The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1896-04-21


poses of the charges of Catholic deser-
ton, for if the pope never recognized
the Confederacy Jand he never did) no
Catholic deserted because of this recog-
nition I now repeat the offer 1 made
some time ago. and it is open to anyone
in the universe: One hundred dollars
in gold coin will be paid to any charity
or educational institution named by the
winner for such proof as will satisfy
three Protestant lawyers of this city that
the pope ever recognized the Southern
Confederacy, or that Io4, 900 or any 9TH
er number of Catholics deserted the
Union army in consequence. / will go
farther than / did then. 1 will allow
the A. P. AS to name the lawyers, only
stipulating that those chosen are not
suspected of membership in the A. P. A.
This offer is made in the name of a
wealthy Catholic resident of The Dalles.
Will the anti Catholic zealots take it
up? Nerer. They cannot, because they
dare not. But they will continue to ap-
plaud the hosts of churchless parsons
and professional patriots who repeat it.
Oh Liberty, what crimes are done in thy
name!
The charge against the Catholic
hero of Gettysburg may be dismissed
with word. It is base lying SANDER.
No other words will f1ttingly character
ize it. When night closed on the second
day of that great battle both armies
were badly whipped; both had been lit
orally cut to pieces. At the close of the
following day when, by the help of Han
cocks relnforcements, bloody but de-
cisive victory had been won by the fed
eral troops, these troops found them
selves in possession of more rebel pris-
oners than they. in their shattered con-
dition, could safely hold and yet follow
up the retreat. council of war was
! held, the advice of Gen. Hancock among
the rest, given, and the following up of
the retreating rebels was abandoned be-
cause it was found under existing condi-
tions, to be impracticable. If this de-
cision was the result of Catholic con-
spiracy then the Protestant Hancock
and the other members of the council
were partners in the crime.
ssBut the Catholic church accom-
plished the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln.'' says this reverend prevar1-
cater. Now what are the facts? In no
standard work. in no official document,
ever published on this continent is this
charge or any insinuation of is made or
even hinted at. The official acts bear
ing on the assassination and trial of the
/ conspirators, complied by the recorder
of the commission, Benjamin Pitman,
have been published and in all the records
of the trial there is no aliusion to any
Catholic conspiracy. The great biog-
raphy of Lincoln, by Nicolay and Hay,
in ten volumes, has not even an insinua-
ton about the charge. In letter, a
copy of which I have before me, Mr..
Nicolay, speaking for himself and his
| colleague. in answer to an inquiry, says
l''We have read the charge in a long
newspaper article, but it seemed SO en-
tirely groundiess as not to merit any at
tention on our part"
John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of
Lincoln, was of English descent, and an
Episcopalian in religion as was his
" my OnA pOAcOdSil
knowledge, and all the rest of his family.
Harold's family were embers of
Chrlst's Episcopal church, East Wash
ington, and the pastor of that church.
Rev. DIR. Olds, attended this conspirator
from the time of his incarceration to his
execution, Payne, who made the des-
perate attack on Secretary Seward, was
the son of Protestant clergyman.
Altered was an avowed atheist. Mrs
Surrat was the only Catholic identified
with the conspiracy and she, in the
Judgment of thousands, was innocent oi
any criminal intent. However this may
be, I repeat, Mrs. Surrat was the only
Catholic identified with the con.
spiracy, for her son, John Surrat,
was able to convince eight ot
the twelve jurors before whom
he was tried, that he was not in Wash
ington at the time of the assassination
and took no part in the plot. The gov
ernment, on the disagreement of the
jury, turned the prisoner loose. The
full history Of the plot that took away
the life of Mr.. Lincoln may never be
known till the judgment day reveals it
but nothing save the mad phrenzy o
anti Catholic monomania has ever at
tempted to identity that history with
tha Catho1ic ehurcb Othar sattaYo ,at,