The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-10-27
SATOLLI TOLD HIM.
Father Fabris' Startling
Story at the Hearing of
the Corrigan Will
Case.
cave TUEy TUREATENFD To SH00T Him
SAYS THEY THREATENED TO SHOOT HIM
Father Gorrigan Accused of In
citing His Citrate 10 Write
Against the Archbishop.

Rev. Father Francis Dominic Fabris,
assistant priest at the Church OF Our
Lady of Grace, Hoboken, now and dur
ing the lifetime of the late Father Cor
rigan, very reluctantly took the stand
In the Orphans Court yesterday after
noon at the resumed hearing OF the
caveat proceedings over the late Father
Corrigan's will. DR.. Fabris is a SlaV'
and asked Judge Hudspeth II ne mlght
testify in that picturesque tongue; put
there was no interpreter, and ne was
obliged to go ahead in English, IN which
language he showed himself to be no
mean scholar. Indeed, by his Keen all
alysis of some of the lawyers questiohs'
he might easily have passed Tor a pro-
fessor of English grammar. When a most
of uninteresting matters had been gone
into, Counsellor Leon Albeit, Jr.' OF
counsel for the caveators, asked NM
..Dfdn't Father Corrigan assail your
character"
Eyes; he said that I didn't please him,
and was very queer"
what did you say to him?"
81 told him that my character was
above scrutiny, and 1 wished his was"
Ibid YOU, in December, notice any
thing peculiar about Father Corrlgan's
~conduct?'' asked the lawyer.
.sWell, he was feverish because of the
newspapers was the reply.
How did his conduct impress you"
HE impressed me that he was labor
Ing under the idea that certain people
were conspiring against him."
"Who conspired against him." asked
Mr.. Albeit, after Senator DAILY had
striven to to keep this testimony OFF the
record.
eWell, he referred to me- said DR..
Fabris.
Did he refer to others?' asked Mr..
Albeit.
UNLESS the Court compels me, I must
decline to bring in others" said the
witness.
Answer the question:. said Judge
Hudspeth; these questions may be dls-
tasteful, but the law permits counsel 10
ask them, ana you must reply. Ihe
Court will protect you II any ihlPtopei
HE referred" replied DR.. Fabris, after
a pause, ITO Fathers FItzpatrick and
THREATENED TO SHOOT HIM..
Mr.. Albeit brought out a startling
statement when he asked the Witness II
he remembered two me1 named fltz-
nlQ2OIS OIlll ~ lA0
Father Corrigan's presence asking MN 10
Eyes" replied the witness, but
after first declining, and then being ON
told me to sign a certain paper or they
would shoot me-"
who would shoot your" asked Mr..
Albeit.
The Fitzgibbon brothers. replied the
priest, CHANGING sideways at the mother
OF the men sitting in the rear OF the
court room. .
Because it was not clearly shown that
Father Corrigan was present when the
men said this to DR.. Fabris, the testi-
mony was stricken out.
Did Father Corrigan come into the
room when these FitZgibbons brothers
were talking to your"
Eyes"
What did he say?"
.He was very excited" replied DR..
Fabris, after another spar with the coun-
sci as to answering the question, and
told the brothers either to nix me or take
care of me, 1 don't remember which"
These Fftzgibbons tried to prevent you
leaving the room, did they mott! asked
Mr.. Albeit.
WOMEN GUARDED HIM.
do you remember the last sickness of
Father C~orrigan?"
Did two women guard his room and
prevent people from going in to see the
deceased"
Yes; Mrs. De Vaucene and Mrs. Null
ibid they try to prevent Bishop Wig
ger from entering?'
II did not see that" was the cautious
reply.
Senator DAILY began his -cross-examina-
ton by asking if the differences OF opin-
ion between Father Corrigan n Wit
ness were not of al ecclesiastical char-
acter, but DR.. Fabris wouldn't accept
the word differences" 1t was too
broad, he said. He fenced with the law
yer about opinions and differences, and
at last admitted that his differences of
opinion were somewhat of an ecelesi-
astical nature"
did he want you to do something
DR.. Fabris avoided the question, and
another bout took place, ending In the
Court taking a hand with a stern AN
swer the question, Father"
"What did he ask you to do?" asked
ASKED me to write against Arch
bishop Corrigan n Bishop Wisger,
was the reply given in a low, unwilling
"You went to visit Bishop Wigger at
Seton Hall during December, 1883, with
Father Corrigan. What did ne say 10
you on the trip2"
He scolded me, and didn't want me
to go. He said that l had misrepresented
BY SATOLLPS ORDER.
DR.. Fabris had been requested by
Monsignor SatoIli to make certain in
Guisitions, the nature of which did not
appear, and these he made. Their nature
did not please Father Corrigan, who &C
oused DR.. Fabris of distortins the facts.
Did you misinform Monsignor Sa-
mo, 1 told Monsignor Satolli what /
had been told"
Father Callaghan, of East Orange, but
formerly with Father Corrigan, next tes-
titled. He did not, he said, believe the
deceased was of unSOunQ MIND.
Father Thomas A. Wallace came next,
and he said that he visited Father Cor
rigan on the day he died, January 3,
1884. Bishop Wigger was also there
'Did anyone present prevent You and
the Bishop from entering the room where
Father Corrigan lay?' asked Mr.. Young.
II saw a person at the door in the
attitude of repulsing the Bishop and my
self, but we went in. L was a woman,
but / do not know who she was
POLICE CALLED IN.
Chief Donovan, of the Hoboken police
force, testified that police We're sent to
Father Corrigan's house, but he never
heard the priest tell him that he was
afraid of his life.
$ Counsellor Young Their called Thomas,
Edward, Joseph and William Fitzgib-
bons to tell about the alleged threat to
shoot DR.. Fabris, but none of them ap-
peared, although subpoenaed. This
amounts to contempt OF court, and
Judge Hudspeth will find a way to rorci-
bly, remind them that an order of court
must be attended to.
James Brady. sexton OF the Church
of Our Lady of Grace, was called, and
he swore thai Rev. DR., FabTis said to
him, DO you see how these Fftzgibbons
rave attempted my life. Father Corri-
gan told them to Shoot me-.