The Bell Inn

From the O.T.O. Newsletter of August 1979

I [Grady McMurtry] did not really have all that much trouble in finding Aston Clinton. Not at all like that time in Korea when I wanted to drive from Chunchon over to the Western Front without bothering to drive all the way into Seoul. Found myself on a washed out road on a mountain pass, up to the fan belt in a flooding stream without a bridge; and when a squad of Koreans burst out of the cane in full camouflaged combat regalia I damn near shit my pants while grabbing for my carbine in the back of the jeep. Turned out they were just ROK troops on manoeuvers, but for a horrible second I didn't know that. Well, anyway; back to Crowley, like I said.

Naturally I was in uniform. Not only was there a war on, but I had taken the morning off from my duties as Company Commander to grab the company jeep and go over and see Crowley. I walked in to the desk (on the right. the dining room is on the left as you walk in) and asked the clerk how I could find Mr. Crowley. He said, "Oh, right up those stairs there (on the right), down the corridor to the left, and it's room number so and so . . . (which I have forgotten.)" So I go pounding up the stairs "with me combat boots on," found the door (on the right), and pounded on it. I heard some unintelligible sound, so I pounded again. This time I heard a voice saying very distinctly, "Who is it?" Since I was talking to a piece of wood, I said very loudly, "LIEUTENANT McMURTRY." The door opened and there was Crowley. He took one look at me and said, "Oh, there you are, old chap. Come right on in." Then he paused, looked puzzled for a second, and said, "That's strange. When I was taking the I Ching this morning it said that I would be meeting a military man." I walked in, and, as best memory serves, this is what the pad looked like.

A is the door.

B the row of windows over on what seemed to me to be the North wall; with

C the bed under them.

D was a round table piled high with proof sheets which must have been from Magick Without Tears.

He sat down in E and I sat down in F (there may have been other furniture in the room, but I do not remember).

The Bell Inn