The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-04-13
FANCIFUL STORY PUBLISHED IN
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST
SLANDERED A PENNSYLVANIA
PRIEST-THE FACTS IN THE
cASE-HISTORY UPSETS FAN
CiES OF FICTION.

The Saturday Evening Post recently
presented to it's readers the first of
a promised series of articles, written
by Miss Katherine Mayo and en-
titled "The Honor of the Force" the
force being the Pennsylvania state
police. which came into existence, ac-
cording to the narrator on Dec. Is,
1905.
In this first installment, the several
million readers of the Post were given
a sensational rehearsal of an early
experience of Troop d, of the state
police, quartered at PunXsutawney,
Pa, with gang ''of the very worst
characters" in that section, in their
resort in Florence, seven miles from
the troop barracks. 1t was on Sun
day, September 2, 1906 For the bet
ter part of the afternoon the police
had been endeavoring to dislodge the
occupants of the house, within which
an arsenal of rifles and ammunition
was stored, and several of their num-
Der had been shot. They were about
to charge the place." when the event
occurred which is of particular inter-
est to Catholics We will quote here
the particular paragraphs themselves:
Enter the Priest.
"At that moment new figure drew
into the scene. Lean and tall, stoop-
ing slightly, his shovel hat pulled over
his eyes and his black robe swinging
on the heels of his long stride, a
priest was hurrying down the hill He
came from the hostile quarter of the
town. As he reached the railroad
track he suddenly changed both di-
rection and pace, turning toward the
garrisoned house and moving at ease
with deliberate tread until he stood
beneath the windows. Thence he
called up to the inmates. They an
swered him readily and a friendly talk
ensued.
Then the priest with all calmness
proceeded straight to First Sergeant
Lumb
You seem to be having some trou-
BILE here he remarked lightly and
i
the weather
Yes answered the first sergeant
with ciVility, much relieved. And you
can be of great help to me, too. L
notice you speak with these people,
Please go and tell them that if they
will surrender now they will not be
hurt
1.-THE priest smiled-a dry grimace
" I would suggest that you go over
and tell them Yourself said he.
Father urged the sergeant, you
know that whenever one of my men
shows his head it means a bullet from
those windows. The people up there
are your own parishioners, are they
not? :: g s. Yes We'll, should think
a man of your cloth would be glad to
prevent the shedding of blood
"The priest. smiled once more, and
the CLINT in his narrowed eyes was a
CLINT of fire and ice.
81 have already advised you,' said
he in his heavy Austrian accent. 1T
is quite simple. If you have some
ming to say to my people you will
please. go tell them YOURSELF
And very deliberately he paced
away, lean and black, lettering rhyth-
mically in his long robe as lean, black,
vultures rhythmically teeter through
the cutters of tropic town.
Again he, passed under the win
dows of the garrison. Again he
stopped and called up words of en-
couragement undisguised. Then he
strolled on and away, his lips still
Wreathed in his mincing SMILE"
Following 1t UP.
Immediately on reading this re-
markable narration, one of the mem