Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-09-02
ST. MARY's, 1907. ST. PETERS, 1913.
The Blood of Martyrs is the seed
of the Church"

This cross is the gift of Venerable Father
Hourigan, of Binghampton, one OF the
most sanity and noble-hearted priests in
the Albany diocese. On the base Of the
cross the following inscriptions appear:
''This memorial cross Is the gift Of the
Rev James F. X. Hourigan, at one time
the only missionary priest of three coun-
ties, Broome, Delswsre and Chenango and
now for thirty-eight years pastor of st
Patrick's Church, BiDghsmptop, n. Y.
Near this spot Rene Goupil, novice s.
J., was slain for the sign OF the cross, Sep
tember 90, 1912, and before and after In
different years many other christian men
and women, companions and disciples of
the missionaries of French and various In
dian races offered up their lives"
The history OF the celebrated shrines at
Knock and LouIdes, is familiar to CathO-
lies throughout the world, but few in this
country, ontside OF the French Roman
catholics and the worshippers at the Jesuit
churches, know Of the martyred lives of
Father Jogues and Rene Goupil, whose
massacre where the shrine now stands has
crowned thenf with msrtyrdom.
Father Isaac Jogues was the first apostle
of the Iroquois nation of Indians in the
Mohawk Valley, and was the first mission
ary victim of their cruelty. He was born
al, Orleans, Jan. 10, 1907, and entered the
Jesuit Society at Rouen in 1924 and three
years later removed to The college Of La
Fletche. He completed his divinity studies
Mt Clermont College, Paris, and was or
dsined priest ia 1886. Ia the spring Of
that wear he WAS sent to Canada as mis-
siouary among the Indiana, aud WAS sta
tiooed on the Ottawa river in the land Of
ths Hurons. In 1912 he went to Qnebec
for supplies and on his return with Rene
Goupil he was captured and carried among
the Nohawks During his captivity he
endured torture and cruelty, unparalleled
in the history of Indian atrocities, sll be-
cause of the faith he taught.
Father Jogues' first term Of captivity
was long one, and during it he was fire..
uuently dubbed to insensibility, his finger
nails torn out, his fingers crunched by saw
age teeth, and his body frightfully LAGER
ated and mutilsted.
Rene Goupil received similar treatment,
and both suffered hunger and thirst, while
fostering wounds on their bruised bodies
swarmed with vermin.
The feast of the assumption Of the
Blessed Virgin occurred on August Is. 1t
was on that day that Father Jogues and
Rene Goupi were the most heartlessly
tortured. The flesh of the good priest was
all hacked and torn by his savage prosecu-
tors. Both the priest and novice bore
their horrible sufferings with all the
heroism of the Christian martyr.
The heroic pair were sentenced to be
burned alive by the saysges, but were
spared. While held in close and cruel cap
tivity, Rene Goupil was treacherusly toms-
hawked by a murdsrous Indian on Septem-
Der %. 1912. After several threats to kill
Father Jogues, the cruel intimidation
ceased, and by the aid of the Dutch at
Fort Orange, now Albany, he escaped. His
eapture by the Indians was known in
France, and it was supposed that he had
perished after Rene Goupil. The welcome
he received from his brothers in the Soci-
ety of Jesus on his return was unprece-
dented, it being acknowledged that he had
endured Christian msrtyrdom.
On account of his mutilated hands