The Irish standard., 1914-11-14
Influential Men of Nation Deplore
the Appeal Made to Reli-
gious Prejudice.
Prominent Mont Catholics DENY Ac.
cusations Made Against Catho-
lie Citizens. Challenge Is
sued to Produce
Evidence.

lished by the Menace and similar anti
Catholic papers against the Church,
her priests and nuns, is met with the
questions, "Why do not Catholics pun
ish their slanderers, then? The courts
are open to them. Why, If these
stories are false, do they not hale
these writer's before the law and de.
mand retribution?"
Some months ago, in a midland city,
a sensational sheet published an ut
terly false and malicious story about
nun, the daughter of a prominent
Catholic family; but in writing her
name, one letter Of it was omitted.
When the father sought redress, he
was told the misspelled name was
against his case.
Such care is taken by all these
papers. They are not going to give
the law any hold on them. Like the
reptiles which, in their venom and
sltminess they resemble, they are ex-
pert in eluding capture; and. leaving
open always one avenue of escape,
continue their slanderous propaganda.
But over-confidence has on more
than one, occasion left them amenable
to the law, and then they have paid
the penalty. Among the best known
of these cases is that of the knights of
Columbus, of Waterville, Mimi, when
A. M. and G. E. Morrison, of the Man
kato Journal, were found guilty of
criminal libel against E. M. Lawless,
of the Waterville Sentinel.
The Morrisons printed an article in
which 1t was charged that Mr.. Law
less took reasonable oath when he
was given the fourth degree cere-
monies Of the order. The fourth de-
gree obligation of the society were
submitted in full to the district court,
and the decision was rendered accord
tngly, nothing reasonable being found
in it by the court.
Another case is that of ]. E. Hos
mer, editor Of the silverton Journal,
who was convicted of criminal libel
against the Benedictine nuns of Mount
Angel. Oregon. Hosmer printed an al
legged confession of Mary Lasenan,
who declared she was an escaped nun
from the Mount Angel convent. In
the confession she made serious
charges against the institution and the
Catholic priests at Mount Angel. Hos
mer was indicted and convicted in the
circuit court at Salem, Oregon, and
the Supreme Court, several weeks ago,
sustained the conviction and denied
him a rehearing. There also is pend
ing against him a civil libel suit in
the circuit court. As he refused to
pay the 5000 fine imposed by the court
he will have to serve 100 days in Jail.
In Cloudsport, Pa, Ernest Whitaker
made slanderous charges against the
Rev. Father D. 8. Sheehan, of the
same place, who brought suit against
his defamer. It was settled by Whit
taker making full retraction, declaring,
without qualification or reservation
whatever, that to the best of his
knowledge and belief the character Of
Father D. 8. sheehan, both as a citizen
and Catholic clergyman, is without
taint or stain.
Another who has fallen into the
clutches Of the law is AL. Larson, who
was charged with having falsely and
maliciously spoken of and concerning
Angeline Dondelinger" in the town Of
Norton in Southern Minnesota, on
June II. 1914. The trial took place at
Winona, Sept. 4. The State proved
that Larson had made remarks alleg-
ing undue intimacy between the COM
plainant and the pastor of the parish
of Minneiska and that, as result Of
these unfounded accusations, she was
not permitted to become nun. Sew
eral witnesses testified to the fire.
proachable character Of the young wo-
man. Larson admitted that he had
made the statements attributed to
him. but made no attempt to prove
their truth. He had repeated them to
two detectives, who were working on
the case. under the impression one
was an insurance man, the other .
representative Of an ti.Catholic
newspaper. The Jury returned q yer.
dict Of guilty.