The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-05-14
CHIN.
He Charges the Catholic Priests
With Being Accomplices in the
Assassination of Lincoln.
A HISTORICAL FABRICATION

} Which is Demolished by State.
! ment from Hon. Joseph Lime
man, OF Stea1ns County.
! Pere Chiniquy, the French-C Canadian
apostate, lectured in Minneapolis last
week on the "Eseal Assassins OF Abra.
ham Lincoln F." He has written book
called "Fifty Years in the Church OF
Rome," in which ne says that the Catho-
lie priests Of St. Joseph, MINI, often viz.
tied Washington, and from statements
which he alleges were made by them, he
concludes that they knew of the intended
assassination of Lincoln before it oc-
CURED. The story, as he tells it, came
to Protestant ears through Joseph Lin
neman, who was member Of the legisla-
tare from Stearns county, Mimi, at the
last session. Chiniquy's attack is con-
tanned in these extracts from his books:
Some time ago. I providentially met
the Rev. Mr.. f. "A. Conwell, OF Chicago.
| Having known that I was in search OF
facts about the assassination of Abraham
lincoln, he told me he knew Of those
facts, which might perhaps throw some
light on the subject Of my researches.
| "The very day Of the murder" he said,
''he was in the Roman Catholic village of
st. Joseph, Minnesota state. when, at
| about S o'clock in the afternoon, he was
told by Roman Catholic of the place,
who was a purveyor of great many
| priests who lived in that town, where
they have monastery, that the State
Secretary Seward, and President Lin
coin had just been killed. This was told
me-" he said, "in the presence of most
respectable gentleman called Bennett,
who was not less puzzled than me. A
there we're no railroad lines nearer than
40 miles, nor telegraph Office nearer than
SO miles, to that place, we could not see
how such news was spread 10 that town.
The next day, the 18th of April, I was at
St. Cloud, town about l2 miles distant,
where there is neither railroad nor tele-
graph. I said to several people that I
had been told in the priestly village of
St. Joseph, by a Roman Catholic, that
Abraham Lincoln and Secretary Seward
had been assassinated. They answered
me that they had heard nothing about
it. But the next Sabbath. the 10th of
April, when going to the church OF st.
Cloud to preach, friend gave me copy
of telegram sent to him on Saturday,
reporting that Abraham Lincoln and
Secretary Seward had been assassinated,
the very day before, which was Friday,
the 14th, at 10 p. N. But how could the
Roman Catholic purveyor OF the priests
of st. Joseph's have told me the same
thing, before several witnesses, just four
hours before it's occurrence? spoke of
that strange thing to many, the same
day, and the very next day wrote to
the St. Paul Press, under the heading of
"a Strange Coincidence. Some time
later, tho editor of the St. Paul Pioneer,
having denied what I had written on
that subject, I addressed him the follow
ing note, which he had printed and
which have kept. Here it is, you may
keep it as an infalible proof of my vera
city:
10 the Editor Of the St. Paul Pioneer:
You assume the non-truth of short
paragraph addressed by me to the St..
Paul Press, viz:
STRANGE COINCIDENCE!
cat $50 p. NJ, Friday last, April Ia, I
was told as al item of news, eight miles
west of this place, that Lincoln and
Seward had been assassinated. This was
three hours after I had heard the news" :"
ST.. CLOUD, 18th of April, 1865.
"The integrity of history requires that
the above coincidence be established
And if any one calls it in question, then
proofs more ample than reared their
sanguinary shadows to comfort trait or
can now De given.
Respectfully,
f. A. CONwELL,
asked that gentleman if he would be
kind enough to give me the fact under
oath, that might make use of it in the
report I intended to publish about the
assassination of Lincoln. And he kindly
granted my request.
present here to the world fact of
the greatest gravity, and that fact is SO
well authenticated that it cannot allow
even the possibility Of doubt.
Three or four days before Lincoln
was murdered in Washington, the 18th
of April, 1865, the murder was not only
known by some one, but it was circulated
and talked of in the streets, and in the
houses Of the priestly and Romish town