The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-19
EX-ABbOTT 7 TELLS
WHY HE welded
The Once Right Rev. Thomas
Aquillas of st. Benedicts
Monastery Explains.
EYES FAILED; THOUGHT
USEFULNESS WAS GONE
Also Fell in Love With Woman
Whom He Lauds; Clergy
Think Mind Affected.
Special to The Tribune.

Mrs Francis M Won Ardvn for the third
time in three weeks On previous oc-
casions Mr.. Won Ardyn had denied he
was Thomas Meienhofer. late abbot of
the Abbey OF ST Benedict at Mount
Angel Or. and that Mrs. Won Ardyn was
the former Mrs. Belle Gerlinger Dalton'
a divorcee, daughter OF Louis Gerlnger,
q Portland millionaire lumberman.
But last night when ,1iI eiIcnmstsnMMa! n19s.a Ma
Won Ardyn, he reluctantly admitted he
was the one-tme superior OF the Bene,
dictine monastery at Mount Angel, and
that his wife WAS the Portland million
aires daughter whom II was correctly
reported he had married last summer.
The name Won .ardyn had not been as
sumed by the former monk, He is the
scion OF titled family, and before en-
tering the Bencdictine order was Baron
Won Ardyn. He chose the baronial name
rather than that of Meienhofer on lcaY-
ing the monastery,
Wife Smiles, He Admits 1t.
When photograph OF the Right Rev
Thomas Aquillas. Mr.. yon Ardyn was
known in rise monastic order. was e%-
hihlted. the ex-monk found II impossible
tn explain away the striking rescm-
blance. He sighed and looked about
quite helpessly until he encountered me
smiling countenance of his wife, Then
he remarked rather reluctantly:
''Well, suppose the story must fnd
It's way into prin, some time: that we
must be revealed before the world. | am
sorry, though, that this cloud has come
after so many months of blissful ouietude
to darken our happnesS II only momen non m
wife is the former Mrs. Dalton. Let the
world know it,"
For a time Mr. Won Andyn Iy saTed az. dat at
Of a clean shaven man In black cas-
sock, with pectoral cross suspended
from chain that enGrcled his Is neck eea,,y
said; "a. picture that shows me as
shall never appear again.
pause. gesticula,ng with both hands
and peerins about the apartment:
Paintings OF religious subjects adorned
the walls. Beautiful candelabra stood
in profusion about the dantily fur
nshed rooms. The atmosphere OF the
apartment was calculated to impress
one with the certainty that the head OF
the house. continues TO be of dis
tinctly religious turn OF mind.
Admits He Was Baron,
Mr.. Won Ardyn was shown a dispatch
from Portland; Or, printed on March "a.
s ina The t p snS%, vas his ones
tates and title TO become member OF
the Benedictines. The dispatch further
eessive stages to prior and finally TO alb
bot. Then II asserted. the abbot threw
all his churchly honors over for love.
married and went away with his wife,
his Whereabouts being unknown.
That's true in some respects" said
Mr. Won Ardyn. 81 was a baron. You
family back for generations. or that
don't care 10 speak. There have been
so many false statements printed regard
ing my resigning from the Benedictine
order and marrying that perhaps 1t would
be best for me to explain
Mr.. Won Ardyn is broad shouldered,
distinctly German accent. Removing
his eyeglasses. he said:
Il am almost blind The sight of my
righI eye is lost forever. My left eye,
too. is affected Under the care OF emil
nent specialists / am progressing. but
quite slowly,
Idealist. Poet Dreamer.
But to start al the beginning I
Eous tSfH s mna Of nv Epgany Tsnng ,s
such in early youth that ] naturally as
rired TO enter life of religious work !
was Interested deeply in literature:
wanted to teach: l turned instInctively
to preparation for a monas,lc life and
its aims appealed to me and l knew it
presented the sort of congenisl religious
work to which ! aspired.
that I had. I went through the many
tates and fortune and taking the solemn
America and eventually was sent to the
mt MONASTERY m. at Mount st. Angel l rose
built up the monastery, until Il is
now among the finest institutions OF the
sort in the country. To thai work l
gave my life blood: my life energy.
Abbot Becomes Discouraged.
''one. day suffered a sudden rush of
to go out of my right eye. A specialist
was called in. He said 1 had suffered
detachment Of the retina, From that
was standing in the way of others
that was losing my usefulness to the
order My duties at the monastery in
Ttt dali,
not perform II. ''0''
,'Finally, sent in my resignation,
which was transmitted through the regu-
lar channels TO Rome and accepted The
ordinary course then would have been
for , me TO lp perform lighter duties at some
thought and thought and finally deter
mined that-we had fallen in love
he ordeT Dre Of fan 2 Say had st
OF my own voIiiion. That is all Mrs,
Dalton and ] were married and-weI,
tented.
Wife Had PARENTS Consent.
"No: wo did not elope.'' explained Mr..
von Ardyn in response to question
we were married with the consent OF
gave permission.
II have been most happy since living
here II was admirable Of woman
like my wife to take a man in my cir
cumstances. afflicted as / sm--likely at
any moment 10 go blind. She Is my
eyes. She will he my light if ever tho
darkness does come over me. ! am un-
able 10 read. but ! do moi forego the
pleasures OF reading Mrs. Won Ardyn
reads to me-
Mr.. Won Ardyn WAS asked IL he didn {
think ii remarkable for an abbot 10
foreswear his vows, quit tho order and
marry.
Il have no opinion to express on that"
he answered abruptly. Then he added:
Il do think that II man loves a
woman he should marry her. Nothing
no. nothing in the wide. wide world
should stand between them. They should
these are only my opinions.
When very youthful / met some
Young women whom ] believed appealed
TO me. But I learned soon that they
were not possessed OF the qualities that