Wilmington journal., 1873-07-25
An hour o.. Mount Benedict.


Oh M Liberal Rep. Com.
An hour Oa Mount Benedict.
SoMERvILLE, Mass, July IS, 1873.
Dear .J0u1RaI:-This enterprising
city of 10000 inhabitants, is situated
| about four miles northwest of Boston,
ana is made accessible from that city
| by means of six railroads, four being
conducted by steam and two by horse
power. In point of age and history,
Scmerville takes high rank, having
been the scene of several Revolution
ary conflicts; and relics of eye olden
times" are everywhere predominant.
One of the most interesting of these is
the house used by General Washington
as his headquarters. It stands little
back from the main street, a moss
covered, gabl"roofed piece Cf
architecture, and presents singular
contrast to the modern buildings on
either side. 1t is regarded with great
veneration by the residents of the
neighborhood, who are united in their
! efforts to preserve it from decay. It
has been twice struck by lightning,
and once an incendiary attempted
to cons ign it to flames, but a kind
Providence interceded and brought it
| safely out of the hands of these agents
of destruction. Another curiosity is
an old stone powder house seized by
the British in the third year of the
Revolution and retaken in less than Il
week by Il small party of patriotic men
! from Cambridge. Near this spot, in
| 1861, two negroes, a male and female,
were executed on the charge Of practic
ing w;thcraft AS you approach Som
crville from the East, your attention is
instantlneOusly directed to the beaut-
ful cminence known as Monnt Bane-
dict, OH which may be seen the ruins
of u famous Catholic Convent. You
climb the steep bank and stand before
this fallen pride of q fearful creed. \
few crumbling arches, a mournful heap
of brick and stone, are all that remain
OF I once magnificent edIiis'e. The
grand towers that reared their heads
to the sky 'are the victims of devasta-
tion and the sacred chapels and con-
fessionals slumber in the dust The
history of these ruins can be told in
few words. Mount Benedict, compris-
ing about thirty acres of cultivable
land, came intothe possession OF certain
Catholics i'll the latter part Of the 18th
Chnrch erected costly buiiding,
IL.
1t was Nunnery, i'll the strict sense
of the word, and boarding and day
school for Young ladies and children
An excellent Board Of instruction was
employed, and many years the In:,titu-
ton tiourisheG. Many eminent New
England men, of both Protestant and
Catholic faith, sent their daughters
here to be educated, and UrSuline
attained Il celebrity eqllallel by but
few Colleges of that period. But a
"kil!;ng frost seon hurled fame rom
his pinnacle, aud put an end to this
illustrious career. RumOrs began to
be circulated III regard to the treat
ment of the nuns. 1t was whispered
that cruel and shameful deeds were
done within walls consecrated to God,
and that the female who had given up
the world for life Of quiet devotion,
We're insuited and abused by those
who professed to be their spiritual
guides. How these stories originated
is not known. 1t Is the theory Of
manvt that they were started. IN revenge,
by ayonng lady pupil who, for some
act OF inulscretIon, had received Il
public reproof from the Lady Superior.
The rumors spread, and lost nothing
III interest and sensational material as
! llltN lbtSS-ti II ON ONE FOSSIL -
Protestants became greatly excited, and
Catholicism was picked to pieces as
tiercelv and fcarlessly as it had been at
the Reformation. Men forgot they were
brethren, w,rshiping one common
Father, and each one heaped the sins
of q century on the head of his neigh
bOr The br, ach widened-time only
increased bitterness OF fcelin7. Mat
ters wore most melancholy aspect
Indignation was at its height \ cri-
Sis was 1T haId. On a suitry August
evening 4 Protestant mob. impo ed
of 1nen. women and children, from
Charlestown and vicinity. gathered
around the Convent buildings, and,
with loud threats, demanded the re-
lease of Il girl who, As they declared.
was confined in the Nunnery against
her Will. The Lady Superior and srv-
eral teachers opened Il window and de
bated with the ring-leadcrs, stoutly
denying all charges made against
them. But the mob were too heated
with excitement and passion to listen
to reason, and great crowds were
pouring III upon the scene from all Iii
rectionS-the utmost disorder and con
fusion prevailed Burn the build
ing Burn the building - was the
cry raised by a party of infuriated
boys Lip after lip caught up the cry,
and the bOldast Sprang forward to ex-
ccute the demand. 1t was not long
before the group of beautiful buildings
was wrapped i'll ravishng flames. A
scene. the details of which are too
sad to relate, Immediately took
place. The Priests, nuns, teachers
and pupils, many of whom had retired
for the night. were obliged to leave
their beds and accept shelter wherever
it Was offered i'll the ncigli gliborhood.
| Fire engines came from adjoining
towns. for the fire from its elevated
situation could be seen from Il great
distance, but the mob would not allow
a drop of water to be thrown upon the
flames. When morning came, Ursu-
line was u heap of black and smoking
ruins. The riot had ceased, the mob
| had gone, but there remained the
| dissolution passion had WI onght. Such
was the tale told to me on this beauti-
ful mount. The charges of mismau-
agement made against the officers of
the Institution We're never proved.
| Whether The reports were true or false
can never be determined until the
| ques' ION of right and wrong is settled
at higher Tribunal. OF )ne thing
| we are certain, tnaI the Duf1lnS oil the
Convent was Il lawless act. No man
has a righd to destroy his neighbors
property. Every individual who to.k
part in the affair, directly or indirect
ly, was guilty of 4 crime. And so, on
Mount Benedict, to-day, overlooking a
panorama Of unmatched sweetness,
stands all that is left of grand and
costly structure. Sad and reproach-
full, the blackened walls looks down
on the city of Somerville, mournful
emblem of a sorrowful past
WANDERING MINSTREL.
A Great Horror Done Away With.
House cleaning is great horror to
nine men out of every ten. When that
time come the ''men folks as a rule,
give the domestic hearth a "wide
berth" Oceans of suds-the product