The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-12-04
The Case of Father Gerdcmann.

The Case Of Father Gerdcmann.
!. From the New York Tribune.
! John w. Gerdemann, late priest Of ST.
Bonifice Church, Philadelphia. publish
ed card in the Baltimore sun Yesterday
morning defending himself against the
charges recently made against him, in
which he says:
4 NV character for honesty having been
tIattacked, and the malicious SANDER hav-
} ing been spread broadcast over the land, ,
: feel it my duty to light myself before
plthe public. have left the Catholic
Church, rejecting all its peculiar tenets,
and will, please God, never return TO IL.
I For this step offer no apology. have
: married my beloved wife, nee Margaret
I Witticb. of Reading, Penn, on the 4th
, inst, before Reformed minister Of Jer-
sey City, with the full consent Of her
-Iparents, in the presence Of the minister's
esmiable lady and brother priest.
: In regard 10 his financial speculations
he says:
I now come to the only charge wish
'lto defend myself against 1.-The charge Of
'ldishonesty. My speculations IN railroad
stocks date back TO the 9th OF last July,
when brother priest ard | jointly
ilbought 200 shares of Pennsylvania, de-
.lpositing as a margin each $500. In
elAugust we bought ] 900 shares. On this
ilinvestmcnt we made jointly t753 33.
arhis profit, am sorry TO say, we lost hy
in New York and Erie and
Reading shares. As to my speculations
Sin real estate, bought two houses with
the full knowledge and permission of
5 the Bishop. In one house lived with
! my assistants, without even charging the
'lchurch cent for rent. As TO my bond
!. .spcculations, invested S400 in the Ger
Imam Bank Of Pottsville, which i sold
: lately at a heavy disconnt To Mr.. Nagle
n order TO pay a depositor. The amount
Ell took along with Inc did not quite
ereach the sum OF 5000. j. for my part,
4 look upon the sum OF $1,000 as a rather
: small reward for more than ten years
? labor; besides. over $500 Of which
b took were actuslly perquisites. One
5 Thousand dollars Of il my sister can
-have ut any time, since for all her hard
clwork for over ten years she has never
'.Itaken or would take any remuneration
money. On the houses there are
!, mortgages To the amount OF $4,000,
= (which borrowed in order to pay claims
u against the church. The interest on the
ole mortgage Of $500 l have paid out
slof my own money. The other Of So, 4OC
elwas loaned fro,u the Building Associa-
t.Ition, and was also my money. did not
leave the houses To my sister. but gave
elihem distinctly and um eservedly to
J. Bishop Wood. | now publicly repeat
yiwhat wrote to Bishop Wood, that
twill send all my savings during life to-
:. wards paying of the debts Of the church
q not rs debt owe TO justice, hut as a
c cIpenalty due TO folly.
y Since his departure from Philadelphia
hIhe has travelled openly, registering in
olhis own name. lie fiis, ac.t with the
t-lidy to Jersey City, where he was mar
y ried thence to Chicago, where the bride
'iand groom remained one day at the Pal
finer House; thence 10 81. Louis, where
Isthey took house, intending to reside
min il but for the newspaper publication
i (which reached them and called for the
4 card now printed.
l. Father Gcrdemlnn was arrested here
on charge of embezzlemen'
taken TO Philadelphia by Detective
Is Wood of that city last night. lie anC
81 his bride were about 10 sail for Europe
IS on the steamship Ohio when arrested.
! PHILADELPHIA. Nov. ia grea
iscrowd attended the hearing of the Ger
ndemann case at the Central Station
sSome Of the crowd were quite noisy
land Alderman Carpenter who heard tb'
Is scase. cautioned the witnesses that under
Isno circumstances could any violence b,
a ilndulged la, and that no insulting Ian
llguage would be allowed. District At
letorncy Mann, for the Commonw ealth
itproposed To prove that the dcfendan
ghad received money for the express pur
'kpose Of erecting a church. In this man
nrner he had accepted about $l5o0oO. witt
TIA portion of which he has purchased
i-ldraits in Europe to the extent of &l00,
loco and which he proposed to enjoy o.
other side of the water. In rep,y {
nj ntquestions by Mr.. James w. Heverir
n n-counsel for the prisoner. Mr.. Mann sta
\ ted that the money had been received b
n authority from Bishop Wood. MI
ne eHeverin argued that a the church wa
senot chartered by the State the actic
"a. against Gerdcmann, rs trustee, woul
not hold good To- which Mr.. Mann re
piled that man had no more right I
ncerob the Catholic Church than any othel
liu After the examination OF witncsst
Ve.proving the receipt of money ms trustee
OF the prisoner was held in $4,000 bail |
IN. await trial for embezzlement. Bail WI
,,ysspromptly supplied and he was liberated
i'n Several prominent members Of III
. Young Mems Christian Assoc iatio
,Iwere present to furnish bail.
. 81 ~