STRANGE SCENE AT A ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Western Star, Issue 1354, 15 May 1889, Page 4

STRANGE SCENE AT A ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

An extraordinary scene was witnessed in the Catholic Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, at Clontnel, recently. The Catholic soldiers of the garrison attend mass there every ? Sunday morning, and while the officiating priest (Father Byrne) was reading the Bishop's Lenten pastoral, in which he strongly condemned the action of the Geverument towards ■lreland," and adjured the people to pray, fof"their.country in this time of trouble,' Lieutenant Greohegan, who 'was in charge of the troops, rose in his seat and ordered his meh to leave the • bufldtngl' -Aa they did not , immediately obey, he repeated the order-t«ice. Father Byrne, addressing the men fi?om, the altar, them to remain in their seats, and all the soldiers, except two sergeants, who followed Lieut. Greohegan, put; of obeyul the priest and stayed where they were until mass was oyer. On leaving the chapel Lieutenant Gkphegao was hooted and hustled by crowd of people; and when the : soldiers inarched for their barracks they were accompanied by a crowd who cheertd heartily for the course they had adopted. Before the officer left the chapel the priest publicly rebuked him, and told him that.ke should report him to his superior officers. The town remained quiet, but the streets were patrol led by police.