4
i
Distinguished Men Have Been Knighted
BOB MANLEY'S PRETIY
GIRL AT THE DEN.
KEWS
BHK SOI.TJ MJl.btONS OK COFtES OK
THE GOAT, BUT IT' WOt'LDN'T HH
KA1II TO TELL WHO HE IS.
N .the sixteen years ot lis
' existence . the Ak-Sar-Ben
organization . has . taken
every opportunity to enter
als distinguished visitors
to the Klngdohi of Quivera in such a
way that they would Temember for
ever the king and his glory. It has
not been only to the visitors from
dbraska cities, or even to delegates
no the many national conventions
which are held in Omaha that the
Ak-Sar-Ben Den has. been made a
famous place. .Whenever oue of the
nation's greatest men goe3 through
Omaha in the warm time of the year
he nearly always gets taken in charge
by the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben.
Perhaps the most memorable day
in the history1 of the organization
was also a great day In the first year
sf the Transmississippi and Inter
actional exposition in 1898. Jubilee
week of the exposition came October
10 to 15, inclusive, and for two days
during that time some of the most
distinguished men who ever visited
in Omaha cams here with President
McKinley. In that entertainment the
Knights of i Ak-Sar-Ben took a lead
ing part. It could hardly' be said
that the paxty, was their especial
charge, but they' helped, and as the
leading men in the Ak-Sar-Ben were
the leading men in the exposition to
a great extent the same persons acted
as hosts as in later years have enter
tained in the name of Quivera.
Among the people who rode Oc
tober 11 behind a column of Ak-Sar-Ben
knights on horseback were the
president of the United States, Wil
liam McKinley, and members of his
suite; the Chinese minister, Wu Ting
Fang: the Corean roiniste
;2
seotatlves of Cuba, Brazil
ie Republic, the members"
'president's cabinet, including Cor
nelius N. Bliss, Secretary Wilson,
Lyman J. Gage, George D. Melkle
John, governors and senators and con
gressmen from Nebraska, Colorado
and other states, Major General Nel
son H. Miles and Brigadier General
Sumner, Chief of the Weather Bureau
Moore, Commissioner ot Education
W. T. Harris and Generals John C.
Black and A. W. Greely, with col
onels, majors and captains galore.
As the history of the exposition
tays, " The board or governors or tne
Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, in their natty
uniforms, mounted, formed the escort
of honor, and as the distinguished
guests passed along the streets tens
of thousands of the citizens of Omaha
and visitors greeted the president and
the other noted officials with great
enthusiasm. On the review-
lng stand in front of the city hall
were gathered many representative
citizens of Omaha and the Trans
niisslssippi territory, and as Presi
dent McKinley appeared a great
shout of welcome went up, and It
Gallant
A
f :
t t .
n11 njJb I . . . .... j . i . i
Knights
I
was with great difficulty that order
was restored and a way 'cleared
through the street for the passing
pageant, which consisted of the elec
trical parade of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben,
unexcelled in the spectacu
lar and artistic beauty of its floats."
But tho year 1898 had other great
events for AU-Sar-Ben beside the
presidential visit. Presidents are un
important to the king of Quivera.
Several of them have done him hom
age and ho takes it as his right. Just
a week before the president and the
great party were here Governor Bush
nell of Ohio was at the exposition to
help irrthe celebration of "Ohio day"
and Incidentally saw the electrical
parade, which was almost as beauti
ful In those days as it is now. After
it had passed the reviewing stand he
said enthusiastically, "Splendid!
Beautiful in conception and artistic
in every detail. It is one of the finest
parades I ever had the pleasure of
witnessing."
At the ball of that year, 189S, no
less a personage than Chauncey
Mitchell Depew of New York was in
attendance. He came when his repur
tatlon as an orator and statesman
was at its height. A newspaper of
October 8 says: "As Chauncey
Mitchell. Depew advanced through the
double quartets of dancers he -was
given an ovation that could not( but
have pleased him. He was accom
panied by President Callaway of the
New York Central railroad.
Dr. Depew and his fellows gallantly
Gymkhana at
(Continued from Page Five.)
from them and then bullets poured
down on us. They didn't come hard
enough to hurt, but they had us wor
ried feome.
"At that the Hottentots Jumped
in among us and started prodding ua
into line behind the king and T. Hell-
yer Seigh and their fellows. Some
of us tried to escape, but it was no
use. We thought we were going to
be 'bully entrees" sure enough. The
knights and visitors sat still and
jelled 'goodbye' at us, which wasn't
encouraging.
