The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-22
A CASE MOST SINGULAR
A Pin or a Needle for Every
Crime Committed.
AS a Result Her Body Becomes One
Vast PincushiOn, and the Doctors
Are Now at Work to Ease Her of
Her Burden-It Was IL Startling
Revelation to the Sisters in
Charge-Had Confessed to IL Priest

CINCINNATI, July 21.-A we'll
dressed young lady applied at the Gin
cinnati hospital for admission yester-
day afternoon. She presented a letter
from the mother superior of the con-
vent where she had resided. The let
ter said the bearer, Miss Nellie
Thomas, had been employed at the
convent some time and was suffering
from swollen legs and feet. Nothing
except the symptoms referred to in the
letter was found on the preliminary
examination, but later it was decided
10 lance the feet. when it was found
the limbs and feet were imbedded With
pins and needles. Forty-one needles
were extracted from her body, and she
was not able till today to endure fur
Their operations, when ten more were
extracted and it is thought others will
be found. The physicians fear blood
poisoning will set in and that the case
in any event may prove hopeless. The
girl protested till after the operations
that she could not tell how her feet
and limbs became imbedded with these
needles, but finally she said that she
had been at the convent of the Good
Shepherd for several years.
Had Gone Wrong.
She was an orphan and alone in the
world. During her stay there she had
gone wrong. Not only once but per-
sistently. She had done that which
she knew was not right, and for every
sin she had committed she had done
penance by thrusting a needle into one
of her legs. She explained that each
operation had caused her agonizing
pain, and that at times the operations
were almost unbearable, but she felt
that she must bear the pain as a re-
compense for the sin committed. This
mode of doing penance she said had
covered a period of more than two
years. Her wrong-doings had been of
Frequent occurrence, and she was IN
able to estimate the number of needles
she had placed in her limbs. She said
she and another girl in the convent
had become unnaturally infatuated
with each other. They had acted as
lovers and had together sinned against
God and nature. She SAID she had
confessed TO a priest at the convent
who was greatly shocked at the con-
fession she made.
Sisters Surprised
The sisters were greatly surprised at
the statement made by the girl and
could not understand how such condi-
tons could have existed in the insti-
tuition without their knowledge They
made no attempt to deny the story,
but were no doubt in ignorance of
such relations existing between any
persons.
Sister Superior Mary Malone stated
that the outcome of the examination
of Miss Thomas was a startling revela-
ton to her. She had been aware Of the
condition of the patients feet and legs
for several months, but had no idea
Of the cause.
Yesterday her limbs were so swollen
and her condition SO serious that the
mother insisted upon her going to the
hospital AS to that portion Of the
story regarding Miss Thomas infat-
uatiOn and intimacy with another fe-
male in the convent, Sister Malone de-
clared she knew nothing of it and
was surprised and shocked beyond
measure.
Miss Nellie is able to talk tonight,
but is very weak and suffering intense
pain.
Chancellor Moeller, of the Cincinnati
diocese, was seen at the arch-episcopal
residence and said the case of this wo-
man is beyond all comprehension. He
stated that it was a case without a
parallel in the history of the Catholic
church and one for which no explana-
ton could be given.
1T goes without saying" said Mr..
Moeller, that such action on the Fart
of this girl was voluntary and I know
that had the sisters of the convent
known she had been thus Furnishing
herself they would not have permitted
it. l cannot understand how any per-
SON can pretend to believe that there
is any such way Of doing penance.
Such a thing is beyond my compre-
tension"