The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-02-29
RIOT At CHURCH
OVER GERMAN PASTOR
Over ! 500, Majority Women, Throw
Prayer Books and Tear
Clothes Outside Edifice.
OBJECT TO NEW RECTOR
Faction Of st. Joseph's Parish Of Passaic
Threatens Appeal to Pspal
Delegate. ...... t..
OBJECT TO NEW RECTOR

Prayer books. hats. collars and frag-
ments Of dresses and cloaks Uttered the
street in front OF st. Joseph's Roman
500 parishioners. most Of them women,
had finished clawing each other and been
clubbed by the police. The pastor OF the
church. the Rev. Julius Manteuffel. over
whom the squabble started. escaped from
the church to the rectory under guard
while his parishioners were busy fighting
one another and dodging the nightsticks
OF the reserves.
The church is one OF the biggest in the
Newark diocese. 1t has about 5000
parishioners. all Poles. Father Manteuffel
was appointed pastor three weeks ago
and many OF his congregation didn't
like it. They thought that the proper
successor to Father Valentine Chlebowski,
who died six weeks ago, was one OF his
assistants. Father Stanislaus Kruzek
After Father Manteuffel. who is a Ger
man. was sent to them as pastor. they
protested nine times to Bishop O'Connor
OF the Newark diocese. On Tuesday they
held mass meeting Of protest and re-
solved to appeal over the head Of the
Dhohop w WIG 0p0i iViC6otC az VoSh-
| ington. ....
When Father ManteufYel preached his
frst sermon in st. Joseph's on last Sunday
there was muttering here and there in
the congregation. but nobody ventured
to start disturbance in the church.
The malcontents waited for the Lenten
service that was held last night.
Father Manteuffel stayed in the sac
risty and a curate preached the sermon.
The service went on peacefully. The Poles
who don't like Father Manteuffel were
waiting for chance to get at him outside
the building.
When the 700 parishioners who attended
the service fled from the church. which
is at Parker avenue and Monroe street,
they found about 800 OF their comrades,
men and women. standing without.
The two crowds merged. There were
| 500 Poles and all but about 800 were
women.
There were shouts OF where's the
PASTOR Where the pastorl" until Father
Manteuffel appeared at the door OF the
sacristy. surrounded by his assistants
and a guard Of loyal parishioners. He
started walking swiftly toward the rec
tory.
The pastor had better leave the church
for good or he'll be killed." an ex cited
| Pole shouted
Instantly several men who disagreed
with him leaped at him and bore him to
the ground. 1t was apparent at once
that in the mob there was a minority
strongly in favor OF Father Manteuffe
Women hooted the priest as he moved
toward the rectory. and other women
leaped at them with eager fingers, Hair
was pulled freely and garments were
torn. +.
From every telephone in the neighbor-
hood went calls for the police. Presently
a patrol wagon containing Capt. Gustav
Schmidt and nine of his men came tearing
from Headquarters. They had been
ordered by Chief William Hendry to use
their clubs to scatter the Poles but not
to hit the women on their heads.
The church people were hooting and
jabbing at one another when the police
wedged in. In the general fight Father
Manteuffel had been forgotten and he
had slipped quietly into the rectory
The police cleft their way into the press,
and in the centre Of it found knot OF
women. exhausted but still tearing what
ever strand Of hair their fingers en-
countered.
Six more policemen came. The crowd
was driven three blocks from the churc h
and scattered. But after everything
seemed to be over Mary Sudo snatched d,
the hair Of another parishioner and beat
her until she fell to the pavement, The
former was arrested. So were John
Tralla and George Kaupha.
1t was remarked after the fight that
Father Manteuffel was himself an assistant
priest at st. Joseph's until he was trans
ferred to Newark two years ago. and that
when he left the congregation wept.
There is to be another Lenten service OF
Friday night.