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Show Bishop Matz Interviewed at New York. (Special to Denver News.) New York, N. Y., Dec. S The Right Rev. N. C. Matz, R. C, bishop of Den-vei, Den-vei, arrived here on the French line steamship L'Aquitaine today and immediately im-mediately went to the St. Francis hospital hos-pital in Fifth street, where he passed the night. He will start for Denver tomorrow. Bishop Matz tonight talked of his visit to Rome and his troubles tvith Father John Cushing and Father Michael Mich-ael Culkin. . 7 The bishop declared that while he was in Rome Father Cushing one day went to the hotel where the bishop was staying and proceeded to gather a mob of loungers about him "and exhorted ex-horted them to attack him. Cushing finally was arrested, said the bishop, and taken to the police station. The priest was placsd in a cell, but made such a noise and acted so strangely that, according to Bishop Matz. the police thought the priest was insane and transferred him to the lunatic asylum. asy-lum. The bishop says that when he heard what had become of Father Cushing he went to the asylum and procured the priest's release.' Father Cushing then disappeared and the bishop could not tell what had become of him. The bishop, in telling of his troubles with Father Cushing in Denver, said that ten years ago the priest applied to him for the charge of a church. Bishop Matz said that as he did not think the priest was educated edu-cated sufficiently to fill such a position, the request was refused. "That man Cushing," said the bishop, bish-op, "did not know enough Latin to recite his breviary." Not once while he was talking did the bishop refer to the priest as father, but always "that man Cushing." "I offered to pay. his board in a mon- astery," said the bishop, "but he refused, re-fused, and after traveling all around th country, went to Rome." j FATHER CULKIN'S OFFENSE. 1 Bishop Matz said that he also had I some trouble with another priest ' named Michael Culkin. who had char of a church at Idaho Springs. At the Springs there was a mine in which several men were employed, their fore- j man being a Cornishman. The bishop j said that the hworkman of the mine I used to employ his own countrymen. I which excited the anger of Culkin. j Father Culkin, according to the bishop. i had several rows with the foreman. until the situation grew so serious that j the bishop transferred the priest to I another church. j The bishop said that Father Culkin I got into trouble with the Denver & Rio Grande railroad in his new parish and he was forced to suspend him. The bishop says that he made the same offer to Culkin that he had made to Cushing. but that the priesf refused and also went to Rome. As it is customary, cus-tomary, the bishop said, for prelates of his position to visit Rome every ten years. Bishop Matz left Denver about three months ago for Italy. The bishop bish-op says that when he arrived the cases of the two priests were brought up and gone over, both being decided in his favor. Father Culkin. the bishop says, then accepted an offer of 1.000 francs a year and received charge of a small mission in Italy. Father Cushing, the bishop declares, refused to submit and started to drink heavily, which led tip to his attempt to induce a mob to attack the bishop. Bishop Matz says that everything he has done in both-cases has been fully sustained by the Pope and that the dispute now is ended so far as he is concerned. |