Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-19
K[AN[ IS SUSTAINED
Judge Whitaker Renders Deci.
sion in the Williams Cath.
Ollie Church Trouble.
The Archbishop Sustained and
Petition for Sale Of the
Church Denied.
History OF the Trouble. Which
Originated Under Archbishop
Hennessey's Regime.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Williams, Feb. 19.-Archbishop
Keane has won his case in the trouble
caused by the German Catholics of this
place.
Judge Whitaker, of the district
1 decision on the demurrer submitted
by Attorney w. j. knight, of Dubuque.
who appeared for the archbishop, and
I the contention of the defenadnt is sus-
tanned.
! The case is of long standing and had
/ its beginning under the regime of the
4 late Archbishop Hennessy. In 1895
the Catholic church of Williams was
blown down by a tornado and the
Catholics We're left without a church.
The Catholic population of Williams is
composed of a large number of Ger
man speaking persons, and twenty
nine of these wrote a letter to Arch
bishop Hennessy, promising to sub
scribe literally for the building of a
new church, providing a priest would
be sent to them who could speak the
German ana the English languages
tluently. In accordance with theil
promise these German Catholics sub
scribed about $4,000 for the new
church, which was soon after built.
But for some reason or other, best
known to the late archbishop no dual
language speaking priest was sent to
take charge. This raised q protest
from those Germans who had subscrib-
ed and they made arrangements to
begin suit to recover their money. Be-
fore proceedings We're commenced in
court Archbishop Hennessy died and
the trouble devolved upon Archbishop
keane for settlement. He laid the
matter before his council and that
body decided that the Catholic popu-
lation of Williams was not altogether
composed of German speaking per-
sons and that a majority could under
stand the English language. Other
reasons were advanced as to why
the plaintiffs had no grounds for
case-one being that as head of the
diocese of Dubuque Archbishop Keane
has a right to send whatever kind of
priest he deems best to any and all
parishes.
When the case came to trial before
Judge Whitaker the plaintiff pro-
duced copies of letters that they had
sent to Archbishop Hennessy and re-
plies that they received from him. And
on these they passed their case and
asked that the church be sold and their
money returned to them.
In an exhaustive demurrer Attorney
w. ]. knight went into the details of
the case. showing the peculiar organ
ization of the Catholic church and the
method used in government. He cited
the fact that the plaintiffs greatest de-
sideratUm was that they should get a
priest who could speak German, as we'll
as the English language, but that they
laid no stress on the fact that the man
sent to them should possess the true
acerdotal character In addition to his
linguistic qualification. He showed
also that a bishop in the Catholic
his judgment as to what kind of priest
should be sent to any or all parishes. |
he commended that the
twenty mine plaintiffs had no right to
speak for the hundred or more families
in the congregation, that the latter had |
rot asked that the church be sold and |
that before the property could be dis
posed of all the worshippers and sub
scribers to the church fund would have
to be made parties to the suit.
The defendants arguments found |
favor with the court and he sustained |
the demurrer.