Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-05-19
A. P. AS BLACK FLAG
Planted Where a Convent
Was Once Burned.
A SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT.
Somerville Is Said to Be a Stronghold
OF the Protective Association.

BOSTON. May l9. .-Somsrvills has sur.
prise. and the A. y. A. IL the cause OF IT,
Some unknown enthusiast planted the
banner Of this order on the most conspic-
uous unoccupied piece Of land In all
Someryille. and IL now waves ia full view
from almost any point in East Somer.
Vile.
The flag is large black cloth supported
by two poles 10 feet in height. On the
black background are the initials A. Il.
A. In large characters which can be seen
at u great distance. On the supporting
poles are two American flags
People passing by on the cars have
been attracted by IL, and every one is
wonderinsly asking how il got there One
Of the circumstances. which adds inter-
est TO the incident is the peculiar site Sc
Isoted for the banner
II recalled the famous riot when Somer-
tille's citizens In religious frenzy
stormed the Ursuline convent on Mt.
Benedict. Aug. IL, 1884, and, after COM
pelling all 81 the inmates TO leave, burned
the buildings.~
Ever since this hill was known as the
old nunnery grounds. and while IL has
been entirely transformed and the hill
cut down considerab bic. yet the recollec-
tion OF the mob was so distinct that the
incident OF the A. Il. A. flag has occa-
stoned more excitement and comment
than 1t would IL it had been placed any
where else.
Grounds Were Famous.
The old hill upon which the banner
was planted is now owned by the Boston
and Maine railroad, and the company
have taken away the gravel for filing, so
that II Is now little more than an inn
menss gravel heap.
IL was for many years a most pie
turesque locality, for after the destruc-
tion Of the convent the place was regarded
as holy ground, and the tall fences were
maintained and public intrusion guarded
against An old man lived in a small
house and kept people from using the fine
drives about the grounds Finally he
died. The buildings which had been his
home went to decay; some boys set fire to
Il one night.
For ~ years the nunnery grounds had
been closed after the destruction of the
buildings, and then the heavy gates were
taken down and the acres of lawns
drives and shrubbery were thrown open
TO the public.
The grounds became public 20 years
ago, and at that time the ruins of the old
convent still bore some semblance to the
buildings, but they were
Destroyed Little by Little
by boys who used the place as play
ground. So the old convent disappeared
gradually In this way until the Boston
and Maine railroad bought the hill and
began 10 cut 1t down. using the gravel to
fill In their land at Mystic wharf.
II was small wonder that the sign
placed on the site of the old convent Gre
ated the excitement that it did.
A mum ber of residents were out looking
at It yesterday, when laborer made the
statement that he was going up TO take
the thing down.
This aroused the bystanders, who
warned him that the American flag was
flying there upon private property, aud AS
he did not know but what the owners
wanted IL there he had better let Ii alone.
He came back.
The flags and sign were undou btedly
put up by some A. p. A. enthusiast, for
while a reporter was making inquiries
about Someyville on every hand he was
informed of the strength of the A. p. A.
movement There is lodge In Somer-
Vile which has 1900 mem bers, 1t was said,
and IL is admitted that there is hardly a
city of its size in the country that can
boast Of 30 large an A. z. A following