Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1886-03-11


and entered the St. Charles College,
to study for the priesthood. Upon
June 80, 1864, he was ordained to the
clergy, the late Archbishop Kendrick
oficiatingat at the services. In 1868 he
was appointed by Pope Plus ", a
Vicar Apostolic for the State of North
Carolina and in this position officiated
SO satisfactorily that upon the death
of Bishop McGill, of Richmond. in
January, 1872, he was raised to the
vacant seat. In his new position he
was as Jealous as ever and many new
churches and schools were erected in
the diocese.
In May, 1879, he was appointed
Coadjutor to Archbishop Bailey, of
Baltimore, and upon the death of the
latter on October 3rd, 1879. Bishop
Gibbons succeeded to the See of Bal
timore.
The advancement of Archbishop
Gibbons was rapid, in view of the
slowness of promotion in the Catholic
Church. His promotion, too, was the
reward of his zeal and untiring labor
in the ministry rather than the result
of marked intellectual qualities. Many
instances of his zeal and spirit Of self
sacrifice are related. When presiding
over the parish of Elk Ridge, Md,
many years ago, smallpox broke out
in the village and a general exodus
Immediately followed. One old negro
man, lying at the point Of death, had
been abandoned by his family and
was left alone in his cabin without
food or medicine. Father Gibbons,
hearing of the case, hastened to the
old mans relief. He procured him
every necessity and stood by him and
tended him till he died. He then
managed to procure coffin and, hav
ing placed the corpse in it, dragged it
to the graveyard and buried it with
his own hands During his mission
ary lite in North Carolina he perform
ed many acts equally noteworthy and
bore many hardships. There are few
Catholics in North Carolina and they
are much scattered.
Among the many incidents of the
new Cardinals life the following
amusing occurrence is related by a
Richmond journal: While Bishop OF
Richmond he was the defendant in a
suit relating to some church property.
When he was called to the witness
stand the plaintiff s lawyer, a distfn-
guished legal luminary, who still
shines in Richmond, after vain en-
deavors to involve the witness in con-
tradictions. struck on plan which he
| thought would annoy the Bishop. He
questioned "Mr." Gibbons right to
the title of Bishop" of Richmond and
called on him to prove his claim to
| the office.
The defendants lawyer of course
objected tothis as irrelevant, but the
Bishop, with quiet smile, said he
| would comply with the request if al
lowed half hour to produce the nee
essary papers. This was allowed. The
Bishop left the courtroom and return
| ed in twenty minutes with document
| which he proceeded to read with great
soIemnity, all the more solemn as the
paper was In Latin. The plaintiff i
lawyer pretended to take the note,
industriously, bowing his head once in
a while as If in aeqpiescencea and seem
ing perfectly convinced at the end
/ When the reading was finished he an.
nounced the Papal Bulls just read
were entirely satisfactory. and at the
same time apologized for his ex pressed
doubts. The next day it leaked oul
that the Bishop, unable to find ths
i Papai documents at his residence, had