Evening journal., 1910-04-09

ecdote or incident is fresh from Mr.. Ed
wards notebook, and. either IN whole or
YESTERDAY, garnered from the men
who made the uews-the history-or from
equally authoritative sources, AS i'm
portant contributions Of the Human IN
terest' sort to American history these
articles have distinctive value all their
own.
one of the worlds noted modern ca
thedrals is ST. Patrcks, in New York.
Much has been written about IL in the
years that it has been built, but. If
mistake not, the story has hitherto re-
mained unpublished of how widespread
lie regarding it's site led 10 the cementing
Of an intimate friendshi- between the
first American cardinal the Rt. Rev. John
McCloskey. and the late Rev. DR.. Thorn
as Armitage, who, during the many years
that he was pastor of the New York
City church where John D. Rockefeller
worships, was regarded as the leading
Baptist clergyman in the United States.
received the story from DIR. Armitage's
own lips shortly after he had been plung-
ed into srief by the death OF the Cardi-
nal
cardinal McCloskey and were on
friendly terms before he was elevated to
the cardinalate and while he was still
archbishop OF New York" said Or. Ar
mitage. AT that time there was a wide
spread rumor TO the effect that the site
OF St. Patrick's Cathedral had been Civ
en-. free of cost. by the city TO the ca
thedral authorities by some trick Of the
Tammany Hall crowd. II was a rumor
without the slightest foundation in fact
but It kept spreading, and many people
believed it, to the great worry Of the
Archbishop who one day confessed his
inability, apparently. 10 do anything 10
down the lie At that I got an idea, and
proceeded 10 explain II to the Arch
bishop.
" I was educated as a lawyer / said
and. IN fact, ] practiced a year or two
before ! abandoned the bar lor the pull
pit. In my lawyer days ] was regarded
as quite siklful I'm searching real estate
titles. Now, Il you wish IT, will go to the
office OF the register Of deeds, and search
the title of the cathedral plot, and when
am through ] am sure you will have all
the proof needed that the ground was not
given to you by the city through a Tam
many trick.
1.-THE archbishop was CRAFTY pleased
at the idea. I went stralghway to work
searching the title and after several days
I had a complete abstract OF It as far
back as it was necessary for me to go
I'm order to refute the rumor that was
causing the Archbishop so much worry.
This was the true situations There
came a time when st. Peters Church
the first Catholic Church TO be establish
ed in New York City, got into serious
straits. ST. Patrlck's Church, then in
the lower part Of the city and the resi-
dence OF the bishop, was in a most pros
porous condition, and It was appealed to
for help by st. Peters. The assistance
preyed for was given, and as a security
for the money loaned, st. Peters turn
ed over to st. Patrick's a wild piece Of
land beyond the northernmost bounds OF
the city and seemingly of little value. This
land had been given TO st. Peters by an
old Irishman shortly before his death
and this land it was which was used
years later as a site for St. Patrick's
Church.
ct shall never forget the pleasure and
the sense Of gratitude which Archbishop
McCloskey expressed when ] handed him
in writing the results Of my search. That
abstract. which contained some facts
with which he was familiar and others
which were new to him. the Archbishop
used time after time to confute the trou-
blesome rumor. and often in the years
that followed he spoke TO me of the ser
vice had done him. il was little thine
for me to do for him, I know but ] have
always been glad thai I cid it. for it ce
lmented our friendship 10 each other
and that friendship is one of tho fond
est memories Of my life"
Copyright 1910, by f. ]. Edwards)
On Monday Mr.. Edwards will tell o
: "The Railroad Passes that Governo
Roosevelt Sent Back"