Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-06-13
Preacher William Roberts Dis
gusts the Good People of
williamstown.
Stirs Up "a Muss, Causes Fight,
Is Arrested and
Fined.
EARMARKS OF An ANARCHISTS

One of our subscribers residing at
Corinth sends the clippings from the
Grant County News, which are self
explanatory. In the news column of
that paper appear the following,
which shows that in Grant county
there is a sense of justice:
William Roberts, an itinerant
preacher of no particular faith, but
with an insane hatred against all
Catholics, was arrested Tuesday
afternoon charged with disorderly
conduct and hailed before Judge
Gray, who imposed a fine of $21.
He was taken to the County Jail,
where he continued his abusive
TRADE until his wind partially gave
out. Roberts talked or preached
to small crowds on the street all
day Monday and Tuesday and be-
came very abusive, but was not
molested until he annoyed several
ladies in town by going to their
homes, and upon finding that their
religious teachings were not the
same as his, began to abuse them.
1t is said that several people offered
to get up a subscription to pay his
fine and secure his release, but he
requested them not to do so, as he
intended to bring suit against the
town when he had served his time.
Roberts appears to be a fanatic of
the first degree and there is every
evidence that he is not wholly of
sound mind. He bears all the ear
anarchist. He claims to be working
in. the interest of some secret or
ganization which has no lodge in
this part of the country. Roberts
says his home is in Shelbyville, but
that ne formerly lived in Winches-
ter. In his ranting on the street
he assailed all Catholics with spite
full venom. made charges against
them that were unfair and unjust in
the extreme, declared that President
Wilson was a Catholic, and made
nuisance of himself in general.
Editorially the Grant County
News, published at Williamstown,
imparts this hot shot to Roberts,
who is nothing else than trouble
maker and should not be given pub
lie federation anywhere:
A loud-mouthed windjammer,
with very limited education and less
common sense, talked in declama-
tory style to whoever would listen
to him on the streets here Monday,
defaming a religious creed with a
vituperativeness which showed him
/ to be a fanatic of the first water and
a dangerous man to be abroad on
the streets or to mingle with decent
/ people. Any man who assails the
/ religious beliefs of his fellow-man,
whether they coincide with his own
particular views or not, displays his
! ignorance, and an ignoramus can
kick up more fuss and fury in a
! minute than a dozen wise men can
quell in a month. That so few
people paid any attention to the dis
| jointed rawlings of the creature who
set himself up to be revised edi-
tion Of the apostle Paul was a
credit to our citizenship. The afore-
mentioned insect would be better
employed as a rock breaker than as
teacher.
Referring to Roberts perform
ances a prominent clergyman, one
who would uphold the law and repu-
tation of the State, pertinently asks:
How would the language OF this
week sound in the ears of Lafayette,
LaGrasse, Rochambeau, Kosciusko.
Pulaski and D'Estaing? Would
these defamers OF manhood and
womanhood be allowed to speak
thus in the presence of Phil sheri-
dan, Rosecrans. Buell., Shields or the
gallant Sixty-ninth of New York,
Irish and Catholic to man. who
during the dark days OF our civil
strife shed the last drop of theii
blood in defense of the flag they
had sworn to serve?
II Catholic lecturers would take
the platform and insult Protestant
women in the same way. no police
force in the land could protect them
from the deserved vengeance of an