Historic Bell Stolen From St. Mary’s Cathedral Found In Salvage Yard
Police informed staff at the Chancery Offices of the Archdiocese of San Francisco that they had found the 5,300 pound, historic bell that had been stolen last Sunday from the grounds of St. Mary’s Cathedral. The Inspector in charge of the case said that an informant reported the bell to be at 9th and Pine in West Oakland near a salvage yard and the Port of Oakland. The police said that the bell is “dirty and covered with dirty canvas tarps, but it is intact.”
Inspector Brian Danker, of the SFPD said that the bell could have been very close to being broken down for its metal value. Inspector Danker is credited also for the recovery of a rare $23,000 violin stolen from the Conservatory of Music in San Francisco earlier this year.
There are currently no suspects.
“This is wonderful news, a mini-miracle of sorts, for the parishioners of the Cathedral and all Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” said George Wesolek, Director of Communications. “The wide press coverage of the theft helped make it harder to get away with this. Our thanks to the public for their proactive response, the press and especially the effective work of the San Francisco Police Department. Now we need to find a way to bring the bell back to its place at the Cathedral.”
(October 26, 2011) SAN FRANCISCO
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