Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 92, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1913 — Priest Finds $5,000 in the Church Poor Box [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Priest Finds $5,000 in the Church Poor Box

NEW YORK. —The deepest mystery surrounds the gift of five one thousand dollar bills which wore plated recently in the poor box just inside the entrance of the Church of Our lady of Guadaloupe, the neif Spanish Roman Catholic edifice jn West 66th street, near Broadway. The sexton said he thought the donor was an elderly woman who was assisted into the church by a footman. As a result of the incident the church is being watched closely by the police. The Ret. Adrian Buisson, rector <jf the parish, is accustomed to take out donations placed in the poor box every week. The other day he opened

the box and grasped a bill and drew it out The priest thought at first it was a dollar bllL as the collections from the poor box never amount to more than a few dollars. He looked at the currency and saw it had a yellow back. The bill was for SI,OOO. The next time he placed his hand in the box he drew forth four bills. Two of those were yellow backed and were for an amount equal to that of the first. Father Buisson took the roll of currency and the pennies and silver from the box to his house. There he discovered that the greenbacks were for fI.OOO each. Father Buisson told a reporter that the sexton of the church saw an elderly woman dressed in black, drive up to the church in a brougham. She offered a short prayer, walked to the poor box and placed the bills in it It was at first reported that the bills had been donated by Mr. Frederick Cortlandt Penfleld of No. 787 Fifth avenue, an enthusiastic worker in the cause of religion. Mr. Penfleld, however, denied any knowledge of the incident