The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-06
B0NACUM REPLIES.
NOT AT ALL CHOICE WITH HIS
LANGUAGE.
Says Reverend Barrit Has Descended
to the Level of ii BIacl<guard and
Become the Special Pleader For
Brace of Clerical Adventures.

Lincoln, Dec. 5.-Bishop Bonacum to-
letter, being his side of the now famous
fight between the bishop and his priests
in this diocese, and bearing more di-
rectly on the recent trial at Dubuque,
in which the bishop was defeated:
Lincoln. Neb., Dec. 5, 1885, Rev
Father Feeney, Rector of the Au-
! burn Mission:
Reverend and Dear Sir:-I have
been absent from home administering
combinations in the southwestern part
of the state, ana the circumstances will
! explain why 1 have not written to you
sooner.
In order that you and your people
may not be deceived by the telegraph
| dispatches which are being sent out
from Dubuque, in reference to the case
of the diocese of Lincoln VS.. Rev. Den
mis- Fitzgerald, l will state that the
dispatches in question have been writ
ten or inspired by two persons, who are
known to us all as men of unbluShing
mendacity, and who, in collision with
two others, have for the past three or
four years, made use of the press
agencies and two or three disreputable
newspapers, to create a public opinion
against me throughout the country. 1t
is known to you, reverend and dear
sir, that, with two or three exceptions,
have never noticed these slanderous
attacks, for 1 do not recognize the
public as the tribunal to which | am
amenable for my official conduct
Neither have 1 had at any time desire
or inclination to engage in newspaper
controversy with abandoned men.
KS to proceedings in the metropoli-
tan curia at Dubuque, 1 have to say
that they are null and void alb initio,
and, therefore, that the sentence of
which the dispatches speak is of no
force, and is not to be regarded by
you. The miscarriage of the case is to
be ascribed solely to the unfortunate
selection of the judge who was dele
gated TO hear the case. For grave and
Weighty reasons, and in accordance
with a practice which obtains in some
metropolitan courts, his grace of Dubu-
que deemed it for the best interests of
ali to take no part in the proceedings,
and he, accordingly, left the adjudica-
ton of the case to a certain Reverend |
P. A Bart of Michigan. 1t is proper |
to state here that this clergyman svas |
wholly unknown to the most reverend |
archbishop, and that his grace selected |
him solely on the recommendation of |
another person. AS the aforesaid Bart |
was not above suspicion, on account of |
his strained relations with his own |
ordinary and for other reasons, the |
Rev. Thomas Eagan of Milwaukee, |
procurator for the diocese of Lincoln,
him peremptorily, but,
strange to say, contrary to all eccles-
iastical law, and usage, the Reverend
Baart refused to withdraw from the
case. He even declined to receive and
place on file the formal challenge
Which had been made against him. but
with indescribable nonchalance, he put
the document in his pocket Nav, he
went so far as to instruct the notary
not to enter the procurator's excep- .
tions on the record. Under the circum-
stances, nothing was left for the do
cese of Lincoln to do but to protest
against such arbitrary conduct. and so
Withdraw This was done, and we left
the court. The case now goes on ap-
peal to the apostolic delegation at
and 1 will advise you of
the outcome.
Il am, reverend and dear sir. your
devoted servant, in the Lord.
THOMAS BONACUM.
Bishop of Lincoln
p S.-As L finish writing the above,
an official copy of the decision is ]
handed to me. 1t is indeed a very
strange document and replete with the
srossest calumnies against me. In it
Rev Bart descends from the exalted
position of judge to the level of the
oIackguard, and becomes the special
)leader for a brace of clerical ad
Tenturers who have invariably given
rouble to the bishops and people of the !
'aflous dloceses in which they have
'een. shall have occasion in the flu
ure TO animadvert more at length on |
his extraordinary production" I