Provincial police confirmed to Radio-Canada that it had been found Friday, a day after the local historical society offered a reward for anyone with information about the bell that had disappeared from the Fassett, Que., church. Pierre Ippersiel, a member of the Société historique Louis-Joseph-Papineau, said Thursday he did not know what the reward would be, but hoped the promise of one would encourage the public to share information. Looks like it worked. Overnight, local resident Alain Bertrand posted a photo on Facebook of what appears to be a bell on the side of the 50 Freeway. Saint-Fidèle Church in Fassett, Que., sustained wind damage during the May 21 derecho storm. (Chantale Lauzon/Facebook) Ippersiel said the bell was briefly taken to the Sûreté du Québec police station in Papineauville, Que. The society, which is responsible for preserving cultural heritage in Petite-Nation — the easternmost region of Quebec’s Outaouais region — was also the group that asked the Sûreté du Québec to investigate. “If we find the bell, we will not charge anyone. What is important for us is that we find it,” Ippersiel told Radio-Canada in French on Thursday. Pierre Ippersiel is a member of the Louis-Joseph Papineau Historical Society. (Radio-Canada) The bell disappeared from the debris after the derecho of May 21 tore the belfry from the bell tower of the Saint-Fidèle church. The bell is an important heritage item for the area, Ippersiel said. It was used in Montebello, Que., until 1895 and later settled in Fassett in 1925. It has now been returned to its owners at the church in Montebello. The parish council now believes it can trace the history of the heritage item and plans to do so this autumn. Fassett mayor François Clermont agreed that the bell has historical significance and said it was important to find the bell in order to preserve the area’s history and heritage. Although the church in Fassett had previously been sold to a private company, Faubert Enterprises, Clermont said residents were still disappointed to see that the storm removed the steeple from the rest of the tower.
Rumor has it that the tractor took off with a bell
Since the storm, townspeople have been speculating about where the bell went, he said. “We hear all kinds of things,” Clermont said. Ipperseil says he heard people saw a tractor take the bell from the rubble the night of the storm. The Sûreté du Québec said only that they are continuing the investigation. Officers have met with witnesses and arrests may be made soon.
