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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1900)
Doings at the Den of Samson's Jolly Knights for (heir purposes. Having arranged Tor its pueliase they re- membership has undoubtedly been swelled enrh turned to Omaha. (Jus Wenze was left at New Orleans to dis- year by that innate curiosity which prompts men mantle the Hunts and ship the scenic mountings to Omaha. to explore hidden realms and participate in any- With such surroundings it was not surprising that the thing that is dc( med exclusive. It was in con Omaha ambassadors to the court of Kex were enabled to win serving this potent air of mystery that the or favorable attention from their follow passengers, and it was ganizntion in May of t he year of its birt h decided through a chance acquaintance thus picked up enroute that the that Samson should be its ruling minister. All Knights of Ak-Snr-I'oii owe much of the mysticism that has correspondence with the dignitaries ol AkSar ovor attended their secret work. There were aboard the train lion's court must be addressed to Samson, who two Catholic priests, one of whom, Father Fnright of Kansas stands in such a position of favor and intimacy Cil was a linguist of surpassing attainments and a great reader with I'ncle Sam that everything addressed thus or history. To this learned gentleman was outlined the pur- reaches him readily. As prime minister to the poses of 'the organization, and when Ak-Sar-Pon was suggested king Samson issues and publishes all proclaim! as its name, he readily applied to it his knowledge of language lions and decrees and is. although his identity is 7 11 . . . . ji it t 1 . . I. I..nt Hii Mini1 id. and deciphered in it, as the committee recalls it. three ancient ununown. me oiucmi um.ug.i -mm .... - roots. Ak" from the Arabic. "Snr" from the Syrian, and "Hen" foots all his dei'lings with his subjects. from the Hebrew, meaning altogether "The Head of the Household." Pholoonphs Specially lor 1I1O ny Louis H. nostwUk. Ritual for the Initial Year. Ax the veai I Sit.l drew toward its close the ,..,...iiw.i.c nf Hin IwimiwI nf Mivernors decided that ini iiii'i. ... it wouhl be unwise to have an entire new board .,1 voiir. iind arrat-iied. therefore, that three of the Upon their return data was turned over to Lewis M. Uheem. twelve o.licers should ho ,1 for a term ol o ne no h . who possessed talent that qualified him to compile a ritual for "e for t hreo years and t .. (he secret work, which he did, with the assistance of Fdgar drew straws t, determine the terms tor l ie ( i -n Allen. It is claimed by old knights that the ritual which these with the result that the one-yea: term to 1 to , A I.. . U t , . 1. ,. , , : r a i..v2.,...itm. i.. iMi...n iinil Thomas A. Frv: the two-year term to lk. S. NMKox. "cm emeu suimmiou 101 me cercu oim.u M-niun wi . n-.n -.. - - .. . ,, f.s iniMal .v,'! m.K far ...!. an,. ,,, Impnwln- limn any l.u,ll,v an,l W. I.. Il..-yi . '" .... . . - . "" ' . . -- . BV - t . I Ml that has ever since been fol lowed. So much did the knighthood appreciate Air. Whoeiii's services in that re spect that when, early in the next year, he resigned his posi tion from the l.oard of (lovern ors to take his departure from the city, he was tendered a ban quet by his fellow members of the board in recognition of his talent, and readiness in the earlv work id" t he order. Immediately upon the re turn of the committee from New Orleans active efforts were begun for enlarging the mem bership of the knighthood and provide the necessarily large revenues for carrying on its work. Odd Fellows' hall, at the corner of Fourteenth and Dodge streets, was secured and 1 he secret and mystic rites were exemplified there to all who could be induced to join. The original ten members, P. S. Wilcox, Walter dnrdine. T. A. Fry, W. L. Dickey, 11. J. Tenfold, Dudley Smith, Elmer E. Pryson, Edgar Allen, L. M. Khecm and E. M. J'.artlett, were initiated at a meeting held .May 1S!., atw hich time the rit ual was adopted. The first meeting for initiation was held ,luly 15, when .). E. Utt, Thomas Hamlin, W. 1!. Hon nctt, Daniel Farrell,T. P. Cart wright, Frank Adams, .John C. Drexel, J. H. lute,-11 Mennett, and the four-year t( rm to .lohu Fi. I'd. Walter .lardiue and K. l'.rysou. lirst Uccwtls MissiLij. This practically completes the sketch of the organization of Ak-Snr-llen, which, in Hie absence of complete records, has been gleaned chielly Irom investigation and inquiry among its earliest members. There is no record of the list id lodge officers for secret woru during the initial yiw, but Hie ollicial records ol the order show that December '.), lMMJ, at the annual mooting, a complete list was chosen for the follow ing year, comprising: .Most noble grand mufti, Henry D. I- Mi iilii'iml; : most noble iiram vi.ier, Dr. F. W. l.oo; most ndle grand prophet, (.'. S. I'ot tor; lord keeper of the records. .M.C Peters; lord keeper of t he exchequer, II. .1. l'enfold; lord herald, L. V. Funkhouser; lord executioner, Arthur Ouiou; lord conductor, W. U. liennett ; inside guard, W. I. llawkcs; senlijuel.T. (1. Magrane. Sub sociuentl.v .Mr. Fstabrook was succeeded as grand mufti b. W. K. Hennett. Subse(iuent ly also .John E. Utt retired from the board of governors, wit h the thanks of the leading pro- motors of the order for his of- 1 THE HATII OK THE SACKED ELEPHANT. .! itiii'kct. M. C. Peters, .J. .M. f..(ivo work in devising and a'ulinir in its organization, and was jmwei, j. 11, ,wnv, ... j - .v .... Steele and seven members of the board of managers ol succeeded by 11. Vance Lane. i 111! t !.....,... Milfoil . , 1 j I I, ... II ICIII! I (',,1,1 in. At me annual nieeung o; nnnuun 10. mi, .mi. 1 1 , m- troduced a resolution directing attention to the fact thai the re cent Trnnsinississippi congress had unanimously adopted a reso lution favoring an exposition in this city in 1K1IK, ami pledging (he Knights of Ak-Sar-Pen to take hold of the enterprise and by unceasing effort pursue the enterprise to a glorious finish. It is not the purpose of this sketch to pursue the history of the order down through the years following that of its organization. It. has been a success, without question. Through the years of drouth and stringent bout the middle of June, lSHo, the knights leased financial depression it has pursued its pur- the old Coliseum for a den, that, being the only building poses with a zeal and energy that have as- in the city lar-e enough to fulfill the requirements, owing tonished many neighboring cities. It has to the fact that the membership each year since the or- always observed an unvarying rule to keep ..iinizatiou of (he order has ranged from Hut) in I8ir to a within its means and the people have been possible 1,200 in 1000. K'vmi just as much glory ami splendor as Few of the secret societies have been able to hedge they were willing to pay for, for the orgnmzn- ibout with '-renter mvsterv the details of their ritualistic lion would not go into debt. Its revenues Hum T.nvo tho'kniiihts of A k-Sar-P.eii, each indi- have been derived from subscriptions by vidual upon entering pledging not to disclose his experiences, merchants and capitalists and the 10 fee The mystery that always surrounds the events transpiring in the charged its members, which have supplied den has certainly done much to popularize the order, and the suflicient funds. H... ini fair, including .Messrs. 101 1 A. Panics, .Milton Doolittle, .Martin Dunham, .J. P. Dinsmore, 10. D. Vance, K. W. Furnas and S. ( . Passett, were subjected to the tests of the ritual. As the membership grew exemplifi cation of the work was conducted by a large number of dignitaries with high sounding titles and brilliant court costumes. The personnel of the ollicial list is not. ob tainable, but it is recalled that K. .M. Hartlett was grand mufti. The chief officer of the den has always been known by that name, and so remains. Lease Coliseum tor a Den.