Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-09-19
Recognition of Carranza by
United States Would BE
Grevious Mistake.
Deplores Fact That American
Catholics Fail to Pro-
test.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IS DENIED

formation placed before the Amer
lean public by the press of the coun-
try is, no doubt, responsible for the
wrong ideas prevailing in the minds
Of our people concerning the situa-
ton in Mexico. The Constitution
alists" have been lauded as patriots
and their victims branded as ire
dictionaries. The atrocities, the tyr
amy and outrages of the former
have been passed over in silence by
our newspapers, while column after
column of literature grossly dispar-
aging to Huerta and his party have
been published through the land
broadcast. Only yesterday a local
daily ignorantly affirmed that Mex
leo was enjoying peace and entering
on an era of great prosperity. What
the real conditions in Mexico are,
and what tyranny, persecution and
misery are crushing the population
as a result of the triumph of the
"Constitutionalists" will appear from
letter just received from Rev.
Passionist Father, formerly of Sa-
cred Heart Retreat, Louisville, who
spent twenty-five years in Mexico,
and who now is in Havana, with a
large number of clergy driven by
Carranza out of Mexico. The brother
to whom the letter is addressed also
spent twenty years in Mexico and
knows the people thoroughly. The
letter is dated:
Havana, Sept. 10, 1914.-Brother y
| write you these few lines to con-
vey some very sad and painful news
concerning our fathers and brethren
in Mexico. Since the beginning of
August | wrote several letters to
them, and to other friends in Toluca,
wishing to learn something of their
situation. But l received no an
swer. Hundreds of priests, broth
ers and sisters, who escaped almost
by miracle, are now here in Havana.
They could give us no information
regarding our brethren. But as
they told one horrible story after an
other, of the barbarities suffered by
priests and sisters who fell into the
hands of the Carranzistas, we were
very much alarmed concerning the
fate of our fathers. That our alarms
were well grounded, l learn from a
letter just received from Toluca,
where you lived so many years. This
letter tells how the rebels entered
Toluca, the capital Of the State of
Mexico, and like demons turned
loose, rushed through the homes of
the citizens, pillaging, robbing and
outraging defenseless people. The
next day they seized five pastors of
the different churches and marched
them before troop of soldiers to
Yucatan, the Mexican Siberia. To-
luca, yesterday prosperous city of
%, 900, today looks like a city of
the dead, The gloom of Good Fri
day is heavy on it. All churches are
closed, no masses celebrated, no
bells rung, no sacraments admins
tered, panic and terror reigning ev-
erywhere, the poor people trembling
for their lives. All your former
friends, and all the prominent peo-
pie, are locked in vermin-infested
jails, to be held in loathsome misery
until they pay 100000 ransom.
Your friends, the B family,
are not mentioned among the i'm
prisoned. Perhaps they paid the
ransom or escaped. These cruel
bandits are actually the occupants
and owners Of all our religious in
stitutions. And as they have often
in other places clothed themselves
in the sacred vestments and strutted
in mockery, desecrated chalices and
scattered the sacred hosts. The
fathers of st. Cruz church hid them
selves somewhere; but unfortunate
ly the rebels caught one of the
brothers as he leaped from the azotea
and charging him with being lad
ron (robber), they shot him. Our
fathers also went and secreted them
selves in different homes. The rec
tor, Father B., and another priest |
and four students were hidden in |
informed on them, and
the rebels came and seized them, |
and they are in jail ever since.
The Spanish Consul is working to get |
hem released. OF the other fifteen |
brethren, only God knows what has
befallen them. Let us pray hard for
hem. Our chapter is fixed for De-
,ember. But this Mexican revolu-
ion has so upset everything that l
know not where Il will be held. My
conviction is that as long as the
present government and these dew
lish men rule in Mexico we have no
rope OF returning to our convent.
they have determined to destroy
every vestige of religious
life. In fact, 1t seems they aim to
lbolish the Catholic church entirely.
'ancho villa began the Internal
work in Monterey, Torreon and Sal
lilo, where he wrecked the affairs
md statutes. burned the confession
is and stole everything. The priests
lie imprisoned. and after torturing
hem TO get money. he put them into
irty cattle cars and shipped them
nut of the country. This is the
anne spirit by which Carranza and
II his satellites are actuated. VIII
as motto OF WAR on religion, and
n the clergy, the enemies OF Mex
co." Carranza repeated In his FIRST
peech when he took possession OF
he government. On this principle
Q is working. So two priests. refu-
ees from Mexico, are here to stop
he Archbishop OF Mexico City, who 4
ust arrived from Rome, so that he (
lay not return TO Mexico. for his
anne Is on the list OF those con-
emned to death by Carranxa. So
GU see what is to become Of all
ur buildings and hard labors for
10 last 35 years. Fathers Mariana v