New-York tribune., 1909-10-08
EPISCOPAL HOMICIDE
Motor Car of Lord Bishop of Liver
pool Nils Bon.
lcar,rlsllt -. n the - comnanv.l B

lCorsriglt 1909. by the Brentwood Company
whereas formerly every lord bishop in England
tad MS carriage and pair, to-day each enc of the
ecclesiastical members or the upper house Of Par
,srnent has his motor car. Thus far there IS no
record of any OF these right reverend prelates
banr arrested by the police for the violation of
speed laus-a fate which overlook some time ago
the chauffeur OF the car OF the Protestant Episco-
nal Bishop % New Nork-but the Lord Bishop Of
Liverpool has just had the misfortune of running
down and killing boy with his automobile right
IN the streets OF the great city which ne is
- diocesan.
Questions VIII undoubtedly arise in connection
with this fatality. 10 whether or not it irnpars
IN any 5eGree the episcopal powers Of the Bishop
for on the last occasion record when a prelate
had the misfortune 10 kin man several of the
subsequently, appointed bishops declined to accent
conservation al his hands, on the ground that bv
canon law homicide by prelate made him irregu-
ana Incapable OF exercising ecclesiastical jUris-
dicJion.
Tie case IN question was that Of the Prmate OF
AL England. namely, George Abbot, Archbishop Of
Canterbury The Archbishop in l62l while shooting
st Braushi, The ancestral home of Sir Anthony
Cope. killed with his orossbow a gamekeeper
named Hawkins while aiming a buck The
had been warned 10 keep Out OF The way. and the
c0r0Ders jury returned a verdict completely clear
ing The Prinats OF al blame. and attributing the
responsibility for the death TO the victim, the YER
diG being one Of per infortunium propriR
cglp#
To Iayrlssn il would appear that thar should have
ended the matter, but not in ecclesiastical eyes,
ana when later Dr. John Williams was appointed TO
be Bishop Of lincoln he refused 10 accept conse-
Grafton gt the Primste's hands, declaring that in
TIE circumstances il would constitute sacrilege.
Before the end OF the year two other bishops We're
appointed. and they took the same view as the
Bisho1-e.ect o. Lincoln. King James. in the face
a. rhis difficulty appointed royal commission 10
Inquire into TIE legality OF the objection Of the
three bishops and the commission went 10 the
troub-s of inviting The opinion of the Sorbonne at
Pars and of all the principal universities Of the
Continent ~ Europe. The Sorbonne and many OF
-slly ancient and important seats OF learning
sustained The attitude Of the three bishops-elect
and lecsared that by all historic ana ecceciastical
pr-Cedr1I. The Archbishop Of Canterbury had
doulte-S. ay his act of homicide. by canon law.
become Incapable Of exercising any longer his
GrchleIiscopal functions, and had forfe4ed his
cauo-i-a1 preroEsJives- on the other hand. oxford
and the leading universities Of Great Britain took
Ire ground tnat yhere irreguIarity, and it
expressly intimated that hunting or shooting
was uo, in itself recreation inconsistent with the
episcopsJe.
The king. confronted by these differences Of
opinion and by the inability Of his royal commits
sion 10 come 10 any agreement about the matter,
avsled himself of his position 5 supreme head Of
tHe church OF England TO give Judgment in favor
" .he Archbishop He. however, considered il
necessary 10 grant 10 the Primate formal pardon
snd dispensaton. Tn spite u this the three bish-
CpS-lect sun declined TO be Consecrated by the
Archbishop. and. In difference TO their views and
70 pu- end 70 the deadlock he delegated the
don. i may be added that the Archbishop settled
on he widow o, his victim annuity Of s10O a
year. which, in the words OF the chroncler, soon
procured her another husband"
PRELATEs WHO TOOK HUMAN LIFE.
Two other instances occur in this connection.
one Of them is that OF the late Cardinal Prince
FGrstenherg, who died some fifteen years ago.
He. too. had killed a gamekeeper by accident but
q was before he had entered holy orders. Indeed
= was the remorse which he suffered about the
fatality that led him enter the Church, in
which, by reason OF MS princely birth, he soon
rose 10 the highest Offices.
Then thers S. OF course, the case Of Launcelot
Blackburne Archbishop OF York. who reached the
prt1acy BY uniting George I with the wicked
Duchess OF Munster after all the other prelates
had refused 10 wed the King to this Infamous
woman. IN his youth the Archbishop had been
i1inerRnr fiddler. and is known 10 have put in
q number Of years buccaneeTing on the Spanish
Main under the command OF a celebrated pirate
cfieftain known Redmond o. the Red Hand.
whose ship was the Black Broom. Many acts OF
piracy rapine and massacre were justly attributed
-he pirates OF the Black Broom The Arch
bishop escaped the fate OF his fellow buccaneers by
turning states evidence against them, and in
course or time entered the Church assuming the
name q Blackburne-I suppose IN memory Of his
old ship. the Black Broom, his original patronynIc
having been Nuggins. In this instance, like that
of Prince Fursuenberg, the human blood which he
had shed had been prior To his entering holy
orders
may add that a statue OF Archbishop Black
b-rue o. York used TO figure the apex Of York
Minister'S great south gable. Immediately above
the magnificent margold window. II removed
oy The chapter in Comparatively recent times, re-
placed nv stone cross. and Is hidden away
IN the Norman crypt Of the cathedral where il
IS shown only request. The statue represented
the Frimate in the act, Of playing fiddle, thus
communicating his early days, and the children
% York used insist that the Archbishop played
jig mis- ancient instrument whenever the
clock struck =.
LORD HINDLIP'S BALANCE SHEET.
LORD Hindlip has just furnished striking illus
tration Of what ] have often asserted in these
letters, namely. that the revenues derived
from land in England are altogether indnitesmal,
and that the projected increase OF taxes TO which
They 10 be subjected Is ia the circumstances
oppressive. Lord HiDdlips estate OF Hindlip COM
rr-s-s some four thousand acres ia the best part
a. Worcestershire. II has nominal revenue Of
wsry large amount. but when IN response 10
challenge of Lord Hindlp the Liberal Association
sent accountants 10 if any profit derived
-rom the property, and went carefully through the
books Of the estate. they were forced 10 admit