The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-20
HOUSE FOR BERGER
Usurping Priest to
Have Comfortable
House.
SPECULATION is STILL RIFE.
Pastors Absence Creates All
Sorts Of Rumors as to
His Destination.
SPECULATION IS STILL RIFE.

North Brooktield, Sept ia house
mas been hired as home for Rev. Jean
Berger and it will be furnished at once.
1t has been leased for a term of five
years and is expected to be ready for
the occupancy of the French priest in
very short time.
The fact that the ordinary of the do
cese of Springfield has economically sus-
pended Priest Berger has not deferred
the leaders in the separate church
movement in the least. They remain
unanimous in the opinion that the last
move they have made was a stroke of
diplomacy. worthy of a Labori
They believe that under the leader
ship of Priest Berger they will be rec
ognized as a Roman Catholic congrega-
ton within few months or at any rate
before year has elapsed, The grounds
for these opinions they do not give out.
apparently blissful in the belief that
they constitute powerful factor in the
church of Rome, factor that will pre-
vail against an organization that has
withstood the onslaughts of centuries
and rose out of all conflicts with
stronger and more united ranks than
ever
| The dissenters believe they have
achieved their browning glory, but by
church authorities their crown is lik-
ened to crown of roses, and Crowns
OF roses fade, while crowns of thorns
| endure. At any rate Priest Berger is
sure of home and a good one too. He
| is to have for residence the house now
occupied by John r. Southworth, super
lntendent of the North Brookfield water
works. 1t is situated at the corner of
Grant and Walnut streets and is large
enough to satisfy all the uses Rev. Jean
Berger will have for it,
1t is 9 considerable distance removed
from the site of the intended church
which the French people propose to
erect, but 1t was the best place avail
able and the corporation agreed to take
II. This shows as conclusively as any
| thlng yet how sure of their position are
the leaders Of the rebellion who hint
mysteriously at the trump card their
imported priest has yet to play.
1t Is proof conclusive that the leaders
are steadfast in their determination to
| bind bargain before their followers
come to a true realization Of their 20
siton, and leave Rev. Jean Berger sad
| ly in the lurch The house is to be
| Well furnished, and the usurping priest
Is to have everything he needs and
anything he wants. BY that time, the
! rebels hope to be able to erect for him
a fine residence after having built a
church in which to worship.
| They are at a loss as to what they
will do after the five-year agreement
with the Rev. Jean Berger expires
| Even should he remain here for that
| length of time, the leaders are unable
| to state what they will do after he
| leaves here. After the course they are
pursuing, it would be unreasonable to
| believe that the ordinary of this do
! cese would send them priest to sue
| coed Rev Jean Berger, in what the
| Catholic church now looks upon as a
Protestant organization.
| Should priest Berger be prevented by
| Illness or any other reason, from full
| filling his agreement, they know not
what they would do with the elephant
on their hands Just now they are
| possessed of an uncomfortable desire to
conquer something or somebody, what
| it is being unexplainable. Among a
| great many people the belief is mani |
| Tested that the mysterious priest will
never return from the journey on which
| he started yesterday. For this opinion
| there are no grounds except the regular
one, that priest Bergers position is ut
| terly untenable here, and that he has
| come to the conclusion to leave as qui |
| city as possible, without exciting the
| hubbub that would be resultant il he
announced to the French people that
he must leave them.
| STILL there is no room for doubt that |
| Rev. Jean Berger will return to North |
| Brookfeld. Many of the French peo-
pie have become imbued with the idea
| that his trip to New York was made |
to see some one whom he calls his
| bishop, but whose identity is otherwise
unknown. They are likewise impressed |
/ with the opinion that priest Berger is |
acting under the orders of authority |
| in coming here, even when he has had
! to acknowledge himself that he was
here entirely without authority.
| 1t is stated that he will continue his )
journey from New York to Washington !
| to see the apostolic delegate, Mgr. |
Martinelli, and lay the case of the |
North Brookfield trouble before him |
The separatists have almost absolute |
faith that the apostolic delegate will |
turn a favorable ear to their arguments |
and induce Pope Leo XIII to issue to |
Bishop Beaver a mandate allowing |
Priest Berger to become pastor of a |
Roman Catholic congregation Of |
French speaking people in this town.
! Young children have been dying here |
with an alarming degree of rapidity
within the past few days, and today
there were funerals of three children.
none of whom were a year old. The flu
neral of Frances c., the four months old |
| daughter of William Hill, took place |
| today, the child having died Sunday.
| Helen eight-month- old daughter of |
Martin Burke, was buried this morn
| ing also The infant child of Bartholo-
NEW ]. Dowlin and wife, which died
last night, was buried this afternoon.
A fine bull terrier. dog. the property
of Charles Valley OF kIaple street. met
| its death this morning by being run
over by e. A. Batcheller's ice wagon.
Edward Murphy was the iceman. How
the animal got caught by the heavy
wheel is not known. Mr.. Murphy heard
! its pitiful cry as it crawled into the
yard of Frank Bemis, and before he
could reach the animal, it was dead.
The animal was q valuable one and
highly priced by his owner.
Peter Gleason was fined SIS for drunk
enness, today, by Trial Justice Both
we'll
The Pythian Sisterhood held baked
bean and salad supper at Castle Hall.
this evening, and catered to a large
number Of people.
Officer Arnold f. Wallace. has found
sum of money, which he Is holding til
It's owner comes to claim it,
James Donahue returned this evening
to the Grand Seminary at Montreal. to
Id esAN