Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-12-31
TRIED TO STEAL A RELIC
Burglar Hunted For the Wrist
Bone of St. Anne.
FOUR ATTEMPTS MADE IN VAIN.

Father Tetreau Of the Church of ST. jean
Baptiste. New York. Now Locks Up the
Sacred Relic by Which Many Miraculous
Cures Are Alleged to Have Been Made.
NEW YORK, Dec. 3I.-A burglar enter
cd the Church of St Jean Baptiste in
East Seyenty-sixth street, with the evil
dent intention OF carrying of the relic of
St Anne which is enshrined there.
This Is the fourth attempt of the kind
made since the relies ar. wal from Rome
year ago. In each instance the burglar
got into the church by means Of n latch
key. After the third attempt Rev. Father
Tetreau engaged a Waterman to sleep in
the church
notwithstanding this precaution, the
burglar got into the ediflce again last
week. The Waterman discovered the fact
on the following morning. when he no.
ticed that n door which he had locked the
night before was open.
The strange feature of tn sc burglnrious
visits is that nothing has ever been miss
cd, although many valuable articles used
in divine worship arc kept in the church
The belief that the object of the intruder
or intruders has been to steal the relic is
strengthened by the circumstance that
the burglars invariably left traces of hay-
ing rummaged about in the neighborhood
of where the relic is exhibited in the day
time. As If anticipating such attempt,
Father Tctrcau has made IL n rule to lock
the relic in his safe every night.
Religious zeaI-Perhaps.
What ultimate object the thief might
have In desiring to possess himself Of the
relic Is as yet of course only conjectural
There are plenty of cases ON record in
countries of southern Europe where the
nnnnrpl nf dead saint has hasnt. fol-
their bodies by persons who treasured the
articles thus secured as sacred relics. The
zeal OF some of these misguided persons
has led them SO far as even to mutilate
the bodies of the saints in order to have
some memcnto OF them. Il Is possible
that the burglar of St. Jean Baptiste's
church is imbued with n similar zeal.
When the presence of the Waterman
was found to be an inadequate guard
against burglary. Father Tetreau had n
bolt placed upon the door. That this pre-
caution was not supcrfluous was speedily
made apparent. for the following night
the church door was again unlocked, prob
ably by the same burglar. Whoever this
may be, and whatever object he may have
had in Wow, it is very evident that he is
not n professional houscbreakcr, rs the
single bolt presented such an obstacle to
him that no had to abandon his task for at
icisb tHat night
IL Is Famous Relic.
The relic Is portion of bone said to
have been cut from the wrist of ST. Anne.
the mother Of the Virgin Mary. 1t is al
legged to have effected many miracu-
lous cures. Thousands of people daily visit
the church in order to have the relic up
piled.
The blind. the deaf, the lame, rheumat-
les, neuralgia sufferers and consumptives
in n word, victims of almost every dis
ease-fnd one or moro representatives at
st. Anne's shrine every day and many OF
those who are said To have been cured have
testified to the efficacy of tho relies pow
ers by making some donation. It is there
fore possible that the burglar who has
made such persistent attempts to secure
the relic imagines that n great ransom
will be paid him for its return.
Father TetrCau declined to say any more
about the attempted burglarics than to ad-
init that they had occurred. lie said that
he and his assistants had kept the matter
secret because they believed that they Were
ON tho track of the miScrcant and were
afraid that publicity would drive him to
cover.