#robbing churches

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“Destroy Crosses Desecrate Altar,” Toronto Star. October 26, 1931. Page 2. ----- Vandals Break Open Tabernacle in St. Mary’s at Hamilton ---- Special to The Star Hamilton, Oct., 26. - Vandals who entered St. Mary’s pro-cathedral on Saturday night, broke open the tabernacle of the main altar, desecrated the sacred host, tore the figure of Christ from several crucifixes, and took away a large quantity of the consecrated sacrament, leaving havoc in their wake.

Announcement of the desecration in all the Roman Catholic churches yesterday, sent through the congregations a thrill of horror and at all the masses special prayers were offered in reparation for the sacrilege.

‘There is nothing in the history of the city of Hamilton to compare with this outrage,’ said Rev. John Ryan, rector of the cathedral. The scene which met the priest’s eyes on entering the church almost made his heart stand still.

Some of the crucifixes were found by police a few yards from the church, and a quantity of small crosses wrapped in sacred vestments were discovered near the fence surrounding the church. Inside, the building several crosses, with the mages torn from them, were found twisted and deliberately marred. Among these was a crucifix, valued intrinsically at $1,200, donated by the Women’s Altar Society in 1918 in memory of Rt. Rev. J. T. Mahoney, one time rector of the church.

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“Burglar’s Loot Found At Montreal,” Toronto Globe. June 17, 1911. Page 01. ---- ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY OF BURIED TREASURE STOLEN FROM CHURCHES. ---- (Canadian Press Despatch.) Montreal, June 16. - The chance discovery of a veritable treasure trove of gold and silver articles on Mount Royal has given the police a clue to the perpetrators of many church robberies which have occurred during the past few years and which ceased suddenly only a short time ago.

A gardener in the employ of the park authorities, running to seek shelter beneath a tree during yesterday’s storm, tripped over something protruding from the ground, and unearthed a large piece of solid silver. Digging farther he found more silver and several articles in gold. These he took to Father Walsh of St. Michael’s Church, who identified two of the articles as sacred vessels used during the celebration of the Holy Communion. The police suspect three young men now in the penitentiary for burglary, who used to live within a hundred and fifty yards of the place. The robberies ceased as soon as they were convicted.

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“Communist Jailed As Church Robber,” Montreal Gazette. October 18, 1938. Page 10.  --- R. Lepage Gets Seven Years After Pleading Guilty to Over 20 Charges --- Pleading guilty yesterday to more than 20 charges of theft from churches in Montreal and surrounding districts, Roland Lepage, 28, alias Fred Way, self-styled Communist, will serve the next seven years in St. Vincent de Paul penitentiary as the result of sentences imposed upon him in Police Court. The accused objected to being charged with breaking and entering the churches, telling the court ‘that when the door is open and you walk in that is not breaking.’ The charges were amended to read plain theft and the accused pleaded guilty.

Lepage was given three five-year-terms by Judge Maurice Tetreau on three charges of theft, the three sentences to run concurrently. Brought before Judge Guerin, he was given two years on each of 21 charges of theft, the sentences to run concurrently but he will begin to serve these sentences only after he has completed the five-year term.

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"Lamas Held For Looting," Border Cities Star. April 19, 1934. Page 10. ---- Chinese Say Treasures From Temples Go To Curio Dealers ---- PEIPING, April 19-More than 400 sacred objects, ranging from sacrificial articles to massive bronze Buddhas several times life size, have been taken from the Lama Temple in Peiping and sold to curio dealers by the monks, according to charges made by the Tibetan and Mongolian Affairs Commission. Three of the monks have been arrested charged with theft. They were ruthlessly dragged away from a 108-day chant of prayers for world peace.

One of the most notable articles stolen was the famous huge bronze image of Huan Hsi Fo, known abroad as the Laughing Buddha. Many of the sacrificial vessels were of great value, richly encrusted with pearls, rubles and emeralds. These treasures were considered to be the property of th Chinese Government and the ministry of finance remits $1.500 a month to the Lamas priests. Besides the 200 who are stationed at the big Lama Temple there are 1,200 monks, all Tibetans and Mongolians, at other shrines in the city. This remittance. therefore, averaged only a little more than $1 a month each, and except for fees paid by worshippers and by tourists the monks have had no income, for their temple lands and farms have been confiscated by the government.

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"GIVEN TEN YEARS FOR AN ASSAULT ON PRISONER," Toronto Star. February 5, 1913. Page 7. --- Montreal Man Has Already Served Four Years, and Faces Another Charge. ---- Special to The Star. Montreal, Feb. 4. - Cyrille Chartrand, who recently left the penitentiary, where he had served a term of four years imprisonment for robbing the collection boxes in a church, was this morning sentenced to ten years for assaulting a fellow-prisoner, Joseph Lepine, 16 years of age.

Chartrand still has to stand trial on a charge of the attempted murder of Kate Marcovitz, a little Russian girl, whom he thrust into the furnace of the Convent of Bonsecours, burning her head and arms. It was while awaiting his preliminary hearing on this charge that he assaulted Lepine in jail.

When Chartrand heard the sentence he burst into tears and had to be helped from the court.

