Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-08-19
MISS STARTS LETTER.

and her desire to leave it. The letter was
written to her father from Saratoga and pub
/ lished by him in the Montreal Gazette. tie
says it was written without any dictation
from him, and is strictly her own version OF
the case. The letter is very readable.
SARATOGA, Sd August, 1889.
M Dear Papa The excitement and ag-
/ itation caused by the wrong step | have Ia
| ken in leaving NV house without my pa
| rents consent and letting them suffer such
agony on my account, makes me miserable,
and preys so deeply on my heart that often
| think it will soon terminate my life feel
! it almost impossible to give you clear state
ment Of facts, and deeply sorry for having
/ destroyed those letters written me by differ
/ ent priests, whose correspondence commenced
while | was in Toronto, MAY. 1858. You
remember we arrived from England in No
vember, and went to Toronto in Decem Der.
| did not attend the Catholic church until
| the month Of May. and then | wrote to a
/ priest by the name of q REEVE our servant
/ Maria gave me his name. and carried him
my letters he sent me a verbal message say
! ing he would be happy to see me in the YES
| try room Of the church, where | explained 70
| him my wishes to become Il Catholic and
/ Carmelite nun he then desired me to call
| upon him at the Bishops Palace. which |
/ did, and as | was coming away, / met the
/ Bishop, and Of nv own accord turned back
| to speak to him, and opened my mind fully 70
| him. Her piled he would think abOutit, some
/ time after this ! went to the Bishops Palace
| TO see Mr. O REEVE, when he was not there,
and | saw in his absence Mr.. j. Bruyere,
/ who did not approve of my plan, and said
! had better leave it 70 Bishop Charbonnei t.
/ decide Soon after | saw the Bishop. who
| did not give me positive answer, but re-
| manned Cutwardly passive, l knowing, from
! my own observations, he encouraged 1t. A.
/ bout a month after this, was introduced by
/ Mr. Bruyere 10 Madame Poisson. at the Pal
| ace. She was delighted to make my ac-
! 4.'utlnce, and also charmed with the plan
/ .. nv becoming Carmelite nun. she and
/ Nh Phil5ert, " ID had recently arrived from
| Paris together, and he having lived four
months in the order Of Carmelites. They
! two offered to take me u Parasitic Bishop,
| Char50nnel, having proposed the plan Of
| Paris or England. Ny being placed at Toll
| edo was only a temporary arrangement Of
/ Nj Garnet's He also suggested my not
| letting my parents know where | was until
| had crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Bishop
| Charbonnel's first plan was to send me 10
/ Baltimore, theIe 70 prepare for the order
! Of Carmelites in England, but, finding some
/ disputes had arisen in Baltimore amongst
! the nuns in the convent there, he changed bis
/ decision, and Mr.. Garnet took it into his
/ own hands to send me 70 Toledo, before he
! had received anv orders from the Bishop
/ AT least. this is his story. Ny own statement
| to the Bishop about my family was. that they
! had ever been most indulgent and kind, and
| had treated me with entire and devoted afec-
| ton, and would allow me to do anything but
! become a Catholic. | stated my object IN
/ becoming Catholic was also 70 become a
| Nun and | was certain they nsrer would
| consent 10 this. Then he said IL was my
/ duty to leave them, Mr.. Garnet then went
| To the Grey Nunnery in Montreal and told
/ Sister Sl0combe. mistress of the Novices, his
| plan as to my journey. The day after his
/ visit | called at the Convent,-saw Sister
| Slocombe for the first time and planned with
| her my dress, which she got ready for me
/ and gave me the next day | took it home
/ and put it on. On the Saturday morning
! left Madame Contois at six in the morning,
whence proceeded to the Seminary, where
/ Mr.. Granet was in waiting with a railway
! ticket in hand. and gave me some money.
/ The money he gave me was 10 pay myexpens-
Is from Toronto 10 Toledo. The principal
| priest who corresponded with me in Toronto
was Mr.. Philbert. He wrote me some eight
( letters. and had them left at the Convent
named the House of Providence, and where
| saw him several times. when he cOnversed
with me on the plan 10 be adopted. On
/ leaving Toronto the last time, he SAID I had
better destroy his letters, but gave me no
reason for 50 doing. They were about my
becoming Nun and leaving my parents.
which be perfectly approved of There was
no female companion provided for me 10 take
charge of me from Montreal 70 Toledo l
acted entirely under the advice Of Mr.. Gran
ct. The newspaper states that my arrival at
Toledo was a matter of surprise. The Supe-
rilr of the Toledo Convent was introduced
20 me at the Grey NJnnerv in Montreal. and
actually clandestinely produced my carpet
bag from a room in tine convent, where it
had been locked up through mistake, and
then they made 10 appear in the paper. | was
unknown to them Nv first letter. after
leaving home was written from Sandwich
to nv mother sent to Mr.. Philbert at To-
r0nto, and he enclosed it to Mr. Granet. who
posted it in Montreal. The second letter
was written about week after | arrived at
Toledo, and sent 70 Mr.. Granet, direct. en-
closing one for a friend in England | be-
Heye | VT te TWO other letters. which were
sent in the same wav. | received two
letters from Montreal while at To-
Ieio, one from Mr. Bonnissant. informing me
Of the movements Of my parents. but not
expressing one word of anxiety. and the
other letter from Mr.. Granet. on the same
subject tel NC me, also, not 70 write to nv
parents till | was safely landed on the other
side Of the water. l had never known Mr..
Bonnissant before the morning of my depart
ure for Toronto. when he came and smoke 10
me while I was waiting TO get a railway
ticket from Mr.. Granet ne gave me a little
book and told me he felt the highest interest
IN all that concerned me. [ was 70 be sent
to Paris in a few weeks with the proposal
and entire consent of Bishop Charbonnel,
believe | wrote these letters to Mr.. Granet
from Toledo, merely on religious subjects,
inqulring about my parents and saying that
| felt myself burden at the convent. | did |
not experience the sympathy had hoped to
find in those who were espoused to Jesus /
Christ. | was left sometimes nearly day |
without being spoken to, and the cold-heart- |
edness Of those sisters made my life miserable, |
and | did not find them actuated by loving
dispositions, and | soon was taught that it
was not necessary to be in a convent to be- |
come religious, and that God had created me
10 be in the midst Of this worlds temptations,
a good christian girl, to be faithful to Him. /
and afectionate to my parents. | am sorry |
YOU paid SIS to Madame Poison, 10 whom |
did not owe one cent. | never wrote to her
for any money, and when she offered me
some in Toronto, | refused. Mr.. Philbert
sent me the letter already mentioned when
| was in Toledo, without my asking for it,
saying he thought | might be in want Of
summer apparel. The day You came
for me had already given 1t to the Superieure
to take charge Of for me, and she has it still in
her possession. She bought some articles of
dress for me, which came to SIS. | must
now add in conclusion that the Superieure in
Toledo gave me full liberty 20 90 home to
my parents, but it did not seem