The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-05-15
THE WAIRLWIND EVANGELIST
A Man Who In His Time Played
Many Parts.
AN INTERVIEW WITH A FAKlR
Lot of Suckers In the South to Be
Rumbugged.

Mr.. G.. Wilfred Pearce, one of the best
known and most scholarly writer's for
the New York press and nom Catholic,
publishes the following interesting ar
ticle on ex-priests:
The demand for ex-priests, fake or
genuine, is far greater than the supply;
they draw like wild fire, and anything
in the way of printing the truth con-
cerning such rogues in the daily papers
is hoOted down by their dupes. have
known men of that sort who travelled
through the South and made 5000
night. On this head am reminded of
an incident which occurred four years
ago. A technical and scientific periodi-
cal especially engaged me to write an
account of a Quack electrical scheme
which was being foated on the market
as medical cure all for every disease
under the canopy of heaven. Every
electrician knew that it was a fraud,
but the public bit at the scheme like
hungry trout at flies. I interviewed all
the great surgeons of this and other
cities, the stats of all our hospitals, and
all the makers of surgical instruments
in and around this city; all these gen.
tlemen condemned the quack apparatus
in signed statements. Then I called
upon the proprietors of the scheme,
whom I found selling the apparatus as
fast as statesmen could handls the buy
the opinions of the leading surgeons
that the apparatus was devoid of merit
and nothing but bit of quackery. I
should like their reasons for believing
the claims set forth in their pamphlets.
"Why," said the head of the concern,
in suave manner, Father McNanus,
of Jacksonville, Florida, in whose par
ish many great cures have been wrought
by our apparatus, is here, and I should.
like to present him to you. After hear
ing his story, return to me, and will
convince you that the surgeons whom
you have seen are jealous of the won.
derful cures which we are making"
Twas presented to Father McManus,"
who told me of the wonderful cures in
his parish and went on to say that when
the yellow fever was desolating jack
sonville in 1883 the apparatus cured
where physicians failed. Now it so hap
pened that I had been in Jacksonville,
staying at the fremont house, for a
week before the fever broke out. had
been sent there to verify rumor that
It existed there and that the merchants,
in order to prevent stampede, had in
duced the doctors to conceal the cases.
The rumor was untrue. Whilst I was
getting ready to go away the fever
broke out, and was ordered to remain
and look out for certain industrial inter-
ests in that part of the state, but when
I tried to leave by mule transit, all
trains being stopped out or in, I was
turned back by the shot gun videttes, of
the quarantine guards and compelled to
remain in Jacksonville. I had travelled
in yellow fever countries so long that
I did not feel alarmed, and kept about
town every day. OF course I met and
knew the reverend clergy thereabouts,
and all the Sisters who came over from
st. Joseph's Convent in the palm en-
powered st. George street in old St.
Augustine, where mass was sung IS
years before the Pilgrim Fathers landed
on Plymouth Rock. And as the sad
days went by, when disease and torrid
heat possessed the stricken town, saw
wives desert husbands and husbands
abandon wives and children in order to
run away from the plague. But the
clergy and Sisters worked night and
day, week in and week out. Several Of
the Sisters died of fever and exhaustion,
but one and all remained faithful unto
death, winning for themselves so good
a name among persons once prejudiced
against Catholics that to this day no
man would dare to malign the clergy
before real Southerner who lived
through that terrible period of plague.
Now to return to the "fakir'' Nc
Manus.
Where were you at the time of the
plague in Jacksonville?'' asked.
Il was there and about every day and
knew every priest in the state"
You were not there. This apparatus
was not there! for knew every medi-
cal man in the. city. and the board Of
health excluded AZ quacks and quack
temedies.''
With fearful oath the "fako priest
went to the door opening into the next
eface and said, pointing at me with his