The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-05-25

Father James NJ. Kerwin. rector Of
ST. Mary's cathedral, has returned
from Dallas. where he oficiated at the
funeral Of Michael Rennie, known
throughout the United States as the
"old telescope man." says a dispatch
from Galveston, Texas Rennie died
suddenly at the Salvation Army Work
ingmen's hotel in Dallas several days
ago. Upon the window near his bed
was found an open Bible and a well
worn hymn book On the fiyleaf Of
the Bible was written: Give this book
10 Father Kirwin, Michael Rennie,
Galveston" Inside the iyleaf was
written:
If anything should happen to me,
sudden death. this is my will You will
find enough money in the boss Of my
telescope TO pay my expenses. and a
mass for my soul. the remainder to be
given to Father Kirwin for the use
Of the little orphan school, the tele-
scope and one microscope. One mi.
croscope for Father Kirwin himself, a
present from me. Michael Rennie."
Death had come suddenly, as he had
always predicted il would. for Michael
Rennie was something Of a seer and a
prophet
The time or place of Rennie's birth
is not known. but somewhere in Scot
land more than three score years ago
he first saw the light of day. He re.
eeived some education and soon drift
ed out as a sailor before the mast to
the ends Of the earth.
For more than twenty years he fol.
lowed the rough ways Of the sea, and
according to his own account was
very wicked He came to Galveston
in jute ship in the early SOS. and
left the sea for the interior Of Texas
He settled at Dallas and became the
moving spirit Of the Liberal Club, an
agnostic organization.
He soon tired OF life away from the
sea, and eventually landed in Austria
liza during the period of the Melbourne
exposition One day by chance he
wandered into the Catholic cathedral
at the moment Of the elevation Of the
Host and afterwavd declared that he
saw in the priests hands the Infant
Child.
He returned the following day and
witnessed the same sight Immediate.
ly he applied TO the priest for instruc
tion in the Catholic faith
AT the close OF the exposition in
Melbourne he purchased a street tele
scope and two hinocular microscopes
sent out by Crouch & Son of London
Hc continued his travels. finally re
turning to the United States. He gave
exhibitions in every large city and
gradually worked his way back tc
' Texas.
Rennie always declared that the
spirits Of his dead friends held close
communication with him, and Father
Kirwin vCdches for the following
story.
On the Thursday evening preced
ing the great Galveston storm en-
countered him at the corner Of Mar
Fet and fremont. He was not busy
as a Snowman, and | engaged him in
conversation He made arrangements
for mass for his deceased parents
on the following Tuesday. and prom
ised to be present thereat
Much to my surprise he came in
the following morning-he was a regu
lar attendant at the early mass-and
said he would not wait over until
Tuesday. as he had been warned tc
leave the city
y see a terrible. engulfing flood,
was the way he worded it. i see thou
sands struggling in it anu hundreds
floating dead. Then / see a steel gray
wall, stretching from one extremity OF
the city to the other. and then see
the wall disappear
Rennie left the city on an early
morning train. The following day the
storm bore down upon us. and after
events, the worlds charity and Gal
veston's pluck have built the steel
gray wall; and now the grade rising
and the gradual secretion of sand
upon its seaward side are about tc
cause il to disappear from view"