Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-07-16
MURDER Of
PRIEST AVENGED
Giuseppe Ala Pays
Penalty for Crime
on Gallows
.UNREPENT|NG TO THE END
Condemned Man Goes to
His Death Cursing Catholic
Clergy.

Canon City, Colo, July 1G-The
BODY OF Giuseppe Ala, who shot and
Killed Father Leo at st. Elizabeth's
church, in Denver, on February 23
last, and who WAS hanged for the
crime in the state penitentiary here
last night, was buried today in n
rude coffin in the prison cemetery on
the mountain side near the entrance
to the Royal Gorge. Ala went to the
gall0ws shouting Viva Italia, Vive
Protestant and calling down male
dlctlOnS upon the Catholic priesthood
The franciscan Monks, TO which order
Father Leo belonged, yesterday an.
pealed to Acting Governor Harper for
a commutation Of Alias sentence to
life Imprisonment and Father Bernard
pastor OF st. EliZabeth's church sent
Father Wulstan one of his assistants.
to Canon City for the purpose of
seeing Ala and urging m TO repent
his crime, but he arrived too late to
see the condemned man alive.
Story of Brutal Crime.
Giuseppe Alias crime. the murder
OF Father Leo Heinrichs. of the Order
OF franciscan monks, at the alter rail
in st. Elizabeth's church in Denver
While the priest was administering
the sacrament of the Eucharist struck
horror to the heart of every person
in Denver and awakened anxiety
the Catholic world lest it
should prove the beginning of a gen.
eral plan of priest-murder.
Ala had been in Denver several
weeks. unemployed and apparently
penniless. Early on the morning of
Sunday, February %, according to his
story, he was aroused from sleep by
the ringing of the chimes in st. Eliza.
beth's church. He arose, dressed him.
self hurriedly and walked out to the
church, led by the musical tones peal
ing forth call to worship. But he
went not with the thought of thanks
giving in mind for he declared, and
many times repeated, after his arrest
that the chimes recalled alleged
wrongs experienced in his native Italy
and attributed by him to the church
Entering the church, Ala went
through the usual ceremony of bless.
ing himself with holy water, and then
seated himself where his view of the
alter would be unobstructed. There
he followed the ritual up to the point
where communion is given to all who
are prepared ALA approached the
alter and, kneeling, awaited the arriv-
al of the priest officiating at the com
not knowing, ALA said, or
caring who it should be-
Murder Carefully Planned.
A number of other communicates
had assumed the same posture, and
positions at the communion rail were
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 re-
strain a desire to spring at the throat
of the priest, despite the place, the
scene and the peculiarly sacred char
acter of the action in progress. Along
the line passed the priest, placing up
on the tongue of each successive com
the consecrated wafer and
the lines of the mass declar
ing the Eucharist thus administered
is the Savior himeslf in person. Ala
was now the next in line. Father Leo
placing the wafer upon the tongue OF
the stranger, all unsuspecting OF the
murderous design in Alias heart, be
gan: "Take. eat; this Is my body
but stopped horror-stricken. The sub
ject of the prayer had spat the bless.
ed morsel from his mouth. Almost sim
ultaneously with this desecration
shot rang out and Father Leo sank
to the floor mortally wounded. A bull
let from a revolver fired by Ala had
penetrated the priests body near the
heart. Father Wulstan Workman,
hearing the shot, rushed from the adj
joining sacristy just in time to admin
lister to Father Leo the last sacrament,
Father Leo expiring moment later
lin the arms of his brother-priest. I'M
mediately 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 smok
ing gun flourishing over his head, he
made his way to within ten feet Of
the portal, where he tripped and fell.
Policeman Daniel Cronin. who was
among the worshippers, wrenched the
gun from Alias hand and dragged him
Continued On PAGE Eight.