The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-03-24
COLLEGE FRATERNITY PINS.


some Curious Specimens That Find fhel'
Way 10 tho fswahrokers
IA. ,,r,rrirfpr Of A secondhand chop on
the Rowrrv whoae fad 70 g. 90 huy oil tbs
college fraternity pins the pawnhrokers
offer for sale. after showing a reporter a
numhe- 81 curious ones. took up badge
with poculinr Inscriptions aud held 20 mp.
ON tho back were the Initials +. X, W
ana the date A. ID. 1900. This is earlier
than any recognized college fraternity was
errsnired He knitted his brows, looked
at 40 curieusly and esia.
"There's one thst pleascs me. I've
heard Of a very secret society ina some OF
the southern colleges. No one even knows
the name Of 10, and the mem hers wear
their pins In sight only one day OF the
year They say it's very old, and every
thing about &c Is on the dead q. {. Nheth-
or rs coin now ] don 9 know. I've heard
Il died out, and then again / heard there
was a chapter nc Princeton and another
ia a Virginia college. Some time when
get richer I'm so down TO the University
OF Virginia and see II can q ger line ON
g. Most likely n get my face broke Tor
pokinr my nose into other peoples bufi-
ness. By the way. that pin amt there 20
sell as much as 50 is for bait. want
somebody to come after IL. and then may
be can find out things Only one fellow
ever came for 10 yet in the two years I've
had &C. lie was mug. lie crme in and
poked his face round for awhile. Then no
says;
'.'What d'y' want fer tn pin with tn
dinky drinks ON itf'
Twenty dollars, / said TO phase
him. and 10 did the trick.
'Hully gee. he said. His nibhe would
stand that. don't { ink.
Who're you gettin IL forf' l asked
him, but he said IL was none of my ID
business and did a sneak. l followed him
around the corner and saw him talkin 20
D military lookin old man. When they
spotted me, they slid That's the last
oiIer / had for &C. one Of these days III
get there though.
"IIerr's a couple OF pins I'm keepin, "
be continued, opening a drawer and tax
ing out a Delta Epsilon badge and Chi
Psi badge. That means the lowest step
In the life Of two pretty smart men. One
of 'cm was a Hamilton college man and
the other. ] think. went 70 Williams They
got mp against the horses and pawned ev-
erything 20 get the stuff 10 bet. These
badges were the last things they pawned,
and with that they hit winner. That
gave EN- enough for "A start. and they put
M faro bank for the BOwery, not far
from here. aud were pilin up the rocks
when they got a tip and dew the COOP just
in time 10 escape a police raid l got hold
Of the badges. and I'm freezin 10 them as
an Investment One day those fellows
will make their pile, and then they'll come
back and pay anything | ask EN- for them
pins
"HGve you got any more curiosities in
this line besides the southern hadgef' III
quired the reporter.
Il did have one that I wouldn't have
taken SOC FOR. but 1 lost it. l never could
understand what became Of il, but l sus
pected two nice loolin young chaps, who
came in here one day to look At badges, OF
liftin il, for ! missed 10 a little after they
went. Anyway it was a corker. IL was
q combined Psi L and Alpha Delt pin,
made very small, and set with emeralds
and ruhies. The Alpha Delft star and cres-
cent cut right into the Psi U diamond,
the star setting IN the diamond. IL was
very small. and a beautiful piece Of work.
My theory of II was that probably two col
lege boys, Psi L and an Alpha Delt, got
stuck on the same girl, and she wouldn't
wear the pin Of either Of EN-, not wantin
20 show favor, so they had a combination
pin made. That's the only theory / can
think Of Anyway l wouldn't have lost
It for good deal, for III bet it is the only
combination fraternity pin ever made. -
New York sun.