On This Date in Minnesota History: December 2

December 2, 1915 – A jury in the Winona area district court decided this evening that Father Louis M. Lesches was insane when he shot and seriously wounded Bishop Patrick R. Heffron, acquitting the priest of the charge of assault with the intent to kill for which he had been on trial for two days.

Bishop Patrick R. Heffron¹

The verdict, reached after 45 minutes’ deliberation, meant that Father Lesches would be committed to the asylum for the criminally insane in St. Peter, Minn. The principal testimony during the trial was that of several psychiatrists, who testified that the defendant was “insane and [had] homicidal tendencies.”

Father Louis M. Lesches¹

Bishop Heffon was shot twice while celebrating mass alone in his private chapel at St. Mary’s College the morning of Aug. 27. It was brought out at the time that Lesches had been refused a parish by the bishop, who at the trial testified he believed Lesches was “mentally unbalanced” at the time of the shooting.

St. Mary's College 

“ Where the shooting of Bishop Heffron took place. Cross in center room on second floor shows location of the private chapel where the shooting took place. Cross on third window from the right on first floor shows the room where Father Lesches locked himself in after shooting the Bishop and where he was arrested.” (Information from the Winona Daily Republican-Herald, Dec. 1, 1915.)¹ 

This factual shooting became the roots of the “ghost of Heffron Hall” story. In several versions of this urban legend, Bishop Heffron was murdered, which obviously isn’t true as Heffron testified at Lesches’ trial. In fact, he completely recovered from his wounds, eventually dying Nov. 23, 1927.

In 1920, Heffron Hall was built on St. Mary’s campus. Named in honor of the bishop, it still houses students today, and is the second oldest building on campus.

While Lesche was in St. Peter, an unusual death took place in a third floor room in Heffron Hall on May 15, 1931. A nun entered the room of Rev. Edward Lynch and found the reverend dead and sprawled across his bed. His body was burned beyond recognition, but the sheets and bed underneath him reportedly did not show any signs of scorch marks.²

Reverend Lynch's Bible was also claimed to have been scorched except for a single passage: "And the Lord shall come at the sound of the trumpets." It was said that this was a passage that Lesches had often shouted to Lynch in their heated arguments.²

Lesches died at the St. Peter’s hospital on Jan. 10, 1943. He was 84 years old and had spent 29 years incarcerated. Shortly after his death, Heffron Hall gained a reputation for being haunted by its namesake’s attempted assassin. The frightening ghost of Father Lesches was claimed to have been seen several times on the third floor of the building.²

In its Oct. 31, 1989³ issue, USA Today called St. Mary’s Heffron Hall Dormitory "Minnesota's Most Legendary Haunted Place."


The Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Bishop’s Assailant Is Adjudged Insane; Will Go to Asylum. Jury Trying Father Lesches Returns Verdict After 45 Minutes’ Deliberation. Principal Testimony Given by Alienists. Trial Brings Out Fact Priest Was Denied Parish Prior to Shooting.”; Dec. 3, 1915; p.2.

¹https://www.winonapost.com/Archives/ArticleID/2648/Part-2---Blood-on-the-Altar-The-Heart-of-the-Legend

²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heffron_Hall_(St._Mary%27s_University)

³https://www.winonapost.com/Archives/ArticleID/6296/Part-6---School-Spirit-The-Campfire-Version