The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-06-16
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
now 4 BOSTON, CONVENT WAS
SACKED ~ THE OLDEN TIME.

FRUITS Of Fanaticism: Blood Curdline
FalsehoodS-Brea down Barriers
--tiring or} Wonan--A Flight in tho
Night.
1t seems appropriate that just
while the Pharisces of the North are
bowling over tho Kempcr county
tragedy in Mississippi, book
shouldissue from aBoston publishing
house giving the details of the sack
I"ing and burning of IL Catholic Num-
merry by tho truckmcn Of Boston on
the 11th Of August 1884 The mars
rativc is written by Mrs. Whitney
who, as Louisa Goddard, was q
pupil in the Convent at the time of
it's destruction. The truckmcn, it
will be seen, fired upon the Lady
.Supcrior, besides cutting and des-
troying the building. Tho most
striking points Of the book are given
below.
The convent, which at that time
was the finest i'll New England, was
built as u boarding school for the
children of wealthy parents, Protos-
tants preferred, and it was quito
successful i'll attracting girls of that
class; not only from Boston, but
from Cm.ada and the South. During
the winter previous to the time here
referred to, DR.. Lyman Bcecher had
denounced ]iercely "tho Devil and
the Pope" in a-scrics of lectures de-
llvcrcd in the city, and in his sweep.
ing accusations he had included
Catholic converts, At the same
time, a girl who had been in this
institution as scamstrcss undertook
to make sensational capital for hers
sell, and succeeded, in Il book cnti-
tied "SiX Months in q Convent"
Otser influences also conspired to
wQft upon the passions of the, igno-
rant and bigoted. The father of
Mrs. Whitney, or Miss Goddard,
was u Unitarian, and he resented DR..
l5ecchcr s incorporate dcnunq;ations
by placing his daughter IL the
Ursuline Convent Immediately aftor
the summer vacation, and in G harge
OF the sisters, o body Of Irish nuns
cdusatcd in Frelch converts. Pros
vious to that the startling story had
gained currency, that Sister Mary
John, nun, imprisoned in the un-
der ground coils of tho convent had
at last escaped, hut had been fol-
lowed by the Superior to tho house
whore sho had taken refuge and
carried back to the convent by force,
IN spite Of her desperate resistance.
The truth was that she was suffer-
from a severe attack Of fever, and
IN her delirium had run out from
her room, through tho street into
neighbor's house.
PLANNING AN ATTacK.
The Boston truclmen wero then
well organized guild, and had
warmly cspoused the cause of the
author Of "Six Months in q Cons
vent" Finding her story fully con-
firmcd, as they believed, by tho
escape and capture of Sister Mary
John, they held secret Indignation
meetings, and many persons be-
licvcd an attack on the convent to
be impending. The excitement was
50 great that the scicctmon of the
town visited the superior and ro-
qucsted that they might examine
tho convent, so as to announce
authoritatively that it contained no
dungeons in which to immure
hcretics. The Superior, who com.
blncd French and Irish blood on her
veins, was 50 naughty and imperious
while suffering the convent to be
examined, that tho selectmcn were
bluifed off from their pacilicatory
purpose ; and tho excitement be-
came still greater.
The Superior, however, secuted at
all the warnings sho received, and
met anger with anger.
A SCENE OF HORROR
On Sunday night, the 18th of
August 1884, all the girls went to
bed at 1880, as usual Miss God
dard, who had been alarmed by tho
reports, had slipped on her night
gown over tho rest Of her clOtbinot