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"Three Years in Jail On Sacrilege Counts," Regina Leader-Post. May 18, 1943. Page 3. ---- A soldier who pleaded guilty in city police court to four charges of sacrilege, Pte. Clark Stuart Shearer, 20, was sentenced Tues-Holy Rosary cathedral in Regina day to three years in Saskatchewan penitentiary, Prince Albert, on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently.

Belief was expressed by H. E. Sampson, K.C., crown prosecutor, that Shearer would also have to finish a five-year term in the penitentiary. Mr. Sampson told court that the accused had been sentenced at Calgary in 1940 to a total of five years' imprisonment for a number of serious offences, had been released on parole April 6 of this year, and was to have been on good behavior until October. 1944.

The sacrilege charges concerned the breaking into and entering Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina on four separate occasions during April and May of this year. Sums ranging from $1 to $4 were taken from poor boxes and desks each time. At 2 a.m. on May 11, Shearer was arrested by police. He pleaded guilty to one charge of sacrilege the same day and was remanded until Tuesday.

Court was told by Mr. Sampson that Shearer's record dated back to 1938, when he was convicted of housebreaking in Toronto. He termed him "a disgrace to his uniform."

Shearer has been stationed in Regina with the army.

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"Church Prowler Is Remanded Week," Border Cities Star. June 7, 1933. Page 3. ---- Charles H. Crownshield, Belleville man arrested last week in the basement of Immaculate Conception Church by Constables Graham and McInnes, was remanded a week in Windsor police court this morning. He is accused of "breaking into a place of worship." Fr. R. H. Dignan's attention was attracted by a noise at the church window and he summoned police immediately.

Crownshields, known under several aliases and possessor of a lengthy criminal record, had a large number of matches, a flashlight and a pair of wire cutters on him when taken into custody and, in addition, was wearing a pair of gloves.

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"Prowler Is Given Term," Border Cities Star. June 22, 1933. Page 3. ---- Man Caught in Cellar Of Church Sent To Penitentiary --- Draws Two Years ---- Plea for Leniency Spurned By Court as Record Is Offered ---- Charles H. Crownshields, 31, native of Belleville, whose police record dates back to 1916 and covers a wide range of jails - city, state, federal, American and Canadian - was sentenced this morning to a term of two years in the penitentiary at Portsmouth for breaking into the Immaculate Conception Church here. The sentence was meted out by Magistrate Brodie in city police court.

BEGS FOR LENIENCY Crownshields, who insisted he had only forced his way into the church basement for a night's lodging, that course being recommended by a fellow-traveler on the highway as a comfortable place, put up a strong plea for leniency in view of his promise to a girl to go straight. The promise was given, he explained, during a five-year stretch in Portsmouth. He had been sent away on that occasion for shopbreaking in the Town of Essex and for carrying dangerous weapons.

While appreciating the possibility that a man, some time in life, despite a long criminal career, may suddenly decide to reform, Magistrate Brodie was doubtful of the outcome if he sent the defendant to the Guelph prison farm. He suggested Crownshields, despite good intentions, would yield to an impulse and break custody again. His record, dug up from Supt. Wilkinson's files, showed he had broken away from an industrial farm many years ago and later from the town jail in Elkhart, Indiana.

HAS LONG RECORD Crownshield's record, international and varied in scope, revealed convictions for driving away automobiles, burglary, holdup, shopbreaking, breach of the American immigration laws. carrying guns, and breach of promise to marry a girl in Lockport, New York.

When arrested, Crownshields was wearing black gloves and carried a flashlight and a jackknife which was missing from a certain dwelling which had been entered just after the defendant's arrival in Windsor from the west.

ASKS PROBATION Crownshields asked for five or 10 years' probation "on his personal honor" but Magistrate Brodie said he couldn't do much for him in view of his remarkable record for getting into trouble.

Crownshields served terms in the U. S. prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, and in the Ohio State penitentiary. And, according to Detective-Inspector Renaud, he had anticipated at least seven years on the latest count.

[AL: Crownshields was 32, single, 'sallow' and known also by the aliases Charles Luftman, Henry Davink, and Henry Miller. He was born in Picton, Ontario, of German immigrant ancestors, but lived at times in Detroit and Windsor. His record was indeed long, including a stint in Leavenworth prison, Elmira reformatory, Mansfield prison farm, and a previous term as #674 at Kingston Penitentiary. He was convict #3104 this time around at Kingston Penitentiary. Crownshields worked in the Coal and Wood gang, shoveling coal off of delivery ships, weighing it, hauling it to storage, and distributing it to the boiler plant. Tough, sweaty, dirty work, though it afforded some freedom outside the walls. In July 1933, he signed a petition with the other inmates in his work crew:

“…We are working under conditions worse than any other gang….we are working in stifling heat and suffocating dust…[this] work is no play, we would gladly prefer a change of work to continuing under the present conditions...You [meaning the warden] have said that we are not entitled to fresh air and exercise. We do not know because we have no rules and regulation…all men working inside are entitled to it…we are working inside a building inside!” “We believe that our request for consideration in just…”

This apparently worked and they were granted more exercise and recreation in line with what the other inmates had won after the riot in 1932. He was released March 1935.]