Plymouth, Pennsylvania - History of Plymouth (1753-1972) - Years of Industrial Growth (1861-1900) - Martin Wilkes and The Polish-Lithuanian Church War

Martin Wilkes and The Polish-Lithuanian Church War

By the time that the 1887 city directory was published, there were three Roman Catholic congregations in Plymouth: "St. Vincent's Catholic Church", for "English-speaking" (mostly Irish) Catholics, "St. Stephen's Hungarian Catholic Church", (for Slovakians), and "St. Mary's Polish Catholic Church" (for Poles and Lithuanians). St. Mary's congregation was founded in the spring of 1885. The trustees purchased land on Willow Street and built a small wooden church (on the site of the later school building). Although the Poles and Lithuanians spoke different languages, their histories were intertwined, and the Diocese of Scranton assumed the two groups would amicably share the same church and cemetery so long as their parish priest was fluent in both languages. As it turned out, there was an animosity between them. In 1889-1890, these feelings were inflamed by an outspoken parishioner named Martin Wilkes, who came to be known in the national press as "the Polish King". Wilkes was born in Poland and immigrated to the United States in 1873. By the time of the 1880 census, he was working as a coal miner, living in West Nanticoke, and by 1889, he had acquired a saloon, gained a small following and proclaimed himself leader of the Poles in Plymouth.

St. Mary's congregation's first priest was Polish. But after he departed, trouble arose when the Diocese of Scranton appointed, not once, but twice, a Lithuanian priest to St. Mary's. The Poles objected on the grounds that their greater number, earlier arrival and greater financial contribution entitled them to preference. The second Lithuanian priest, Father Alexandras Burba, was appointed to St. Mary's on August 22, 1889. Burba spoke Polish and Lithuanian, but was an ardent Lithuanian nationalist; the Polish trustees allowed him to celebrate mass in the church but refused to give him possession of the parsonage. On October 22, Bishop O'Hara arrived from Scranton and sent Father Mack (of the St. Vincent's congregation) to gain access to the parsonage, but when he knocked on the door, he was "met by three guns pointing at him from an upstairs window."

Next, Father Mack went to the Town Hall and got warrants for the arrest of the rebel faction, after which the police arrested three of them. When the rebels reached the town lock-up (in an effort to rescue the prisoners), they encountered constable Michael Melvin and in the ensuing scuffle broke his leg. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Thousands of people collected on Main Street ... There was some strong talk about lynching Martin Wilkes, the Polish leader. He was finally arrested and lodged in jail. The Polanders still hold possession of the priest’s house tonight. The Burgess says he will clear every man out tomorrow if he has to make dead men of them all."

After this episode, Father Burba departed St. Mary's, and the split between the two nationalities became permanent, with the Lithuanians forming their own congregation. The war between the Polish faction and the Scranton Diocese settled into a standstill for the Christmas holidays, but in January 1890, war resumed, and this time the focus was the cemetery on Welsh Hill which the Diocese had created for use by both the Poles and the Lithuanians.

On January 20, 1890, a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote:

"The Polish church war at Plymouth is on again. The church authorities were about congratulating themselves that the difficulty was settled when they were confronted with a new issue ... Friday, the little son of a leader of the Lithuanian faction died, and yesterday afternoon an attempt was made to bury him in the Polish cemetery ... the Poles were on hand when the funeral procession reached the gates of the cemetery. They were armed with guns, and one of them raised his weapon and told the driver of the hearse if he dared to enter the sacred grounds he would be shot on the spot ... The Lithuanians did not expect to meet with an armed body of men and they had nothing to do but retreat, which they did speedily ... A committee of Polanders went to Scranton last night and had an interview with Bishop O'Hara. The latter said the burial must take place tomorrow and he will invoke the aid of the civil authorities. As the Lithuanians will comply with the Bishop's instructions, trouble is looked for."

After the incident at the cemetery, Martin Wilkes was arrested and jailed in Wilkes-Barre and released on bail. Once released, he swore vengeance against the Lithuanians. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, "When Wilkes reached his home in Plymouth, he at once proceeded to carry out his threats. He summoned about twenty of his devoted followers, and arming themselves with shovels and pickaxes, the party left for the cemetery ... arriving there they opened the graves of the two Lithuanian children buried yesterday. The coffins were thrown over the fence onto an adjoining field. One of the bodies was badly lacerated. The pick axes had been driven through it in several places ... The Lithuanians are gunning for Wilkes. They say they will shoot him on sight."

After the incident at the cemetery, Wilkes and seven associates were arrested and taken before Justice Donahue. They were charged with forcible entry, detainer of a cemetery, violating a sepulcher, resisting public officers, felonious shooting, surety of the peace, riot, and affray. In February, Bishop O'Hara installed a Polish priest at St. Mary's, Father S. F. Szymanowski. Wilkes's first encounter with the feisty Father Szymanowski was to be his last, as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on February 21:

"...This evening Wilkes and a half dozen of his followers went to Father Szymanowski’s residence. They were received pleasantly by the pastor. Wilkes stated his mission, demanding that the priest surrender the church books, give up the keys of the house and vacate the premises. Before the visitors were aware of it, the priest reached to a bureau drawer, pulled out a revolver, and pointing at the men said: 'Now you fellows have made trouble enough in this congregation. I will have you understand this is my house and I want you to get out at once or I will compel you to.' Wilkes didn't wait to hear any more. He and his party fled. Wilkes and his followers now threaten to burn the building. The priest has stationed himself at the window up stairs, revolver in hand."

On April 26, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Martin Wilkes was "convicted of aggravated assault and battery on Constable Melvin. There were eight other indictments against the prisoner." Wilkes served one and a half years in prison. Meanwhile, the Lithuanians had begun to build their own church, completed in December 1890, as well as their own cemetery. Life returned to normal for the Polish congregation, and it no longer appeared in the news. As for Wilkes, he appeared in the newspapers one last time. Having served his sentence, he attempted to obtain a liquor license in Scranton. But Bishop O'Hara had a long memory, and took steps to have the application denied, and thereby managed to have the last word. On April 24, 1890, the Wilkes-Barre Times, published the following account:

"Many people will recall Martin Wilkes, who created a great deal of trouble among the Polish residents at Plymouth two or three years ago. An effort was made yesterday in the Lackawanna courts to have the license of a successful applicant transferred to Wilkes, but it seems the latter’s bad reputation has followed him from Plymouth to Scranton, for the transfer was opposed by Joseph O’Brien, Esq., who was supposed to represent Bishop O’Hara in the case although the identity of his client was not made known. He called George Smith, formerly of Plymouth, who testified that Wilkes kept a place in Plymouth, the reputation of which was bad and that he was refused a license by the Luzerne County court two years ago. He also stated that Wilkes was one of the principals in the Polish church riot and that he ordered Bishop O’Hara out of the house; that he was indicted for selling liquor on Sunday, and that the chief of police had his leg broken while making an arrest in his place. Judge Archibald refused to grant the transfer."