The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-10-31
THE ALLIANCE.
THE SECRET OF THE ORGANIZATION
REVEALED. ~

XIV 6ALtU. fr..
One Who has Ridden the Goat Gives an
Amusing Account of How Members are
Inducted into the Mystic Order.
Ever since the Farmers Alliance
movement was inaugurated, the unini
tiated and ineligible public has been
racked with curiosity to learn the Sc
crets of the order and their mode of
breaking in new members. Somehow
our Alliance friends have guarded
their secrets with unusual vigilance,
but it is left to the Star to tear away
the veil of mystery that has surround
ed this high and noble order, and lay
before our inquisitive readers inforna
tion never before published in any
other newspaper. We have for
months kept our best reporters on the
alert, and employed the most expe.
rienced interviewers to unfathom the
secrets of the Alliance, without avail,
until last week, when, by chance, the
Star euitor discovered fhe carefully
guarded secret.
1t was our good fortune, during a
recent trip to Oglethorge county, to
spend, near the hospitable village of
Crawford. night with friend who
had just gone through the trying or
deal that separates the outside world
from the Farmers Alliance. The
friend, whom we shall designate as
McKeever, we found the most bat
tered wreck of humanity we have ever
met, while his usually handsome face
wore an abject look Of terror, misery
and despair. We found McKeever in
sad need of sympathy. and by pour
ing few viaIs of pity and consolation
on his head, succeeded in extracting
from him the following history of his
woes-but after we had applied the
cork-screw of professional interview
er, and sworn, on pile ofpatent Of
flee reports as high as our head, that
we would never divulge the informa-
tion that he gave US. rs
You see before you, explained Nc
Keever, a newly-made, but only half
fedged Farmers AIlianceman. You
know that during my checkered ca
reer have been regular jiner, and
eagerly went into every secret organ
ization that came along. 1 have rid
den the Masonic goat, climed the
creased pole of the Odd Fellows, been
thrown down the Knights Of Honor
stairsteps and fell sprawling over the
fences built in my path by the Gran
gers, and actually took a drink of
water when joined the Good Tenn
plars but these initiating programmes
were as downy beds of ease compared
with trying ordeal through which 1
passed yesterday at the hands Of the
Farmers Alliance. 1 had formed an
idea that as soon as 1 joined the AL
lance the mortgage against my farm,
stock and crop would moulder into
ashes, while that old long standing
store account would disappear from
the face of the books; that l would
have the privilege of fixing my own
prices on goods, and force the mer-
chant to pay twenty cents pound for
cotton. So l made up my mind to
join the Alliance, and yesterday,
donning my Sunday go to-meeting
clothes, repaired to the school house,
where the order met, and sent ip my
application by neighbor who was a
charter member. In due season the
glad tidings were conveyed to me that
| had been ballotted for and accepted,
and boiling over with eager gratifica-
ton, followed my conductor into
the wood-room adjoining the main
building. Here my guard made our
presence known by picking up a sec
tion of fence rail and rapping three
times on the door. This gentle sig.
nal was answered by three raps from
within and the query:
"Whom cones there ?" u u Il u
| ga horny-handed son Of toll, crop.
ing in the, darkness, and anxious te
have thei light of the Alliance shed
upon him." replied my guide.
Break down the barricade thai
stands between a Brother Farmer and
light, and admit the applicant,
spoke sonorous voice from within
just at this instant the old door
which had been moved from it
hinges, was kicked over, and striking
me on the top of my head, raised thil
lump you see here. thought it wal
an accident at that time, aud so mad.
up my mind to grin and bear the pain
| Two stout men stepped forth ant
violently seizing me BY the arm,
was carried into the middle Of tn,
main room. / saw that the hous
was pretty we'll filed with specta
tors. Sitting ON top of q cotton bal
was the Grand Mogul of the order, a
| l afterwards learned. On his right
section of rail fenoe had, been bull
and astride OF this was another officer
On his left sat a third official with
pile OF guano sacks under him, whic
I believe was the Grand Secretary.
noticed that all the officers and thei
assistants were in their shirt sleeve
and wore jeans pants held up by on
suspender each. These parties, / Il
terwards discovered, represented th
present poverty -strick en- condition /,
the farmers. In one corner stood 81
men, arrayed in their best stoI
clothes and plug hats, and each had
feather pillow rammed into his pam
to represent high living, who were |
act rs merchants. I had scarcel
time to take q hasty glance around r
room when fellow stepped up an
dashed about pint Of guano into. n
face, and before, had time 70 Vii
my eyes or spit out the stuff, my sigl
was obecured by an old gnan0 sack
that didn't smell by any means Ill