Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-21
GRIMES AGAINST
CLERGY ARE TOLD
Catholic Priest Returns From
Mexico With Reports of
Rapine and Murder.

the persecution and exile of Catholic
| clergy refugees OF Mexico.
DR.. Kelley returned to Chicago last
week with Most Rev. James II. Blenk,
archbishop of New Orleans, and Rt
Rev. James Herrera, bishop the do
| cese OF Tulancingo, Mexico, an exlieS
prelate who is now a guest at the epis-
! copal residence of Archbishop Quig-
! ley.
The ecclesiastical investigator re-
turned with portfolios stuffed with
! dispositions, signed statements, photo
graphs, and a mass of other docu-
mentary evidence which is being COM
piled in report to the church author
tiles and also for the purpose of gen.
eral circulation in pamphlet form.
DR.. Kelley's statement follows:
Il have the absolute proofs, most of
1t by affidavits, of murders. imprison-
ments, and exiles against priests and
| sisters, as well as Christian brothers,
and of the most unspeakable out
| RACES against the virtue of women
many of them even sisters of charity.
Il know that there are over twenty
five nuns in hospitals, principally in
Mexico City, as a result of these out
RACES. The sans culottes of the
French revolution only killed priests
and sisters. 1t remained for the goth
century to inflict worse than death.
The principal outrages were COM
mitted by Carranzistas, but the troops
of Villa were not Ear behind. With the
clergy it was always first a demand
for money which they did not have,
then torture, exile, or murder.
"a brother of a religious order was
caught taking something out of his
own house. He was shot. His COM
panions who saw his body were ex-
lied.
Il left Chicago a month ago and
went straight to San Antonio, Texas,
where l found five archbishops, four
bishops, 40 priests, and about 40 sis
tiers exiled. At FL Paso l found about
% priests, about % more at Laredo.
about 10 around Galveston, and %
more in smaller places along the Rio
Grande. At Port Lavaca l found 80
teaching brothers, Marists. and in Lou
isiana 10 or IL more-all refugees. l
did not go farther west, but there are
100 at least on the Pacific coast,
priests and sisters.
Those on the coast were shipped
out under most abominable circum-
stances in a filthy, unseaworthy boat,
on which they were held up by the cap
tain for $4,000 for the passages. With
out funds. they landed in San Fran
cisco. dependent upon the charity of
Americans to pay most of their pas
sage. Some of these refugees are
quartered here in Chicago.
After supplying the immediate
needs of the refugees saw, went to
Havana. On the island there are two
archbishops, refugees from Mexico.
One. Bishop Herrera of Tulancingo,
returned 10 Chicago with me.
He said mass last Sunday at VIII
mette. Bishop Herrera was in Rome
when Tulancingo was captured by the
constitutionalists. An American priest,
who was assigned in Bishop Herrera's
diocese. told me the constitutionalists
took all the bishop owned in the
world. including his episcopal palace,
which was made the scene of an orgy,
soldiers dancing with lewd women
who arrayed themselves in the epis-
copal vestments.
THE highest prelate of Mexico
Archbishop Mora of Mexico City.
sanity old man, is in exile in Havana.
With him is the archbishop of Yucca
tan. Mgr. Trischler. one of the ablest
ecclesiastics OF Mexico. He has in
Havana over 40 of his priests, all ex-
PEELED.
THE only bishop left in Mexico,
out of Jail or hiding, is in Zapata's
territory. Zapata has not prosecuted
ic he
popular in Mexico. He holds two
states-and even extends his territory
to the suburbs of Mexico City.
The bishop of Topic was sentenced
to eight years in the penitentiary for
having in his diocese the organ of
Catholic workingman's union. This
happened under the constitutionalistl
rule under Carranza. The paper was
suppressed, the bishop is still in pris-
on.
The liberty of the press has been
entirely done away with all over Mex
leo. There are no organs but govern |
ment organs Editors no longer have
opinions.
THE governor of Nueva Leon is
sued the worst decree. suppressing |
religion and forbidding Catholics to
receive the sacrament of penance or
under penalty of death.
by decree all coin must be put into
whereupon it is promptly |
The people must take scrip. |
Bank scrip from Mexico is worth about |
10 cents on the dollar at San Anto-
MO. People buy it to pay their debts /
in Mexico. where It must be taken by /
law. OF course. much of the war cur
rency cannot be got rid of at any price
this side of the line.
IAN impost of some s25.O00,0OO was
levied in Yucatan. and in order that
there might be no excuse for not pay
ing it a moratorium was proclaimed
for six months on all other debts.
1T Is a hard day for the rich man.
In Mexico City the officers selected the
houses they wanted and drove out the
A dfnlnmaf'c antnmO- I