The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-05-12 00:00:00

ALLEGED ABDUCTION AT NOTTINGHAM.

Monday's Nottingham Daily Erpress reports that
great excitement was created outside the Albert Hall
in that town on Saturday evening, about ten o'clock,
by the violent seizure of a child, about nine years of
age, by a nun belonging to the convent in Derby-
road. The child's name is Pleasance Brinniloy, and
she has been for the last two months an inmate of the
Midland Orphanage, Lenton, where she was received
on the recommendation of the Rev. R. Baldwin
Brindley, of Castlegate Congregational Church, and
Mr. William Goddard, of Oxford-street. It appears
that the inmates of the orphanage had taken
part in the entertainment of the Social Guild
at the Albert Hall, under the care of the matrons,
and were just being formed into order for
walkihg back to Lenton, when a nun sud-
denly dashed at the child Pleasance Brinni-
loy, seized hold of her, dragged her screaming
across ;,the street, and before resistance could be
offered entered the St. Barnabas Presbytery door with
her capture. The shrieks of the child were loud and
piteous, but the whole incident occupied only a few
moments, and was accomplished before protest or
resistance could be made. It appears that the child's
father was an Italian organ grinder. The child whc
has been thus kidnapped was bright and intelligent,
and a favourite at the Orphanage. The seizure must
have been planned, and was most deftly performed.
It is needless to add that when what had been done
was realised a considerable sensation was caused.
Attempts were fruitlessly made to get the door open
after the child had entered. One of the other
children before getting home fainted with fright
at what had occurred. The captured child
has a married sister living in the Meadows
with her husband and his parents, who
are all Protestants. The father of the child,
Antonio Brinniloy, settled in Nottingham several
years ago, and lived in Briar-street. He had previously
married an English woman, who is said to have been a
Protestant. She died some months previous to his
death. There is stated to have been an understanding
between them that the boys of their family should be
brought up as Catholics and the girls as Protestants.
At the end of last year Antonio died, and for some
months previous to his death he attended Wilford
parish church. During his last illness, however, he
is stated to have been attended by Roman Catholic
priests, and it remains in dispute whether he
had changed his religious faith. Upon his death
several of the children were taken charge of by their
eldest married sister, Mrs. Finder, who resides in
Clayton-street, Queen's-walk. This woman is mar-
ried to a collier, and, as she is in poor circumstances,
some benevolent ladies and gentlemen who were in-
terested in the case promised to try and get the
bereaved children into charitable institutions. One
of the boys was provided for at the Gordon Boys'
Home, and the little girl Pleasance or Plessy Brinni-
loy, was admitted to the Lenton Orphanage. Shortly
afterwards the Rev. Canon Douglass, of St. Barnabas's
Roman Catholic Cathedral, applied to the magistrates
for assistance in obtaining the custody of the child,
stating that he was appointed her guardian under
the will of the deceased. When this application was
made the magistrates stated that they could not
interfere in the matter, and that the proper course
was to bring the question before the superior courts.
Since that time the local magistrates have heard
nothing further of the case.
Under the heading of "The Catholic Version," the
Erpress reports the result of an interview with Bishop
Bagshawe and Canon Douglass at the Nottingham
Catholic Presbytery. They state that the deceased,
Anthony Brinniloy, remained a Catholic until the hour
of his death, and that his wife, who was originally a
Protestant, was received into the Catholic Church at
Norwich six or seven years ago, before their removal
to Nottingham. During her last illness she sent for a
priest, but the elder daughter would not admit the
priest to the house. The woman was buried in Wil-
ford churchyard. After her death the widower occa-
sionally attended the services in Wilford parish
church, but he never changed his faith. At this time
some of his children were in St. Patrick's Catholic
Schools, where he often called, and expressed anxiety
to the Sisters of Mercy in charge lest his children after
his death should not be brought up as Catholics. One
of his daughters, Harriett, a girl aged 14, is now at
the convent schools, and she states that her father
went several times to Wilford parish church because
the mother was buried there. About three months
before his death, knowing himself to be in a consump-
tion, Anthony became more anxious about his children,
and the nuns sent him to Canon Douglass. The
canon states that he only saw the man once, and on
that occasion advised him to appoint a guardian to
his children. As he did not know how to go about
this, the canon said, "If you like to make your will,
and appoint me their guardian, I will look after
them." The man assented to this suggestion, and
thereupon Canon Douglass, who was trained as a
lawyer before he became a priest, wrote a form of
will in the presence of Brinniloy. Father Browne, one
of the priests, was present part of the time, and
signed as a witness, as did also Mr. Revill, verger at
the cathedral, who happened to come in at the
moment for the collection plates. The will was read
over and explained to the deceased before it was
signed. Subsequently the following conversation
took place between the reporter of the Erpress and
Canon Douglass:
"Did you make arrangements for seizing the chil-
dren in question P—Oh, no, it came about in this way.
When in church on Saturday evening I was told of
Harriet Brinniloy, one of our school girls, having said
that her young sister, Plessy, was over the way in
the Albert Hall along with the other children from
Lenton Orphanage. I was asked whether they should
bring her, and I replied, 'Yes, you may, if you can do
so without a scene.' After the concert was over I
suppose Harriet fetched the girl over; but I was not
present when it was done.
"Is it true that a nun, or more than one, assisted
in the capture of the child P—Oh, no, that is pure
imagination.
"Do you suggest that no one had anything to do
with it but the child's sister ?—Some of her play-
mates were no doubt also there. - -

"But the child is described as having screamed and
struggled against being taken ?—I have heard that
there was a little scene, but it was not very bad, and
did not last long. The child was naturally a little
alarmed at first. _ _

In reply to a further question, the Canon declined
to say whether Plessy or her sister were now at the
convect school, adding that he was the less disposed
to commit himself to any statement on that point, as
he had heard that some further proceedings were
contemplated with a view to recover the possession of
the child.

At Monday's meeting of the Town Council, a ques-
tion was asked of the chairman of the Watch Com-
mittee whether it was their intention to take action
against the perpetrators of a gross outrage on the
liberty of the subject, as reported, by the Roman
Catholic clergy of the town, and whether in future
they would take steps to prevent children being im-
mured in ecclesiastical prisons. A meeting of the
Watch Committee was to be held concerning the
matter.