THE AMERICAN.
i
I
THE AMERICAN.
rUBUSHKD WEEKLY.
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Omaha. Nb.
JOHN & THOMPSON, - - - Editor.
W. C. KILLEY, - Biuunw- Manar
""" OMAHA, NEB , JUNE 17,
Awake ye anti-Roman! Head the
Greeting of Col Henrjr F. Bowers.
Hon. Eljah A. Mo me, ex congnj
man, of MastaehunetU, and a wide
awake and loyal American, I dead.
Have you grown somewhat indlffor
ent In thU great fight? Think of the
work now being accomplished by our
enemy.
Rotnanlam doe progress a little. It
now acoept service on ita repreaenta
Uvea who appear In the civil courta to
defend Hi acta.
Are YOU doing yonr whole duty in
thU great cause for "Liberty?" Stop!
Think! Reason! Now act and act wlih
your whole heart.
Tha pope la lupreme la Spain. HI
word la law. The queen regent bat
aent him word that If he wlshe It ahe
will abdicate throw up her jb.
Out of town Americana when visiting
Omaha can save money and got a pleaa
ant room by applying at this office.
Room can be seoured In advance by de
posit of II.
Rome baa sprung another fraud on
the world. She claims to have photo
graphed the "Holy Shroud " In which
a perfect outline of ChrUt appear.
Bah; a false Christ!
Now they have discovered a nest of
Spanish spies In Mark Ilanna'a town,
Cleveland, O. Are they the fallows
whasent those peace petitions to Con
gress two months ago?
What must have been the treatment
accorded the natives of the Philippines
by Roman Catholic priests and nuns,
that said rrlests and nuns flee in terror
at the approach of the armies under
Agulnaldo? It must have been most
Inhuman and cruel I May they meet
the fate they richly deserve.
Col. H. F. Bowers of Clinton, Iowa,
was on May 13th, 1898, elected Supreme
President of the A. P. A., andhas
made Clinton, Iowa, the headquarters
of the supreme body, where communi
cations will reach him. He desires all
state and subordinate councils to write
to him at once. Important informa
tion. The Boston Citizen says out of the
eight men selected to sink the Merrl
mao In the harbor of Santiago de Cuba
three were of Irish descent Their
names are Montague, Burke and Kelly.
The other five were Hobson, of Ala
bama; Phillips and Claussen, of Bos
ton, and Charette, of Lowell, Mass,
and Deignan, of Iowa. All honor to
the brave crew.
Henry F. Bower'a Brst message to all
the state and subordinate councils has
the right ring. He says organize; or
ganize to defend your homes from a for
eign foe which he believes has deter
mined upon another St. Bartholomew
massacre, and you will do well to heed
his suggestion. The wise man prepares
when no man openly opposes him.
Maurice McKeag filed a petition In
the circuit ceurt asking that Thomas
R, Ahearn be require to show to the
court why he should not have a curator
appointed for his children, Mary and
Ellen Ahearn now In St. Mary's Or
phan Asylum, and Louis and Walter
Ahearn, who are in St. Joseph's Or
phan Asylum. The plaintiff relates
that the children are entitled to one-
fourth interest in the estate of Walter
Keegan. St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Maurice might have also related that
the Roman church, In whose asylums
they now are, wants their money.
A friend has sent us a clipping that
purports to be a pastoral letter Issued
by Archbishop Gross of Portland, Ore.,
In which Spain, France, Italy and other
Roman Catholic countries are repudl
ated and their Catholicity denied. In
this alleged pastoral Gross also says
the pope has condemned the bull fights
which have helped make Spain famous
for ita cruelty. The pop has trafficked
a good deal In bulls; be has acnt them
Mfc-a'.ORt the Ma n, aght the Odd
Kt lowt ard ag nut a I Protectant.
He m-y have aent one against tbote
SpaoUh hulls, but If he did It U not a
matter of revealed fcUiory. Probably
the archbUhop didn't believe what was
written, and did not expect any one
t-Ue to. Io any event he failed to furn-
Uh any proof to substantiate the assr
tions tet out In the letter.
Where are the patriotic lecturers?
Has Rome grown so good that they are
not needed, or la It because we are
Uo wondrously wise to need the
assistance of such grand men as,
Rev. Charles Chln'quy, Rev. J. Q.
