Murderer's Ghost Urged Priest To Get Busy
St. Patrick's Catholic church in Cumberland is the scene of a classic Allegany County ghost story. Here's the earliest version I can find, published in 1900: During the Civil War Father Brennan had a number of painful experiences, the most painful of which was the execution of a young soldier with whom he became acquainted in his capacity of spiritual director. In July, 1864, Francis Gillespie, of the Fifteenth New York Regiment, was hanged near Rose Hill Cemetery, after trial by court-martial. The circumstances in the case were such as to excite sympathy for the soldier, but not sufficient to excuse or extenuate the horrible deed of which he had been guilty. Gillespie had been charged with violating some army regulation, and his lieutenant, William Shearer, had given orders to “ hang him up by the thumbs.” The soldier was left hanging in excruciating torture until he was almost dead. He swore vengeance on the lieutenant; and when the regiment was travelling from P...