Evening star., 1897-05-15
''FINEST HOAX OF THE CENTURY,,

From the Literary Digest.
Diana Vaughan" stands forth at last re-
vealed. And who is Diana Vaughan"
That is precisely the question that great
prelates of Europe and a great public of
lesser folk have been asking for several
years. During that time some startling
exposures" have come of Masonic leagues
with the devil, ratified by the devils own
signature (see the Literary Digest, No
vember Z, 1886, which exposures were
voGched for by Diana Vaughan" She
told wonderful stories that found many
believers. She had been Mason and had
been made "Palladian Grand Mistress of
the Supreme and Mysterious Lodge of Uni
versal Freemasonry." In this capacity she
became married to the devil, who is the
being really worshiped and obeyed by the
innermost circle of the Masonic order Her
confessions of these terrible things have
received credence and encouragement from
high officials in the Catholic Church, and
an anti-Masonic congress devoted time to
the consideration of her reliability, but
without being able to decide the matter
Now the perpetrator of the hoax, NJ. Leo
TaXil, confesses and gloats over having
originated 1.-The finest hoax of the century,"
while his exasperated victims have to be
kept from laying violent hands upon him
by the police. The story of Taxirs confess
sion is told in the Paris correspondence to
the London Telegraph. and we take it in
abbreviated form from the Westminster
Gazette April ~: -
After these monStrosities (already re-
ferred to- had been launched, other publi-
cations, entitled Memoirs of an eX-Palla-
dist and The Eucharistic Novena,' an
nounced that Diana Vaughan had been
converted to Catholicism. She was patron
lied, although she had never been seen, by
Cardinal Parocchi apd even by the pope
himself. Leo Taxii published her fame far
and wide in religious newspapers and
periodicals, but in spite of all this some
Catholics began to have strong suspicious
and at an anti-Masonic congress held last
year in Trent her existence was denied.
Skeptics and unbelievers who refused to
regard Diana as 4Ight but mythical per-
sonage persistent1y called on M. Taxil to
produce her in the flesh, and to let her be
seen and heard. This the supposed con-
vert promised to do, and he accordingly
convoked a meeting, which took place in
the Geographical Society's Hall, on the
Boulevard Saint Germain, and was attend
ed by many persons, including numerous
priests. 1t was promised that Diana would
make statements about Palladism, the full
truths of which were not to he revealeI un-
til 1912. There were also to be luminous
projections showing a Palladist as one of
the magi, and the pact which he had made
with the serpent cut in three; the treaty
between Thomas Vaughan and Lucifer.
son OF the Morning; photographs of Albert
Pike, Miss Liliana Pike, John Vaughan
and the damscl herself, who was supposed
to have contracted a diaboical marriage.
"All this imposture was frankly and au-.
daciously unveiled by its organizer amid
scenes of protestation and uproar M. Taxil
calmly announced that he was born per-
petrator of jokes at the expense of credu-
lous humanity. Fumisterie was the founda-
ton Of his character as Marseilles man,
ana at the age of nineteen he had terrified
his fellow townsmen by announcing that
the port of the southern city was invaded
by sharks of the most terrible species. He
also announced that there was lost city
under the Lake of Geneva; and some peo-
pie believed that they saw cafes-chantants,
houses and gardens deep down in the re-.
cesses of blue Lake Leman. A Polish
archeologist even went SO far as to write
treatise on the matter, in which he said
that he had perceived something like an
equestrian statue at the bottom of the in
land sea immortalized by Gibbon, Rous-
seau, Byron and Nine. de Stael. Then
Taxil started the Diana Vaughan hoax.
He was prayed for by fervent monks and
nuns, who almost regarded him as a father
| OF the church and a candidate for canoni-
zation, since he unmaskef the Free Masons
and brought over to Catholicity women
welded to devils. At Rome he was received
with open arms and had an audience at the
vatican; but, as he assured his astonished
| auditors, he was only a false convert, and
Diana Vaughan was merely a typewriting
woman whom he employed as a secretary
| at III per month. In this capacity she
| wrote and signed letters dictated by Taxil
himself, and addressed to high prelates.
| 'All this was calmly and sardonicaIly
/ uttered-by the speaker who said to the
| priests and Catholic writer's present that
| he sincerely thanked them and the bishops
| for having assisted him In organizing the
finest hoax of the century, and one which
| crowned his career. Taxil was vigorously
| hooted as he uttered these words, and the
| Abbe Garpfer, muscular Christian and
militant Catholic, who edits paper. called
| the speaker most terrible names, and
! lamented that he had left his big stick at
the door. On leaving the hall of meeting
Taxil had to be protected by the police,
| who were In strong force. and he was fol-
/ Masons."