Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-02-20

HE NEW BISHOP OF WHEELiN1-A
SKETCH OF FATHER KAN.-The announce
ment was made yesterday, on the authori-
ty Of cable dispatch from Rome 10 the
Freeman's Journal, that one OF seven
new bishops appointed by the Holy rain
er for the United States was rev. ~
Kahn, of Harper's Ferry, in the diocese OF
Virginia. to the mitre Of the late Bishop
Whelan.. of Wheeling, West Virginia.
As the pastor Of Harper's Ferry Catholic
Church Father Kahn has been for nearly
nine years laboring in Jefferson and
Berkeley counties, West Virginia, and
adjoining counties Of Virginia. He is
man of sterling character and general
popularity. The incident in his life un-
mistakably indicative Of his force OF cha
racter, and which entitled him to almost
every mans consideration, was the ener-
getic way in which he pursued SANDER
against him and brought it to head,
August 6, 1874, forcing retraction from
his slanderer, and mailing the lie down so
tightly that it could never rise again.
This SANDER had been circulated by a
storekeeper in Martinsburg, damaging to
the character of Father Kahn as gentle
man, as a Christian, and as priest. Fa-
ather Kahn procured written statement
of the slanderous accusations, and then
by letter demanded their denial under
threat Of legal consequences. His de-
mand that the accuser should meet the
issue, and at once, was so firm and square
and SO determinediy put that he did not
dare to avoid it, and having no ground for
the falsehoods, made an absolute retrac-
ton. Afterwards public opinion was so
strong against the author Of the SANDER,
it is learned, that he was forced to break
up his business and remove to another 10
cality. In publishing the correspondence
at the timein The Sun, occasion was taken
to contrast the behavior Of this church
man with ministers who have figured in
scandal statements, and to say that ia
Their Kain's case affords correct and man.
full exhibition Of the right course for an
innocentman to pursue, especially min
lister Of the gospel or other public teacher,
when outrageously slandered," and that
sit furnished healthful example for all
under similar circumstances"
Father Kahn is native of Martinsburg,
West Va, where his parents reside. lie
is not much over thirty-four years OF age.
He is graduate of st. Charles College,
near Ellicot City, Md, and studied thcol-
ogy and philosophy at st. Mary's, in Bal
timore. He was ordained i'll Baltimore
about ten years ago, and has always Ia
bored in the field from which he has been
translated to the mitre. Besides being
, man of sterling character, he is an excel
lent administrator, as evidence by what
he has accomplished in an Impoverished
country, ravaged by the war for nearly
four years. He rebuilt the church at
Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, which
was badly damaged by the war. He built
handsome church at Martins burg, West
Virginia, with the exception Of the foun-
dation, which was laid before 1861. At
Winchester, Va, he took charge of Il very
small membership after the war, their
church having been leveled to the ground.
BY his energy a lot of ground, more cen
trally located, was purchased, upon which
has been erected one of the handsomest
church edifces in the Shenandoah valley,
costing something like $4,000. Under
has administration also the congregation,
from very small one, has grown to be
large and flourishing. lie is now (when
| the news reaches him that he is a bishop
organizing congregation ut Front Royal,
! Va. where he is making arrangements to
build another church.-Baltimore Sun OF
, Wednesday.