The daily gazette., 1882-08-19
THE TROUBLE IN THE CHURCH.
The EIktOn Sensation at John steclIleIn'
Funeral--versiOn of tho Deceased
Family.

The ElktOn Sensation at John stecl6leIn g
Funeral-Version of tho Deceased e
Family.
A story has been published in some of the
papers concerning church sensation which
took place at Elkton, Md, some days since,
at the funeral of one John Stecklein, who
had been tavern keeper at that place.
The statement was to the effect that the
funeral services were performed by the Rev.
John A. Lyon, pastor of the Roman Catholic
Immaculate Conception Church, and that
while the Reverend Father was preaching
he spoke with bitter emphasis of the evils Of
the liquor traffic and as to how easy man
could sell his soul. "a man could do it,"
he was reported as saying, Sat 10 cents a
drink, bar maid docking at the dead
mans daughter, who had attended to the
saloon for her father during his illness)
could kill her soul at the same price" At
this the daughter sprang up and called
Father Lyon a liar and the son accused him
ofbeing drunk. Red with rage the insulted
father left the altar and the widow of the
dec ased, pronounced the funeral rites and
threw dirt in on the coffin.
THE sTGcKLEIN VERSION.
The GAZETTE has received the following
letter from the daughter of the deceased
man:
to the funeral services performed by the Rev.
John A. Lyon of the Catholic Immaculate Con
ception Church. In Elkton, Nd, over Mr.. John
St9cklein. The beginning sof the sermon was
as follows:
This is the 28th time In 23 months that have
been called upon to perform the funeral cere-
monies, and am about exhausted. 1t is for all
men once to die and after death comes judg-
ment. They are weeping now, but in days, In
| weeks, in months and in years they will never
think that ever such a man lived. There never
was a man with courage enough to say die.
We all have to die and no one can deny 1t.
Then it is to be heaven or hell for our souls, and
| the Devil is peddler. He is like lawyer and
pawnbroker-he buys and sells souls,
| ask that young girl what she sold her
| soul for-for one night at a Dali for a dance
| for bowl. Ask that young man what he sold
| his soul to the devil for-for wife. Ask that
young man what he sold his soul for. He goes
down into the cellar and lays his 10 cents on the
| counter his wIfe's and children's bread, all for
| the pretty fair maid behind the bar. And what
/ does she sell her soul f0r2 She gives him red
| hot stuff that is what she sells her soul for.
When he came to that point we could not
stand 1t any longer to hear our father and family
| slandered in that way. Then mother stood up
and said, "You administered the blessed
sacrament to our father in state of drunken.
| ness.n He never contradicted 1t, but walked
off the altar Then he returned and said, lone
4 minute / did not intend to throw any slur to
| any one." Then our brother, stood up and said
| "You were drunk when you administered the
| blessing sacrament to my dying father and
Rev. John A. Lyon said, 'sYou are liar, ;
/ and walked off the altar. This is the truth and
| the truth only.
None of the Elkton papers publish any
| thing about the affair, but it is understood
| that Elkton sentiment sides with Father
Lyon.