The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-31
POPE AND ATHEIST.
Ingers0ll to Act as Attorney for
the Catholic Church in
A SUIT INVOLVING MILLIONS.
1t Grows ont the Deposition of Bishop Du-
mont, of Journal, Belgium-A Chase
for the Money.

Especial to THE HERAL.D-Examner Dispatch
New YORK, Oct. 30.-The great agnostic,
Robert G. Ingersoll, strangely enough is
attorney for the Catholic church and indi-
rectly for the papal see, in an action to re
cover from Peter Bowe, ex sheriff of New
York, S600,00 money of the church alleged
to have been appropriated under color of
legal process from Canon Bernard. The case
will be argued on demurrer tomorrow be
fore Judge Wallace in United States circuit
court. The complaint alleges that Bowe
attached bonds, stocks, etc, amounting to
5000, coo under warrant in an action
brought in the name of King Leopold, OF
Belgium, against Canon Leon Bernard.
The complaint sets forth that the warrant
was annulled with the Kings action being
ontinued, and that Bowe delivered the
property to one Francois Bourgeois
There is a romance involved in the suit.
Previous to 1879 Eward Joseph Dumont
was bishop of Journal, Belgium.
There came between Bishop Dumont and
the Pope difference of some sort, what it
was the lawyers say they do not know.
There is beyond question an ecclesiastical
scandal of great pith and moment underly
ing this bit of history, whatever it was
Dumont was removed. He resisted the
decree which dethroned him and installed
an adherent mo the episcopal Office5 of
Journal Joseph Durousseau was APP
pointed in his place. Durousseau, never
theless was bishop, and as such admins
TRAITOR of great riches.
There is q strange law in Belgium where,
from time long past, no love has been
lost 'twiXt church and state. The law
prohibits all institutions, established
churches for eXomple. from holding mon
eys or property exempt from taxation.
Such riches are held to revert tO,the crown, SO
it was no wonder that the diocese of Tour
mai should be reputed poor. Its holdings,
amounting to millions, Lad no record in the
government inventories, and came in for
no burden of taxation. These millions
were handed down by one bishop to the
keeping of another. There was no record,
no receipt Now, between the bishop and
the Pope, they gave it all away. The edict
of the holy see which tumbled Dumont off
the bishops throne, brought these millions
to light. But Dumont still had the mil
lions. One dark night in December, 1872
while he was upon visit, the new bishop,
accompanied by a locksmith and half a
dozen adherents, invaded the episcopal
palace held by Dumont, frightened the ser
wants and entered the private apartments.
Whether they took the property cautiously
Is AOU huOWu I1OMGNCI, IL ulSdDpCdtCu
In one of the safes were Il, 000, 600 francs of
securities, and others i'll oak strong boxes.
The Office door, which was forced open, was
fitted with new lock, to which the bishop
had no key. Then Durosseau, the new
bishop entered under instruction from the
holy see. 1t is asserted he placed all the
riches in the custody of Canon Bernard to
keep from Dumont. Bernard knew what
money there was. He sailed away
by an Allen line steamer in 1882,
taking the securities with him and
in a safety deposit company's vaults
in Quebec he left hundreds of thousands Of
francs. Thence he went to Boston and got
the receipts of the safety deposit companies
cashed at the Hub for a great part of the
property. Then he went to New York, no
body suspecting the great mystery of the
state the wandering priest carried with
him. He stored 100000 more. From here
he worked his way to the City of Mexico
and abode there till warnings were sent
him, journeying across the gulf to Cuba
EX-Bishop Dumont by this time struck
hands with Belgian royalty. Spies en-
plOyed by Coudert Bros, of this city,
were upon the ecclesiastics tracks. 1t was
a stern chase and long chase, but it could
not last forever. In Havana one night
Bernard was seized. On his person were
found data enough to show where he had
left his riches. He was cast into prison,
then dragged on ship board and was finally
taken back to Belgium in 1SSS. Then the
Belgian authorities began working on him
to get the money. They imprisoned him
and let him write letters but receive none.
They must have had the mails
under close scrutiny, for once no
tice was served upon the priests
iailors that letter had passed from him to
attorneys in New York and it must not
occur again. Having Bernard safely
housed, one of the Kings agents began suit
in New York to regain some of the prop
erty deposited here. In the meanwhile
judgment was entered in Belgium appoint
ing one Francois Bourgeois, commissary Of
the Kings palace, as receiver of the whole
wealth, and before the ink was dry upon
the paper he was off for America to seize
the Pope's millions of francs wherever he
might lay hands upon them.
Barnard tenaciously claimed the Sc
curities as his personal property. Agent
Bourgeois got Judgment in Boston for
81, 100000; the King of Belgium's suit in
New York was withdrawn, but the sheriff
surrendered 100000 to Bourgeois as re-
ceiYer Canon Bernard was tried and &C
quilted in Belgium, being charged with
embezzlement, but after his escape to Eng
land was convicted of trafficing in trust
funds. Afterwards the Belgian King de-
posted $4,000 to Demands order IN the
Belgium bank, but Bernard refused to
touch it, but in lieu thereof brings suit