Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-06-17

Fearing Raid Citizens Draw money
Out of Bank and Force Priest to
Take Charge Of It-He Buried 1t IN
Cemetery and Many Hours Anxious
piooino Later Failed to Unearth the
Hidden Treasure.
Standing few days ago at Twe'fth
and Broadway. l watched the WORK
men engaged in making an eNraVa
ton for a new building Oh the south
east corner and Il story or the oio
Civil war days connected with the
spot flashed into my mind-a mystery
of buried treasure that remains I'M
solved TO this day-and | wondered II
a chance shovel of dirt might not then
and there. reveal ,he sequel. III IS
story that was often told TO lne D!
the pioneer priest. Father Bernard
DonnelIy. whose resignation In his ex-
IRENE old age az pastor OF the Ola
church at that corner was mentioned
recently in the Star, the Rev. william
J Dalton writes In the Kansas CITY
Star.
1t was the eve of the battle OF West'
port I'm the fall Of "a. Panic was in
the air. Sterling Price OF the c"n'ed'
crate army had won II victory over the
Union troops under Mulligan at Lex
ington and rum0rS Gf the approach
of his victorious army to attack nan
sas City and Westport flew thick and
7 N RI al II
learned, he had seized on the money
in the local banks and the fear was
widespread that he would do the same
thing when he reached Kansas City.
There was q rush on the banks, ac.
counts were checked out by hundreds
of people and the money taken to
their homes and concealed In various
places. Then the thought occurred
TO many of them that perhaps their
homes would be looted, too, and they
began to look about for more secure
hiding place. AT that time Father
ponnelly was Kansas City's "N!car OF
Wakefield" known and trusted by eV-
erybody. Catholics and Professionals
alike. He was known TO be an OLD
acquaintance of many Of the confed-
crate LEADERS, and friend OF Gen.
Price. personally known and respect
ed by his soldiers as well. He had
lived at Independence and Kansas
City ever since the early fOrties.
Brought Money to Priest.
II wns known, too, that previous to
his coming to Missouri his life. after
leaving Ireland, his native country,
had been largely south Of the Mason
and Dixon line. He had been an Irish
patriot, too, In the homeland, and that
meant rebel. AS Il matter of fact.
his natural sympathies were with the
South. So the belief grew that Fa-
Their Donnelly would be one man that
would be immune from search by the
invading army and the one man who
could be trusted to conceal securely
the threatened funds.
The afternoon before the battle OF
Westport hundreds of his own coun-
trymen and church members, as well
as large number of others, came
sngly and in twOs and thrces up
through the woods and the ravine that
lay adjacent to the pastors residence
and church, bringing money In cans
and hotties and purses and asking Fn-
Their Donnelly to take care of II for
them until the trouble was over. They
felt certain that Price would not mo-
lest him. They knew that his minis
trations as priest would be in demand
for the dying and the wounded OF
both armies and that his person and
his property would be held sacred by
even the worst of the marauders.
He often told me that he had shrunk
ut first from the great responsibility
thrust upon him as caretaker Of other
peoples money In those tr0ublOus
tiInes-that he tried to convince the
people that war was no respecter of
persons when army needs We're press.
ing and that contingency might arise
in which he might he no more immune
than the rest of them. The wOllen
wept and the men pleaded and he
finally yielded to their wishes. They
came like so many depOsitOrs In a
bank. He opened up memorandum
book. He entered the names and
amounts. The darkness of the eve
ming was growing. His only light was
small candle in bottle that threw
q titful glimmer around the room. He
had been u schoOmaster before lie
had become priest and the method
ical habits OF his teaching days cluna
to him-he had to dot and cross and
to stop frequently to read name over
to see II he had spelled it right.
The Treasure Buried.
The waiting crowd grew nervous and
restless-Price was mt the edge OF
town-he might be at their doors IN
few hours. Many of the women
anxious to get back to their homes and
little ones, threw their poeketbOOks
on the table, simply saying: "Here
Father nonnel'y, there are so many
dollars there. You know our names
and where we live. Put 1t away fol
us. We must get back home" When
the crowd had finally departed Father
Donnelly said there were bundles OF