A Doubtful Tale

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 23, 11 June 1908, Page 9

A Doubtful Tale

A recent cable-message from Rome runs as follows : ' A priest and sacristan near Reggiode (Calabria) drank from a chalice wine which had been poisoned. Both succumbed.' Here is another ' doubtful tale from a far-off land. This is the) second time within the past few years that a cable message about priest, sacristan, and «. poisoned chalice, identical in sense and practically identical in wording, has been sent to this outer rim of the earth from distant Calabria (Italy). As usual, the names of the ' priest and sacristan ' are not given. Besides, there happens to be no place in Calabria known as Reggiode — Reggio is, perhaps, intended ; and, as every Catholic ought to know, sacristans, "even in Calabria, do not drink wine out of chalices. We might add that newspaper ' tall tales ' of the ' big goosebprry ' order are 'in season ' in Italy in the merry month of May. In the present case, the story lacks the quality of plausibility deemed essential by the artistic fibster of old :—: — 1 Lest men believe your tale untrue, Keep probability in view '.