The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-09-05
An UNIQUE CASE
A Kentucky Victim Of the Sec
recy Of the Confessional.
Father Young Imprisoned Be-
cause He Would Not Testify.

Articles upon the Secrecy Of thu
Confessional" which recently ap.
feared in several Catholic papers, says
the Catholic Fortnight!y Review, have
turned UP unique case. which hap
pened in Frankfort. KY, almost forty
years ago. Rev. Lambert Young, WHO.
1T the request of the Commonwealtk'3
Attorney and the Mayor of Frankfort.
had gone among u mob of lynchers to
influence them to desist from lawle $50
rcss, was imprisoned because he r.-
FUSED to testify before the U. S. grand
jury, which was examining into. the
case. The particulars of the affair
are given in the following clipping
;rom the Louisville Democrat, of June
9, 1868. reproduced by the Cincinnati
Catholic Telegraph, lxxvii, Fl:
The grand jury Of the United States
Court yesterday morning appeared III
court, and stated before his Honor
Judge Ballard, that witness, ths
Rev. Lambert Young refused to give
answers to the following questions
cropounded to him:
list. Mr.. Young. state whether OF
rot you were present at the jail, in
Frankfort. on the evening of the sofa
cay of January, 1868.
I'D. State whether or not you saw
a mob at the Jail on that evening, If
so. please state who composed the said
mob.
sd. state whether or not you, on
that evening, saw any parties making
u demand for the keys of the jail: IT
so. who they were.
18th. State whether or not you saw
any parties on that evening endeavor-
ing to break the jail door; if so, stats
who the parties were.'
The Rev. Mr.. Young being. called
gave in the following answer In writ
ing. (The grand jury was endeavor"
ing to obtain evidence to return in
dictments against the parties now in
Jail, charged with participating in tins
hanging of the negro man Macklin, az
Frankfort, on the both Of last Jan
uary):
ITO TIE Hon. Bland Ballard, u. S.
Judge for the District OF Kentucky:
"Lamt ert Young having appeared in
obedience to summons served upon
him by an officer of your honorab:e
court, has. upon interrogation before
The grand jury. new in session, be N
asked to answer. upon his oath. as to
matters concerning which he conscien-
'iously believes hs ought not to an
swer. Because of this conviction. he
respectfully prays your Honor to hea:
his reasons and brief statement of
the facts on which they are based.
"On the evening when, it is said. =
man of color named Jim Macklin was
Hanged in or near Frankfort during
the past winter Ivy mob, or riotous
assemblage of persons, / was sent for
end appealed to by John l.. Scott,
commemorative attorney for that dis
trict to use my influence to dispense
the mob. which he then informed mo
was gathering. and would perhaps vic.
late the law. am a Catholic priest,
and was then. and yet am temporal
lily stationed at Frankfort. had been
at Frankfort only since the month Of
May. preceding the courts herein spok-
en- of. and had. consequently. limited
acquaintance in that community. I AN
native Of Holland: had been in this
country only eight years, and neither
speak the English Language fuentiy
nor speak IT perfectly I have not
Teen naturalized; vet 1 came to tho
United States al the government OF
my adoption and expect to make 1t my
home for life. With a sincere desire
to render any and all aid in my power
to prevent violation of law and cs-
pecially to use whatever of influence
had. or might b., supposed to have,
Ill favor of the peace and good order
If society, and to prevent violence, I
went as requested and exerted ali M,
humble but as thu sequel proved. too
Mefficiert power in trying to prevent
the breaking of the county Jail, or the
summary and unlawful execution Of
the negro.
II understood the appeal to be made
to me en- the ground that was a
Catholic priest. 1t was upon this
ground, and for this reason. that !
hoped might exert an influence. 1t
was as g priest I went in. am fully
persuaded it was on account of my
priestly ONCE. and on that account
only. that was permitted to 70 irtu
that excited crowd. large portion OF
whom We're to me personally unknown
and OF a different nationality fror-