The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-04-14
Reverend Father Perardi Escapes from Crowd
Which Breaks Into Parsonage of
Holy Rosary Church Sunday.
FLED INTO SANCTUARY FOR SAFETY
While Mob Breaks Into Home, Priest Escapes Into
Church from Which He is Spirited Away to
Safety by Sheriff and Police.

of police officials, the Reverend Peter
Perardi, priest of the Holy Rosary
church on Rowland avenue, escaped
Sunday evening about six-thirty from
a mob of more than a thousand per-
sons, many Of them members of his
parish, who broke their way into the
house Of the priest intent upon GUST
ing him forcibly from the parish house
While the mob beat impatiently on the
front door of the house, the Reverend
Perardi, his sister, Mrs. Angelina
Perona, and her two children, daugh-
ter fourteen years old and son, aged
about ten years, escaped by rear
door into the church.
AS the mob had been gathering, Rev
erend Perardi fearing violence, appeal
ed to the police for protection. Several
officers were sent TO the scene of the
disturbance but were unable to reach
there in time to prevent the crowd from
breaking into the parsonage.
Takes Refuge in Church.
Hiding in one of the darkest corners
of the sanctuary, Reverend Perardi and
the women were found by Secretary of
Police Emil Meissner and Sheriff Rau-
en-. The women had revolvers which
they were clutching nervously but
which they made no attempts to use.
While the mob piled into the house, the
officers hurried the fugitives out Of the
front door of the church. Reverend
Perardi had no overcoat and wore cap
and because of this escaped the atten-
tion of stragglers from the crowd.
The officers Communicated an auto
mobile that was standing in front of
the church and whisked the priest and
the woman away to the home Of another
priest in Kenosha were they were kept
during the night. Reverend Perardi
was taken to the home of the Rev.
erend Father Malone where he remand
during the night. This morning just
after eight o'clock he returned with
Reverend Malone to the church for the
purpose of saying mass. He was ad-
vised by the police officer in charge not
to attempt to hold the service
Father Perardi announced this morn
ing that he would not desert his post
and that he would remain in Kenosha
until officially removed by archbishop.
ArchbishOp's Letter Revives War.
The war in the parish was revived on
Sunday by the reading of letter sent
to the parish by. the Archbishop Sc
bastian G. Messmer of Milwaukee, at
the ten o'clock mass of the church.
The letter touched on the appeal of
certain members of the congregation
for the removal Of the Reverend Perar-
di as priest of the parish and accord
ing to reports outlined to the parish
that they would have no part in the
government of the church.
Angered by this, many of the mem
bers Of the congregation met in a mass
meeting at the Conley gymnasium on
Sunday afternoon and the march on the
parsonage resulting in the flight of the
priest grew out of this meeting.
The mob started with probably three
hundred members, but as it proceeded
it grew in numbers until by seven
o'clock there were several thousand.
They dispersed only after Mayor John
G. Joachim, Chief of Police Owen
and Sheriff NRauuen agreed to go to
Milwaukee today to intervene with
the archbishop.
Had Asked for Action.
The present agitation started Thurs
day when Santo Serpe, member of
the committee that several months ago
waited on the archbishop asking for a
removal of the priest, telegraphed to
Archbishop Messmer that the congre-
cation had not forgotten his promise
to take action and that something must
be done this week The archbishop re-
piled that a letter from him would be
read to them on Sunday morning at the
ten o'clock service of the church.
Members of the committee declared
that this letter, several pages in
length, had arbitrarily set forth that
they should have no rights in the
church. This letter told us that we
must accept whatever was handed
down" said one member of the com
mittee. ut said in effect that the
church was not a republic and that
we must remember that"
Take No Action at Church.
Az the cnuFcn, the protesting men,
bers took no action. Many of them
filed sullenly out of the sanctuary aft
er the mass had been sung. The word
went quickly around that mass meet
ing would be held at the Conley gym
nasium during the AFTERNOON and more
than two hundred people packed into
the small hall 10 discuss the situation
Chairman Joseph Cardinal and other
members of the committee" took
charge of the meeting and attempted
to stem the rising tide of indignation
against the priest but were unable to
stop it. Finally in despair the mem
bers of the committee resigned.
All Present designations.
Chairman Cardinal was the first OF
the committeeman" to resign. In
addressing the crowd he said: Gen
tlemen, l hereby make a declaration
that from today on--the time l now
take from my watch, four en---I will
not be responsible for anything that
takes place in the church or in the
premises of the church or through his
colleague or anyone connected with
Father Perardi. My declaration is
simply this-that l do rot know what