DEAD HERMIT’S GOLD

Evening Star, Issue 18256, 21 April 1923, Page 10

DEAD HERMIT’S GOLD

IRISH BANDITS ATTEMPT TO ROB HIS HEIR. Irish bandits, hearing of the discovery of a dead hermit’s hoard of gold and silver, attempted to rob his heir, but failed. Tho treasure was found after the death at Ballintubbor, County Roscommon, of Patrick Leech, aged seventy-seven years, and unmanned. He was an old ago pensioner, and lived alone in a little hovel about ten feet square. During life he almost denied himself of bare necessities, and at death had neither bed nor bedclothing. Concealed in three stockings at the back of his fireplace, £6O in gold, £l4O in notes, and a seven stone flour bag full of silver, chiefly four and five shilling pieces of the Victorian reign, were found. On the night of his death, his first cousin, as the nest of kin, carried off the hoard to his residence a few hundred yards distant. _ A few hours afterwards armed men raided the hovel. The armed men threatened to shoot the cousin's wife if she did not hand them up the money. This she refused to do, though at tho point of tho revolver. The men then left after firing a few shots jnto. the houses