The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-12-02
IN AUSTRIAN
CABINET; KAISER TRIES
TO CHECK PEACE ENVOY
FATHER KELLEY
FLAYS TUMULTY
SAYS THERE ARE AMPLE PROOFS
OF ATTACKS ON NUNS BY
MEXICAN REBELS, WHICH
CONTINUE.

Chicago, Ill.-That declarations
and sworn statements proving out
RACES committed on nuns by Mexi-
can revolutionists have been offered
the state department, is the reply OF
the Very Rev. Francis j. Kelley to
the letter given out in Washington
&, by Secretary Tumulty asserting that
the files of the department contain
mo official records" regarding the
charges. Mgr Kelley is head of the
Catholic church extension work.
In statement given out yester-
day Mgr. Kelley also criticises Presi-
dent Wilson's secretary for .trying
TO disprove all the outrages against
religion through denying one." The
revolutionists themselves, declare
the Catholic prelate, have admitted
their crimes.
In addition, declares Mgr. Kelley,
the persecution has continued since
recognition of Cafranza.
Mgr. Kelley says in his statement:
"lf the files of the department. of
state are without official records to
prove the 'dastardly crime of out
RACES committed upon nuns by Mexi-
can revolutionists, there are official
records in other places, copies of
which have been offered to the de-
partment of state. / happen to have
some of them myself, given under
oath.
"Is Mr.. Tumulty perfectly safe IN
trying to disprove all the outrages
against religion through denying
one Even if We grant all his CON
tentions. there still remains bur
den of crime absolutely unexplained.
One thing. however he may be GER
tain of: the worst of the affidavits
will never be given out, for it.
stands 10 reason that no names are
going to be mentioned; not for the
revolutionists' sake or for Mr.. Tu-
multv's sake, hut rather for the sake
of the poor victims.
"The murders, the looting. the
stealing, the closing of churches,
etc. have been admitted over and
over again by the revolutionists
themselves. 1T is most extraordin-
ary that Mr. Tumulty could make
the statement seriously that the
officers OF the American army never
heard single report of outrage hav-
ing been committed The fact of
the matter is that the story first
came 10 my knowledge through one
who received it from officers of both
the army and navy | afterward
conversed with one of these officers
and he not only colToborated what
] had heard LIT gave me additional
facts.
MIR. Tumulty may not perhaps
have heard that nuns were forcibly
taken from trains and sent into the
revolutionist army. He may not re-
alize what that means, but the num-
Der of nuns who reached Cuba or
the United States safe1 is negligible.
How many of them will be heard
from?
ga rather strange thing it is that
Mr.. Tumulty should use as an auth
ority, the Very Rev. Antonio j..
Paredes, Roman Catholic vicar gen
eral, the archbishopric of Mexico
City, When Mr.. Bryan was secre-
tary Of state he communicated to me
a copy of the statement of Canon
Paredes and informed me that he
was going to give it to the press.
81 told him Paredes was vicar
general of Mexico City only because
he had been appointed by Carranza
10 Inat once, deSplte the tact that
the constitution of Mexico pro-
claims that there is no union be-
tween church and state.
"Antonio j. Paredes is today
knocking around Mexico City with a
revolutionary uniform on. 1t was
he who, taken as nominal prisoner
to Vera Cruz with a number of other
priests from Mexico City, worked on
the poor prisoners to have them. sign
document favorable to farranza.
This is the sort of an authority An
tonic ]. Paredes is.''