Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1855-11-21
The wife Of a Catholic Priest suing for
EEse Bower.

/ Z -
singular case isnow on trial at. Brooklyn N.
Y. Gatharinc Smith, claiming to be the widow
Of Catholic Priest named Charles Smith, de-
mands her right of Dover in property valued at
| 100000 This property was conveyed by Smith
to Arch Bishop Hughes for 81 500. The defend.
ant-Roman Catholic Bishop Iaughlin, of Brook
lyn-denics that plaintiff was wife of Smith, and
claims that the property was bought with Church
money, and that Smith held it merely in trust for
Church purposes. The testimony upon the fact
of marriage is particularly interesting, as coming
from the lips of n son aged 20 years, who is one
of two children, the fruits of said marriage:
Charles H. Smith, sworn.-T am twenty.three
years Of age, and shall be twenty -four next May;
my parents were Charles Smith and Julia Ann
Smith; my father was Catholic Priest, and I have
| seen him ofliciate.
When was about six years old, was taken to
| to live with the Shakers at New Lebanon, and be-
| fore that time have faint recollection of nv
father and of seeing him at my mothers in Al
bany; and when saw him four years afterwards
at Lebanon, where he visited me, Recognized
him and called him father, although did not
| know, when entered the room, whom was GO
| ing to see; my mother took my sister and myself
10 i've VIII the Sakersy my SISTER renamed tnefe
some years after left; after had been there
about four years, my father came to see me;
was told that friend wished to see me, but was
not told who it was; it was left for me to discov-
| cr him; when came into the room immediate
ly recognized him as my father, and said GLOW
do you do, father.' He laughed and asked me
how did, seemed friendly, and expressed him
self satisfied at my recognition of him; the in
tcrview lasted about three hours; he asked if l
liked my situation there adding, that if would
leave, he would send me to school and to college;
he gave me five dollars in money before he left,
| aud returned to New Lebanon Springs on his way
| to New York.
| The son testified, that, induced by his father,
he ran away from the Shakers in lS4S, and was
| placed by his father at a school at Nassau Co
lnmba county. An interview between his father
and mother is thus described
| They greeted one another, and at first we're
| very friendly; my mother then told my father
| that she was tired OF this mode of living-that
is scpcratc-anl that she wished hin, to lay aside
his profession and become school teacher and
| live with her; he objected, on the ground that
his health was poor, and that he had become so
| advanced in years that he could not succeed as
| teacher; he proposed to buy house and lot in
| Pttsfeld or some other village.
The conversation then took another turn, and
| some angry words ensued between them. INV
mother insisted upon living with him, and said
she would return to Boston with him. ''Do you
consider me your wifes" He replied, 81 do not
| deny it." She then said that she was not salts
fed that there had been secret marriage, and
requested written statement from him in proof
of it; he replied that this was not necessary, as
it was now sufficiently well known. Fg
He also promised if she would keep quiet and
not expose him., to support her as he had done,
and stroye in every way at that meeting to con-
ciate her; she had cone from Boston at that
time; he wished her to go to New York, and said
that he could go to Boston; at four o'clock, we
all went to the depot, and they then became
very friendly, and she agreed to go to New
York; they kissed when they parted; one went
east and the other west, and returned to Mas
Sau.
In the spring of 1850, Imet my father at the
United States Hotel in Boston; we spoke of my
| mother, and of her going to Boston and exposing
him; asked him fit was true that their mar
riage was.a secret one, as had always heard my
| mother say SO, and heard it from some whom
| thought did not know much about it, and who
| said that he was Protestant, and that they were
| married before he became Catholic; he answer
ed that the marriage was secret one; / then as
kcd him, ''if you should die, would not be treat
ed as an illcgitimate child, who could claim moth
ingy' He replied, ''No, no, no, there would be
no necessity for that, for l would have everything
arranged, and you should be secured" Ihad
conversation with him again in Chelsea, and ask
ed him why he could not come to Chelsea and
live with my mother things would be hushed up,
| and he was getting old; he replied that il she
would keep away from Boston for one year, he
would agree to that; he then sent me to Canada;
the first time came to Boston, he told me he
would have to introduce me as his nephew, and
passed there accordingly as his nephew, and al
SO at Quebec, where he gave me letters as such to
Mr.. Horan; was also introduced to DR.. Browns
son as his nephew; my father also told me it was
not according to the rules ofthe Catholic Church
for priests to marry, and that such matters ought
, always to be kept secret; never lised with my
mother when she kept house.