Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-14

Tenn. 1t is cheap little folder of
four pages. carrying the tue in black
face capital letters:
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OATH.
FOURTH DEGREE
Coming now to the nature of the
attack thus launched against con-
siderable body of American citizens,
certain portions of the document must
be quoted.
II now" it begins, in the presence
of Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin
Mary. the Blessed St. John the Baptist,
the Holy Apostles. st. Peter and st.
Paul, and all the saints, sncred host of
Heaven. and to you, my Ghostly Father,
the superior general of the Society of
Jesus, founded by st. Ignatius Loyola
do by the womb of the Nir-
gin, the matrix of God, and the rod of
Jesus Christ, declare and swear that
His Holiness, the Pope, is Christ's vice
regent, and = hath power to
| Commonwealth and Governments and
they may be safely destroyed. There:
| fore to the utmost Of my power l VIII
defend this doctrine and l
do now denounce and disown any allegl-
ance as due to any heretical king, prince
or State, named Protestnnts or Lib
erals, or obedience to any Of their laws,
/ magistrates or ofiicers.'
Further along, on the second and
| third pages of the document, the pros
pectivc Fourth Degree Knight Is rep
resented ns promising and declaring
he will when opportunity presents.
make and wage relentless war, openly
| and secretly, against all heretics. Prot
cstants and Mnsons, as l am directed
to do, to eXtrpnte them from the face
! Of the whole earth and that / will
! spare neither age, sex nor condition,
and that | will hang, burn. waste,
boil, fay, strangle and bury alive these
infamous herCtiCs; rip up the stOmachs
| and wombs Of their women, and crash
their infants heads against the walls In
order TO annihilate their execrable race.
Allege Poison Pledge
That when the same cannot be
done openly ! will secretly use the
poisonous cup, the strangulation cord,
the steel Of the poniard, or the leaden
bullet whatever may be their
condition in life, either public or pri-.
vate, as l at any time may be directed
so to do by any agents Of the Pope
or superior of the Brotherhood OF the
Holy Father Of the Society of Jesus
Should prove false" reads
another portion, may my brethren
and fellow soldiers Of the militia OF
4 the Pope cut of my hands and feet
! and my throat from ear to ear, my
belly opened and sulphur burned
therein, with all the punishment that
can be inflicted upon me on earth and
my soul shall be tortured by demons
In eternal hell forever"
Il WILL" the "oath" continues, "al-
ways vote - X. Of G. in preference
to a Pro- MT. especially n Mason
and i leave my party so Il
do; that II iwo Catholics are on the
ticket l will satisfy myself which II
the better supporter Of Motner Church
and vote accordingly.
Espionage Is Charged
%" will not deal with or emplo,
Protestant II in my power to dea
with or employ Catholic. viii
place Catholic girls in Protestant fam
flies that n weekly report may be made
Of the inner movements of the herctics. -
The actual OATH" as printed in the
document. runs:
"All of which / do swear BY the
! blessed Trinity and blessed sacrament
! which l am now to receive to perform
! and on part to keep tins. my oath. In
testimony hereof, take this most holy
, and blessed Sacrament of the Euchar
list and witness the same further witt
my name written with the point of THU
; dagger dipped In my own blood and sea
in the face OF this holy sacrament"
And then. for the obvious purpose o
, giving the alleged oath apparent verif
/, cation as an Official document printe'