"They got us out of the theater
and then ran us through a long, dark
passage. Pretty 60on they got us up
to a door and we could look through
and see that It led back Into the
theater. I was one of the first. 1
could Bee the fellows ln the theater
were looking towards this door and
they seemed to be expecting some-
thing.
"One of the Hottentots gave me a
Horsemen Who Rode
tilt B. UANCtmi-'
of Ak-Sar-Ben
b . ...
"V
Xt&L -...-A
-i cut irjit-p PunrnniiiPH sHnwivn pinT nv Tim rnown i
FLA8H-1JOHT PHOTOOnAPH SHOWING PART OK TUB CHOWD DURING
'paid their respects to tho king and
queen, the former saying many com
plimentary things to her royal
majesty."
In the history of the Ak-Sar-Ben
Initiations there will probably never
be an event of greater moment than
the Initiation on the night of Sep
tember 2, 1910. At that time Theo
dore Roosevelt, former president of
the United States and as well known
a public man as tho west had ever
seen, was making his grent swing
around the circle as a private citizen.
It was a triumphal Journey for the
colonel and Ak-Sar-Ben never took in
a more worthy or redoubtable sub
ject. "Halley's Comet" was the show
that delighted T. R. and it was with
the ceremonies of that year already
tried out on many less Important
novitiates that he was taken In.
After a strenuous day in Omaha,
when his entertainment had included
a banquet, luncheon and speech at
the Field club at noon, a speech at
the Auditorium in the afternoon and
another banquet and a short speech
at the Omaha club in the evening.
He went whisking out to the Den in
the big scarlet touring car in which
Gould Dietz had been driving . him
around all day, and was taken to the
initiates' entrance on the side. When
he entered with members of the vari
ous entertaining committees he was
taken in charge by . seven" ferocious
devils. These busy little demons, deaf
to his pleas for mercy, hustled him
Which Samson
shove through the door. I landed
on my feet in a big revolving tube,
like one of these washing machines
they use in laundries with the head
knocked out. Before I could straighen
up the thing commenced to revolve,
The gang looking at me started to
roar. 1 lost my feet and the thins
started to speed up. It turned me
over and over untii i didn't know
niy nead trom my feet, when it
Biowcd down I would Btart out and
then somebody would start it going
agai. The more I struggled the
more the crowd roared. I finally
made it, though, and then I sat down
and had my flllvof laughter at the
others. There was a sign beside the
thing that said it was the 'Milwaukee
Mixer." I guess every fellow that got
into It was pretty thoroughly mixed
before he got out.
"When a man got through too
easily he was grabbed and driven into
another dark passage, so when all
had been through the mixer they had
for Life and Love Each
KNOTT AND HliJ LSCOr.T.
THE OMAHA SUNDAY HKE: OCTOBER 1, 1HU.
Intent on Progress of the Gymkhana
Into the secret fastnesses of the build
ing and to a private box, where he
could see the performance of the
comet and be seen by tho- thousands
present. That was the punishment,
the ordeal which he had to pass to
become a knight. . Horrible!
The colonel had hoped to escape
making another speech after his hard
day, but after President Pickens had
introduced Albert W. Jefferis and
that orator had voiced his brilliant
eulogy of tho guest Mr. Roosevelt
rose to the demands of his audience.
He veered away from politics, kept
out of Ananias discussions and
avoided generally his favorite fight
ing topics. As a paper of that date
described It, "It was Just a little
friendly chat." It served, however,
to round out satisfactorily a memor
able day and a very memorable Initi
ation. The performance of Halley's comet
that night was a marvel of brilliance.
Never did the broilers prance more
seductively and the colonel was ca
joled Into waving his hand at them
as they flitted about the stage.
The first time Theodore Roosevelt
was a visitor at the Ak-Sar-Ben Den
and was entertained by the Ak-Sar-Ben
knights he was not really initi
ated into the mysteries of the king's
inner shrine. It was in April, 1903,
when he was In the chair as chief
executive. He had just returned
from his famous, rest trip through
the Yellowstone and was fresh and
vigorous, hurrying to get back to
Entertained Guests of the King
some material for more stunts. These
fellows they dragged up to the tops
of three parallel flights of stairs,
They set them down in trios and then
shoved them off. They bumped their
ways down as best, they could, the
stairs rolling under them and giving
way when they tried to catch hold
and check tho descent.
