The Irish standard., 1897-08-28
A SACRILEGI0Us ACT.

A SACRlLEGIOUS ACT.
Those of our readers who have heard
the song Of 1.-The Croppy Boy" will re-
member that an unsuspicious young
rebel of '9S was entrapped by British
soldier who had donned the sacred hab-
iliments of murdered priest and en-
tered the confessional to hear the sins
OF the penitents for the purpose of be-
trayng them. They may also remem-
Der that in the Fenian days of 1865, a
Dublin policeman named Talbot went
to Carrick-on-S in the county of
Tipperary, as an agent of Dublin castle,
to inveigle young men of patriotic prin-
ciples to join the conspiracy against the
British government. In order to re-
move any suspicion of treachery he fire.
quently approached the sacraments in
an ostentatious manner and thus ac-
qured the reputation Of being a good
Catholic as we'll as a sterling Irish pa
triot. Talbot was Protestant who
thought nothing of his sacrilegious
acts. He imagined that he was justi-
fled in resorting to every strategem to
serve the British government and to get
tcn in their native land. He succeeded
beyond his most sanguine expectations
in enrolling young Irishmen in the
Fenian organization. No sooner were
they secretly sworn in than they were
arrested by the British authorities for
treason felony.
What must have been the astonish-
ment OF the prisoners when they beheld
Talbot appearing against them as the
leading witness for the prosecution.
But a terrible fate, awaited the mis-
creant. One day as he was walking
along the streets Of Dublin in search of
prey. the spy and informer was shot in
the head by an avepging patriot named
Kelly. The scoundrel died while the
government surgeon was extracting the
bullet and Isaac Butt. the great counsel,
satisfied the jury that Talbot would
have recovered but for the bungling
operation of the attending surgeon.
Kelly got off with light sentence and
emigrated to the United States.
Not long since in Michigan detec
tive of the Pinkerton type assumed the
garb Of {; Catholic priest and visited a
Catholic prisoner in Jail to get con-
fession from him. He succeeded in
learning all he wanted to know from
the culprits own lips. The prisoner
unbosomed his conscience by confessing
his crime under the seal of confession.
as he thought, and, in hooking way
the detective absolved him. The poor
prisoner knew that from apostolic days
up to the present time no priest, no
matter how degraded he may become,
has ever tivulged to human ears the
revelations made to him in the sacred
tribunal of the confessional The laws
OF every country recognize the sanctity
of sacramental confession to a Catholic
priest. and the man who personated the
Catholic priest in the Michigan prison
must have known it.
We have not seen the outcome of the
detectives grave offense and do not
know whether the information gained by
him in the disguise Of priest was &C
copied as evidence against the prisoner
before a judge and jury.
Such proceeding on the part of de-
tective is reprehensible in the extreme,
and u sacrilegious outrage OF the black
est character. 1t is bringing solemn
act of religion into ridicule and con-
tempt. Nobody but a scoundre would
have resorted to such despicable meth
cd to secure confession for the betray-
al of the greatest criminal. The man
who committed the infamous act Is un-
worthy Of any confidence and ought to
he ostracized from the society of decent
people. Let no guilty man escape"
but convict him on the testimony of a
reputable witness, which this Plnkerton
detective is not. We hope the Judge ON
the bench will reprimand the fellow and
reject his evidence, with the contempt
1t deserves.