Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-14
BIC NIGHT At ROYAL DEN
Ak-sar-Bsn Receives Nebraska Undertakes
with Special Ceremonies,
SEVERAL BRIEF AND HAPPY SPEECHES
"BurinI of the Hatchet" Scene from
I%nItIatory Services of Two Years
Ago Revived Especially for
the Occasion.

One hundred and sixty fou brave and
worthy ~esquires from Nebraska and a few
from some other states we're enrolled upon
the parchments Of the kingdom Of Quivera
Thursday at a special communication OF
the knights Of Ak-Sar-Ben VII. In honor
OF the guests, most OF whom were members
Of the Nebraska Undertakers' association,
in whose honor the special meeting was
held, there was a variation in the usual
program and the knights hearkened back
two years to the initiatory service OF 1900,
giving the scene Of the burial OF the
Ratchet" one OF the strongest scenes In
the initiatory service Of that year and one
which on account OF its suggestiveness was
considered particularly appropriate for the
occasion. The work was done principally
by those members who had taken the parts
two years previously.
with this exception the ceremony Of en-
rollment OF the present year was followed.
1t was undertakers' night and the games
and amusements were turned over to the
visitors. The highest scores in single
games we're made by s. H. Reppert Of
Pierce, Neb., and Albert Minds, a rank
outsider, who works in the postofice at
Detroit, Mich. In the games where they
scored high the work was remarkably bril-
liant and elected much applause from the
newly made knights and others who sus-
pended operations to watch the plays.
winners in the Finals.
In the finals, where strong playing and
nerve tell against the greatest brilliancy,
the star players. those who carried the
circulating medium away, were Peter Mer-
ton Of Blue Hill, whose great nerve was
shown by the hazards he, took at critical
poa1aa1fa. 7 ~ NraIrotb 81 EH.or mknsn
luck was phenomenal; p. C. Heafey, who
faced the tables and the odds with an
abandon which excited comment; e. Mead
Of Chadron. whose play was considered the
most scientific, and Val Becker, who lives
in Council Bluffs, which may account for
the way In which he played.
At the conclusion of the games there
were speeches. The hit of the evening was
made by George H. Brown of Superior,
secretary Of the Undertakers' association,
who spoke feelingly upon the relations
of Omaha to the state and the good fellow
ship shown in the entertainment of the
visiting delegates, not only at the den, but
In all other places about the city. He
closed by proposing three cheers from the
visitors for the knights of Ak-Sar-Ben
and the city of Omaha. These were given
with a tiger and were responded to by
cheers for the guests by the knights in
attendance. w. P. Hohenschuh followed
Mr.. Brown, speaking on the benefits to be
derived from a mixture Of business and
pleasure. The last speaker was Val Becker,
whose stories convulsed the audience. The
usual refreshments closed the evenings
program.
List OF the Visitors.
The following out-of-town visitors were
present at the meeting:
J. c, McElhinney, Lyons; w. s. Jones,
WSSSos iw 81 W. HrEEbes6y; Geneva; I'd
r !, Rademaeher, Crete; Aug. stefen'
Battle Greek; e. ]. Troyer, Lincoln; ]. G
TSI sReIsnd EdEsEi e Eo Mead ShadEon; P :: II.
Wauneta; C. c. Cannon, Schuyler; James
IHeatOn Lincoln; 4. j.: IspiIman. Friend
ley; J., A. Edinger, Madison; J. M. Davis,
Handoiph; M; Furlong; Auburn; James
Kennedy ST edward; o D. seemers Wis
Gretna; w. F. Bockemieul, Cedar BLUFFS;
8. A. Nisonger, Tilden; L. Roberts. Sterl-
n %S z Co. Weepip4 W WGm I II. 3. SHOE SSe
maker, Elgin; Walter Livingston, Harvard
A. z. Livingston. Haryardi Rudolph, g.
Borchert, Holdrege; r. H.. Goodge. Leigh;
Ter, Deshler; A. s.. Harris. Cozad; w. d.
BSTGE, NO e. H. Pl kafsteh A. N Z; ssRaSt Cf9T;
Jos. sondermann. Grand Island: Herman
g: KaTsten, Nebraska City; A. 4. GRADER
H%artingtSq; George VI, EFb' eothensurg:
PPsyiS City,; ASolgh L Pr9kOP. swll6eT.
, Nerdon; A. II. Nichols. Louisville; ]. w,
Carpenter, Utica; George w. BeardsleY
Cedar Rapids; c. Buchholz. Hooper; A. e
Minds. Detroit; VIM Hoterer, creishton
MMsTTwipi Palmyra, Nelson; W; N
w. II. Moore, Seward Owen ]. McDougall
Teeumseh; Trexlsr, Bennett; E. W. Blser
Dawson; II. 8. Styer. Rising City; ID. f
Wherry, Pawnee City; Eugene Kean
Ravenna; Stephen w. Friend. Lawrence
j. c. McCreary. SCOTS Bluffs; VIM. Beck.
enhauer. Bancroft; ]. c. Smith. Jr., Pawne,
City; A. ]. Jackson, Plattsmouth; ]. l.
Bluffs; George Sphinx. Pierce: r. p. New
man. Valparaiso; George e.. Brown, SYRIA
cuse; Emile Grothe. Paplllioni B. F. Muntz
Red Cloud; Jacob Havel, WILDER; Peter c
etander, LopisvIllei F. sellhorn, Talmage
North Bend; J. r. BadeT, Fremont; Benz
PeEson. Genea; w, g. Cooper. Holdrege
". A, T: Ssm9Pbell FggileTt0n; 4. Il; Eel
Peter Merten, Blue Hill; J, p. Peterson