Slattery's Tale of Irr.prisonment.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 20, 17 May 1900, Page 4

Slattery's Tale of Irr.prisonment.

While upon the subject of the Slatterys, we may state for the information of our readers that we are pursuing some further investigations into their career which give promise of interesting results. In the meantime we are in a position to make a definite statement, on

official authority, regarding Slattery's assertion that he was imprisoned in Pittsburgh for the sale of an indecent pamphlet. The unfortunate mon's thoroughgoing inveracity may be easily guaged from the following extracts which we make from various publications of his :—: — 1. In the 'Preface to Revised Edition," of the filthy pamphlet nrhich pot him into the grip of the law he says 'For publishing "his I was imprisonea in Pittsburgh, Pa ' 2. In a puff of the pame pamphlet facing p. l'.ts of his Secret" of Romish Priest x JJ.rposnl (American edition) he says ' For this work the Romanii+s imprisoned me in Pittsburgh, Pa.' 3. In a similar puff of the same publication facing p 2^'< (American editiuu') uf Mrs Slattern's Com <nt L<i< , ht'-ajs 'For producing this work the Romanists imprisoned me at Pittsburgh, Pa ' (The three publications from which we have quoh'd are in our possession, and the extracts just given were shown by us to Mr. Graham on Tuesday, May s ) i. Confronted with his own statements in England, Slattery made haste to write the following in that literary curiosity which he terms his Complete Ittfutation of Popish Las (p. 1) ' Again, Rome says I was arrested in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, for selling obscene literature on the streets by Chief of Police Gamble.' He hotly denies this alleged accusation and publishes a statement in contradiction of it signed 'Benj. P. Eldridge, Superintendant of Police.' He was evidently careful not to apply to the Superintendent of Police at Pittsburgh. Now we have followed Slattery's career for some years past, we have read practically every exposure of the man aDd his partner that has appeared in the Catholic Press, and we have not the slightest recollection of any statement ever being made to the effect that he was arre«ted at Boston. He meets a charge that he himself originated by a denial of a charge that, so far as we are aware, was never made — except by Slattery hinvelf. 5. As reported by the Orange organ, the Victorian Standard. Slattery, when in Melbourne, affirmed his imprisonment in America for the sale of the pamphlet referred to, and made it the subject of much Belf -glorification. He evidently regarded himself as ' a martyr to the cause.' C. In New Zealand he shifted the ground of his statement again, (a) The Ifawke's Bay Herald (Napier) of February 7, I'.KK), in a brief notice of Slattery's lecture of the previous evening, reports him to have Baid that ' it was quite true that he had been prosecuted and convicted in both countries' (America and Scotland) for the sale of bis indecent pamphlet. An editorial note in the Hawke's Bay Herald of the following day (February 8) contains the following : — ' Mr. Slattery apparently thinks our report of his Wednesday evening lecture will lead people to believe that he Was imprisoned for selling translations of part of a Latin theological work used by students for the priesthood. We certainly did not say so, but that he was " prosecuted and convicted which was his own statement. He now writes to us explaining that, though the book was condemned, the conviction did not carry imprisonment with it.' The Napier Uai/,/ rdujraphot February 7 also reports him to have said that he • had never been in prison.' 7. In his leaflet, an Opm Lifhr to Fat In r ( Lanj (printed at Christchurch some four weeks after hi& visit to Napier), we find (p. 1) an additional set of statements, {a) He tells us that he ' COUrted ' an investigation of his indecent pamphlet at Pittsburgh (U.S.A ) ; {]>) that he was merely 'asked to go to police headquarters whilst the book was being examined ; and (<•) that he accepted the gentle invitation and ' went and remained there until the investigation was over.' Here is, in all reason, a sufficiently startling tangle of statements and denials. In the face of the facts that have now come to light, we are free to assume that Slattery's story of his being ' imprisoned by the Romanists ' was concocted partly with a view to potting before a certain class as a ' martyr to the cause, but chiefly with an eye to the sale of his filthy pamphlet. We accepted his statement on this point. But it is abundantly clear that no credence can be given to any unsupported assertion of his. The reader will notice how the following document — which, in reply to our inquiries, reached us by the last American mail — disposes of Slattery's statement that he stayed in Pittsburgh ' until the investigation was over " :—: — Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Police, Pittsburgh, Pa.. A. H. Leslie, Superintendent. April lltb, I.KM Dear Sir :— lie Joseph Slattery and wife, ex-priest and ex-nun — your letter 10th ult : This man was arrested in Pittsburgh about eight years ago by Roger O'Mara, the then Superintendent of the Bureau of Police, and now Superintendent of the Bureau of Detectives, for selling obscene and indecent literature. An information was made against him before the Mayor which resulted in holding Slattery in $r>no.on bail for Court, but before the trial was called he jumped his bail, leaving his bondsman to pay it. and the information still obtains. Mr. O'Mara, describes him as a large, well-built man, and states that he told Slattery he would appear to better advantage in the k prize-ring than galavanting about the country in the garb of an expriest. The man ia undoubtedly an imposter, aa is also the woman who claims to be his wife and an ex-nun, and while he succeeded in assembling numerous audiences who listened to his tirades against

the Catholic faith and purchased his books, his arrest and subsequent action effectually stopped further trouble here. Yours truly. A. H. Leslie, Superintendent, Bureau of Police. Rev. Henry W. Clcary, Editor. New Zkaland Tuiltt. Dunedin, New Zealand. Ii is an altogether exceptional and phenomenal fibster who cannot be believed even when in the Press and on the }. Inform he publicly testifies against himself. Slattery beloi gs to this select mi,; uf tin, puii.-, uf Aniinia-. AnJ mv.-i.m v .-i. i,f t, u i li.ulii-, >\,II .vru 1 with us in the opinion that Superintendent Leslies statunuvt of the f.iotn uf the PitUbui^h ui.il pW* a Muttuj's oli-u.^'n-i .v „ LIT more contemptible light than any statement or pioof of imprisonment could have done.