The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details | Page 9

begin its State management
of the Order. In other chapters the writer has made a passing, though
sufficient allusion to the internal workings of these Temples, and
doubtless the initiated reader, in different sections, will recognize the
facts we have already and are further about to state, notwithstanding the
"obligation" the author is supposed to have subscribed to, not to reveal
the existence of the Order and its secrets, under penalty of "suffering a
shameful death."
The process usually followed in instituting the Temple Degree, was to
send missionaries with authority, into the districts proposed to be
organized, who called together such of the "unterrified" leaders as were
known to be "sound on Jeff. Davis' goose," before whom the design
and object of the Order was confidentially laid for their approval or
rejection, by a majority vote. It is important to recollect that the record
does not afford an instance where a majority of those assembled for this
purpose, rejected the Order as inconsistent with their political views.
On the contrary, it was everywhere received by the politicians, both
great and small, as "just the thing they had been looking for." These
politicians were then left to "manage their own local affairs"
concerning the Order, "subject only to the constitution" of Jeff. Davis.
Generally, several meetings and some discussion enabled these
empyrics to determine plans of strategy to screen themselves, by
"covering the tracks in the sand," a remark frequently heard from
members.
[Illustration: THE MILITARY COMMISSION IN SESSION IN THE
ROTUNDA OF THE COURT HOUSE IN CINCINNATI.

"All whom we arrested wore the same general wolfish aspect."--From
the testimony of Brig. Gen. B.J. Sweet.]
The plan in most cases adopted, was to familiarize a sufficient number
of the elect, with a grossly immoral and treasonable pamphlet, called
the "Ritual of the Order," to enable them to officer the Temple, and
"induct" any number of "candidates" supposed to be "in waiting in the
ante-room, into the sublime," but in fact dark and dubious "mysteries of
the Order."
After one or more squads of these "candidates in" anxious and
breathless "waiting" had been inducted, (meanwhile staring like stuck
pigs at every object and officer which met their eyes,) in addition to the
regular officers of the Temple already installed, it was considered that
enough official and canvassing material had been acquired, and the
more prominent politicians, not officers of the Temple, deemed it
prudent to absent themselves from most of the weekly meetings. Again,
it was an illusion of these leaders, to put forward the most irresponsible
persons at their command, as the mouth-pieces and official
representatives of the Order, to the end that if detected, the theory of
crazy, powerless fools, could be wielded upon public sentiment by an
undisturbed partisan press, to save the scheme from thorough
investigation and development by the authorities.
In evidence of the fact of these illusions, L.A. Doolittle lectures the
Temple in Chicago on the "purposes and plans of the Order," (but who
by the way, was not so "insane on the subject" as the men who put him
forward have sought to show him to be,) and prominent politicians, not
before known to be members of the fraternity, appear prior to
semi-annual elections as candidates for representatives in the Grand
Council.
It was duly announced, also, that an extra session of the Supreme
Council had been convened in the city of New York, charged with the
special business of revising the ritual, changing the signs, passwords,
grips, and giving to the Order a new name. Pursuant to announcement,
Charles W. Patten made his appearance in the Temple with the rituals
and paraphernalia of the new Order of the Sons of Liberty--the result of

the proceedings of the late Supreme Council.
This obscure individual, with fame limited to the dusty walls of the
Invincible Club Rooms and the traitor's dungeon at Camp Douglas,
upon his appearance in the Temple, assigned two chief reasons for the
recent action of the Supreme Council. First and most important was,
the obvious inadequacy of the Order of American Knights to subserve
the purpose for which it was instituted, in consequence of the
subordination of the military to the civil department. And, second, the
disclosure in St. Louis had rendered the Order liable to intrusion by
spies, an embarrassment to be avoided only by alteration of signs, grips,
passwords, and name. We were then informed that we were Sons of
Liberty (a sensible man would have said sons of the devil, if he had
dared to have spoken the truth), and earnestly exhorted to exercise the
utmost caution in adhering to the new rules and instructions of the
Supreme Council. It is not a little amusing to witness the homeopathic
doses of modern democracy, carefully administered to the rank and file