Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-07-16

Nltft communion - SiNNh " e'iA 'ifR
are prepared. ALA approached the
altar and, kneelng, awaited the arrival
of the priest officiating at the com
munion. not knowing, ALA has said,
or caring who it should be.
A number of other COMMITMENTS
had assumed the same posture, and
positions at the communion rail were
practically all taken. When Father
Lco--bclOved by all who knew HIM
both i'm and outside the church-ap-
peared with the consecrated waters,
all at the rail seemed impressed with
the solemnity and saCredness OF the
service and inspired with thoughts of
God. Ala, however, according to his
own statement. could barely restrain
desire TO spring at the throat of the
priest, despite the place, the scene and
the peculiarly sacred character of the
action in progress.
Along the line passed the priest,
placing upon the tongue of each sue
cessive communicant the consccrated
wafer and repeating the lines of the
mass. declaring the eucharist thus ad-
ministcred is the Savior himself in
person Ala was now the next in
line Father Leo, placing the wafer
upon the tongue Of the stranger, All
unsuspecting af the murderous de-
sign in Alias heart, began; Take,
eat: this is my body" but stopped
horror-strickcn. The subject of the
prayer had spat the blessed morsel
from his mouth.
Almost simultaneously with this
desecration a shot rang out and
Father Leo sank to the floor mortally
wounded. bullet from revolver
fired by Ala had penetrated the
priests body near the heart. Father
Wulstan Workman hearing the shot,
rushed from the adjoining sacristy
Just in time to administer to Father
Leo the last sacrament, Father Leo
expiring a moment later in the arms
of his brother priest. Immediately
after firing the shot Ala, with curse,
darted toward the main aisle of the
church and rushed for the door With
hair disheveled and smoking gun
flourishing over his head, he made his
way to within ten feet Of the portal
where he tripped and fell. Police
man Daniel Cronn, who was among
the worshippers. wrenched the gun
from Alias hand and dragged him to
the street in an effort to protect him
from the maddened worshippers. Out
side the policeman and his charge
were surrounded by several hundred
persons who were about to tear Ala
from the officers hands, when sew
eral priests and Franciscan brothers
appeared on the steps and pleaded
with the enraged people to leave the
aVenging of the awful murder to God.
The presence Of the ecclesiastics in
terceding for the life of the destroyer
of a beloved brother had effect. The
single policeman was permitted to
take Ala away in buggy, hastily
driven to police headquarters SeV-
eral hours later Ala was spirited out
Of town in an automobile and taken
te Colorado Springs for safe-keeplig.
The trial was comparatively brief
but every opportunity 'of defense was
given insanity was offered as a plea
to escape the moose. The best alien
lists i'm Denver testified that Ala was
sane and he was sentenced to be
hanged petition from citizens in
Alias native town in italy pleading
for his life and declaring that he was
undoubtedly insane, was forwarded to
the Italian consul here, but for some
reason unexplained was never pre-
sented to the governor. Many believe
that the murder of Father Leo was
part of an anarchistic plot against
the Catholic clergy, but nothing has
recently transpred tending to sub
stantiate this view. Previous to com
ing to Denver Father Leo lived at Pa
terson. n. j. Paterson is the head
quarters of the Franciscan monks in
this country ard it has been thought
possible that he incurred the enmity
Of some one or perhaps a group of
anarchists there, personal in its ma
ture and applying only to him. His
great popularity and goodness of
heart went strongly to disprove this
theory and no evidence to support IL
has come to light. Whether or not
ALA bronded over fancicd wrongs un-
til his mind became diseased, it is adj
mitted that for years he had enter
tanned a hatred for the priesthood,
and on this Sunday morning when the
chimes sounded from the church he
had apparently lost all power of con
trol for good, but the cunning of evil
remained The result was murder
which has no parallel i'm history.