Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-22
Mike m'DoNALD ON MORALITY.
The Ga Gambler's righteous Wrath Tow.
ards the French Priest.

CHICAGO, August 2l.-TSpecial Telegram
to THE BEE Mike Mcdonald has received
letter from his runaway wife, who eloped
with the French priest, Father Joseph Moy
SAINT. There is neither sorrow nor contrition
for her sin, nor a plea for forgiveness in the
missive.
"I got letter from her August 12," said
the deserted husband, as he sat in the mag
nificently furnished parlor of his Ashland
avenue mansion this morning and talked TO
reporter, "but she Is still infatuated with
that beast of a priest. Not a word of re-
pentance is sent; all the sorrow she ex-
presses is the pity she has for others in this
house, those two little boys. They went to
Boston it seems at least the letter is dated
there. She says she can not leave the man
she is with. | can not give you the letters as
/ must save that for the courts, for there is
going to be u divorce in this family just as
soon as my lawyer gets back from his vaca-
tion, which will be week from to-day. l
have both pity and contempt for the woman
whom once could call wife. But she has
sunk lower than the vilcst woman on the
earth.
''Why," said Mcdonald. almost breath
lessy, "look at the record of this man, which
| have unearthed. A moral leper he has
been, it seems, from the time he took his
first vows in the priesthood. Everywhere l
20 to find out something about hun hideous
stories of young women falling victims to
him confront me. He preached the word OF
his Master in Dixon, this state. and poor,
ignorant widow, with six children, fell under
his spell, and the result was that vigilance
committee of horrified Catholics was formed
to lynch the fellow. He saved himself by
getting out of the town, then he came here.
1t wasn't long before he again began his life
of crime AGAINST. womanhood, and | hear
stories of his conduct that are almost beyond
belief. Several ladies of the West Side he
endeaVored to conquer, and in some instances
he succeeded. Yes, and he went
further than that, for some of
the women who devote their lives to
the church fell into his clutches. Two years
ago my wife brought that whelp up TO my
house and told me he was poor and deserv-
ing priest, and that she wanted to help hun.
She said be was connected with the church
of Notre Dame, which she and the children
attend. He was poorly dressed and not ut
all good appearing fellow and was seventeen
years younger than my wife. She said the
man ought to be helped and l believe that
she had no other motive III tringing him to
the house than that she believed him worthy
of assistance. Because my wife liked him |
welcomed him and gave him nice room up
stairs and the run of the house. Why, the
hypocrite actually went so far as to induce
my wife to have an altar erected in one OF
the upper rooms, and here he SAID mass all
him. went to my wife one day and said:
"'Mary, believe il is against the laws of
the church to have mass said at private
house. How is thatF
"'Oh,' she replied, Father Moysant has
obtained a. special dispensation from the
bishop and can hold mass here just as well
as at church. and that deceiver said, too,
that the arrangement was far more satisfac-
tory and convenient to him, and that he could
get right out of bed and say mass without
any trouble.
"Well, it went on and on, and knew moth
ing about what was happening. The SER
wants knew of the intimacy between the
two, but they seemed completely under her
orders and said never a word to me. There
wasn't even whisper of what l was
day of July my wife came TO me and said
she wanted to visit her mother in Tilfin, o.
l supplied her with money and she left,
taking ali her jewelry, worth about s., 600.
| didn't hear from her and then began an
Investigation, which developed everything.
| learned from the servants of the improper
relations sustained by the tWo found that
my coachman, Hugh Mullaney. was well
aware of their guilt from the day that it was
commenced, and that Mullaney carried notes
from my wife to that cur. They met at the
Grand Pacific hotel and Palmer house.
Three days after she left she came back to
the house disguised us u nun. l wasn't here
at the time, and she got safely away and
haven't seen her since. She pawned her
jewelry right mere In the city. Then they
skipped. My wife was completely infatuated
with the man. The fellow had dozen
aliases. He went under the name of Frank
Gossman, Raymond, Charles Rafferty,,
Mason and others -