The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-12-13
The CORRIGAN TRIAL
Bishop Wigger Was Willing te
Let Mgr. Satolli Preside.
BUT THE HosokEN PRIEST REFUSED

Nobody Knows When the Next Session o
the Court win be Held, as a Committed
Is Now Consid ering the Claim That Vicai
General o'COnnor Is Biased.
NEWARK, N, j., Dec. 19.-The trial Of
Father CorrigAn began at 2:20 yesterday
afternoon behind closed doors in the large
room Of the Episcopal residence. Among
the churchmen present were Rev DR.
Lalo Birtsell Of Rondout, Chancellor Nc
CARTE, pastor of St. Michael's Church
Rev. Dr.. Sebastian S. Smith, pastor Of St
Joseph's Church, Paterson, and many
others
1t was just before o'clock when Father
Corrigan arrived with his counsel. Father
Burtsell, at Bishop Wigger's Episcopal
residence, 80 Bleeoker street.
As soon as the court was seated DR..
Burtsell arose and for bis client, objected
to Vicar General O'Connor sitting as Judge
on the ground that he is biased. Father
O'Connor is a member of the Bishops
household DR.. Smith asked that the
reasons for the objections should be made
known. DR.. Burtsell answered that he
had the reasons written out and then in
his possession, but he refused to read
them in the presence of Vicar-General
O'Connor.
DR.. Smith then stated that in accord
ance with the law governing such cases
DR.. Burtsell should select one priest and
he himself another, the two to choose a
third, if necessary, to hear the reasons in
support of the claim of bias, and the
witnesses who would prove them, and re-
port their finding to the Bishop.
DR., Burtsell at the suggestion of his
client, chose Rev. Dr. Patrick f. Nc
Sweeney of St. Brigid's Church, New
York, priest outside of the diocese, and
DR.. Smith chose Mgr Doane Of New
ark DR.. Smith greatly desired that they
should meet tomorrow and report to the
Bishop one hour after the meeting but it
was at length agreed that they should
meet at St. Patrick's rectory in Newark
on Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock and
report to the Bishop on Monday next.
Father Corrigan will bring four or five
witnesses before them. Nobody now
knows when the next session of the court
will b,i''lI The@}ishop will fix the day
after ht 9"S decided whether the claim of
bias shall stand.
The next matter which transpired at
the session of the court was a surprise
to the defense. fDr. Smith arose
and said II may here state that the
Bishop is now willing that the case should
go before Mgr. Satolli at once for adjudi
cation"
This is irrelevant" responded DR.
Burtsell; 1--WE have not brought up Mgr
| Satolli's name here.n
Father Corrigan then said: "When
wrote to the Bishop suggesting the name
of Mgr. Satolli and those Of Father Hen
messy and Dean McNulty as judges in thi,
! trial, he refused to entertain the idea anC
| l now do the same"
At this point DR.. Smith suggested that
| Father Corrigan should be sworn to Sc
crecy, and after long discussion by the
counsel the court rose.
Father Corrigan has made public tn,
! letter in which be replied on Nov. 2f tC
Bishop Wigger's demand that he retract
| the statements published by him in the
! "Freeman's Journaln on Oct. and Nov
| II, and to apologize to Archbishop Corri
| gan and others for them.
Father Corrigan says he had made NJ
| false statements, He had right as an
American priest to express his views OF
important national, as well as religious
/ questions "and to resent the insult Of
fered to American prelates by ecclesias tics
who assembled in a purely English.
speaking diocese, and as professedly for,
eign element.
Father Corrigan says he meant no Of.
Tense TO the Bishop as Bishop of the diocese