The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-08
AROUSED TOO LATE.
VICTORIA GROSSLY IySULrED BY
AN Ex-PRIEST.
Rufhven Exposes the Priesthood"
and Incidentally Attacks the
Women of the Catholic Church.
The Community Gets Angry at
Last. but the Lecturer Has Disap-
peared Indictments Pending 1T
Buffalo, y. Y.


Special Dispatch 20 the Post-Insslligencer.
VICTORIA. r. G.. July 7.-Vfctorisns as
z rule ara a phlegnatic people. slow 70
think, although prompt enough 20 act
when once thoroughly aroused. II is 70
this iethargic characteristic OF the conn
munity that Victor 81. RUthven, alias
Riordan. The renegade ard apostate, owes
a debt OF gratitude. For II any other
community on the Coast had been insult
ed as Victoria was al his lectures Sunday
evening and yesterday afternoon, the Of
Tending lecturer would have been fortu-
nate indeed 70 have escaped with his life.
As IL is. De was not only endured, but MIS-
disgusting sentiments even found respon-
sive and appreciztive listeners and II was
not until after Euthven had taken the
train for Nanaimo today that the better
class OF the community awoke 20 a realt-
cation Of the outrage that had beer put
upon the city. Ruthven came here on
Saturday last, announcing himself as an
ex-priest and advertising two lectures,
one for men and the other for women
only. al which ne promised 70 expose the
gross immortality OF the Roman Catholic
priesthood"
The address TO the men was on lines all
ready exhausted by Father" Slattery,
but Astounding IN lewdness. coarse sUgees-
ton and blasphemy. some OF the anec-
dotes related 10 a crowded audience being
ated IN a hrothei. Incidentally he OBJ
served that here in Victoria l make bold
10 say not 10 per cent. OF your Roman
Catholic women are virtuous Yet this
aspersion upon the fair fame OF the. city $
womanhood passed as unnoticed by the
audience as the lecturers obscenity had
been by the police in attendance.
The fact that the TRADE OF the speaker
had influenced a portion al least of the
audience was apparent at the close OF the
lecture, for no sooner had the hoodlum
element left A. q. L. w. hall than they
hurried 10 St. Andrews Roman Catholic
cathedral. only half a block away and
proceeded TO lombard IL with stones hast
fly suatched from the roadway. breaking
several of the costly stained glass win
dows and bringing the venerable Father
Nicolaye 10 the scene. only to be assasled
with chorus of vile epitnetS and threats
OF personal violence.
Today Rutnvcn left for Nanaimo, where
he is announced to lecture tonight and to-
morrow. He may carry out his pro-
aramme. but IL is quite possible that the
police of the Coal City may perform their
duty better than the Victoria officers did
theirs. This morning the provincial po-
lice department received telegram from
District Attorney .. T. Kinefick. Of Buff
falo n Y. in which a little light was
shed on Ruthvens record. as follows;
Five indictments charging Victor NJ.
Ruthven. alias Victor NJ Riordan, bogus
Catholic priest. with swindling were found
I'm the court of sessions. Erie county. y.
y. January term 1893. Ruthven was tried
on one Indictment in the superior court Of
Buffalo. Hon. Edward Hatch. justice, pre-
siding. Ruthven was convicted January
g. 1898. and sentenced 10 the Erie county
penitentiary for one year. which sentence
he served. Four other indictments are
still pending against him
Attorney General Eberts wired an ac-
Acknowledgement and inquired II an arrest
was desired. The reply has not yet come
10 hand, but in the meantime the police
viii keep the lecturer under close sur
yeillance.