Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-01-20
PRIEST FIELD" IN LITIG ALTON.


A tract of land with "a acres in it
and known locally as the PRIESTS
Lot" or held on the Opequon, north
west of Middleway, is the subject OF an
interesting Chancery suit now pending
IN the Circuit Court of Inis county,
says the Charles Town Advocate. Title
to the tract is claimed by the Catholic
Church.
Rt. Rev. Dennis ]. O'Connell. Bishop
of Richmond, Va; Rev. Father Cur
ran, rector of Harper's Ferry parish,
and MesSrs. William Butler and Samuel
]. Hodges, lay members of the church,
are named as plaintiffs in the bill
filed by attorneys for the church, while
DR.. William E. Minghini, a dentist of
Martinsburg, is defendant, along with
some unknown heirs of men long since
dead.
The churchs title to the land dates
back to 1902, the year after Jefferson
county was organized out of a part OF
Berkeley. In the first deed book in the
county clerks Office is recorded the
deed to the tract known as "Priest Lot"
There were three parties to it. Adam
Livingstone and Mary, his wife. with
their names in German script, are the
parties of the first part. They grant
ed the land to Richard McSherry.
Joseph Minghini, and Clement Pierce,
as trustees for the use and benefit OF
Rev. Dennis Cahill, then a minister of
the Catholic Church. On the death OF
Father Cahill, the trustees or their heirs
or successors were empowered by the
deed to select a minister to succeed
him. If no priest is available, the deed
authorizes the trustees to rent the land
cut and apply the proceeds for the
benefit of the church. The deed also
provides that the trust created by its
terms shall extend to the last survivor
of the three originally named, and to
the heirs of each last survivor down
through the generations.
The trust apparently lapsed after
few years. The church asserted nc
interest in it. None of the heirs or
descendants of Clement Pierce oT
Richard McSherry are known by any
one living here now. The heirs of the
late Joseph Mnghini, the father OF
DR.. w. f. Minghini, of MartinsburE
are now the only known representative
of the three trustees named in thc
deed from Adam Livingtone.
The object of the suit is to determine
what interest, if any, the church has
in the land to appoint trustees to re-
vive and administer the original trust.
The land has been treated as the prop
erty of the Minghini family for some
years.
Tradition has il that Adam Living
stone, Pennsylvania who had moved
to Middleway, had decided aversion to
the Catholic Church. and when a
stranger to whom he had given shelter
fell sick and was about to die, Liv-
ingstone curtly refused to send for a
priest to shrive the soul of the dying
man. The man expired without the
benefit of clergy, and soon afterward
things began to happen about the Liv-
ingstone place. There were many
ghostly manifestations, the most thrill =
ing Of which was the clipping and
shipping by invisible scissors. The
dresses Of the women of the house and
of visitors who were attracted by the
weird doings were cut into ribbons.
and mems coat-tails and stocks and
shirts would also be. clipped. though
no one saw the ghostly hands or the
scissors that they welded. Very plain
ly, however, could be heard the snip.
snip of the scissors. Naturally this
SoTt OF tniHR grew very annoying 10
Livingstone and his family, though it
brought fame to Smithfield. or Middle
way, which to this day is known as
"Clip."
An old writer says that Livingstone
"lost much rest" so he applied to local
conjurers, but they couldn't day" the
ghosts. One night Livingstone dream
ed that a man in robes could get him
out of his troubles. He sent to Win
chester for an Episcopalian minister
who wore robes, but the clergyman
could do him no good. Finally he re-
luctantly took the advice of a Catholic
family of the neighborhood and came
to Shepherdstown' where he consulted
with Father Cahill. The priest agreed
to use his good Offices to lay the ghosts
and after proper masses for the repose
of the soul of the stranger who had
died in the house, the manifestations
ceased. In return for this relief Liv-
ingstone decided thirty-four acre piece
of ground near "Clip" to Father Ca
hill, and ever since that time it has
been known as the "Priest Field"