The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-06 00:00:00

THE WHITE MONK.

A cue which has excited some interest has just
been submitted to the Tribunal of Correctional Police of
Poitiers. For the last two years a priest, wearing
the costume of the defunct order of the Prisnotittie,
which costume is entirely white, even to the shoes,
had been going about the dioceses of Anton, Sue;
Sens, Poitiers, Orlusus, Houma, and Lucas, col-
lecting alms for, as he represeated, re-establishing on
• large scale that order, which was abolished in France
in the great revolution, preaching in churches and in
the chapel. of religions communities, sod distributing
printed works and engravings. Ile was generally known,
from hiv peculiar dress, as "the white monk," but his red
name is lutes; he, however, called himself Louis de
Gonsague. He wee authorised to receive money, it ap-
peared, by • certain Rev. Father Edmond, who is desig-
nated as Prior of the Itocastery of the Immaculate Concep-
tion at Tarssoon, Douches-dm/theme, monks at the
heed of a @mall body of Prihnontriai ; also by
the bishops al the different dioceses in • which
be appeared. His proceeduip in the diocese of
Poitiers wars, however, of such a character, as to
attract the notice of the authorities, and the result was
that he was brought to trial on the charier' of-1. For
having, though of mend body, habitually practised
city in the olepartment of Vienne and other places. 2.
Having in different departments hawked about and distri-
buted, without autholisatios of the prefect,, engraviege
and printed papers. 3. Having by falsely pretend-
ing to be a regular monk of the order of the Promo.-
tres, and employing fraudulent manmuvres, made
people believe that by giving him title, they would be
entitled to certain prayers, masses, and indulgences, that
by glvirg or collecting 25fr. they would obtain the title
act lay member of the order of the Pri,montn's, aid the
inacnption of their names on marble tablets, &c. —all
which constituted swindling: and 4. Of having at Ver.
males fraudulently abstracted a certain manuscript,
the property of the department of the Seise-et-
Oise. Many witnesses were examined, and proved
having given the man, both after his sermons and
on other occasions, money fur the restoration of the order,
having paid him for the promised prayers, indulgences, kc.,
sod having bought pamphlet' coutedning a history of the
l'n'inuotri community, and of the miracles which! its
members had performed—also, engravings representing
churches, &c., which had formerly belonged to it. ?maws*
also given that the acceded had transmitted part of the funds
he obtained to the said Father Unwed, and that by mewed
such sums that person and his companions were able to live
in idleness in their monastery. It was further slated that
the pamphlets distributed by the accused were in as inflated
style, calculated to iuthieuce people of weak minds, also
that he had written some rather singular letters to females
who bad confessed to him. After hearing a long pleading
by an advocate on behalf of the accused, the tribunal sc.
quitted the nun of the charges of mendicity and swindling,
but convicted him on the other two, and condemned him to
• month's imprisonment and 251 r. tine.