Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-02-18
ODD SECRET SOCIETY.
Indiana Women Have Secret and
Won't Tell It.
Men of the Town Have Been Trying
for Twenty-Five Years to Learn
the Meaning of s. II. J. N,
But in Vain.

"A peculiar society, which for 20 years
has been standing contradiction of the
old libel that q woman cannot keep a
secret, exists at Westf1eld, Hamilton
county, and bids fair to prosper for an
other 20 years, despite the SHAFTS OF ridi-
cule which from time to time have been
hurled against it, reports the New York
Sun.
Twenty-Five years ago a number OF
the men of the village formed literary
society. Just for fun they decreed that
no woman should ever become men,
Der. A clubhouse was built, meetings
were regularly held and the leading
periodicals we're read and discussed.
The organization limited it's member
ship to the intelligent class and soon be-
gan to exercise decided influence.
After the first year some of the wom-
en- in the community applied for men,
bership, but none was ever admitted. 1t
was always explained that it took a
unanimous vote to elect new member,
and that there was just one dissenting
voice" when the name Of the woman ap-
plicant was presented.
Two years later a company OF ladies
met and formed the S. T. ]. M, and they
decreed that the meaning OF these let
ters should never become public. Each
member was solemnly pledged not to
reveal the secret, and for 20 years the
S. T. ]. M. has been in existence, and
there is not man in Westfield who has
any idea what the four letters mean.
From time to time the membership
has changed as the women married and
been added, but no one yet found, be she
mother, wife, daughter or sweetheart,
mas revealed the meaning Of the mystic
symbols.
When Mrs. Sarah Jackson applied for
a divorce, charging neglect and the hus
band contested the suit, alleging among
other things that she had concealed from
him the meaning OF the letters S. T. J. NJ,
and had spent too much time at the
meetings of the society, it was thought
that the mystery would certainly be
solved at the trial. But Mrs. Jackson
refused to state what the letters stood
for and the court ruled that the name of
the society was not material to the tes-
timony.
Mrs. Jackson got a divorce and all
mOny, and her ex-husband declared that
the letters stood for the Society Of Tat
tling, Jabberirg Matrons" But this
definition was not accepted by any but
the soreheads of the community
Several years ago young man named
Crawford went to Westfield and was en-
ployed in one OF the stores He invested
his earnings in horse and buggy and !
was the envy Of many Of the other young |
men because they could not afford such |
a luxury and the newcomer could COM
mand the company OF any young lady
or a Sunday afternoon drive. But when |
Myrtle Taylor turned away from him
and married John Wingate, a farmland |
near the village, the other boys taunted |
him by asking him how he liked the So
ciety OF Thankless, Jilting Maidens.
For years this was the accepted name
of the society among the younger class.
Every initial in the name has been tor
-ured into something derogatory to the
society, according to individual taste.
~ has been made to stand for Jealous,
Iaunty, jilting, jabbering, jaundiced;
IT" for treacherous, tattl!ng. teasing.
Troublesome, tiresOme, and IN" for
mothers. matrOns, maidens, misan-
'hropes. makeshifts, martyrs, match
makers and the like.
But the name is still a secret, and no
amount Of coaxing or threatening has
'ufticsd to induce a member to reveal it.