The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1855-04-13
A GROSS OUTRAGE UPON DEFENCELESS
WOTEN:

The Boston Daily ,8dUertiser, eading Wing
paper, gives the following account Of an outrage
perpetratrd by know-Nothing joint committee
of the Massachusetts, Legislature, recently APP
pointed to inspect nunnerIes and converts:
On the Dedham turnpike, r Roxbury, just
beyond Oak street, there is an ordinary house,
in which school is kept by seven ladies, Catho-
lie ''Sstpls of Charity" members OF the order
OF Notre Damr They bave twelve pupils, young
ladifS between The ages OF ten and ftteen all
Americans by birth. These nineteen ladies form
the whole household with the exception of an
Irishman who is employed about the premises as
servant The house is located upon thorough
fare much travelled it is not secluded IN any
way from public gaze, the grounds are not sur
rounded by any barriers, nor does It have any
of the characteristics OF a monaStic institution.
The ladies who reside there as teachers, are
highly cultivated and accomplished, and as much
entitled 10 respect and courtesy any IN the
State. Their pupils are likewise respectable,
and there is not the least evidence that their at
tendance at school is forced, that they sub
jected to any rigorous discipline, or obliged TO
undergo any sort of ill-treatmrnt
Such bring the character ofthiS establishment,
the seventeen ladies residing therein were sur
prsrd on last Monday afternoon to see two
omnibuSSps drive up TO the doors, crowded with
passengers, who aIight and inquire for the ''lady
superior," and being mrt by the head of the
establishment, the spokesman OF the party III
forms her that the crowd is committee ap-
pointed by the Legislature to examine the house.
No notification of the visit TO be expected has
been served upon the ladies, and they are OF
course obliged to take the statement ofthe mem
bprs of the party on their own authority. We
have already seen that The committee actually APP
/ pointed by the Legislature consists Of but seven
members. We are unable TO state the number
of the party protesting TO act as this committee
on this occasion, tut from the fact that two
! twelve-seat omnibussrs, which appeared to be
( full, Were required for their transport. we can
only estimate their number at twenty-lour.--
/ There may have been a few more or less.
! Nineteen ladies, twelve Of them less than
/ fifteen years OF age, could not of course oppose
any efipctuaI obstacle 10 the entrance Of twenty
! had the ladies' known the rights guaranteed them
! by the constitution and laws of Massachusetts
/ and had they been disposed to maintain those
4 rights by force. The 'sgentlemen" 1--WE presume
W. must call members the Legislature bv this
!
cellar. No chamber, no passage, no closet, nc
/ cupboard, escaped their vigilant search. No
/ part of the house was enough sacred, or enough
protected by respect for the common courteses
OF civilized life, 10 be spared in the examination
! The ladies' dresses hanging IN their waFdrobes
were tossed over. The party invaded the chapel
and showed their respect as ProteStants. we pre-
sumo, for the One God whom all Christians
worship, by talking loudly with their hats on
while the ladies' shIank in terror at the desecra-
ton Of spot which they believe hallowed.
While in ihe chapel, the ladies declined hold
/ ing any conversation with their prosecutors
but in another part Of the house the principal
expressed her perfect willingness to answer any
questions proporndrd by ssthe committee" One
of "the gentlemen" accordingly pats her affpc-
tionately on the back with one hand, turns over
the rosary suspended about her neck with the
other, and asks her if she is content with her
situation, whether she can leave when she plea
ses. The young ladies were of course subjected
/ to questions even more rpde--whether there are
any boys boarding in the esiablishment-wha
| punishments they suffer for misdemeanors, &c
Ii is scarcely necessary to describe such conver-
sation in detail the reader can readily imagine
! what the scene must have been.
The examining party of course had every.
thing their own way, and when their searches
and their insults had been protracted TO the ex.
tent of their pleasure, they took their leave
it is scarcely necessary TO say that ''they found
no matter what was not that they sought
unless the object Of the visit was simply 'ark'
at the expense of the State, in which case. thu
object was doubtless attained There were M
nuns immured alive 10 contracted cells, nor any