The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-06-15
FATHER COLLINS
DENIES LIBERTY
BOND RUMORS
Says He Did Not Advise Ag-
ainst Purchase of Gov.
eminent Bonds.
US. MARSHAL ORCHARD
INVESTIGATINGCHARGE
Priest Issued Statement De.
nouncing Tales as UnfOunded,
Calls 1t Spite Work.

The rumor circulated in Jackson and
Cape County that Father NJ. D. Col
Inns, rector of the Catholic Church,
had questioned the validity of the Lib
erty bonds, was denied by the priest
when asked last night by a reporter
for The Tribune. He declared that
the rumor was without foundation and
he believed it was the work of some
who have been on inimical terms with
him for some time.
Deputy United States Marshal Or
chard called at the home of Father
Collins yesterday morning, but did not
find the priest at home. Father Col
Inns, who had no inkling of the inves-
tigation conducted by the Government,
had gone to the Cape to attend the
session of the Common Pleas Court.
Orchard called on several men who
are said to have caused the Govern
ment investigation, and failing to find
Father Collins returned to the Cape
where he had to be present at the pre-
liminary hearing of ]. L. Ward who
is held on a Government charge.
According to Guy Miltenberger, a
merchant of Jackson, Father Collins
was accredited with the remark that
the Liberty bonds were not worth the
paper they We're printed on. Another
rumor was that the priest had advised
a farmer, who consulted him on the
| purchase of some of the bonds, not
to invest any money in these Govern
ment bonds.
Father Collins said last night that
nobody ever called on him to seek his
advice as to the purchase of such
bonds. He added that he never made
any such remark as Miltenberger is
alleged to have accredited to him.
He said he did not believe that DIR.
Hays, one of the prominent physicians
Of the county seat, would make any
remark as he is said to have given out.
Father Collins issued the following
statement:
81 would dislike to believe that DR..
Hays made any such statement be-
cause he is a professional man and I
expect at least conservative state
ments on such important and grave
matters as to accuse any citizen as
he is alleged to have done. This would
would denote either lack of intelli-
gence or lack of veracity. Not so
much would be expected to Mr.. Mil
tenberger, nevertheless he can not es-
cape the censorship of right thinking
men, because what he said is no less
erroneous than the false statement
which, it is alleged, DIR. Hays made"
Father Collins said he had met Mr..
Miltenberger and several other citi-
zens on the street. The subject on the
Liberty bonds was discussed and dur
ing the conversation he remarked that
if the Government bonds were such a
profitable investment, the financiers of
the country would have bought them
all.
Miltenberger, the priest said, be-
gan upraiding the Germans in such
vile terms that he turned his back and
walked off. The gist of Miltenberg-
er's remarks were, Father Collins said,
to exterminate the dutch race" add
ing several profane epithets, which
caused him to leave the men in the
street.
Father Collins said he was surprised
to learn that Deputy United States
Marshal Orchard could not find him.
He said he was in the Cape during the
entire afternoon and was on the
streets and in several public places.
If the Government officer was so
anxious to interview him, he could
have found him without making any
special efforts.