Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-08-15
PRIEST ACCUSED
OF A FELONY
Father Schell Charged by the Tony
Enterprise with Obtaining
Money Wrongfuiiy

The Tony Enterprise been
promising its readers something sen
sational for the past two weeks and
the heading "Bill No. 139" followed
by few mysterious words, has been
read and studied with more mystif-
cation and wonderment than the re-
buses in the Woman's Home Com
panion
But last week Editor Richardson
realized that the sweet morsel would
soon cease to be news, as it was
"leaking out" Following a copy OF
the bill, alleged to have been made
out and sworn to by j oseph
Schell and audited and allowed by
the town board of the town of
Dewey, the Enterprise has this to
say:
The facts leading to and sur
rounding this bill are these: Two
children were permaturely born to
Mr. and Mrs. John Eenno as the re-
suit OF Mrs. Fenno being tripped and
thrown by a loose plank in the vii
lage sidewalk. Both children died
and were buried in the church ceme-
terry near this village; no funeral SER
vices were held over either child, nor
was either of them taken to the
church. Joseph ScheIl never saw
either of the children, nor was he at
the cemetery when they were buried
When the town board settled with
Mr.. and Mrs. Fenno it paid damages
and expenses. Among the expense
bills paid was the one given above
bill No. 139.
We call upon Joseph Schell to show
what services he performed "attend-
ing burial" of these two babies, for
which he should receive ten dollars
compensation from the town.
From all the evidence we can gath
er we believe the town board has
paid to Joseph Schell ten dollars to
which he had neither moral nor le-
gal right; and it is now up to the
town board to make the said j JOseph
Schell "shell out" the said ten dol
lars and place it where it belongs
in the town treasury.
We were much surprised at Schell's
actions in this matter and call his at
ICnNlOil UO kNcCllOI t1-J, W lSCOllSliA
Statutes, 1898 Possibly he may find
some interesting reading there.
| Schell has gained quite a reputa-
ton as an al ti-grafter and eXposer
OF official corruption; he even has the
ear OF President Roosevelt, so his eX-
| tended newspaper notices say. But
g,e care nothing for that, we only
wish to say this: That ten dollars
4 10,
somebody will get into serious trou
| BILE.
On the surface it appears to be a
palpable case Of graft, and an as
tOnishing one too on account OF its
| DOldneSS.
The above statements are claimed
to be substantiated by atfidavits,
and il the statements IN d by
the Enterprise are true, it appears to
be case for the courts rather than
the newspapers and the public to
pass upon. 1t has now been about
a month since the priest is said to
have obtained this money, yet so
| far as can be learned no criminal ac-
ton has been begun against him.
FATHER SCHELL's VERSION
Rev. Fr. Joseph Schell Of Tony was
in the city Wednesday, and on being
asked by q News Budget reporter
for statement concerning the allie
cations made by the Tony Enter
prise, he assented readily. He said:
81 have never had a claim or bill
before the town board in Tony; the
board never owed me personally any
thing and ] never asked anything.
did not see Mr.. Joseph Christman,
the town clerk, on the 18th of July,
as stated in the fictitious bill pub
lished in the Tony Enterprise, nor
within two weeks before nor within
two weeks after. When signed the
so-called BILL | was told and sup
posed was signing a receipt; ! did
not read it, nor was | sworn to any
thing. | believe there is a secret con-
spiracy among the bank defaulters
| of Ladysmith, whom ! am tracking,
| the old tru $ ees, who have
mismanaged the hurch here
and were put aside by me, and the
John Helm Company, which made
money out of the Catholic Church ad
ministration until came. | believe
there is dishonest combination to
misrepresent and discredit me In my
work both in the Church and in the
community, but the source, h
channels and the outlet OF the Tony
Enterprise are so well known that
nothing could more astonish the
community than decent and able
publication Of facts in the yellow
sheet, . without ! ur or SANDER.
The manifest aim OF this cOmbi-
nation is to have me removed, as
in this they see their only safety"
Father Schell, in company with At
torney Chas. Kirwan, drove to Tony
yesterday afternoon and secnred
certified copies of all the papers in
the case and an affidavit from the
town clerk, which will probably be
made use Of in future.
Geo. Uttermark of the Oshkosh
Bottle Wrapper Co., was renewing
4, H.