Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-24

Few moments thuuBut hu'ih5 49,
season of love and rejoicing, ] cannot
give better letter than the desciip-
ton of an interview which l recently
had here with the Rev. John Ireland,
the famous Catholic archbishop of st.
Paul. Archbishop Ireland is one of the
most loved Of the public men of the
United States. His face has smile as
sweet as that of Santa Claus, and there
is an honest Independence of character
about him which charms all who meet
him. He Is the personification of liberal
catholicism. He has preached temper
ance from the pulpit, the lecture plat
form and the press and has again and
again announced himself as against
any union of church and state. More
than any other ecclesiastic he has made
himself known as a patriotic American.
He believes in the reign of the people
and is enthusiastic as to our possible
ties as u nation. He stands very close
to the pope, Leo XIII. and the pope's
great interest in American matters Is
largely due to the influence of Father
Ireland.
CHAPLAIN IRELAND IN 1852.
The archbishop was born in Ireland,
but he bought the right of his Amerl-
can citizenship by fighting for the
Union during the late war. In 1861 he
was n young priest in Minnesota, hav-
ing just finished his education in the
theological seminaries of Europe. After
the battle of Bull Run he offered his
services as chaplain and was attached
to the 9Th Minnesota Regiment. The
most of the members of this regiment
We're Catholics, and young Father Ire
land was the most popular man or the
corps. He preached to the boys before
and after the battle, and / have heard
1t said that the men would drop their
cards and leave their games at any
time to hear one of his sermons. He
was not, however, contented with
preaching. AT times he went into bat
tie and fought with the men. This was
the case at Corinth. The late John
Atkins, editor of the Rocky Mountain
News, who was in the fight. once told
the story; 1T was in the midst Of that
battle. = he famous Texas Brigade had
made their desperate charge. The con-
federates had succeeded In penetrating
the Union lines. They had captured
some of the batteries and We're pouring
in the lines was widening. More
soldiers were rushing through. 1t
looked as though the confederates
would soon attack Rosecrans' army
In the rear when the 9TH Minnesota
Regiment was ordered to the rescue to
close the gap. They attempted to do
so, They threw themselves like whirl-
wind upon the enemy. with shot and
bayonet they rushed upon the advanc-
ing mass, pressing 1t back inch by inch
until at last they retook the batteries
which had been lost and almost sue
ceeded in re-establishlng the line at
the point where 1t had been broken.
Just at this TIME, when the enemy
were still crowdlng and lighting for the
gap, the cry went out from Union SOL
diers for more ammunition. Many of
our boys had used up their forty
rounds and were replenishing their
cartridge boxes from those of their
dead comrades. Ii was then that.
walking amid the shot and shell, came
smooth shaver, tail. angular young
man in the dress of chaplain. Upon
his shoulder he carried a heavy box.
aud MS he walked along just back OF
the soldiers he yelled out from time to
time:
Here are cartridges for you. boys.
Here are more cartridges for your
And so he went along the line, the
soldiers ,,rfiching back and grabbing
the cartridges by the handfuls and
then turning again with new ammunl-
tion upon the struggling enemy. Aud
so through all that fight this smooth
shaver chaplain moved back and forth
carrying ammunition to the men to
whom he had preached only few
nights before. lie kept il up until at
last when the evening shades began to
fall the battle closed with victory for
| the Union forces. Then II was dis
.f.,g,
missing, Father Ireland, for it was
he who carried the cartridges TO the
men, could nowhere be found. The
greatest concern prevailed and almost
all thought that his bravery had cost
him his life. There was an anxious
search among the wounded when in
an mpruVised hospital on the outer
| edge of Cornth the young priest was
found unhurt, but sim Mt work speak
| ing words of comfort and cheer to the
wounded and dying
FATHER IRELAND'S FUTURE.
Such was the Father Ireland of 1852
| He was only twenty-four years old
then. He is nifty mine years old today,
| and the thirty-nVe years which have
| gone by since the battle of Corinth
have been years fun OF work for him.
| Every one knows his ecclesiastical la
bors. outside OF this he had done great
| things for the country and his people,
one OF his schemes was to establish
| colonies in the unoccupied lands OF
Minnesota and Dakota in order to take
care of the poor people OF the tenement
| districts OF the big eastern cities and
| to save the emigrants from the temp
| tations and dangers which are found
| i'm such quarters, He founded a num-
| Der of such settlements and several
| thriving little towns are due To his ef-
| forts. Another great thing which h.
attempted, but in which, through the
panic, he failed. was the building of a
magnificent cathedral here In st. Paul
and in connection with this n well
| endowed school. He expected to do
| this out OF own means. He was a man
| Of good business ability, and his real
| estate Investments three years ago
We're such that / am told had he sold
out NJ that time he would have been
| worth something less than 81 900 600.
| The hard times, however. made such IA
| shrinkage in real estate that suburban
property dropped from the value OF
several thousand dollars an acre To al
most nothing, and the archbishop's
| wealth faded away under the shadow
Of the depressed money market. He
| had borrowed upon his holdings in real
estate about oue-tenth of their value.
| hut this tenth was hardly enough Mt
| forced sale to bring the amount OF tho
! debt, and without there is u great re-