In case you missed the article in the Dispatch last week, I'm very sad to report that the Abbey was broken into last week and yet another stained glass window is now gone forever. Also, gates were stolen from some of the crypts, destroying sections of marble walls in the process.

If anyone has any contacts with scrap metal people, please see if they have noticed any unusual activity. If so, please report it to the Franklin County Sheriff.

On a positive note, our annual event Tales from the Crypt is still going on this Saturday night, 10/24/09. Two showings are at 6:30 and 8:15 PM. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Columbus Landmarks Foundation website, http://www.ColumbusLandmarks.org or you can call 614-221-4508.

If you can attend or promote this, please do. Now, more than ever, we need funds coming in to support the Abbey's restoration.

Chalk one up for the good guys. CPD has arrested one person in connection with trying to sell pieces of the gates from the Abbey to a scrap metal dealer. He was arraigned on Monday 11/2 and the judge was pretty harsh, setting bond at $500,000 on a mostly transient fellow. Sounds like he'll be residing in a holding cell until his hearing... doubt he can raise that kind of bond! Also, according to news articles, the police are still seeking other potential accomplices.

It'd be nice if some of the gates are still intact, but as of right now, all they've found are pieces.