Iowa
Old Press
Bellevue Leader
Bellevue, Jackson co. Iowa
May 16, 1877
TROUBLE IN THE CHURCH
About nine years ago Rev. Father Theodore M. Schiffmacher, a
priest of excellent culture and considerable native talent was
put in charge of the Bellevue mission of the Catholic Church. The
Rev. Father is a man of a very peculiar and excitable
temperament, calculated to make at different times very warm
friends or very bitter enemies in the pursuit of his avocation as
a pastor and a priest. He is a very hard worker and has labored
assiduously to raise his mission to a high standard of
educational and moral excellence, and has, we must say, succeeded
well in this much of his undertaking. During the first six years
of his labors in Bellevue he was very popular with all classes of
people in and out of his church, so much so that when he
conceived the project of building a new edifice not only
Catholics, but Protestants responded liberally with their money
and good will to assist him in his endeavors, until the present
fine edifice (St. Joseph’s Church) was completed. About
three years ago an unfortunate controversy sprang up between the
Rev. Father and several of the leading members of his
congregation, and since that time there has been serious trouble
in the church, which at last culminated yesterday when Bishop
Hennessey was called here to hear and decide upon the merits of
the grievances of the congregation as against Father
Schiffmacher, and the petition that had been signed praying the
Bishop to remove this man from this mission and send them another
priest instead. Charges and specifications were preferred against
His Reverence, to the effect that he was arbitrary in the
government of the church, violent and abusive from the pulpit to
the congregation, and that he had not and would not give them a
correct statement of the indebtedness of the church, and in many
other ways had made himself objectionable to the people of the
parish.
They complained that too often the fierce phillipics he hurled
from the pulpit against certain members of the church were
unbecoming a priest and so scurrilous and ferocious in tone that
they were too much for either saint or sinner to bear, and for
these reasons they prayed for his removal. On the other hand,
hundreds of the friends of Father Schiffmacher came in from the
rural districts and stoutly proclaimed to the Bishop their desire
that the Rev. Father be retained among them. The Bishop patiently
and attentively listened to both the complaints and plaudits of
the parties, but we have not been informed whether he will remove
Father Schiffmacher or not. It is our opinion that he will not
remove him. The above are the facts in brief of the case; we have
tried to state them without prejudice to either party, to the
best of our knowledge and ability, for it is not our desire or
purpose to mix up in this church quarrel, because it is not
really any of our business whether Father Schiffmacher is
retained in charge of this parish or not, only so far as we may
feel a personal regard or disregard for the welfare of a priest
we long have known. We know but little of our own knowledge about
what Father Schiffmacher says or does inside of his church, but
outside of the altar we do know him to be a very clever and
companionable gentleman, which qualities make him very popular
with the Protestant portion of the community. It is our opinion,
however, that if His Reverence would deal less with the whirlwind
and use less violent means in his efforts to better the welfare
of his parishioners, he would succeed better than he has
succeeded, and save himself and the church much trouble. We hope
this unpleasantness will terminate all for the best and that
Father Schiffmacher and his discontented parishioners may yet
come to a satisfactory understanding on the basis of right and
justice to all concerned.
WATKINS CHARGED WITH MURDER
Samuel P. Watkins, the same man who was tried and convicted for
the murder of Sam Cronk in Jackson County in 1868, was charged
with the murder of Melius Boser in Monona County. Last August
Watson hired a young man named Melius Boser of Monona County,
with his team and wagon, to go with him to Marshall County. Since
that time Boser has not been seen alive. Watkins was last seen
with the team and wagon at Dunlap, and afterwards disposed of
them in Council Bluffs. He returned to Monona County and told
several stories about young Boser which were found to be untrue.
Preparations were made to charge him for larceny of the team, but
Watkins got wind of the matter and “skipped out.”
Nothing more was done about it until the first of this month,
when a party of men on the way to the Black Hills, found the
skeleton and clothes of a man at the bottom of Battle Creek in
Monona County, and notified the authorities, who took care of the
remains of the murdered boy and have arrested Watkins for his
murder.
It is needless for us to relate the facts concerning the murder
of Cronk, for they are patent to all our readers. Watkins escaped
the penalty of the crime although there were few persons in
Jackson County but what believed him guilty of that atrocious
murder. If he is guilty of this last crime charged upon him, it
is a pity that he cannot be hung under our existing laws. Society
should not permit such a man or such a monster to live if he is
guilty of two such diabolical crimes as these, and the next
general assembly of Iowa should hasten to repeal a law that
shields from justice such devils.
Some of the particulars of the Boser murder are related by the
Monona County Gazette as follows:
On the evening of May 4, 1877 a party of men bound for the Black
Hills camped on or near Battle Creek, on the Dunlap road, in
Jordan Township, Monona County in the vicinity of the farm of Mr.
Ransom. The next morning, Saturday, one of the party started out
in search of game, thinking her might be able to find a rabbit
for his dog-a large grayhound. He followed up the creek some
distance and came upon the clothing of some man. Thinking it
strange that he should find some articles in that out of the way
place, he pursued his investigations further and came upon human
bones. He then returned to his party and they feeling confident
there had been foul play, disturbed nothing and carefully marked
the place with a stake and at the intersection of the Dunlap road
placed another one, and then proceeded on their way westward.
At Castana, they told their story, and Mr. O. Morse, a justice of
the peace, at once proceeded to act as coroner in accordance with
the code. A jury was immediately subpoenaed and went to the spot
indicated by the travelers, and found that the clothes were lying
at the foot of some willows with every appearance of having been
carried there by high water. The bones were also scattered around
some with every appearance of having been disturbed by the action
of water, but were all lying within a radius of about ten feet.
Every indication seems to go to prove that the remains found are
those of young Boser and that he was there murdered by Watkins.
The place where they camped last summer on a bluff close to
Battle Creek, and but a few rods from the Dunlap road, is plainly
marked. The remains of the campfire are still there, and some of
the partially burned faggots yet remain. The exact spot where the
wagon and horses stood can plainly be seen. Near where the wagon
stood are traces of blood and the ground looks as though there
might have been a struggle there.
[Transcribed by K.W., February 2011]