The Portland daily press., 1898-08-15

They Are With Prisoners at kIt'cry-
Thank the Bishop for His Many
Kindnesscs.
Bishop Healy of the Maine Catholic
diocese was among the first visitors at the
Spanish prison camp on Seavey's island.
Portsmouth harbor. He has made several
visits there, conducting services and IT.
endin G to the spiritual wants of the
prisoners. That his kindly ministrations
are apprecia ed is manifested by letter
he has received, signed by two Spanish
chaplains. The letter reads as follows:
Most Rev erend and Illustrious Lord
Bishop of Portland, Our Very Dear and
Venerated Lord:
Yesterday we received, through the
Pastor of Portsmouth, the kind an high.
~ PRICED letter of your Lordship. II we
had difficulties during our stay in prison,
however numerous they were, they were
not SO many, nor so great, as not TO be
counterbalanced by the repeated kind
ness on the part of the American Cath
olics. of which we have been the obJec5
and especially on the part OF your nost
iIlustrious Lordship.
Thanks to these many attentions we
have lacked little in our exile and have
often had occasion to rof1ect that we have
found ourselves surrounded in a foreign
land BY such circumstances, that we have
been enabled to take up again our duties
toward our parishioners and also to hold
communication with our kindred when
ever we wish.
The rosaries of your Lordship have been
regarded with great esteem, gratitude anu
fevor, not only because they have been
blessed by his Holiness, Leo XIII. who
to o%aJ l,xyt b, Sr,or1 fch and
that they are sent to us by your Lordship,
but also because the devotion to the
Blessed Virgin, patroness of the Spanish
navy, is very fervent among our brothers
who daily praise and extol her. as was
hourly done by the sailors and officers OF
the st. Louis, and is also done now oy
the officers OF Camp Long. For THIS
reason Admiral Cervera and the Generai'
the second in command, or stan -oncer,
and many seamen and officers--as many
as lOO-who are at Annapolis would re-
ceive with the greatest delight and most
profound reverence your femeIn prauce.
We do not hesitate to assure your LORD :
ship that the majority will use them
every day.
are at your service If 1t pleases you to
make use OF them, OF they can be sent
directly to Annapolis, to the Naval
academy.
In the hospital camp we have many
sick, but there hos been notable inns
provement among them, so great that
out of three hundred, more or less, In the
present condition of things, there are
only eight or ten, God be thanked, who
may be said to be in danger of death.
The chaplains are conceded every Opportu-
nifty and chance fer their spiritual care
and comfort; thus far twenty seven have
died and all of them, with one exception,
had contested and received she sacrament
of extreme junction. 1t is not possible to
administer holy viaticum because the
fever causes vomiting.
to us that your charity toward the
prisoners has no limit and that your
iordship has decided to place $50 at our
disposal. If your Lordship will PERM
we beg him to defer it until January, be-
cause just at this time the Admiral will
remit our application for everything, so
that nothing more is needed, besides,
monthly stipends and the arrears, with
which we can manage to get on very
comfortably. But we do not thank your
Lordship any less for his generosity and
never-failing charity-his Kindness will
always be manifest and fresh In our
hearts, and when God wills that we shall
go away to be again near to our kindred,
the medals, united with others which are
cherished on the hearts of the Spanish
prisoners, will recall to themselves and to
others their undying obligation to
suplieate the God of all mercy to pre-
serve your Lordship, consecrated as it is,
to the service of your fellow-being, and
also that He may increase your flock by
the conversion Of this great American
people to the bosom of the church.
Receive, most beloved Lord, our hum
BILE thanks and send Us your blessing.