From time to time I have commented upon the Hell Fire Club in these columns, and now a correspondent sends me particulars of a legend connected with its dissolution.
Apparently the mascot of the Club was an aged black cat, which always took pride of place at their dinners. A country curate, having boasted that he would attend a dinner if he were invited, was one evening the guest of honour. Noticing that the carver first cut a share for the black cat, he commented upon this strange conduct. The carver explained that he had always been taught to respect age, and that, as the cat was certainly the oldest present, it took first place. The curate replied that he believed so, too; for the cat was certainly an imp of darkness. This caused an uproar; vengeance was owed, and the curate was given five minutes to read his last prayer. Despite the fear of death, this worthy pronounced an exorcism, and the cat, with a wild scream, resumed its normal appearance of a fiend, and vanished in a cloud of the usual sulphur and brimstone. Apparently, the members of the Club were so much appalled at this loss that the proceedings terminated, and the Club never returned to its former glory.
The Irish Times, April 27th, 1931.