This upcoming Halloween marks the 46th anniversary of a forgotten, and bizarre, episode at Saint Francis. On Oct. 31, 1979, a large gathering of Saint Francis students was broken up by police, with arrests made and tear gas deployed.
In a story that ran in the Nov. 9, 1979, edition of The Loretto – the predecessor to the Troubadour – it was reported that roughly 200 students gathered near the crypt of Demetrius Gallitzin at St. Michael’s Church.
The Loretto did not record the reason that the crowd assembled, but hearsay is that it was to observe a local legend. Some claimed that every Halloween, Prince Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin rises from the dead to deliver a sermon.
The former Russian prince did not show up on this night back in 1979, but local police from Ebensburg and Pennsylvania state troopers did. There was apparently an altercation between the police and a small number of the students as the officers tried to contain the crowd.
The students were ordered to disperse and when they refused, local Police Chief William Toth Jr. deployed a canister of tear gas.
Freshman Business major Mark Soldati told The Loretto reporter covering the story that “I didn’t hear any warning about the gas. All I saw was a big cloud of smoke and people running.”
Another freshman, Joe Menner, claimed that he was tackled and arrested by four officers while walking away from the church. He told The Loretto that his student ID was confiscated, that he was fined $50, and that he paid an additional $26 for court fees.
Menner was charged with “gathering in a large group, using foul language, throwing objects, and refusing to leave the area when asked.” Menner denied the charges and maintained that Toth’s language was fouler than his.
Some SFC students believed that the police officers overreacted. “There was no damage done to the church. We were just having a good time,” said Soldati. Menner agreed, though he admitted that some students had gotten out of line, with one student striking one of the officers.
Toth reportedly refused to comment on the incident outside of a courtroom. Kenneth Robine Jr., the District Magistrate in Cresson, said that the students had a right to contest the fines and that he would be willing to work with students regarding the $50 bond for the hearing.
Saint Francis Vice President of Student Affairs William Maniscalco said that he learned of the incident from the Campus Police’s security log.
Maniscalco said that the College would not get involved unless they found evidence of gross misconduct on the part of the police. He added that an investigation was pending.
The Loretto did not pursue the story further. The results of the investigation were never reported and the incident faded into a distant memory.
Special thanks to Randall Frye for bringing this story to my attention and pointing me to the issue of The Loretto that covered this story.
