A Murder In Chatham Poem by John F. McCullagh

St. Patrick's Church was sparsely filled
For Friday morning mass
The seniors getting restless-
the clock reada quarter past.

It wasn't like the pastor
to leave them waiting there.
Father Hinds was not the kind
to miss the call to prayer.


The usher and the janitor
Together went next door
They both recoiled in horror
at the blood upon the Floor.


The police came with the coroner
To the Parrish rectory door
And saw Jose the Janitor
Try CPR once more.

Chatham is a quiet town
A place when families thrive
And father was the Sheppard
to guide them through their lives.


It didn't take police much time
to find who did the deed
as Jose's cell phone records
had placed him at the scene.

The murder knife recovered
The crime confessed at last
The priest had caught him in a lie
about crimes in his past.

The people came together
And filled St. Patrick's seats
To send the Father to his rest
And give their hearts some peace.



A narrative poem about the murder of Father Ed Hinds, Pastor of St. Patrick's church in Chatham on Thursday 10/21/2009