The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-09-02
Said He Was Bishop GulStan and
Came from Hawaii.
THE BOGUS PRIEST ~ PORTLAND.
Claimed to be at the Head OF the Cath
Ollie Church in This Country-His
Glib Tongue Gave Him Away-He
Was Entertained by Churchmen.

AShOB OAiSIOA4 AIOEOAt1 ChC AOIe0
of the Catholic church in this
country, left some months ago for a
visit to Rome and other European
cities. News comes from Portland,
Oregon, to the effect that a man
claiming to be at the head Of the
Catholic church in Hawaii had
been unmasked.
In speaking of the incident, the
Portland Oregoniap of August 4th,
says:
ga white-haired, smooth-shaven
old man of venerable appearance, clad
in the garb of a priest of the Roman
Catholic church, and wearing the pur-
pie collar and cap of bishop, who
has been the guest of Catholic clergy
men in this city for several days, was
yesterday proven to be one of the
most fragrant imposetors and all-round
scoundrel that ever infested a God
fearing community. The man claim
ed TO be tie Rt. Rev. Gulston Ropert,
OF Honolulu, bishop of the diocese
comprising the Hawaiian islands, and
during brief sojourn in this city, be-
ginning last Wednesday and ending
yesterday afternoon, so successfully
enacted his assumed role that he said
early mass on two occasions. 9ester-
day, however, Archbishop Gross and
Rev. Father Orth, of st. Laurence
church, stripped the mask from the
sham priests identity, and he soon
after left the city for parts unknown.
1.-The man called at the residence of
Father Orth, pastor of st. Laurence
church, at the corner of Second and
Sherman streets, last Wednesday.
He gave his name as Bishop Ropert,
of the Hawaiian Islands, and said he
had just arrived in the city from the
East, after brief stops at different
every inch q bishop, and the purple
itself that he wore was sufficient
guarantee to Father Orth that his
visitor was a genuine priest of the
church. He invited him in the
house, assigned him a room, and had
the housekeeper take care of a valise
and umbrella he brought with him.
"The visitor told about his work at
the Hawaiian Islands that seemed
strangely incredible. He dilated
to an alarming extent about the
famous leper island Of Molokai, and
gave a graphic description OF the
manner in which the unfortunates
were cared for. Molokai ought to be
pretty well known to the priests of
Archbishop Gross diocese, because of
the famous part an Oregon priest,
Rev. Father Conrardi, is taking there,
and Father Orth fiattered himself that
he was familiar with the work among
the lepers. He knew that there were
seven Catholic churches or chapels
on the islands, and that Father
lols,
the two heroic priests who, with
number of Sisters of the church,
were riskipg their lives to partially
alleviate the misery of the unfor-
tunate human beings. The Catholic
directory would have told Father
Orth this, even if he had not been
especially interested in the work.
Since his friend, Father Conrardi,
who left for Molokai only a few years
ago, he had read the graphic accounts
of the place published from time to
time in American and English news
papers.
"The bogus Bishop said that he
was an old classmate of Pope Leo
XI, and that he had gone to Rome in
January Of this year at his invitation.
He was in Rome, he said, about three
months, and then came to America
to attend the jubilee of Bishop Will
iams, of Boston. Then he visited
Monsignore Satolli at Washington
city. He was on his way to Hawaii,
he said, and had been delivering lee
lures along his route. He had
spoken, he said, at La Grande and
other places in Eastern Oregon, and
would consent to deliver lecture in
this city.
Father Orth's suspicious grew
apace with his guests stories of the
leper island. The latter, among other
things, said he had recently moved
his place of episcopal residence from
Honolulu to the home of the lepers.
He found, he said, that he could do
more good in the life work before him
among the afflicted natives, and that
he was resigned to the possibility OF
having his own life ended by the dread
disease.
Father Orth at last hit upon an
idea that proved to be the beginning
of the end. On his library shelves
was copy of the Catholic directory
of the world for 1895. It contained
picture of every bishop of the church.
Happening to think of this, be took
the book down from the shelf, but up
on examination found that the leaf de-
voted to the Hawaiian islands was
torn from it. This almost staggered
the good priest but went a long W9VS