A. Henry, Rev. Justin D. Fulton, Rev.
J. G. Wnlte, Rev O. E. Murray, Rev.
Joseph Slattery, Bishop J. V. McNa
mara and many other good and noble
fellows who are always ready to an
swer to your beck and call
There are a great many little things
happening throughout the world today
hluh convince the political student
that there are troublous tlmei ahead
for all established governments, and
that there will be a complete readjust
ment of national biundarles, social
conditions and political alliances, be
fore the world wears itself out and set
tles back to peace. Before tils comes
to pass, however, internecine strife and
Hots will wrack and distract all Prot
estant countries, or those under Prot
estant government, while those subserv
ient to the papacy will amaze the
world because of their unity and their
stability, yet their end must follow,
and they mut disappear wholly before
the march of Protestant armies and
Protestant civilization. We shall not
attempt to show how the different na
tions will line up, but natural Ideas,
and policies would suggest that the
United States, England, Japan and
possibly the Scandinavian countries, to
gether with the Protestant part of the
German empire will be pitted against
the rest of the world. Acd yet it is
barely possible that all this may be
avoided by a masterly retreat, under
jesultlcal direction, by the powers of
the papacy, thathave up to this date
aided Spain surreptitiously while pro
fessing to be strictly neutral. At any
rate there Is do necessity for any one
fearing the war will end before they
get a chance to fight, for It Is our opin
ion that it has only just commenced,
unless the jesults pull their fellows
down, then this country would have
to stack arms and demand an indemni
ty and the independence of the islands
occupied.
PrieMs In It, Certainly.
A special cablegram from Madrid to
the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, dated
June 13, says:
A source of great anxiety to the gov
ernment and to the dynasty, as well as
in fact to all the well-to-do people here,
is the activity of a secret society known
throughout the country as the " Black
Hand," which In importance and com
pleteness of organization only can be
compared to nihilism In Russia. But
little Is apparently known about It
abroad, or even by strangers here, but
there are few of the metropolitan or
provincial authorities who are not in
great dread thereof. It originated
about twenty years ago, no one seems
to know how, and equal mystery pre
vails with regard to the peculiar name
of "Black Hand." It proclaims after
the style of the Nihilists that It puts
all the rich, the land cwners and the
government officials "outside the law,"
and that all means to fight them are
good, not excepting assassination and
fire.
In many respects it resembles the
Mafia of Sicily, and the Camorra of
Naples, in that it finds means to intim
idate the judges and provincial author
itles, and while it occasionally works
in unison, and makes use of the mem
bers of the latter, yet it is an entirely
distinct organization, and far more
feared by the government, which it
aims to overthrow with the object of
dividing up the entire country into
a utocomous communof , where all would
share alike. It only differs from an
a rcby and nihilism in that it does not
deny the existence of the divinity. In
fact, it is alleged that a large number
of parish priests are affiliated there
with, and that it has its agents among
all ranks of society save the rich.
Ask the newsdealers in you town for
this paper. Have your friend also en-
khIm TTntn anrn&ri th tputll.
ltituaiilm la ( lr!u, l. S. A.
Altaian, Col., June 10, lv.H. Elltorj
The American: Al way Oiled with a
very great love for the holy (?) Roman
church and possessed with an intense
desire to helD advance the great and
glorious principles of the said church,
I, with a friend, Mr. Lee Helium, who
has symptoms of love and admiration
similar to mine for the most holy
church, on learning that the Mexican
Roman Catholics bold a peculiar relig
ious service twenty miles east cf Pueblo,
Col., Wednesday, Thursday and Frl
day before Easter Sunday each and
every year, and that said services were
very ho'y and inspiring, we concluded
to attend the next service held there
so we could tell our friends of the great
ness of the pope and hla followers.
We arrived at Boone a small town on
the A. T. & S. F. and Mo. P. railroads
and five miles from the scene of tbe re
ligious rites on the morning of April 7,
1893, one day late for the first day's
glorifying of tha pope.
On arriving at tbe place we found,
situated on a high plateau on the banks
of the Huerfino river, a doby penitent
house about twenty by slx'y feet and
eight feet high. About three-eighths
of a mile east of the penitent house
on the plains was to be seen the em
blem of ignorance and superstition
the Roman cross. There were quite a
number of greasers present but as the
heretics, of late years, have frequeniy
amused themselves at the expense of
the pope's faithful by such innocent
sport as lassoing them, they now hold
most of their services early In the
morning or late in the evening, even
late into the night, there are not so
many heretics present to see them go
through their ceremonies.
