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

where communion is given to all who
are prepared. ALA approached the
altar and, kneellng. awaited the arrival
Of the priest officiating at the COM
munion, not knowing, ALA mas said.
or caring who II should be.
A number of other communicates
had assumed the same posture, and
positions at the communion rail were
practically all taken When Father
Leo--beloved by all who knew him
both in 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 communicate the conseerated
wafer and repeating the lines of the
mass, declaring the eucharist thus adj
ministered 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-stricken. 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. A bullet from a 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 a 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 Cronin, who was among
the worshippers, wrenched the gun
from Alias hand and dragged him to
the street I'm 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 leaie the
avenging of the awful murder 10 God
The presence of the ecclesiastics in
tereeding for the life of the destroyer
of a beloved brother had effect. The
single policeman was permitted tC
take ALA away in a buggy, hastily
driven to police headquarters Sew
eral hours later ALA was spirited out
of town in an automobile and taker
- Colorado Springs for aafc-l.eeping
The trial was comparatively brief
but every opportunity of defense wal
given Insanity was offered as a Piles
to escape the moose. The best alien
lists In Denver testified that ALA wa'
sane and he was sentenced to b'
hanged A petition from citizens II
Alias native town in Italy pleading
for his life, and declaring that he wal
undoubtedly insane, was forwarded tC
the italian consul here, but for some
reason unexplained was never pre-
sented to the governor. Many believe
that the murder of Father Leo wal
part of an anarchistic plot agains
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, \. J. Paterson is the head
quarters of the Franciscan monks II
this country and 1t has been though
possible that he incurred the enmitl
of some one or perhaps a group o.
anarchists there, personal in its ma
ture and applying only to him. Hi
great popularity and goodness o
heart went strongly to disprove thi
| theory and no evidence to support !
has come to light. Whether or no
ALA brooded over fancled wrongs un
! til his mind became diseased, 1t Is ad
mitted that for years he had enter
! tanned a hatred for the priesthood
and on this Sunday morning when th'
chimes sounded from the church h
had apparently lost all power OF con
troll for good, but the cunning of evi
remained. The result was murde
which has no parallel in history