The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1914-11-07

VI Auf iuNluAAk Va NNAN'
2lst. the people or Chicago were
given a most narrowing story in
the daily press Of a murder COM
mitied in cold blood by q Roman
Catholic priest Of that city in
good standing.
The victim Of the drunken
priestly criminal in this case was
Mr.. Thomas W. Patterson, sta
ton agent Of the Illinois Central
railroad at Hillside, a Chicago
suburb.
Practically all the newspaper
stories agree that the priest, ac-
eompanied by a companion, left
the city in an automobile and ar
rived at Hillside in the afternoon,
where they began 10 visit the
saloons and tank up on squirrel
whiskey, having done the same
thing at other suburban places
along the way. Late in the even.
ing the priest seems 90 have had
a saloon fight, from which he fed,
running TO the depot and rapping
on the door. The door was
opened by Agent Patterson, and
no sooner was il done than he
was stabbed over the heart by
this drunken beast, from the ef-
fects Of which he died immedi-
ately.
After the drunken brute had
stabbed Patterson 20 death he
| jumped out Of the station and
onto the railroad track where he
stopped an incoming passenger
train and climbed aboard, but the
train crew was notified Of what
he had done and when the town
marshal arrived the priest was
overpowered. disarmed and locked
up in the village Jail.
Conflicting Stories
The first stories of the crime
appearing in the Chicago papers
differ somewhat from later ones,
and il is evident that Rome got
busy in Chicago as soon as the
news was flashed over the city.
The first reports state that the
priest had a saloon fight in which
/ Ire received a blow that knocked
him silly, while another report
states that the priest claims to
have been in a STOPPING position
cranking his automobile when he
was hit on the head and rendered
insane.
Some of the reports state that
he has been pastor of Holy
Rosary" church for twelve years,
while Others say five. Some say
that he had resigned his pastor
ate some time ago preparatory TO
going 20 Italy, but that he had
been ordered to remain at his
post until another thug could be
found TO take his place.
II is evident that the "holy
fathers" didn't get busy enough
or didn't get at it soon enough
to fix up all the fences. At any
rate the fact remains that the
"holy dad" was a priest in good
standing. He had been on the
job a long time and was perfect
ly sane only when drunk. The
alleged lick on the head wouldn t
produce insanity so suddenly,
especially when the skull WASH I
even cracked. This being true we
are again confronted with the
spectacle of another (there have
been many such cases) "holy
father" getting on a high lone
some and committing murder in
cold blood.
The Penalty
If an ordinary citizen staged
such a performance as this, (that
is if he wasn't Roman Catholic)
if not actually executed by a mob
of enraged citizens, would be
given a speedy trial and either
electrocuted, hung or sent to the
penitentiary for life.
We have learned, however, be
it said TO the disgrace of the ma
tion, that there seems to be two
standards of justice in this coun-
try, one for Catholic and another
for non-Cathoic, the former al
ways getting the best of It by the
grace of the politicians who run
the governmental machinery in
all its branches and who hold
their jobs by doing the bidding
of the hierarchy of the Roman
Catholic church.
The Insanity Racket
1t is doubtful if this priest ever
suffers for his crime. The ma
| chinery of Rome Is already huSy