We were too late the first day to see
anythlg more Inspiring than a fellow
dragging a cross made of timber eight
Inches square, the upright piece being
about fifteen feet long, around over tie
plains, down the steep bank of the
Huerfano and back; and when he got
back to the penitent house he was so
near exhausted he had t be supported
by two other men, but he never laid
down the holy cross. What a holy
man he must have been when he got
through! During this, as well as dur
ing all the rest et the performances we
saw, there were quite a number who
accompanied the penitent, chattering
some kind of a song which was similar
to the idiotic performance at high
mass. They had a nute ana an om
horse fiddle, such as Mlssourlans used
to use to scare crows out of their corn
fields. They kept the fiddle and flute
going all the time. We were told by
those who were conversant with their
way that they believed the fiddle would
scare the devil away; and in the hands
of such creatures I don't doubt but
what it would.
While they were in the penitent
house they or two of them would
come out every fifteen or twenty mln
utes with the flute and fiddle and go
around the house to keep the devil
from getting too close.
We were told by some of the heretics
present that on the first day of the
holy doings, a Mexican, with more
muscle than pralns, put a cross on his
shoulders and ran with It until he be
came exhausted and fell. Then they
set up the cross for future glorification.
On the morning of the eighth we ar
rived on the grounds early, acd that
day we saw some very surprising
things.
I will first describe the whips they
used, as well as I can. I was unable to
get hold of one to send you. They were
made of soap weeds plaited together.
The soap weed is a plant with long,
slender blades with sharp edges which
cut like a knife. When the Mexicans
plaited the weeds they left the small
ends loose which formed a kind of a
tassel which lacerated the flesh terri
bly. The penitents were nude, excepting
t he parts covered by drawers. They
would bring those whips down on their
shoulders and onto their backs and the
blood would flow freely.
When we got to the penitent house
on the 8 th one of the faithful was walk
ing on cactus with his barefeet and
whipping himself with one of those
cruel soap weed whips. He was bleed
ing dreadully, but he never flinched,
so full was his heart of love for the
pope.
1 Soon after he got through purifying
himself there were four came out who
took crosses on their backs and started
to wa'k to the cross which was set up
on the plain. They were follow d by
eight others who were vigorously chas
tising themselves wiih those terrible
soip wted ships. Th-se were sur
rounded by about forty chanters with
the indispensable fl ate and horse fiddle.
The leallng or head man of tbe chant
ers carried a wooden Christ, about three
feet high, cut OJt of barked cattoawood
tree. It was bow.legged in one leg and
knock-kneed In tbe other. It repre
sented Christ about as well as tbelr
heathenish practices represent Christi
anity.
We had a kodak with us and when
the procession started we undertook
to get a snap shot, al hough we had
been to'd we would not be allowed
closer than two hundred yards. It was
our Intention to take some pictures and
send them to The American, but we
were met half way and told we could
not come any nearer, were threatened
with the law and, in fact, opposed
until we gave up trying to take pic
tures and contented ourselves with
looking on from a distance. The pro
cession went straight to the cross.
Those who had the soap weed whips
truck themselves stinging blows at
every other step. When about half
way to the cross they got down on their
knees for awhile but the whipping
never ceased. Then they arose and
staggered on, bleeding at almost every
pore and almost ready to die from ex
haustion, so terrible had been the
flagellation. At the base of tt.e cress
they sank down more dead tbaa alive,
yet the lashes fell with a'armlng regu
larity if with diminished force. The
return trip was soon commenced, and
was but a repetition of the outward.
They appeared more like demons than
like alleged christians their balr dis
heveled, their faces pale, their single
garment flecked and bespattered with
blood and their feet and ankles covered
with gaping wounds from cactus thorns
on which they trod. It took one hour
and three minutes to make the round
trip.
We were at least a half mile from the
cross, yet, we could h ar the strokes
plainly as the blood-soaked whips fell
on their naked, bloody basks.
Other processions were formed which
went through the same barbarous per
formances, all of which horrified and
disgusted us with Romanism, generally
regarded as a religion and protected
by the constitution.
By talking to persons who had lived
In the neighborhood for a number of
years we learned that at different limes
there had been persons who died while
doing penance, and that two crippled
themselves for life then applied to the
county for support; but it happened
that the officials were not sufficiently
Romanized to overlook the manner In
which the injuries were received, con
sequently their applications were re
jected.
We were also told that in the early
sixties they even went so far as to cru
cify some. That is Roman Catholicism
in is natural state.
