Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1858 — A Priest Beaten in the Sacristy. [ARTICLE]

A Priest Beaten in the Sacristy.

A STRANGE STORY. About two years ago Father Sanguineltt came to this city from St. Louis, intending to return to his native city, While sojourning here, however, he was sorely grieved at the spiritual destitution of the poorer Italians in New York, and urgently requested the Archbishop to alb>w hi in to become their pastor. The requisite' permission was obtained, and he at unco entered upon his charge. Renting Pie basement of the Catholic Church in. l anal street, he soon filled it with the'faithful, and became so popular among his country men that his congregation overflowed the little church, and filled the courts on !•<.< h side. It Was his great ambition to guild a small church for poor Italians. As priests are not usually good financiers, he appointed two members of his congregation: (they were brothers living in’ White street) ta be Secretary and Treasurer. The brothers between them bore the purse. Each Sabbath and feast day they received contributions toward the new church, as well as donations for the minister, and the rent oj’ the pews. The good Pastor, who had a little money of his own, and a few friendp who occasionally helped him, told the officers ty add the donations intended for himself to the < ’lnarch fund, -saying thn. a- long as he could he would support himself without assistance from his people, if he could thereby 'further i the object lie had so much at heart. Thus, j for nearly two years, the Church went oh in- ; creasing and prospering. But at length tin ! Pastor", means failed him. He had If J ! poorly, tu lenten diet, clothed him. ■]; as cheaply as possible, mid-resorted to ail softs of shifts to'eke bnt hie funds. i:i order to avoid encroaching up m the cnntribuiio’tis oi" the congrcgati nv, I it the end- -lane atf-ki-t, and, hungry and almost nakt J he applied to the Treasurer for money. That person:tLld him hi' could.give him none;" that the funds in his possession were to in; d .a church j hot to feed _a churchman. Tic Father a sited ■ what lie should do; must lie .starve, nnistlhe | eay mass with his clothes dropping t’ o pieces, | or must he go into the ‘streets' and l eg! ; After much solicitation the Treasurer loan 'd | him $25; but five weeks alter sued him la a Ward Court fortlie recovery qf the m only, j and a friend y 1 it. for him. Father sajni guinr'tti told tie- Treasurer and his brot.!ijer | that they must in future pay him 'the donations received from the’congregation, as lie had no other means of support. Instead pf doing this, however, they tied the mony v up in a pocket handkerchief every Sunday and carried it away. The Priest was thus reduced to great distress, often suffering ft>r the necessaries of life. This state of tilings becoming known t» the Irish portion of his congregation tllev contributed enough to relieve bis necessities. The Irish element having largely increased in the congregation, they urged him to rent the church up-stairs, which was then vacant. He consented, and although $2,000 a year was asked, he succeeded in obtaining it for half that sum. The brothers, When requested to |iay the quarter’s rent in advance, refused to do so, saying that he had no right to incur ep much expense, and the money i was raised among his friends. As the church was sadly dilapidated and in need of repairs,; Father Sunguinetti employed workmen to put it in order. This excited the ire of the Secretary and Treasurer, who claimed that it was their province to look after the temporal affairs of the church, and they refused to pay for anything that he might order to be done. He.then sought the Archbishop j for advice, who told him he had better drs- I miss the officers and take the funds under ! his own care. Acting tip to this advice he sent for the ! two brothers, who came to sec him in the sacristy on the lOtii of July last. He told | them that-they must give him their hooks and the funds of the church, which now i amounted to between s7o<> and SBOO. At i this they became very ;ry, swearing tlial they and not lie. wre masters there, and I both of them fell upon him, beating him savagely with their lists, kicking him and breaking a tabic and some other furniture .ever his head. Father S inguinetti says that, next to < lod, he believes that the timq!y appearance, of his courageous little Irish Serving-woman, saved his life. She sprang between him and his assailants, and picking op a stool, defied them to touch him again at \ their peril. Thereupon the s 'cowards con--1 tented themselves with crying in Italian, “Down with the priest!” “To hell with the priest!”" mid soon after left. Next day, when he was about to say mass j in church, they renewed their attacks upon him, coming up to the altar and calling him all sorts of evil things, but did not do him personal violence. They were finally removed by the police. On the 18th of July an Italian, named i, \ : . came to him and threatened to" take bi !;!e because he"-had'

appointed an Irishman officer of the church. Louis also had to be removed by the police. On the 1-9th of July, an unknown Italian •• (jailed to hire a pew. Father SS-inguiuet-i took him , s o the church, and, wh le shoe frtfr him tic . pews, discovered that he w armed with a long knife, and was evidently watching for an opportunity'to take him nit' his guard. The. father, however kept him •fat a distance, and the vllow. evidently much chagrined, at length h ~ eayim- he had no .money then;- hut. won Id call ...mm In-iqo-course of the evening the lather found the front .door of t.ii > church unlocked, and it is his impression his unknown Visitor intended to assassinate him, and then escape through the front door. ' 'This s!range story is substantially as .related by Father •Hangninetti, hiinsolf, \yhosays that he cannot account, for these ;. tempts to do him injury. He has not \• *L succeeded in GGaining the church funds from the lute oih. ers. The attack that they made upon him was of so s.ovre a character that lio ivas for some time very ill in consequence, and we arc told he has sns-, tained injuries from which he will 'never recover. lie has, however, borne himself toward his assailants with Christian magnanimity and forbearance, neither prosectiting retaliating in any way.—A’, w York Tri--I>U'" , tl Curious.— At a place called “College Corner,” .lives a man in a house, half of j which is in Indiana and half in Ohio. Of I t in Oliio s halt, part is in Butler and part in j Preble county. Thus the man lives in two and throe counties.