Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-12
ADVENTURES OF NUNS.
Three Flee From Death In Ec-
 uador to This Country.
ORUELLY TREATED BY THE REBELS

The Sisters Went There Eight Years Ago to
 Found Schools, but Their Convent Was
 Sacked by the RevoiutioDists, and They
 Escaped Only After Many Perils.
 NEW YORK, July 12.-Sisters of Mercy Genevieve, Josephine and Frances and Father A. NJ. Feeser, q missionary, ar rived here from Colon on the Colombian line steamship Allianca. The sisters pro- ceeded to St. Walburga's convent at Eliza beth, N. J., which they left eight years ago to go to Ecuador and found mission schools under the management of Bishop Schumacher, who has established missions at Jipijapa, Bahia, Decaraguez, Roca- fuerte and Calceta.
 In the late revolution in Ecuador the bishop, his priests and the nuns engaged in missionary work suffered very great in- dignities. Sisters Genevieve, Josephine and Frances and Sister Gertrude, a native of Ecuador, who afterward remained at Bahia, barely escaped from the country with their lives, and they greatly fear that Bishop Schumacher has been assasSinated.
 Sister Genevieve, who is 3S years old was the superior of the mission at Calceta, which was founded three years ago. Two months ago the revolution extended to Calceta, and frequent skirmishes occurrT DISlIOp W NllIl SIX pFlCSbS, was on his way to Quito, and stopped at the convent on June 20 to call on the sis ters and take dinner.
 The revolutionists, who bitterly hated ! the bishop determined to capture him, and invaded the town with 400 men un- der command of a brother of Afford the leader of the revolution. They surrounded the convent and demanded admission, which was refused. On the next day, June 21 a second demand was made for the bishops surrender, and threats were made | to burn the convent if the demand was not complied with. Bishop Schumacher, in order to protect the lives of the nuns, gave himself up to the soldiers and with three of his priests was led away.
 Sister Genevieve's Threat.
 Three priests remained in the convent to protect the nuns, as the demonstrations were still threatening That afternoon 1 detachment of 600 government soldiers , enterd Calceta and gave battle to the reb- 1 els. When the latter saw the troops com- | ing, part of them rushed back to the con- vent and began to batter in the doors. | Sister GeneVieve, who had locked the doors -Opened a window, and displaying the American flag called on the insurgents to desist. A vollcy of yells and curses was the reply of the mob.
 ''I warn you," cried the plucky nun, that we are Americans under the pro- 1 lection of the United States flag, and you will disgrace your country in the eyes of the civilized world by this violence to- ward defenseless, unoffending womcn."
 Down with the flagp' yelled the crowd. And it redoubled its efforts to break in the doors.
 The sisters, thinking their hour had come made their way to the upper part ! off fIrn fh111 thnip knees and began to pray. The doors were | broken, and the mob swarmed up stairs | The priests were knocked down and cruel | ly beaten with the butts of muslets, and one, Father Angel, q Capuchin friar, 1 was stabbed twice in the back and sank to the floor. He was carried ont uncon- l scious.
 The other two were bound with ropes, l and one insurgent raised his machete to bring it down upon priests head when | Sister Gcncvieve sprang forward, and, holding forth her hands to receive the blow, implorcd the insllrgent not to kill him. The priests were dragged away, and | the nuns were ordered to leave When they remonstrated, they, too, were dragged down the stairs to the street, their cloth ing being badly torn and cut with knives. All tho furniture and other contents of the convent were broken up, and the | building was ufcu.
 Miraculous Escape of the Nuns.
 By this time the fighting had become sharp in the streets between the insur- gents and the soldiers, The unfortunate sisters were exposed to shower of bullets, and how they escaped being shot was nothing short of miraculous. They final ly obtained refuge that night in lady $ house. Tho routed insurgents set fire to the town i'll their retreat and the four nuns were obliged, with their host to abandon the house and fly to the country for safety. They got shelter in another house, where they were concealed for thrce days, the insurgents meanwhile searching for them.
 When they got d favorable chance, they entered a canoe at o'clock on the morn ing of June A and paddlcd for 12 hours until they reached Bahia, Docaraguez, where they told their story to the captain of the British steamer Challa, which plies between Bahia and Panama. They had very little money, but the captain agreed to take them to Panama for what they had.
 In boarding the steamer at Bahia in q rowboat, one of the oars broke, and they were swept away by the current. The crew of the steamer gave them up for lost but their boat was blown ashore by tho wind, and they were rescued and taker aboard in another boat.
 |. When they reached Panama, they tolt
 their tale to ethe American consul, who , rendered them all the assistance in hi: power, and gave them money enough tC
 reach the United States. He even wanted
 to take up collection for them in Pana !, ma but they declined to permit him to dt this. They have nothing but words O , praise for the kind and generous manne ! in Ex-hinh fhnv tro0tnH Inv tho Offfpar , of the Allianca.
 , Sister Genevieve expresses the fear tha the bishop and the six priests who wer
 with him at Calceta have all been slain b.
 the revolutionists. She added after tell , ing her story, "There are 22 other nun e in the three missions of our order ip- Ecua 2 dor, and We fear for their safety also.''