The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-11-20
KILLED BY ELKS' RITES.
Something More About the Death
Of E. w. Curry.
EXACT FACTS NOT OBTAINABLE.

~ Appchrs. however, inat M tne initla'
tion of the Chairman of the iowa Dem
ocratic Committee into the Order of Elks
Either Electricity or Gas Was Used ON
an Iron Bottom Chair TO Burn Him
Fatal End of the Joke.
Des Moines. Ia. Nov. POE W. Cur
ry. who died here Wednesday OF blood
poisoning. came 10 Des Moines early in
the late campaign to take charge of the
Democratic end of II. together with
Judge Carr of Manchester. who was
secretary OF the state Democratic COM
mittee. He soon became acquainted
with a number of the good fellows who
are prominent In. the Des Moines order
of the Elks. and he decided to become
a member of that order. 1T Is impossi-
BILE to get at the exact facts. as the
secrecy. But At seems that Curry was
seated IN chair which had a device
attached for heating II from the bot
tom. giving the applicant a roasting.
literally. One report is that the chair
is supplied with electrical fixtures and
that a current of the fluid was sent
through him. The object was TO fright
en- him and make him jump out of the
seat. for the amusement of those pres
ent.
He Would Not Jump.
But Curry did not jump so the man
at the supply turned on more fluid.
Still the man sat still. Amid the laugh
Ing and screaming another supply was
turned on. and kept on until smoke es-
capped from the body of the man. and
then his friends rushed forward and
pulled him from the chair. He was ta-
ken to the Savery House and medical
help summoned. 1t was thought that
his injuries were not serious. nothing
more than a burn of a severe kind.
Curry himself took that view of IL and
warned his wife. who was with him at
the hotel, TO keep the lodge matter Sc
cret. The matter was kept secret at
Mr.. Curry's own request. and he pre-
vailed upon his wife to make no
trouble. But Curry did not get well.
He got worse. compelling his withdraw
al from the campaign. some three
weeks before election. His wife and
her sister attended him constantly.
Eiks Were solicitous.
The members of the Elks did every
thing they could to undo their practical
Joke They have watched and relieved
him, and at a meeting of the order
Wednesday committees were appointed
to take charge of the funeral and to
pay all expenses Of his sickness and
burial. amounting to $500. Curry him
self cherished no grudge against the
n
was brought to see that the matter was
wholly accidental. request for the
exact facts Of the matter was made OF
several members of the order, but the
feplies were unsatisfactory. A promi-
nent member said:
"Of course we cannot divulge the Sc
crets of the lodge room. / see II has
gotten out. however. and I Will say
this much: Mr.. Curry was initiated
and there was an accident during the
initiation. and from that accident his
Illness resulted. and from that Illness
he died. But Mr.. Curry's constitution
am told. was considerably impaired
and because of that he failed to recov-
er from the injuries which were pure
~ accidental and which might have no,
been serious to an ordinary man."
Gas Jet Used.
BY another man, one close to the
! Elks of Des Moines. II was stated that
no electricity was used.
1T was not electricity. he said. "bui
1t was something just as bad and hot
| ter. 1t was a gas jet"
This man claimed that in many OF
all Elks lodges they have an iron bot.
| toned chair. sheet-iron. on which the
man to be initiated is seated. In Cur
RVS case a gas jet was applied to the
| bottom. Ninety-nine men out of a
| hundred Jump out of the chair the mo-
ment the heat affects them enough 10
realize what they are doing with him
| But Curry did not jump. He sat bolt
upright Then the man with the gts
| tet applied more heat. thinking to roast
him off. But Curry sat still until his
clothes began TO burn and smoke.
Thought 1t Was All n Joke.
OF course the men who were manip-
| alating the gas did not realize what
they were doing and thought II was al
a Joke. AS near as can be ascertained
| this seems to be the correct story ri
| how Curry came by his fatal injuries
| either gas or electricity was used fo'
| the roasting. and the preponderancs
seems to be in favor of gas. The mem
| bers of the Des Mo'nes lodge feel bad
| about II. and their order is much
| blamed by many men who fall to real
| we that the matter was accidental
| Whether there will be any official In
| vestigation is doubtful. although somf
| of the opponents of secret orders are In
favor of that The Elks are incorpor
| ated and therefore the members indi
viduaily cannot be held RESPONSIBLE
| The men who held the gas Jets are said