If you ask their priest, a Spaniard,
why they practice such heathenish
rites he answers "it is because they are
ignorant and know no better." In
making that statement he acknowl
edges he knows better; then why in the
name of God and the name of reason
does he not teach the laity better? We
know they do exactly what their priest
tells them to do. But if he taught
them to do different it would be a coun
terfeit brand of Romanism.
Oh! how happy they would be If they
could degrade the entire people of the
United States to the level of those poor
Mexicans!
If this should fall into the hands of
Fathe r Carr at Altman, or any other
burly follower of the old Dago on the
Tiber, I would like him to explain
through some of our local papers why
it is the Roman Catholic church is
such a champion of parochial school
education, yet leaves those poor Mexl
cars In such hopeless ignorance and
they less than fifteen miles east of the
second largest city in the great state
of Colorado, where are practiced re
ligious rites which would put to shame
the Icdians who inhabited this country
when the pilgrims landed.
If my friend and I were full of love
for the Roman church when we went
down to Boone we came back overflow
leg with indignation. Americans
should see to it that Romanism never
gets the upper hand In this country
even though it takes rivers of blood to
k-ep the poisonous fangs and slimy
col's from our beluved country and her
free institution: but who would not
r' her shed hi blood for his country
than have it ruled by the Irelatd,
Phelars, Co-rlgans, Yorks and the
-est of tae t -e-k Users.
Yours in F. P. P.,
W. B. Butler.
pain HasOoe Friend.
Wash In. ton, D. C, June 13 Infor
mation reached Washington today
that Spanii-h residents of Uruguay are
ra's'.ng money and enlisting volunteers
to go to Cuba and assist the Spaniards
in tbe war between Spain and the
United States Geo. Fortunado Flores,
a General in the Uruguayan army, is
tbe leader of the movement, which has
caused some excitement in Montevideo,
the capital of the republic. Gen. Fiores
Is of direct Spanish descent, and all his
sympathies are pro-Spanish. He is
bitter y opposed to anything favorable
to the United States.
He at first sought permission of the
President of the republic and endeav
ored to eecure the passage of a measure
it en i a portion of the army of tbe
repub.ic to the aid and support of
Spain In the war against the United
States. Falling In this he resigned
his commission in the army and noti
fied the President of the republio that
he was then an individual citizen and
could do as he saw fit. He issued a
cU for volunteers to go to Cuba. The
report received here is that he suc
ceeded In securing a considerable sum
of mone. and claims to have equipped
2000 men w.tn arms, ammunition and
supplies Having tendered the services
of h mseif and three regiments to the
Queen Regent of Spain, he now an
nounces that he is In receipt of a tele
gram from the government at Madrid
stating that he and the officers of his
command will be received on equal
lotting and with the same rank as the
regular tffljers of the Spanish army.
Tbe regiments Gen. Fiores claims are
In readiness to depart and are only
awaiting orders from the government
at Madrid. He also stotis tnat there
will go 2000 volunteers from Buenos
Ayree, so that his full command will
consist of 5,000 men who will fight for
Spain.
In an interview Gin. F.ores Is quoted
as saying Uat he Is not surprised or
disappointed taat Spain is suffering
defeat at the beginning of the war. He
believes that la the future sne will
win. He says that hi Is eager to join
in the coufket against the United States
and make his own name as much
deaded by the Yankees as is that of
Weyler.
Ic outlining his plans, he states that
there are several slates of the union
that are dissatlfiod with the war and
opposed to it, and are anxious and will
ing to withdraw frou. the union. He
declares that they are dissatisfied wiih
the government, and advises that
Spain land from 150,000 to 200,000
in suoh stales. He believes that they
will form a union with Spain to fight
against the United States Goverment.
If that could be done quickly he be
lieves that Spain's triumph would
be sure. He further declares that the
people of the United Stales are too
busily engaged in business U make
good soldiers, and says Spain could de
stroy the union of states and make each
stales an independent republic of itself.
Gen. Flores is 56 years of age. He
won his way to the presidency of Uru
gusy by wading through blood, and
was the most inhuman ruler that the
little republic ever had. His house is
the headquarters of adventurers of all
kinds, and he is known for his wild ex
ploits and hazardous undertakings.
