The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-06-23
A Trump Of Bigotry'
THE STORY OF THE BURNING OF TIE
ERSULINE CONVENT AT BOSTON
FULLY TOLD BY ONE OF ITS
INMATES.


ago, in the city of Boston, where
there arc now upward of thirty large
and thriving Catholic churches and
where bishop of that faith has
seat in Il cathedral of unusual mag
niHcence, an Infatuated Protestant
mob PLACER and burned convent
of the order of St. Ursula, occupied
solely by women. The story OF
the lot has not often been told at
least, the Bostonians Of the present
generation arc not fond of relating it.
But book just published by Mrs.
Whitney, girl-pupi! of the convent
In 1854, gives for the first time mar
ratvc of the event Ivy eye witness
from within the pillaged house.
In the year just mentioned, the
finest UrsuIlnc convent in New En-
gland stood on Mount Benedict, in
in Charlrstown. 1t was built cx
prcssly for a boarding school for the
children of rich parents, Protcstants
preferred, an imposing building on
the summit of the hill, with back
ground of trees and a foreground of
green terraces bordcrcd with shrub
berry descending to the road, and
having a lodge, Il bishops house, sew
eral terraced walks, and grounds
tastcful|y laid out for the recreation
of the pupils. These it attracted in
large numbers, not only from the
wealthy families of Boston, but even
from Canada anG the extreme south.
Mrs. Whitncy's father-she was then
Louisa Goddard-was "always la
menting the growing independence of
women and the difficulty he found in
keeping his daughters under the old
rule of implicit obedience" hence he
resolved on sending her to the con-
vent, which she entered after the
summer vocation of 1884. DR. Lyman
Beecher had, during the preceding
winter, been denouncing tiercely
''the devil and the pope in course
of lectures delivered in Boston Mr..
Goddard was Il violent Unitarian,
and resolved to educate his daughter
at the convent from Il spirit of antas-
Onism to DR.. Brcchcr.
Behold the little girl, then intrust.
ell to the charge of the Sistcls, a body
of Irish nuns, educated IN French
converts. The superior was "a wO-
man of medium hci yht and very
stout, buewith the quick step and
vivacious air of French Irishwo-
man, and carried herself with roy
al uprightness and dignity that COM
PEELED Difference from all who APP
preached her. She~was, it further
appears, a woman of great courage
and high-even violent-temper.
THE BEGINNING or THE AGITATION.
DR.. Beecher, it has just been said
had been tiercely denounciDg Cath
Ole converts, and had "enliyhtened
the people as to the deprayity pc.
pulally supposed to exist inside theil
walls" At the same moment there
was published a book called "SiS
Months in a Convent" the work OF
"silly, ignorant, deccitful gill, whom
the superior had charitably taker
into her employ as seamstress,
f which purported to relate the at
tempts to make a Catholic of the
author and heroine by force, ant
: ended with a melodramatic narrative
of her escape just as she was about to
he secretly removed to St. Louis.
Mrs. Sherwood's "Nun" was another
story that had just appeared to fas'
cinate and prejudice more intelli-
gent folks, while perverted reports O
, a not at all wonderful incident free
the Boston heart with a local ant
J., contemporary interest. The mother
assistant of the convent, Sister Mar!
;. John, principal teacher Of music
having been OverWOrke1 in prepar
=. ing for the musical celebration will
which the academic year concluded
/, fell sick of brain fever, and one no
day, eludins her nurses, fled in heI
t night dress down to tue house of {
Protestont Yankee, Mr. Cutter, jus
4 outside the grounds. He placed he
in charge of his wife and gave TIT
t news at the convent, and removed
her. Some passers-by must have
t witnessed the struggle that ensuet
when the poor sister, screaming ant
raving in delirium, was half force'
and half persuaded into the carriage,
hence it is not surprising that in
j, few hours starting story was atloa
that nun who had been imprisoned
IS in the underground cells of the con
vent had at last escaped but ha
been followed by the superior to tn
y house where she had taken refug'
and carried back to the convent b.
:, force, in spite of her desperate re
sistance. The Boston truckmen wer
then a we'll organized guild, and ha
warmly espoused the cause OF tn
author of "Six Months in a Convent,
fuding her story fully confirmed, a
! they honestly believed, by the "es
cape and capture" of Sister Mar
= John; they held secret indignation
meetings and many persons believe
} an attack on the convent to be in
T pending. Mr.. Goddard was warne
of this, but he and most sensible pee
pie thought it impossible that an
danger was to be apprehended for
school composed almost entirely
Protestant scholars.
THE MOB READY.
After a fortnight in the CONVEX
Miss Goddard was taken home fl
one Sunday. He father drove hi
back on the following day, and Q
5. thesroad was stopped by an old a.
3, quaintance, who laid his hand on tt
reins and endeavored to induce Iii
to turn back, while he rapidly an
eagerly assured him that mob wou|
probably destroy the convent tn;
night. Mr.. Goddard ridiculed tt
idea and drove IN At the cohVa,