The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-01-15
ONE WOMAN
In the World Was FulI-Fledge
Mason Years Ago.

In the elaborate History of Free
masonry in Canada. Mr. J. Ross Rob
ertson. Past Grand Master Of the
Grand Lodge of Canada, writes as fol
lows:
An incident in connection with the
Grand Lodge of Ireland will be OF in
terest TO Canadians. II was in Ire
land that Elizabeth ST. Leger, daugh-
ter OF the first Niscount Doneraile.
was initiated into Freemasonry about
1710. History relates that she hid her
self in a room adjoining that in which
the lodge worked in Doneraile Castle.
She married Richard Aldworth. of
Newmarket. in the County Of Cork,
who was a distant relative of the late
w. Bro. Mattice p. NJ. Of Lodge
235 Paisley. Ont The early period
fixed for this unique inception is most
remarkable, but the evidence discov-
cred Of late years abundantly con
firms the fact"
A recent American traveller in Ire
land had an opportunity OF visiting
Doneraile Castle and seeing the very
room in which Mrs. Aldsworth Cor
Miss ST. Leger) hid herself on the
memorable occasion 10 which Mr.. Rob
ertson's narrative refers He has
changed her name from Elizabeth 10
Mary and has substituted 1925 for ITO
as the date of the incident As to the
ladys name. Mr. Robertson is right
But the date was probably later than
17l0 Mr. VI. VI. Shoemaker. the tray-
eler 10 whom reference has been made
and whose informant was Lord Castle
town. sonln-law OF the fourth Wis
count Doneraile gives 1895 as the date
of Mrs AldwOrth's birth and 1875 as
the date Of her death. She was, there
fore, thirty years old az the time OF her
initiation and lived for half a cen
fury after that experience.
Mr.. Shoemaker has a portrait Of
her in her early youth which dis
| closed her as a beautiful woman The
! picture of her that he has reproduced
for his readers is that Of a mature wO-
man OF about 70 years OF age She
was unmarried when discovered in the
I lodge room. and her threatened doom
I was the death OF a spy. Her hiding
\ place was the great clock. in remem-
I brance Of which the lady who had risk
/ ed so much had to wear certain or
/ naments on her stockings. Mr.. Shoe
l maker was shown her Masonic en-
\ blems. The room (an allowed apart
Y menD with book cases arranged
around the walls is. he believes. just
as IL was when the lady's discovery
startled the lodge Mrs AldwOrth s
portrait (the one reproduced presents
"A strong. determined countenance.
with just the shadow OF a smile. The
| expression of the face has some rela-
ton TO the passage in the book in
dicated by the forefinger Of her left
hand. as she fronts the reader. Her
right hand is placed above the heart.
Her smile is calm. as If she were mis-
tress OF the situation. She Is richly.
but not at all showily dressed. She
wears a sort of a ruff Her arms, well
developed. and shapely, are bare to
the elbow II the book be meant for
a Bible, her finger is pointing to some
passage in the Gospels When the
lady's presence in the lodgeroom was
discovered the members OF the lodge
were nearly all for putting her Ia
death. Among those who sided with
the harsh majority was Elizabeths fu
ture husband. After relenting he $50
plead for her that her life was spared
and she was made a full-fedged Ma.
son, the only one in the worlds his
tory" In later years. as Mr.. Shoe
maker was informed, Mr.. Aldworth
was more than sorry that he had not
adhered to his original purpose.