Over his residence floats the Spanish
flag. Through the streets of Monte
video and even Buenos Ay res, among
the Spanish sympathizers, especially
t he ignorant class, who have been ex
cited by the utterance of Gen. Flores,
the cry, "On to New York," which is
the only port in America known to
them, is heard. The United States
Consulate at Montevideo is guarded by
e xtta police, and the Consul has been
advised not to go out upon certain
streets, whete the Spanish residents
congregate, at night.
Big guide to Omaha and Exposition
at Omaha mailed for 10 cents. Agents
wanted everywhere. E. P. Walker,
710 N. 40 St., Omaha.
Try Sawyer's Soap.
IgalnaldtT Stermy Career.
A special di-patch from Washington
to the St. Lou'. Globe-Democrat says:
Pancho Agulnaldo, tbe native dicta
tor of tbe Philippines, Is a very pictur
esque personage. He is the son of a
prominent native chief. Anxious that
hla b y should be educated, the chief
confided the lad to the Spanish priests,
who thought that Agulnaldo' Influence
wbea he grew up, would help to main
tain Spanish authority among the Ma- '
lay population. The father Is rich, for
a native, and Paacho Agulnaldo, after
being ta jght in tbe local schools, waa
sent to Madrid to itudy theology and
qualify for the priesthood. After a
year or two of study the young man
bold'y declared he would not be a
priest, but a soldier. So he was drafted
into one of the native regiments, in
which a few of the subalterns are Ma
lay men, but all tbe Captains and field
officers are Spaniards.
Nearly two years ago Aguinaldo and -a
compatriot named Alexandro, also a
Lieutenant of native troops organized a
revolt in the native corps. Aguln
aldo' regiment one morning while
on parade, shot all its Spanish offi
cers, except a few Lieutenants,
and took to the savannas great track
let s prairies, swampy, with occasion
al high bits of land called "mattes."
Here Agulnaldo made his head quar
ters. Atone time he mustthave had
4 000 or 5,(00 men under arms cf some
sort hidden in these fastnesses, raiding
the rich settlements whenever they
felt like it. The political Governor
General of the Philippines, Senor Don
Basil lo Augustln y Davlla, offered a re
ward of 20,000 pesetas (about $4,100)
for tie head of Agulnaldo. Withia a
week he received a note from the in
surgent chief saying, "I need tbe sum
you offer very much, and will deliver
the head myself."
Ten days later the southeast typhoon
was raging. The hurricane for it
was one was tearing things to bits,
and it was raining as it can rain only
in the Orient, a sheet of black water
flooding the earth. The two centlres
at the Governor General's gate made
the usual reverent sign as a priest
passed in, who asked if his Excellency
was within and unengaged. Tney an
swered yes to both questions. Don
Baslllo did not turn his head as some
one entered. It was his secretary, he
supposed, come to help prepare an elo
quent statement upon the condition of
the colonies. It was not the secretary,
but a priest, who said, "Peace bs with
you, my son."
The cleric locked the door, and,
dropping his cloak, said:
"Do you know me?"
Don Basillo did know him. It waa
Aguinaldo, also a 20 Inch bolo, a na
tive knife, sharp as a razor, carried by
every Malay in the time of stress.
They can lop off an arm with one blow,
as though it was a carrot.
"I have brought the head of Agui
naldo," the chief said, touching the
edge of his jewel-hllted bolo to ascer
tain its condition, "and I claim the re
ward! Hasten, else I shall have to ex
pedite the matter myself."
Don Biaillo was trapped. He had to
open his desk and take out the sum in
Spanish gold. Agulnaldo punctiliously
wrote a receipt, coolly counted the
money and walked backward toward
the door. He suddenly opened It and
dashed out, just ahead of a pistol bul
let that cut the locks on his temples,
Capt. Gen. Polavieja offered him and
Alexandro a free pardon and $200,000
each to quit the colony. They accept
ed it and got the money, only to learn
that they were both to be assassinated
the next night at a festa. The two
men who had undertaken the job were
found dead, stabbed to the heart, in
their own beds. On the kriss handle
was a bit of paper with a line saying,
"Beware of the Malay's vengeance."
Polavieja resigned and returned to
Spain, being succeeded by Gen. Augus
tl, formerly Captain General of Barce
lona. Ag ulnaldo is about 33 years old.
He and his comrade, Alexandro, hold
the future of the Philippines almost in
their hands.
Do you know that Sawyer's Soap is
the very best in the market? Ask
your grocer for it. Insist on having It
and no other.
Is your subscription to The Ameri
can paid for this year? If not you
should send in $2.00 by the very next
mall. Do not delay.