The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-14
Thirteen Dinner at the
Press Club.
MISFORTUNE WAS EMBRACED
FEATURES WERE ALL SoMBER
AND GREWSoME.
a Novelty in Feasting That Consist
ed of Battering of Every
Known Form of Su-
perstition.

At the Press Club dinner last night SUI
perstition after superstition went tum-
bling 10 the utmost depths of perdition
Black trimmings, soft blood-red lights
grewsome music. dirges and serpentine
chants were the features. All the
shadowy. and uncanny attributes Of life
and death We're Knocked and scorned. The
contemners Of fate toyed with the mys-
ferrous and raised Ate TO the dignity OF
beneficial genius IN their endeavors to
violate all the sanctities that supersti-
ton has claimed for her own these many
centuries
At the moment of S:13 the guests sat
down, thirteen at each table. To the
music of The Miserere" the original
thirteen circled their board, which was
the top part of a coffin draped in black
and chanted two of the most pessimistic
verses of the Rubaiyat The seat of
on its narrow end. 1t fell to Arthur A.
Lotto, who suddenly was seized with
cramps of conscience and he Tebeiled. The
lot was cast 10 decide who should sit in
the black box and John Washington was
elected.
Then came another dirge, a Latin
chant, and the red curtain of the stage
parted, disclosing a hideous skeleton sill
houetted against black background It
was set in sitting posture, with hands
outstretChed as if reaching for all pres
emit On the skull was an Ophelian gar
land, which augmented the grisly effect.
Z. H. Clough was chosen to, deliver the
invocation to Death. The underlying SEN
timent OF the Rubaiyat was his theme
and his behests Ito I'LL the cup that clears
to-day of past regrets and future fears
were not neglected for moment.
AS the dinner progressed mirrors were
shattered, umbrellas raised, salt spilled
III luck, suicide and death toasted with
more than customary abandon.
Hugh Hume spoke on The Divinity
That Shapes Our Ends; ]. c. B. Heb
bard on Luck in Odd Numbers; H. P.
A. Lee on Evil Omens''; and L. c. Car
penter on Meeting Cross-Eyed Girl. ]"
The menu card was characteristic of
the central idea-a withered trunk, at the
roots OF which was a gravestone; above,
a crow, skeleton and woman in scar
let. Those present lugubriously labeled
were:
The mourners-Philip Mills Jones, L. C. Car
penter, E. H. Clough. F. L. Carpenter, c. A.
Webster, L. E. Slower. John Washington. E
J. B0wes, T. H. Van Frank, H. J. Maxwell.
Jr., W. :. Moore Rhys Thomas, c. II. Tebbs,
Fletcher Tilton. Fred Myrtle, w. J. Batcheider.
man, Charles Parent W, H. Crowell, John F.
Reyalk, Joseph Sheldon, James S. Tyler. d. d.
L4aSStIg. "; Ii Leaie George SummIngs' r. Z.
Hodgen. W. F. Perkins, J. E. Joseph. H. L.
Joachimsen, Charles Eichbaum, R. F. Gal
lagher. Milton W. Franklin, Harry Scott, a.
G. Fiske. H r. Fiege, John Fouga, 8 II.
Friedlander, Livingston jerks, Winslow An
dersou, Louis Honig. Edmund Tauszky. 9. A.
Chase, Z. 7. Houghton, J. c. Donald. John
Oliver Thomas Kirkpatrick, Edward Bageard.
". c. Bunner. 7. d. Riordau. Willard y.
Drown, II. NJ Bosworth. James Pringle, John
Crothers. J. c. B. Hebbard George H Bahrs,
Z. ". Gates. G. II. Borland. Charles A. Low.
Charles X Harley. James P. Booth. Hull Nc
ClaughTy. Hugh Hume, Theodore F. Bonnet.
Charles c. Bull. B. ". Paxton, W. S Hobart,
Hal Wright, ". l.. carrigan, ". ?. Lawlor.
Charles Dunphy. c. A. Lee. Paul Cowles. Irv-
ing Scott, Alex Baum. F. B. Carpenter, W. F.
Southland John Harrison, George Hellman. 2.
y. Lilienthal. Albert G. Davis, H P Bush.
Charles G. Yale. j. H Barbat, Fred Poor z.
r. Lilienthal. Alton II. Clough, Raphael Well.