The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-02
OUTRAGE ON SIX NUNS.
VIOLENCE USED TOWARD THREE
OF THEM IN THEIR CONVENT.

Neighboring House, Is Finally Awak-
ened and He Hurries to the Rescue
With a Shotgun-The Unknown In
truder Escapes Through Window
by Which He Entered the Convent.
Was He Insane2
From the Nelc York Sun, Aug. 81
Six sisters in the Convent of Our Lady of
Sorrows in Harrison place, near Morgan
avenue. Williamsburgh, had a strange ex-
perience with an unknown man at o'clock
Yesterday morning. The man seized one of
the sisters, 10 years old, in her bedroom,
and, frightened by her cries. attacked two
others IN the hall Father Zentgraf came
too late with his shotgun, and the man es-
capped.
The convent is a branch of the Dominican
convent of the most Holy Trinity Church
In Graham avenue. 1t is in charge of six
sisters, including mother superior, and
they have in their care eight orphans
Their building faces Harrison place. 1t is a
substantial two-story frame structure, and
in the rear is lawn. Two fences separated
the rear from Ingram street, on which
thoroughfare in the neighborhood Of the
convent there are no buildings. The
Catholic Church of Our Lady of Sorrow. of
winch fdIneI JOuA ID al Is Gub DaS-
tor. is on the corner OF Morgan avenue and
Harrison place. The convent adjoins it.
The priests residence is beside the church
on the Morgan avenue side. The rear of
the priests house is distant from the rear of
the convent about fifty feet. The windows
of the room on the first floor of the convent
are about five feet from the ground The
rooms overlooking the lawns ara the kitchen
and the kindergarten for the orphans. The
orphans sleep in the rooms on the first floor
next to the kitchen, but the rooms lead out
TO the corridor. The sleeping apartments of
the sisters are on the second floor Each
sister has her own room.
They retire at 9 o'clock every night and
rise again at 4:30 o'clock every morn
ing. Before going to their room every door
and window on the first floor is securely
fastened and every light in the convent is
extinguished 1t was about l O'clock yes
terday morning when one of the sisters was
awakened by some one passing his hands
over her. The intruder also caught hold
of her arms.
"Wbo are you? Who are yous Tell me,
quick" exclaimed the sister.
There was no response, and she began to
scream. The man put his hands over her
mouth and tried to prevent her. She
struggled to get out of bed.
'If you scream again I'll kill YOU"
shouted the man, as he tried to throw her
back.
In the meantime the others were aroused.
and they also began to scream. All ran into
the hallway with the exception of the
mother superior, who looked around for a
match to light the gas. The sister who was
attacked freed herself from her assailant
and Joined her associates In the hall. The
man ran after her and grabbed another
sister and tried to throw her on the floor.
She struggled, and just then the fash of
light from the mother superior's room
partly lit up the hall The mother supe-
rior ran out of her room, and the other sis
ters went toward her. Then all ran down
the stairs. The man followed, shouting in
suits at them all the way down. At the
foot Of the stairs he caught hold of another
sister and threw her TO the floor.
Scarcely three minutes had elapsed from
the time the first sister was attacked. No
one outside had heard their screams. Fin
ally the mother superior opened a window
in the kindergarten and shouted for the
priest. The priest did not hear her. She
then picked up a dishpan aud hurled it at
window OF the priests house. The noise
awoke him and he opened his window. He
soon understood the situation. He hurried
on his trousers, and, arming himself with a
shotgun, ran over into the convent yard
and fired shot into the air to attract the
police.I
When the police reached the convent they
made search Of the house, but failed to
find any trace of the man. He evidently
made his escape through the kitchen window
through which he had gained an entrance
by forcing back the window latch
the mother superior told reporter yes-
terday afternoon that she was not willing
TO have her own name or that of her asso-
ciates published in connection with the
affair.
Suffice it to say" she said, sit was the
most terrible affair we ever experienced.
The fellows motive was not robbery, but q
hehdish design. He evidently knew we
were alone, because he did not des;st after
the first sister fled from him. He was q
snort thick-set fellow, evidently German,
ana mad no shoes on. [ couldn't see
MS race, but saw him from behind. He
was In his shirt sleeves. 1t strikes me the
man knew the inside Of the house."
>. Notwithstanding her desire to avoid pub
hclty, the mother superior consented later
the affair: "a
III was about L o'clock this morning when
nl man forced bis way in through the window.
EVeI yIhlng was dark in the convent then.
sn9 she nuns were all asleep in their in
unvI4ual cells on the second floor. The man
S S up to this floor aud pushed open the
o Goor " cell where one of our sisters was
sleeplng- She awoke to find the mans hand
iHd on her breast, and she screamed for me
~ fright The next moment everything
%os al ConIuslon. All the nuns rushed from
SIeI Cells In their night robes out into the
Han! corridor and toward my room. The
aiah nao rushed out into the corridor. too,
anu IN The darkness he tried to throw his
arlns around one of the nuhs again. This
vas alinoSt enough to throw them into a
paulc, ana all welse screaming when lbev
oa9le 10 my room. l threw open the window
Sau calied Tor the police, but there were no
poncemen around,
m, 1nen picked UP missile in nv room
qnu tossed 1t against the window of the
T taev. John b. Zentgrafs bedroom He
b;.e III the rectory opposite This awoke
on an, .e anu wnen he heard that q man was in
a. SouVent ne came out with a gun and
had h ~ ~ tue direction ia which the man
the Zen len seen TO disappear. The noise of
mo- 9N I, 1naily brought around two polca-
fail, OUT dlligent search on their part
'01e 81 70 hnd our visitor.
AS there was nothing rniss;no, T., A.
tbbnSeht 1t is very plain what the 0hiect Of
nuns 90. 'tsi. was. From the view the
Germ Vi nm they believe him to be
wore I W. ne was In his shirt sleeves and
wastcos. y oerDy with black trousers and
Tnan, VI sne convent are Ger
man h ponce are of the opinion that the
10 lonely a. u me nelghoorhood. The place
characters N'enV' ana is infested by hard
oarsapaTilla has the largest sale IF