The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-03-28
ARCIInISII0p pIlnrELI
How the Lost Money Came, How II Went.
and where II Has Gone,


CINCINNATI, March ol.-The thing which
people generally seem to find most diff
Guilty in understanding about the failure
OF Archbishop Purcell Is, "wbat has be,
come OF the money!" 1t is without pre-.
cedent in the history of bankrupt.
cies that SO vast sum should leave so lit.
tie trace of It's disappearance, and should
have been to all appearance Of SO little
benefit to the persons responsible for the
loss. Not eventhe most censoriors or bit.
terly seCtarian can honestly say that one
dollar OF the great sums deposited with the
Archbishop and his brother has gone to
the enrichment Of those aged and simple.
minded men, or has been applied BY them
with any faint OF dishonest intent, or has
been sQuandered. "What, then, has been
done with the money!" To know that,
one must primarily understand the char.
acter OF the two men. And first,
OF TIE ARCHBISHOP.
While not at all bigot, he has, from
the time OF his ordination as u priest in
1926, given himself heart, soul, and body
to the service to which his life was consc-
Grated. To him the most vital and all
important thing in the world was his re.
lIgion. 1t was not n mere profession Of
faith, to be cherished, defended, and
strengthened, but a vivifying principle
that animated him in every one
OF the many good words and
works. When he was assigned to
the charge of the Diocese OF Cincinnati
he found himself in field where almost
everything that he regarded us essential to
the well.being OF mankind, here and
hereafter, had yet to be brought into be-
ing, and it depended upon him. Church.
es were lacking. There was only one
Catholic church in Cincinnati, and only q
few were scattered through the diocese,
for that was forty.six years ago. OF Cath
Ollie educational institutions, orphan asy-
lums, and reformatories there were none.
In short, there lay before him, as his task,
u great creative work, for which he was us
well iitted-as:any man could be, except in
one particular-that OF possessing prac-
teal executive talent for .grasping bust.
ness details and handling them as n man
OF business would manage commercial
enterprise. He had the heart,
nut nELAcERD TIE HEAD
for that sort Of thing. 1t IS to be feared
that in his ardent desire to do good lie
made the mistake OF trusting too entirely
to providential inspiration.
So far rs can, at this time, be definitely
ascertained, his financial operations did
not assume any Importance until after his
brother Edward was ordained priest in
1888. Up TO that time he had been receiv-
ing some deposits that were forced upon
him, but had not made any use OF them,
and paid no interest on them. Ho simply
acted us their custodian for the benefit Of
poor persons to whom they belonged. He
waS poor thcn,-as poor as any OF his
flock almost, for he had to borrow in the
East the means Therewith to travel to his
Bishopric; and, arriving there, had to ask
months OF credit for the simplest nccess.
aries OF life. TO Ills honor, be 1t ever re-
membered, that, Notwithstanding the ell
ormous sums OF money unQuestionably
poured into his hands, there has never
been Il time since those early days Of his
Episcopacy when he was not just rs poor
as he was then, except that he has been
out Of debt.
About the time that he was Joined by
his brother Edward, there was an era Of
financial prosperity, duet TO large immigra'
tions and consequent activity in the de-
vclopment Of the country and the building
up Of tho cities. Catholics from across the
seas came into the West by thousands
aud there was bread and work for all
They gave Literally to promote in Their
new homes the faith OF their fathers, and
in all directions Catholic churches spranG
into being. 1t would be interesting to
know exactly how