"But the end was not yet. Three
candidates were taken ip on the
stage for a weight-lifting contest,
Sakonutz had some weights for them
to lift, as be said they claimed to be
athletes. They didn't seem to be
able to accomplish much in the lifting
line, though the Hottentots threw
the weights around as a boy throws
his blocks. Sakonutz pronounced
them Imposters and they wero or-
dered held until fi punishment for
them could be devised.
"Three more were brought up be-
fore T. Hellyer Seigh and tho king
explained that they had been casting
slurs at tho management because
Week
Iff . .. ft . v. VAJ
AN INITIATION AT THK DEN.
the eust and begin again his heavy
labors. He spoke at the Den and
12.000 people, including the Knights,
heard his address. He said in clos
ing: "My fellows citizens, men and
women of Omaha, let me close In
expressing the abounding confidence
1 have that you of this city, that you
of this state, will in the end work
out your fnte nrlght, because I hold
you to bo in a popular sense typical
of all that Is best In tho American
character."
When William Howard Taft was
mado a full-fledgod, thoroughbred,
blown-ln-the-boltle Knight of Ak-Sar-Bon,
ho said he had the time of
his life, and he was probably about
right. The last time the president
was here was two years ago, Sep
tember 20. He started on the trip
on his birthday, September 15, Just
as be did this year, but took a
shorter route in getting to Nebraska.
"I am delighted to be Introduced to
jour company," Bald the ' president,
os ho stood upon the platform during
tho oprcy, '.'especially on this side of
the footlights and to look at the goal
from this side of the Vailing."
"Paprika Schnitzel," the dainty of
fering thai graced the boards at the
Den that year, was Interspersed with
pleasantries for the special benefit
of the president. The chorus sang
with great glee;
"I'm simply daft on Hilly Taft, I think
lie Ih n bird,
The fcwclhmt K'nt tot preoldent who ever
yet occurred;
they had been in the Den since 8:30
and hadn't been given a drink. His
lordship proposed they be forced into
B drlnklnK contest. They were lined
"P, eath a,8 Blve,D a DUge nllnt
JuleP ln a crock or Jar thut would
noW 8bout allon .... .
counted three they were to start
drinking. The man who finished
first should win a valuable prize. As
they raised the Juleps to their lips
they completed an electric circuit
that knocked the drinks from their
hands and left them scared, trem
bling and foolish-looking.
"We hardly were through laughing
at their sad experience when two
more candidates were drawn onto tbo
stage and stood up on opposite sides
oh a. big board, hack to back. The
lung announced that tho piece de re-
slstance was about to be pulled off.
Prof. Hoganlnskl, the famous knife
thrower and sword swallower, was to
demonstrate his ability by showing
how near be coilld come to hitting
the candidates with his knives and
still miss them.
"They teemed to have some trouble
in finding Hoganlnskl, but he finally
was located. It seemed as If he had
got to drinking with some of the boys
down town and it had mado him late
to the Den. T. Hellyer Seigh was for
abandoning the knife-throwing, but
Takonutz said that never would do.
Ho allowed that Hoganlnskl when in
his cups was a better knlfo thrower
than any of his imitators when sober.
'Ho never has killed a man yet," says
the king, 'and never put'out but two
or three eyes I think only two."
."The professor smoked a cigarette
or two and picked up his knives. He
dropped two or three as hp walked
awuy a few paces and T. Hellyer
Seigh became alarmed. Ho begged
the king to call It off, sayi.ig It would
be terrlblo If anyone should get hurt
and Ak-Sar-Ben didn't want to fate
any damage suits, to say nothing of
criminal prosecutions.
"Hoganlntkl eald he was all right,
though, and the king would stand for
nothing but to go right through with
the performance. Tho irofetisor';J
first threw v.as a wild one. He missed
the board completely and the Knife
v.tut tdluiug aliens the btae. T.
by Ak -
' utij aayyy f" v.'
Hut l for spk with pulls and rleek
fur me the atuff It off.
And punching pills around the lilIU I
cannot mand tlie gaw f ''
When they sprung that reference
to his favorite recreation the presi
dent was delighted. When ho first
came Into the Den Duye O'Brien,
dressed as a Scotchman, handed over
to the president a speaking UkencHS
of his own person done In O'Brien's
best taffy. That pleased him still
more. Then Uriclo Joe Cannon,
natural as life, strode up and handed
over a copy of tho Wpekly Burilon.
The main stunt of the evening,
however, was a golf game played by
the quartet. While they were sing
ing the little verses quoted above a
little pickaninny, eq'filpped as a cad
dlo, entered with an enormous bag of
golf sticks Then tamo on t ho like
ness of the president himself, and
and proceeded to tee up his ball.
