Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-26
MANY ANARCHISTS In PLOT
Denver Police Find Evidence Of As.
sassin's Acoomplices.
PRIEST LONG MARKED FOR DEATH
Evidence He was Pointed Out 60 He
Ktlled-Father Leo Found to
Have Lived n Life OF se-
we're Penance.

DENVER. Colo. Feb. B.-Most Of the
| priests OF the Catholic church in this city
believe that Father Leo Heinrichs. who
was murdered by Giuseppe Alto. an italian
anarchist, while giving communion IN st.
Elizabeth's church here Sunday morning
last, was a marked man from the time he
arrived in town last August or even be
fore The dead priest was stationed
previously in Paterson. N. j., and It is
| believed that he may have incurred the
enmity of the anarchists there, and that a
| plot was laid to kill him, perhaps prior to
his leaving Paterson, but that the machin-
| cry of the -reds' failed to get into work
ing order until Alio carried out orders
! Sunday.
! II transpired that a woman who wit
messed the tragedy Sunday told a promi-
nent Catholic priest yesterday that two
weeks ago, during an early mass, she saw
two evil appearing men, one Of whom she
believes was the assassin, standing in the
aisle of st. Elizabeths church. They were
conversing in a low tone, but she saw one
Of the men point to two priests who were
in the sanctuary.
Father Leo Pointed Out.
The priests, one OF whom was Father
Leo, were separated several feet. and the
man who did the pointing directed his
finger toward Father Leo, and remarked
in a low Tone '"That is the man.
The woman thought It odd that the two
men should hold a conversation in the
church, and this together with their ruff
fianlike appearance, made a deep impress
sion upon her When she saw the assassin
running down the aisle Sunday. she de-
clares she Immediately recognized him as
! ha 90 sot hod h.o
pointed out.
The police are working out the conspiracy
theory and hunting for two strange men
thought to have been accomplices of Alio.
Although the authorities have found moth
ing to indicate that Michael Brunetti, room
mate of the anarchist. knew ANYTHING Of
the murderer's intentions, he is being held
The body of the murdered priest will lie
In state on the sanctuary of st. Elizabeth's s
from 10 o'clock this morning until midnight,
when all will be given opportunity to view
the remains. Public funeral services will
be held Wednesday.
Interment will take place in the private
cemetery of the Franciscan brotherhood at
Paterson, N. ].
Many AnRrchists in Conspiracy.
Through the efforts of Chief Delaney, II
is believed that at least thirty anarchists
in various parts of the country will be
placed under arrest within a few days. In
speaking of the anarchists of whose move
ments the police have gained knowledge
Chief Delaney said: I'VE have traced
Alio and his band from stone quarries in
southern Italy to America and have located
most of the towns where they are living
The men are all stone workers and were
driven out OF Italy two years ago. Forty
a.
too, they worked as stone cutters. all the
while teaching the diabolic doctrines Of
anarchy. They were discovered in Spain
and were driven to Buenos Ayres. They
remained there as long as they could and
then decided to come To the United States
They settled, all of them, in Paterson, and
after a few days spread over the country
I'VE have located the four who were de-
tailed to work in Colorado. Alio is one
and the other three will probably be placed
under arrest today. We have definite in
formation where there are others in wy
oming and several others in Barry, VT"
Murderer Denies Plot.
Meantime Alo, who is kept in jail at
Colorado Springs in order to prevent any
attempt at lynching, vehemently denies
that he belongs to any anarchist body that
wishes to murder priests or that there was
any plot at the bottom of the shooting
II did the killing on my own account
and because I thought it would ease my
mind" he declared. II received no orders
to kill the priest. l did it because 1 hate
priests OF all kinds"
The body of the murdered priest was re-
ceived this morning from the monastery
to the church, where 1t will lie in state
upon the sanctuary until after the public
funeral services tomorrow In accordance
with the rules of the Franciscan order
Father Leos associates held a private
ceremony in the church at o'clock todav
Father Eusebius sang solemn high mass
of requiem, assisted by two other parish
priests. The church has been draped I'm
deep mourning. At 10 o'clock the doors of
the church were thrown open to admit the
public and during the day constant pro
cession passed through the church to look
upon the face of the martyred priest
Needles Pierced the Flesh.
That Father Leo lived a life of severe
austeTity is evidenced by a discovery made
by the coroner when he prepared the
body for burial. Next to the skin of Father
Leo, wrapped about his waist and upper
arms were heavy bands of linked steel
chains and on each link was attached a
NOOK every one sharpened to a needles
point in such fashion that each move the
priest made caused the hooks to pierce his
flesh and to remind him of the life and
death Of Him in whose steps he struggled
to follow. Father Leo never spoke OF his
mode of penance even to his fellow clergy.
Father Eusebius said that no one in the
monastery surmised that the priest was
undergoing such unusual and severe pen-
ance. His body and upper arms were cal
loused entire, showing that when the pain
became deadened because OF the toughened
skin he had taken the network of claws
and adjusted them so that the pains might
come again with renewed force.