St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-14
one or two more witnesses, the commit
tee returned to st. Paul on the 7:10 Wis
cODSin Central train.
QUESTIONS OF PRIVILEGE.
Gen. Sherman's Son Warns Up
Newspaper.

New YORK, Feb. 13.-With evident
agitation, Gen. Sherman's son, P.
Tecumseh, at 1920 O'Clock this morning,
left the family home at IS West Sew
enty-frst street and hurredly walked
around the corner to the telegraph
/ office which is used as headquarters by
the reporters and correspondents who
constantly await news Of the generals
condition. P. t. Sherman carried IN his
hand copy of the New York Times,
and as he entered the telegraph office
with obvious excitement he called about
him the waiting reporters. lie is
said to have holly arraigned the
Times reporter, who, he stated, had on
Thursday evening vainly sought pri
vate interview with the family. Mr..
Sherman then called attention to this.
which was printed in the paper he held
in his hand and which he spread out
upon desk:
1.-The administering Of extreme JUNCTION to
Gen. Sherman by Roman Catholic priest
caused comment yesterday among the
friends of the stricken soldier. and raised
several questions bearing on Gen. sherman
religious opinions and attitude toward the
was expressed at the administering Of
the sacrament and it was the opinion among
those who had long known the general that
he was not fully conscious OF the fact that
the rites were being administered. The
cords binding the church to the sick man
were not drawn during the early
progress of the illness, nor were they
visible to those in attendance outside OF
the very immediate family. So far as could
be learned, it was not until very late Wednes-
day night that priest was summoned to the
sick chamber. There must have been pre-
vous understanding of some kind, because
the priest came promptly when sent for, de
spite the lateness of the hour. The clergyman
chosen was Rev. Father Matthew A. Taylor,
pastor of the Roman Catholic Church of the
Blessed Sacrament in West Seyenty-hrst
street. Although there were dozen persons
in front of and in the immediate vicinity OF
the house, NO. - West Seventy first greet,
nobody notified him as he entered, ana 1t
was not until he emerged about o'clock a
m. that his presence was known. 1T was
then stated that he had been in the house
two hours.
''His departure was not without its coinci-
dence. Some time before he left Cen Sher-
mans condition changed for the worse, and
message was quickly sent 10 bring Senator
John Sherman, who has never been even
lukewarm toward the Roman Catholic
church. The senator had gone TO
spend the night at the house of his niece,
Mrs. Colgate Hoyt. in Fifth avenue. few
minutes before Senator sherman carnage
ratified up in front OF the mouse the glass
front door was quietly opened and ont
stepped Father Taylor He walked hurrledly
along Seventy first street to Tenth avenue,
and spoke not amiably to those who
sought to learn from him as to
the condition sof the general. Youll have
to get that at the house, he said. He de
clined TO state what had occurred during his
visit and refused to be interviewed. by the
testimony of some of those in the room at
bo M
of what was occurring, and did not
notice the priest or recognize those
around him. He was choking and coughing,
and his breathing was hard and quick. His
was not able to swallow. 1t was under
these circumstances that the extreme
JUNCTION was said TO have been offered.
That this was the condition OF
affairs was corroborated by the priest VINO,
on his appearance in the street at few min
utes after II o'clock, said: Il administered
extreme JUNCTION to Gen. Sherman at the re-
quest OF the family. 1t is not Thought that
he will live longer than few minutes.
Mr.. Sherman's vehement objection
was to what he construed to be state
meut in the above article III the Times,
that Rev. Father Matthew A. Taylor
was admitted quietly into the house
Wednesday night before the arrival of
Senator Sherman. was absolutely
denied by Mr.. Sherman, who de-
clared that the priest was admitted
by Senator Sherman, as the rest OF the
family feared to leave the generals bed
side. Then Mr.. Sherman went on to
give his version of the administering OF
extreme functions by Father Byrnes,
and the reason for 1t. He declared that
the priest was called in at the request
of the family for consolation, as
Extreme junction was administered to
the general by Father Byrnes, also at
the request of the family. 1t was true
that Gen. Sherman was gasping for
breath at the time, and might not have
been conscious of what was gong on
about him. Mr.. Sherman declared
positively that his father was not a
Roman Catholic, and had neither asked
they had a perfect right to do.
for nor consented to receive extreme
JUNCTION. Gen. Sherman's children had
asked the priest TO administer the last
rites of the Roman Catholic church to
their father, and it had been done.
There had been no SecreSy about it
whatever Tonight Senator John
Sherman has sent to the Times this let
Ter:
Gentlemen paragraph in your paper
this morning gives very erroneous view OF
| an incident in Gen. Sherman's sick chamber
! which wounds the sensitive feelings of his
| children, now in deep distress, which, under
| the circumstances. | deem 1t proper to
| correct. Your reporter intimates that
| advantage was taken of my temp
| orary absence to introduce a Catholic priest
| into Gen. Shermans chamber 10 administer
| the right of extreme untion to the sick man
| in the nature Of claim that he was Catho-
| lie. 1t is we'll known that his family have
been reared by their mother, de-
| voted Catholic in her faith, and now
| cling to it. 1t is equally well known
| that Gen. Sherman, and myself as well as all
my mother children are by Inheritance, ed
ucation and connection, Christians but not
| Catholics and this has been openly avowed
| on all proper occasions by Gen. sherman;
but he is too good a Christian and too good
| q man to deny to his children the
consolation of their religion. He
was insensible at the time and apparently at
the verge of death, but if he had been well
would not have denied to them the consola-
ton of the prayers and religious observances
for their father of any class or de-
nomination of Christian priests or
preachers Certainly if I had been
present l would, at the request Of the family,
have assented and reverently shared in an
appeal to the Almighty for the life here and
hereafter OF my brother, whether called n
prayer or extreme junction., and whether ut
tered by priest or preacher, or any other
good man who believed what he spoke, and
had an honest faith in his creed.
| hear that your reporter uttered a threat to
obtain information, which | cannot believe
YOU would for a moment tolerate. We all
need charity for our frailties, but | can feel
none for any one who would wound those
already ID distress Very truly yours,
JOHN SHERMAN.
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