The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-31
AT MIDNIGHT
ON aH0LY HILL"
More of Mrs. TingIsy's cere-
monies Aired in Court.
NovlTlATEs WERE PLEDGED
ROBES WERE OF cHEEsECLoTH.
ALA, GRECIAN.

san Diego. Cal, Dec 30-The depo-
sition Of Mrs. George F. Mohn of Los
Angeles. which was introduced yester-
day. was before the court this morning
when the Tinglsy-Times libel suit was
resumed. A large section of this depo-
sition was stricken out on motion of
the plaintiff. the questions being re-
ferred to only by folio, page and me, so
that no inkling of their import got be-
fore the jury or went upon the record.
The only fact admitted was a statement
by the deponent tnat under rules pro-
mulgated by Mrs. Tingley the meals
at the institution were eaten in silence.
The defense next introduced the oepo-
sition of Mrs. Miriam G. Egbert of 67Ils
South Broadway, Los Angeles, who was
present at the cornerstone laying at
Point Iona Deponent said that Mrs.
Tingley absolutely controlled the
finances of the institution.
Pledge Imposed.
Mrs. Egbert testified to the pledge
imposed upon the admission to mem
bership in the Universal Brotherhood
to defend katherine A. Tingley TO the
limit Of life, limb. wealth and influence.
The deponent was present at the cere-
mony of relaying of the cornerstone
of the School for the Revival of the
Lost Mysteries of antiquity" She told
of the presentation by the brotherhood
people Of the ancient Greek play .Eu-
minides." The performers were CARRIED
in robes patterned after the Greeks.
Mrs. Egbert said during the midnight
laying of the cornerstone on the holy
hill most Of the participants stood
with fingers on lips, while the wind
whistled around. 1t was very cold.
The crosS-examination of the deposit
ton was waived by the plaintiff.
Next was offered the deposition of
Mrs. Emily Penning of Los Angeles,
who had twice been at Point Iona,
once at the cornerstone laying and
once at the congress. She described
the cornerstone laying as very long
and very fatiguing.
I'VE stopped a great many times,
turning to the east and placing our fin
gers upon our lips" she said.
On HHoly HILL"
Deponent added that there were
young and old people in the procession.
Some of them tainted on the way and
were taken out of the ranks Reaching
the top of the holy hili," the people
were seated on a platform. The wind
prevented the deponent from hearing
all that was said. but she caught some
of the words of the lamentations. Mrs.
Tingley, she said, rode to the hill in
her carriage and did not walk with the
others. Deponent understood that the
ceremony which was taking place upon
the hill was some sort of an initiation
into an order higher than she had at
tanned.
Mrs. Penning told of having been
made to sit on the floor for four hours
without any support. The morning
meditations, Mrs. Penning said, were
silent sittings. in which most of those
who participated held their fingers
upon their lips. A candleStick was
brought before the court as a deposit
ton exhibit Deponent said the can
dlestick was given her by Mrs. Tingley
as an emblem of the Lotus, saying that
it represented the three states of man
physical. spiritual and astral.
This deposition was followed by that
of B. F. Hilliker of Los Angeles, a
retired business man, who gave similar
testimony. Deponent attended an en-
tertainment, for which $3.50 or 81 ad-
mission was charged. He did not know
what became Of the receipts. Hilliker
understood that the holy hilP' was
dedicated by the masters to the study
of the occult sciences and for great
educational purposes He understood
that Mrs Tingley claimed to be in di-
rect communication with those mas
ters.
Clad in Cheesecloth.
Miss Matilda Kratzer of San Diego,
called by the defendant, told OF at
tending meetings of the Daughters of
the Rising Sun, at which she, like the
others, wore a robe of cheesecloth cut
in Grecian form, with the neck and
arms bare. She was initiated into this
order at about l o'clock at night. the
ceremony taking place at Los Angeles.
About ali the witness could remember
was that the candidates stood with
their fingers upon their lips. She de-
scribed one Of the meetings of the or
der which she attended at Point Iona.
Those who took part turned to the east
and sang hymn. Hail King of the
Day" Describing the costume of the
craftsmen, she said it was bare from
the knees down and that the feet were
shod with sandals There were five or
six Of them and they carried spades
Or some occasions. Miss Kratzer tes-
titled that her sister, who was Il years
old at the time, was at the colony while
she (the witness) was at the homestead.
but that she was only permitted to see
her twice. She saw her mother, who
was at the homestead every day. There
We're guards about the homestead, the
witness stated. She thought there were
about FIVE or six of them. She saw
three of them carrying clubs like po-