The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-31
OUTRAGE ON SIX NUNS.
VIOLENCE USED TOWARD THREE OF
THEM IN THEIR CONVENT.


A MN Breaks Into the Convent OF Our
Lady OF Sorrows In yviniamsbureh at
Midnight md seixes . Sister In Her
sieep-Fnther Zentgrnr, in = NeiEhbor.
Ing Honse. Is Finally Awakened and Ho
Hurr,es to the Rescue with = Shot
Gun-The Unknown Intruder Escapes
Through a Window bs which He En-.
teyd tho Convent-Wns Me Insanes
Six Sisters IN the Convent OF Our Lady OF
Sorrows In Harrison place. near Morgan ave-
nue. Willlamsburgh. had q strange experience
with nm unknown man at o'clock Yesterday
morning. The man seized ono Of the Sisters.
10 years old. in her bedroom. and frightened
by her cries. attacked two others in the hall.
Father Ientgraf cane too late with his shot
gun. and the man escaped.
Tho convent Is branch OF the Dominican
Convent of the Most Holy Trinity Church in
Graham avenue 1t ia In charge Of six Sisters.
including Mother Superior. and they have In
their care eight orphans Their building faces
Harrison place. 1t Ia q substantial two.story
frame structure. and In the renr Is q lawn.
Two fences separate the rear from Ingrahnn
street on which thoroughfare in tho neehbor-
hood Of the convent there are no buildings
Tho Catholic Church OF Our Lady OF Sorrow.
(which Father John b. Zentcraf Is the pas
tor. is on the corner OF Morgan avonuc and
Harrison place. The convent adjoins It.
The piies's residence IL beside the church
ON the Morgan avenue side. The rcnr
OF the priests house is distant from the renr OF
the convent about fifty feet. The windows OF
the room on the first floor OF the convent arc
about five feet from the ground. The rooms
overlooking the lawns are tho kitchen md the
kindergarten for the orphans. The orphans
sleep in Poms on the first floor next to the
kitchen. but their rooms lead out to the corri-
dor. Tho sleeping apartments Of the sisters
are on the second floor. Each sister has her
own room.
They retire at o'clock every night and rise
again at 1870 In the morning. Before going to
their room every door and window on he first
floor Is security fastened aud every light In the
convent Is eNtinguished 1t was about l
o'clock yesterday morning when one OF he SIS
te's WAS awakened by someone passing his
hands over her. Tho intruder also caught
hold OF her arms.
WHO are your Who are you: Toll mo
quick" exclaimed the sister.
There WAY NJ response. and she began to
scream. Tho man put his hands over her
mouth and triedlto proven. her. She struggled
TO get out OF bod
If you scream ngain I'll kill you" shouted
the man as he tried to throw her back.
In the moan time the other sisters were
aroused. and they also began 10 scream. All
ran into the hallway with the exception OF the
Mother superior. who looked around for O
match to light the gas. The sister who was at
tackled freed herself from her assailant and
joined her associates In tho hall. The man
ran after her and grabbed another Sister and
tried to throw her on the floor. She struggled,
and lust :hen the flash OF light from the
har Cvp tres, II, A.n
The Mother Superior ran out OF her room and
the other Sisters wont toward her. Then all
ran down the stairs The man followed. shout
Ing insults at them all the way down. At the
foot OF the stairs he caught hold Of another
Sister and throw her to tho floor.
Scarcely three minutes had elapsed from the
time the first Sister was attacked. No one out
side had heard their screams. Finally tho
Mother Superior opened n window In tho kin.
dergaren and shouted for the priest Tho
priest did not hear her She then picked up a
dishpan and 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.
arminR himself with shotgun. ran over into
the convent yard and fred shot into the air
to attract the nolice.
When the police reached the convent they
made search OF the house. but failed 10 find
any trace OF the man. He evidently made his
escape through the kitchen window through
which lie had gained an entrance BY forcing
back the window latch.
The Mother Superior told a Sun reporter
yesterday afternoon that she was not willing
to have her own name or that OF her associates
published in connection with the affair.
Suffice 1t TO say" she said. 1T was tho
most terrible affair We ever experienced. The
follows motive " as not robbery. but nendish
design. He evidently knew VIC were alone. be-
cause he did not desist after the first Sister
fed from him. He was short. thck-set fell
low. evidently German. and had no shoes on
him. couldn't soc his face. but saw him from
behin1. He was In his shirt sleeves. 1t strikes
me the man know tho inside OF the house,
Notwith standing her desire to avoid pub
licity tho Mother Superior consented later
yesterday to give the following account OF the
affair:
1t was about o'clock this morning when
man forced his way In through q window.
Everything was dark in the convent then. and
the nuns were all asleep in their individual
cells on tho second floor. The man climbed
up to this floor and pushed open the
door OF q cell whore ono o. our
Sisters was sleeping She awoke to find the
mans hand laid on her breast. and she scream-
ed for me in fright. The next moment every
thing was in confusion. All the nuns rushed
from thoir coils in their night robes out
into the dark corridor and toward
my room. The man had rushed ont
into tho corridor. too. md in the darkness
he tried to throw his arms around one OF tho
nuns again. This was almost enough TO throw
them into a panic. and all w9o scroam-
Ing when they came to my room. l threw open
the window and called for the police, but ,hoie
were no policemen around.
Then picked Mp missllei in my room md
tossed It against the window OF the Rev. John
H. Zentgraf's bedroom. felives In the rectory
opposite. This awoke him. and when he heard
that a man was In our convent he came out
with gun and fired 1t In the direction in which
the man had been seen to disappear. The
noise OF the shots finally brought around two
policemen. but dllgent search on their part
failed to find our visitor.
AS there was nothing missing In the con-
vent 1t IL very plain what the object Of the
mans visit was. From tho view the nuns got
OF him they believe him to DO German. Ho