The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-07-12
TO THE EDITOR
Lying Literature.


Editor, The Catholic Bulletin:
A good-natured friend of mine, who
does not belong to the fold, has kindly
given me copy of that putrid sheet
published weekly at Aurora, Missouri.
The sole aim and purpose Of this
filthy publication is to create prejudice
in the minds of Americans against the
Catholic Church. That object it tries
to achieve by the dissemination of
barefaced falsehoods. The conductors
of this infamous publication imagine
that anything emanating from the
cient Church will be swallowed with
out a grimace by the members of the
various sects who compose the great
majority of the population of this
country. There is where they make a
gigantic blunder. The great majority
of native Americans are absolutely
free from malice against the Church;
and being intelligent and fair-minded
and lovers Of truth, they are slow to
believe and condemn until they hear
both sides of a question They heed
the dictum of Bacon: Read not to
contradict and confute; not to believe
and take for granted; but to weigh
and consider Hence l am of the
opinion that the Father of Lies him
self could not do much injury to the
Catholic Church of America if he
edited the yeracious sheet at Aurora
instead of ex-Preacher Walker and his
unprincipled assistants.
Under the caption of can Awful
Record" in a recent issue of this de-
spicable sheet, l find the following:
"1865-President Abraham Lincoln,
murdered by J. Wilkes Booth, Catho-
lie. Mrs. Surratt and others con-
cerned in the conspiracy were Cath
olics."
"1881-President James A. Garfield,
assassinated by Catholic, Charles
Guiteau."
At present l shall only take the
above lies fer comment and dispose
of them briefly by saying that the
only Catholics implicated in the Lin
coin tragedy were Mrs. Surratt and
her son, and that both of them were
Not Guilty. But even if they were
guilty, why should the Catholic Church
be held responsible for the dastardly
deed? Or why should any Protestant
Church be charged with the crime be-
cause the desperadoes professed them
selves members thereof?
The Aurora paper contents itself
with bare assertions and produces no
evidence to substantiate them. One
of it's worthy contemporaries, however,
tries to prove the charge against Cath
olics as follows:
'Who were the assassins of Abra-
ham Lincoln? The members and the
adherents of the Pope's Church.
Where were the headquarters of the
conspirators against the life of the
President, namely: Booth, Herold,
Payne, Atzeroth and John HI. Surratt?
At the house of Romanist, Mrs. Sur
raft, No. 541 K Street, Washington.
Where was John H. Surratt, one of
the conspirators, found when he es-
capped from this country by the as
sistance of Romish priests in disguise?
In company of the Pope's zouaves
outside the city of Rome? What was
found in the pockets of Booth, the
assassin of the President, when he
was arrested? Some pine shavings,
some tobacco and Catholic medal. :"
The writer of the foregoing ques-
tions and answers is an adept in the
art of fabrication. He comes near the
standard of James Anthony Froude,
the lying English historian, who forged
state documents to blacken the char
acter of Mary Queen of Scots in order
to justify the action of Good Queen
Bess" in putting that noble woman to
death
This son of Ananias adds that Col.
Baker, who arrested Booth, said at
the trial that "all the conspirators
were attending Catholic services and
were educated as Roman Catholics"
OF course, Col. Baker says nothing
of the kind. What he says in his
History of the Secret Service" during
the Civil War is that Payne was at
tended by Rev. DR.. Gillette, of the
First Baptist Church; Atzeroth by
Rev. Mr.. Butler of st. Paul's Luz
theran Church; Herold by Rev. Mr..
Olds of Christ Episcopal Church; and
Mrs. Suratt by Rev. Fathers Wiget
and Walter.
Col Baker says nothing of Booths
religion, for he was shot and killed
in the barn by Roston COrbett and so
he was not executed with the others.
His parents, however, and his famous
brother. the tragedian. were members