The Mena weekly star., 1908-02-27
PRIEST kILED 1T ALTAR
Father Heinrichs Shot Down While Administering Sacrament in
 Denver Church.
lssAssIA WAS AN ITALIAN ANARCHIST
Murderer Expresses No Regret for His
 Dastardly Act and Talks Freely of \ Himself to Ills Jailers-Cams to
 America Only Two Years Ago From # Sicily.


 Himself to Ills JaiIers--cams to
 America Only Two Years Ago From
 Sicily.
 Denver, Col, Feb. 25-Father Leo Heinrichs was shot and killed when Administering the sacrament at early mass in St. Elizabeth's Catholic church, Eleventh and Curtis streets, this city at o'clock Sunday morning kneeling at the altar rail, between two women, Giuseppe Guarnaccio pressed the muzzle of revolver against the body of the priest, after Receiving from him the consecrated wafer, and shot the man of God through the heart. Exclaiming My God. my God" Father Leo fell prone n front of the altar and died without uttering another word.
 With an inarticule scream of 65umph which the communicants de- scribe as the yell of demon, the as- aAssin sprang into the aisle and way ing the smoking gun about his head dashed to the church door. For mo- ment the hundred or more people in the church were dazed. Then a wom- m shrieked and the congregation be- came panic stricken. Some women fn1nted and many became hysterical. Geveral men rushed to the aid of the priest and other started in pursuit of the murderer. Among the latter was Patrolman Daniel Cronin, who over took the feeling Italian on the church pteps. Guarnaccio attempted to shoot the policeman and was foiled and oyerpowered only after a desperate 1Ght in which several men had come 70 the assistance of the officer.
 Deputy Coroner Daniel Hayes took charge of Father Leo's body, which was removed to the city morgue. A ningle hole in the white communion robes of the priest showed that the bullet had gone straight to his heart. The bullets remaining in the revolver had been sharpened to a fine point.
 ln the 20 centuries of history of the Catholic church, members of it's priest hood in this city declare there is no record of tragedy to parallel that of tho killing of Father Leo White admin f1kering the sacrament to Giuseppe Guarnaccio at the altar of St. Eliza b<1h's church Sunday morning. Never be1ore has a servant of the church bo&n summoned from the performance 0k his duties in so tragic and so dra- n11tic manner. This crime will stand out as one of the most fearful in crim- idol records of the world. and its per pe<ration will probably result in the oleyating of Father Leo to the position of martyr and lead to his canonization ao one of the saints of the church in whose service he fell while performing hie duty.
 Father Eusebius, senior assistant pastor of the St. Elizabeth church. re- cefved telegram Sunday night from the father provincial in Patterson. N. J., instructing him to forward the body Of Father Leo to that city for inter ment. Father Eusebius will accom- pany the body.
 Funeral services will be held at St. Elixabeth's church at 10 o'clock "Wednesday morning, when solemn re- quiem high mass will be celebrated. probably by Father Eusebius.
 Father William O'Ryan. pastor of St. Leos church, will deliver a eulogy and . nermon against anarchy and Social Inn. NThe funeral services will be at tended by 500 members of the Knights of Columbus and the entire body of the Knights of St. John and other Catholic orders.
 It is a custom of the Franciscan order that no eulogies be preached for its deceased members, but on account Of the tragic circumstances and the general effect in this case of the as- sassination upon the public, the rule will be set aside.
 Giuseppe Guarnaccio. the murderer, talked freely in jail concerning him. self and his act, for which he declared be had no regret. He said he was a native of Sicily, 56 years old. He be- came socialist and anarchist at S5 years of age He is a shoemaker by trade He came to America two years ago and has since been teaching an archy, working but little at his trade. He lived before coming to Denver in Paterson, N. J., in mill towns of Mas sachusetts and in Chicago. He came to Denver two weeks before Christ mas.
 The statements of Guarnaccio, that he Is an anarchist is borne out by let ters and pamphlets taken from him. Among his effects was printed list of the murders of the worlds rulers, from the assassination of Czar Paul of Russia in 1901. down to the recent kill ing Of the King of Portugal, a few weeks ago. He also had many pages tf auarchistic literature, in his own hanC writing and on printed slips.
 After examination of letters found in the room which the slayer of Father Leo had once occupied in this city, tho police officials concluded Monday that he was Angelo Gabrielle, Sicil- ian anarchist .s