Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-01-29

fiery metal; nearer alSl nearer IL came.
The terrible voice whispered: Brand
him on the neck A horrible bolt OF
pain flashed down my spinal column, ac.
companied by the sound and actual
smell of sizzling flesh
"With q yell that no stole could have
repressed, / leaped from the plank and
stood in the full glare of many lighted
lamps, with the society members dane.
ing around me in hilarious glee. The
branding? Well, they used a piece OF
ice, which gives much tho same sensa.
tion as hot iron, while a fine beefsteak
was actually branded, furnishing my
sensations of sound and SMELL"
| Another case was that of n pleasanter
nature The neophyte was carried
blindfolded through great number OF
Boston's crazy streets until he was thor
oughly mystified. Then he was taken
to the highest gallery of a brilliantly
| lighted theater, and made to lean over
| the rail, when the blindfold was sudden
| ly whisked off. The sensation of that
moment, the student afterward said,
finding himself in the glare of the
lights, and looking far down into the
| indescribable.
With the gradual undermining of
| things at Harvard has come the new
| system of inflicting torment upon candi-
| dates who apply for admission into the
secret societies-or into the secret So
| clety, to be more accurate, for the d. X.
E., or "Dicliey," is the only one that
makes it's new members suffer to any
extent. Instead of terrorism in semi
privacy has come exposure to ridicule in
full publicity-a much worse thing for
the thin-skinned student to bear.
The favorite mode of torment seems
to be to make n man go out and sell
something, or perform some manual
labor in the street. Not long ago stu
dent, who was much in love with pretty
Cambridge girl, was compelled to go to
the house of her parents with a He
brew peddler's pack on his shoulders and
endeavor to sell the members of the
family the cheap handkerchiefs and afro
cious brass iewelry with which he was
loaded down.
The match was not broken off, but
there was great coldness in that house
until the point of the visit was explain
ed. Another rich and dudish young fell
low was ordered into ditch that some
Italians were digging in the main
street of Cambridge, and into it he went
with pick and shovel, and clad in dress
suit which was made part of the COM
mand Rubber boots, an ulster and a
fur cap are frequently ordered on a
victim, in the hottest days of term time,
and must be seen on him whenever he
appears outside his room. But very fire.
quently Boston is made the
exploiting place of some brill
liant piece of tomfoolery, and
then the initiate is bound to make a
sensation, whether he will or no. Not
many weeks ago an MISUNDERSTANDING
fellow dressed in the height of fashion,
was seen on Washington street, indus
triously grinding out "White Wings
from big hand organ, while discon-
tented monkey was tugging at the chain
which bound him to his new and unloved
master. Each looked as miserable as the
other.
All Amherst society rigs up very
realistic Hades for the entertainment of
the candidates. and if his nerves are not
pretty strong his hair is apt to rise. His
Satanic majesty is remarkably true to
tradition, the society having gone to the
brightest red, including the cloven
hoof and g very well-developed forked
tail.
In one society at Union College the
neophyte is led through small brook,
but as he is allowed to change his shoes
after the ceremony it doesn't hurt him
any. AT one of the large colleges few
years ago the guides lost their way.
walked the freshman off a precipice, and
he was kill by the fall.
In one of the societies at another col
lege the victim is led into the big hall
blindfolded, and goes through the mo-
tions of not being afraid. The room is
perfectly dark, so that he could not see
any thing even if the bandages were re-
moved. Here he is taken by two strong
men and put into regulation graveyard
coffin, with holes bored in the lid so he
will not sutfocate, and the lid is screwed
down tight. The building has shaft
to the cellar, and the coffin, with the
victim in it, is slowly lowered. 1t is a
truly horrible experience and several
young men with rather shaky nerves
have tainted during the ceremony. In
the cellar, which is fitted up with all
sorts of ghostly appliances, the coffin is
put on an altar of logs such as is sup
posed to have been built in olden times
for Isaac's benefit.
The cover is removed, and the bandage
loosened, so that it can be easily re-
moved. There is horrible groaning
and clanking of chains, and suddenly
the altar, which has been saturated
with harmless chemicals, blazes up, and
the bandage is removed from the neo-
phyte's eyes. AS he raises himself in
his coftin-provided he has nerve enough
left-he sees about the room two or
three skeletons, which have been rub
bed with phosphorus and glow vividly
T. -