The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-11-07
From he Cleveland Herald.
The Confaas;an.I

hold which that sacrament has upon ths
conscience of those who seek absolutiol
at mortal hands will be eagerly sough
A murder case lately tried at Rich
mond, Va, called up a 1question whicl
incidentally drew from a Roman Catho
lie Priest some of the hidden working
Of the confessional, which to Protestant
eyes, aud those not dispose d to attribut,
20 man any Of the attributes of the Deity
will be matter of curiosity.
The New-York Herald reports th,
case in full aud we make some extracts
A man named Cronia was on trial fol
the murder Of his wife, aud in the course
of said trial, = Roman Catholic Prizes
the Rev. john Teeling-was called
to the stand as witness, aud testified tc
the fact the deceased wife made certain
declarations to the witness in the pres
enc of the prisoner, her husband. The
attempt was then made to get the wit
ness to answer the question, whether the
deceased afterward at confe sional did
NOT make a statement contradictory to
the one made By her IN the presence Of
her husband. In answer to a question,
the witness said
Al the confessional we allow no per
son TO Sc present except the penitent,
save in instances where the latter nav
speak in language unintelligibIe to the
priest; IN that ease we are compelled to
use an interpreter, In no other instance
is . third person allowed TO be present.
This question was also put
1t IN her sacramento confession to
Won she admitted her 0uilt in a hundred
instances, could she, IN that declaration
maue to her husband 10 your presence,
Y refe3red TO her conf sslon. and made
statements contrary to hat had been
there submitted
Mitness-che could Eaye referred to
any sacramentaI declaration which sac
hao previously made Il she thought prop
or, ana nave sven contraoieted 10 her
declaratlon before ner husband and my
self any statements made at the confes-
%sional but 1 could say nothing.
The lawyer then said
ask you whether she made to you,
IN the absence OF her husband any state
ment that involved her guilt
Wttness-She made no declaration to
me IN my CIVIL capacity that could IN
ToiYe her as TO any declaration she
made TO me as her confcssor, ne mater
what the eneet OF that declaration may
be, whether to inculp-te or exculpate
The prisoner, l cannot reveal 1t. l can
say nothing OF what was revealed by her
81 her Confession to me az a Roman
Catholic Priost
QuestIen-Il she called you, and said
- Father feeling, Iwish to make a
Confession before you, and want to get
absolutien would z statement made
under those circumstances, being regard
ed as accessory to the absolutiou, be
looked upon as s~acrameutnl or such as
yoa could not reveal?
Witnesszf sSt down and put
around my neck what re call a stole,
which resembles q wide ribbon, and Is
regarded as a mark OF jurisdiction, any
thing declared after that is held to be a
saeramentai confession.
Extreme JUNCTION Is administered to
persons who are IN danger of death, or
have some disease which may produce
death, while that result may be reinote
We tesch our people the inproPriety of
Of putting of the receptions of this sac
rament to a period ahea there is DO hope !
of recovsry for we attach to it an efica
cy m heaiing the body to a certain ex-
tent
Inc Court7heid. that as It did not ap-
pear tnas the confession asked ior was
maoe IN we" Oh immsalate death, Dor
in the presence OF the prisoner, II could
nor pc slEen IN evidence The Judge
however tooS occasion to pronounce upon
the question, WEBSTER, under any cir
cumstances q Roman Caiiallo Priest