letter,
young lady of this city, who was certainly
born with more than the average share of fem
mime curiosity, has recently passed through a
rather peculiar experience in attempting to graf
ify her chief characteristic. Ever since she was
little child she has heen very DESTROYS to pene-
trate the tic womankind) impenetrable myster-
les of secret orders. She was exceedingly anx-
ious to know the great secret" of Masonry
Odd-fellowship, the Red Men, Knights of Pyth-
las and the thousand and one other secret socie-
ties which flourish extensively in this coun-
try. The young lady, whose name is withheld
for obvious reasons, by some ingenuity known
only to the female heart, arranged matters so
stat she was proposed and elected a member
under masculine name, of a well known secret
organization, the good brothers of which,
when they voted for her admission, thought
OF course, it was simon pure
him" and not a her" The night of the initia-
ton came last week, and the young lady in ques-
ton presented herself in male attire, with Short
curly hair. for the wonderful mysterious cere-
mony. She is an amateur actress, and imagined
she could successfully enact the role of the gen
teman for ''one night only" But, as the sequel
to this most extraordinary entertainment proves
she made great mistake, and was the heroine
of terrible error. But her adventures this
occasion can be best told in her words.
you will please understand, SIR" she eX-
claimed to your representative, with a sweet
smile which sureed through him from his top
knot to the toes of his CATERS 'in telling YOU
all about this I violate no oath. nor do I break
my word, but the name of the order in question
must remain secret. Only that and nothing
more. l am only obligated that far and
no further. Well, to begin, 1 must con
TESS when they left me alone in the
ante-room for while before the initiation be
gan, while lodge being opened, l did
feel little scary. But OH pshawl l said to
myself, | know look like man and can act
like a man for little while, and they can not
do anything to me even if they do discover am
a woman, and | know they will never discover
it. But all, my dear SIR" with another engag-
ing smile which took the soles off the shoes of
the interviewed. Il did not know what was COM
ing. did not know what that initiation really
was. Well pretty soon two men with black
masks on, and each with lighted wax candle in
his hand, came in this little ante-room and
asked me about one million questions, all of
which answered and one wrote down what
said in little red book he had. Then they
unceremoniously seized me by the arms, blind
folded my eyes with huge, black, dirty rag,
and them as l rightly judge each placed his
lighted candle in my hands, and again taking
hold of my arms they marched into the
big room. Just we got in there big organ
began to play dismal air, and, to tell you the
TRUTH began to feel awful uneasy. After 1
had been led blindfolded around this big room
bindfolded, remember pleGse-I honestly
couldn't see one wink, but then, you know, they
put on that dirty rag themselves, not me, or you
may be sure | would have left one little peep
| hoie-they halted me in front of something and
somebody. and that somebody said in an awful
graveyard kind OF a voice: is the candidate
ready and willing to endure the tortures neces-
sary to gain admittance into the sublime mystic
RES of our orderP Then one of nv conductors
Punched me and told me to cry out as loud as
could Yes which [ did Just then | heard some
one whisper near me, He's rather young. isn't
her After this the big organ hogan again, and
| they again began to march me around Really, my
arms ached, holding up these candles, but my
guides would not let me hold them low: and |
was really afraid too for fear they would set
| fire to my dress-no mean my pants Pretty
soon there came from the corners of the room
four voices, which said al at once. Has the can
ddate light with which to advanced? And they,
my guides, shrieked back He has-he has.
Let the chains be prepared and the candidate
| bound, some one then cried out from the same
place Then | heard great rafting of chains,
and some person seized me, and taking the can
dies out of my hands, bound them and my fig
ure with chains. | was dreadfully afraid they
would discover my sex. but they did not al
| though heard one of them whisper: He is a
right stout young fellow, aint hep Then I was
| led around some more times and then halted,
and suddenly the dirty black cloth was taken
from my yes. The first thing saw a grin
| ming nasty skeleton, who stood upright and
glared at me from black recess. Then L
discovered l was bound with chains, in
dimlyghted room, and surrounded
with number of black masked and
robed figures, while man stood beside me com
| petely enveloped in red and with huge knife
i'll one hand. He said: You see what will be
your fate if you violate the mighty obligation of
our secret order which you are about to take
did not say word, for l began to be really,
awfuy scared Then another man. also dressed
III red, came up with a sort of pot with blazing
fire in it and an iron sticking out Of it. And
then they all shrieked 'Unbind the candidate
and prepare him for the mystic brand before he
! is obligatedp Then they took off the chains and
quickly tore off my coat and vest and shirt be-
| fore could say word. and, while / screamed
one exclaimed: Great heavens, it is womanp
| Oh, there was an awful scene took place there.
| The lights went out, and one old man-at least
think he was old, but could not see his face
threw my shirt and coat over me, and
while cried and fought and screamed, they
scolded me terribly, and wanted to know why l.
woman, had tried to join their order; why 1
had tried to deceive them. tried, in my fright,
to pacify them and beg their forgiveness but
they would not listen to me. One or two of the
most eXcitable ones wanted to kill me on the
spot, but others said: No, no; cannot muir
der her. Some wanted me to at once take an
awful oath that I never would reveal what I that
night had seen, but several others said, No; no
woman could keep such VOW. Better let her
swear something she will keep So, at last, af-
ter about an hour of awful talking, they put q
Bible to my lips and made me swear to oath
They gave me copy in writing of what | re-
peated after them, so, as they said, l would not
forget what l swore to. Here is this wonderfully
important oath. r. do hereby. solemnly
swear in the presence of Almighty God. he being
my witness, that will never write, or verbally
or in any other possible way, reveal to any liv-
ing soul, as long as live. what order l. this -
night, was partially initiated in. l will never
give to any one either the name, title of the
lodge or order which this - night l have been
in, nor by any signs or hints reveal the same.
All of which l solemly swear, so help me God.
Now, woman, you have sworn to something
you can keep! Now get, and thank God you escaped
alive one of them savagely said; after I had
taken the above OATH Before 1 went, heard
one say to another one: No it won't do to make
her swear she will not tell of what she has seen
for she will, woman-like tell that to some one;
but if we only have her oath that she will not tell
the name of the order, we are safe, for there are
so many secret organizations, And if she swears
more then she will violate all her oaths, and the
whole thing will leak out and be fastened on our
order So they let me go with that Yes, ain
satisfied now in reference to secret societies.
don't want any more limitations But do Won