The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-07-16

Leo beloved by an who knew him
bota ia an4 eutsiae Tue cbgfch--ae-
poafed With the coIsecrated waters.
Ait q. the rail seemed lmpfgssed viii
"a sclenraiy tad sacfe4. gss of tbe
service Ssnd inspired With tfea3nIs 0i
GOD Aiia. LCH efe., GCcol0ils &c his
own statement, could Daraly restrain
desire 60 spring az the throat OF the
priest, despite the pace the scene and
ne peculiarly sacred character of the
action in progress.
Along the line passed the priest.
placing upon the tongue of each sue
cessive COMMUNICATE the cOnsecrated
wafer and repeating the lines u the
mass declaring the Eucharist thus adj
nimistered IS the Savior E!mse.f in
person. Ala was now the next in
line. Father Leo placing the wafer
upon the tongue OF the stranger. all
unsuspeoting of the murderOus design
In Alas S heart, began;
Take. eat, this is my body" but
stopped horror-stricken The subject
on the prayer had spat the blessed
morsel from his mouth. Almost ST.
multaneOusly with this desecration a
shot rang out aud Father Leo sank t0
the floor mortally wounded. A bullet
from "a revolver fired by Ala had pen
etrdted the priests body near the
heart Father Wulstan Workman
hearing, tSe shot rushed from the adj
Joining sacristy just ir time to ad-
minister 20 Father Leo the last sac.
rament Father Leo expiring mo
ment later in the arms OF his brother
priest. Immediately after firing the
- ttrff ~ Ia.
ward the main isle OF the church
aud rushed for the door With hair
disleveled and gun flOurishing over
his head, he maze bis way TO within
10 feet of the portal, where he tripped
and fell. Policeman Daniel Cronin
who was among the worshipers.
grenched The gun from Alias hand
and dragged him to the street in an
effort to protect hini from the mad
dened worshipers.
Outside the policeman and his
charge We're surrounded BY several
hundred persons who we're about to
tear Alia from the officers hands.
when several priests and Franciscan
| brothers appeared on the steps and
pleaded with the enraged people to
leave the avenging of the awful MUIR
der to God. The presence of the &C.
clesiastic interceding tor the life of
the destroyer of a beloved brother
had effect, The single policeman was
/ permitted to take ALA away in bug
! gy hastily driven to police headquar-
ters. Several hours later ALA was
! spirited out of town in an automobile
| AID taken to Colorado Springs for
safe keeping
The trial was comparatively brief
but every opportunity of defense was
given. Insanity was offered as q
! plea 10 escape the moose. The best
alienlsts in Denver testified that ALA
was sane. and he was sentenced to
be hanged. A petition from citizens
in Alias native town in Italy plead
ing for his life, and declaring that
ne was Undoubtedly insane, was for
warded t. the italian consul here but
tor some reason unexplained was
neyer presented to the governor Many
ibelieye that the murder Of Father Leo
was part OF an anarohistic plot
against the Catholic clergy but nothing
has recently traEspired tending to
substantiate this view Previous to
coming to Denver Father Leo lived az
Paterson. n j.. Paterson is the head
/ quarters OF the franoc6n IA nkS IN
this country and it las been thought
possible that he incurred the enmity
)f some one or perhaps a group of an
archists there, personal ia IT'S nature
and applying only TO him. His great
popularity and goodness of heart went
strongly to disprove this theory and
no evidence 10 support Il has come
( 10 light. Whether or not Ala brood
ed over fancied wrongs until his mind
became diseased. Il is admitted that
ftr years he had entertained a hatred
for the priesthood, and on this Sun
lay morning when he chimes sounded
rom the church he had apparently
lost all power OF control fer good but
The cunning OF evil remained. The
eesult WIS murder which has no par
allel in history.