Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-03-05
[BY REQUEST.


papers some week or two since, that An
drew b. Cross had renewed his memorial
to our General Assembly for the suppress
sioE of what he calls abuses in converts,
but was not aware, until | received, by
the last mail, printed copy of it, that
he had used my name and that of my
deceased friend, Col Merrick, in false
and improper connection. He fabricates
statement of the remarks of Mr. Mer-
rick and myself, and then uses it to sus-
tain his base libcls upon some of the
best and purest citizens that Maryland
contains. l say this, not from being an
advocate of converts as religious institu-
tons, but from a sense of justice to thosc
who have attached themselves to them in
this State. Many of them know from
ally and intimately when in worldly So
ciety, and it will take more than the raw
ings and ISLANDERS of the Titus Oates"
of Maryland to make me believe that
those who were esteemed by all who
knew them, as so uniformly good and
pure, and who voluntarily retired from
the world that they might be better and
purer, should either become wicked and
corrupt themselves, or give countcnance
to the vices and corruptions which this
slanderer alleges. But to return to his
statement of the remarks made by Col.
Merrick and myself in the last House of
Delegates. He states that "thcy (Mr.
NJ. and myself) said that she Miss NeaD
was insane, and had been so from her
youth" The latter brarca! Of this state
ment is untrue. Neither Col. Merrick or
myself made any such remark, as that
this lady had been insane from her youth.
Col. Merrick said he knew her from her
youth; that there was an hereditary in
clination to insanity in her family, and
that at the time of her escaping from the
convent and making the cries alluded to
in Mr.. Cross' memorial she was deran-
ged, and produced the evidence of DR..
Stewart, physician to the Maryland Hos
pital, who happened to be present, to
confirm his statements So far as am
concerned, l never knew the lady or
heard of her until that day, and never
alluded to her in any manner that | re-
collect, and certainly not in the way as
serted by Mr.. Cross. My remarks were
directed to the motion which | made,
that the petition be not received, and in
charactcrizing it as frebrand and its
author as an incendiary, and worthy of
no more respect from the Legislature
than was unavoidable in order to afford
to him the constitutional right of pre-
senting his petition. was unsuccess-
full. The petition was received, and
on motion of Speaker Travcrs, Chen on
the floor, laid upon the table, which was
understood, and was no doubt intended
by the mover and the majority of the
House to be rebuke to such open and
public incendiary movements. This,
however, only increased the howlings Of
the fanatics, and the Legislature was
flooded with similar petitions from vari-
ors sections of the State, indicating to
their "know- nothing" representatives
that they had started ball which they
must not Gf they consulted the politica
advantage of their party stop so sud
denly. These petitions, with that o.
Mr.. Cross, were then all referred to &
select committee of five, a majority o.
whom were leading know-nothings.-
They, after "calm and deliberate consid-
Grafton" and no doubt with a strong de.
sire to hold on to that element which
had contributed so largely to their sue
cess, made their report, in which they
declare,
THAT the right of any individual un,
der our laws to enter converts and there
remain of their own free will cannot adj.
nit Of doubt. -" That if it be true
that persons are confined against theil
will, the laws now in force in this State
furnishes an effectual and complete rem
edy for such cases"
THAT no allegation has been sub.
sta0tiated, nor has any proof been ex-
hibited that any person is now unlawful
ly confined in any religious house OF
convent within the limits of this State y
THAT if, as alleged by the petitioners
persons are detained against their will
in any religious house or convent, it is
not because the law does not afford am
pie protection, but because ofthe neglect
to execute its demands and it is the
fault of those interested in the execution
of the law, not the defect Of proper le
gislation."
+ One would have supposed that this
sensible report, adopted, | believe al
most if not with entire unanimity, by
the House, would have enlightened the
minds Of all the Know nothings, and sent
them in search of relief for their particular
friends, the nuns, to those who had the
power to grant the writ Of Habcas Cor
pus, rather, than to the Legislature for
! additional laws. We might have rea-
sonable supposed, at least, that Andrew
b. Cross, who seems to be so deeply
interested in the execution of the law"
in this respect would not have allowed
it to be his fault" that since TIE last
session of the Legislature, not one of the
enormous outrages which he charges to
exist, has been exposed; not one Of the
kidnapped and ensaved women has been
liberated from these detested prisons. -
This course does not suit his purpose -
He rather wishes to make a display of
his importance in another way. He
wishes to attract the attention of the Big
] Bugs of his party, and he sends his me-
mortal to the General Assembly of Ma
| rvland We'll thew rnceivn IL One