Tho president in the box laughed
and laughed still harder when a mo
ment later a gang of photographers
rushed up and got' In the mock,
president's way so he could not make
his stroke. T
Ak-Sar-Bcn Initiations have fre-.
quently been 'attended by delegates
to great conventions who have been,
gathered in Omaha "live .wires"
from all over the country have been
there, but probably no better adver
tised bunch ever attended the. king
dom than the delegates to the , na
tional convention of the Associated
Ad clubs, which met here in July,
1910.
Hellyer Seigh gasped. 'Take your
time; aim more carefully,' said the
king.
"Hoganlnskl said he needed a few
more puffs on a. cigarette to steady
his nerves. He tpok them and got
ready to throw again. Pretty soon
he let go. We could hear the knlfo
bury Itself in the wood. Hoganlnskl
smiled proudly. The candidate turned
his head to see if there really was
a knife there. There was all right.
The candidate waa trembling consid
erably. Tho professor took another
little smoke and after some trouble
in gathering up his knives be still
was pretty nervous, made another
throw. It was a good one and so
were the rest. It required only a
few minutes to put the knives around
the candidate on the other side.
Cheers for their nerve ln not fainting
and laughter at their fears filled tho
air. As a matter of fact,. Hoganlnskl
never threw the knives. He made
the motions, but he switched tho
blades into bis roomy sleeves. Other
knives, hinged to the board and con
cealed in slots, flopped down as the
professor affected to throw.
"The three imitation weight-lift-era
remained to bo punished. They
were dragged to a bench and forced
Professor Hoganinskis Feat
I V "'' ..... .
I
JOHN HOCJAN THROWING THK KNIVES.
Sar - Ben
ILERR DIRECTEUR OF DAS GRAND
OFERA.
i --- j--
OSCAR MISHKN.
"Halleys Pug-Nosed Comet." now
famous in the annals of the Den for
Its wonderful vogue) of performances
with never a cold or unresponsive)
audience, and never an empty house,
was the offering which the Ad men
enjoyed. They fairly swarmed- in
their efforts to be properly initiated
and the "kink" himself had great
trouble in keeping them properly in.
line.
The speakers that night included
S. C. Dobbs of Atlanta, president of.
the association; Lufe Young of Des
Moines, Louis Wylie of the New YorTt
Times, Governor A. O. Eberhardt ot
Minnesota, who made a big impres
sion, and Mayor Pet Clayton of St.
Joseph. These men, who made a,,
profession of laudation, gave Omaha
the best of the goods they had in
stock, and no compliment that might
possibly have been paid Ak-Sar-Ben
and the mysteries of the initiation
was omitted from their remarks.
They constituted one group of initi
ates who have done as much as any
other influence to spread the famo
of the organization and the Den all
over the land.
Ttaero have been many other fa
mous nights and distinguished guests
at the old Don. There have been also
nights when only a few initiates
wero present, but when everything
went oft with such hilarity and Joy
fulness that they have been memor
able In themselves.
Certainly bo distinguished guest
could ever feel himself properly en
tertained in Omaha without being
put through bis paces before tba
, good king, whose rule is so wise and
magnanimous, whoso henchmen are
bo ingenious in devising tortures for
the unwary initiates and whose
laughter and goodfellowshlp are so
hospitable, so generous and so fa
mous. to kneel. A party wno turned out
to be his Satanic Majesty appeared
behind them
" 'They are impostors,' he shouted.
'They're out after the dough. Glvs
it to them.'
"With that the bench suddenly
went down from in front of them and
they were pitched forward towards
a trough of dough that suddenly had
cojhie' up from somewhere. They
saved their faces by shoving their.
. "We took the pledge then and
were knights. The initiation was
over and we had fifteen minutes of
rattling good speeches, limited to
three minutes each. When tbey were
over wo made for the banquet room.
It was as big as the theater and
everything was Informal. There were
piles of sandwiches, ham and cheese
and hot wieners, hard boiled eggs,
preUola and pickles. Everybody
helped himself. There was milk, but
termilk, coffee and beer to drink. We
stood around and ate and talked and
laughed and had a general good time.
"When I went home I was filled
with enthusiasm for Ak-Sar-Ben and
Omaha and Nebraska. I never missed
a meeting night after that. It was
great to be eaton by the cannibals and
it was a darned good town."
11P
' 1'-
c . ' I j t ;""
