Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-06-23
Ito be continued.)
FENIAN BELL IN CHURCH.
Souvenir of Futile Attempt Made in
1866 to Invade Canada.

Souvenir of Futile Attempt Made in
1866 to Invade Canada.
There was recently installed in the
belfry of the Catholic church in Mara
thon an old bell that has something Of
a remarkable history.
From sounding the tocsin Of battle
for the Fenians in 1866 to the peaceful
work of summoning the people to wor-
ship, this bell has come to be looked
upon almost in the light of a living
witness to the futile attempt of the
patriotic but foolish men who sought
to invade Canada.
The bell was first cast for a church
in Niagara Falls, but how it came into
the possession of the Fenians has
never been told, according to the But
falo Courier They used it in the
camp instead of bugle or trumpet.
At night and morning the bell was
rung 1t was taken into Canada by
some of the more fooihardy Of the
Fenians and after the fiasco Of inva-
sion had passed away the bell was car
ried by roundabout way to Oswego,
where it was hidden for many years
in the basement of St. Johns Catholic
Church.
It was discovered here one day by
the Rev. Charles V. MCGUIRE, who was
anxious to procure a bell for his pref
ty church on the hills of Marathon.
He obtained permission from the
church authorities to take 1t away and
it was carried secretly to it's future
home, where it was only recently in
stalled with great ceremony.
The exterior of the bell has several
Gaelic characters engraved upon it, but
what they mean no one has ever
learned There are also other charac-
tiers on the body of the bell, inside and
out, which would indicate that it was
the official tocsin Of some secret organ
izatfon A prominent Irishman of Buff
falo, who has been identified with all
the movements for the cause of Ire
lands freedom, said in speaking of the
bell:
ITO those Irishmen, Fenians and
others, that bell is as sacred as any
instrument connected with the church.
1t was supposed to have originally
been brought from the top of Croagh
Patrick on the Atlantic coast, and
whence st. Patrick is supposed to have
driven the snakes out of Ireland. In
the early '40s one of the largest num-
Der of immigrants that ever left Ire
land on one ship came from the west
of Ireland to Montreal. On the ship
was the caretaker of the little shrine
on the mountain side in which this
bell is said to have been originally To-
Gated.
This old sexton, who rang the bell
hind. so he brought it with him on
the ship to Montreal. During the long,
weary voyage across the seas to their
new homes many of the immigrants
died and were buried at sea with
prayers and tears. These poor crea-
lures were never heard of again and
the bell was the only requiem at their
obsequies as they were thrown into
the watery grave. The bell sounded
out over the sea and tolled as each
one was lowered.
From Montreal the bell was taken
to Niagara Falls and subsequently to
Oswego, but since it went there moth
ing has ever been heard of It, Could
some Gaelic scholar be found who
could decipher the characters on the
bell something valuable might be add
ed to the Gaelic treasures in the Dub
lin Museum"