The Irish standard., 1903-10-10
A VILE ISLANDER.
Alleged Author of Book Reveals Ras-
cality Of Publishers.

callty Of Publishers.
The following letter is taken from
the Richmond (Na.) News Leader:
City Hail.
Richmond. Va, Aug. n, 1903.
Editor The News Leader:
| Owing to the various sensational
stories lately published in the papers
concerning me. and in justice to my
self and my religion, Which l love
more than life itself. l deem it my
solemn duty before God to make
known. ere depart this mortal life. the
following facts: l was born Jan. IS,
1880, in Princess Anne county. VA.
At five years of age my family remov-
ed to Norfolk. VA, where | was edu-
Gated as an Episcopalian. Although
an Episcopalian. even when Il young
child, I fell in love with the Catholic
religion. The strict Episcopalian ed,l-
cation l received was in reality the
means of my conversion to the Cath
Ollie religion. us it was through Episco-
l,alianiSm that | saw the truth of
Cathoicity. My love for the old
Apostolic faith continued to increase.
would often steal away from home
to attend the Catholic services \
nurse WAS afterwards appointed by
my mother to see that | WAS prevent
cd from attending the Catholic Church.
Even the ringing of the Catholic bells
WAS music to my soul. At the ago of
fifteen | WAS received into the Catholic
| Church at Norfolk, Va. by Rev. Fa-
Their lIitZclbcrgcr. | WAS IL frrvcnt
Catholic and very faithful to the ,lll-
ties. About the age of seventeen, and
contrary to the wishes of my spiritual
| adviser, at Norfolk. | determined to
| become religious Tile priest. my
spiritual adviser. told me tlccSivcly
| that had no religious vocation. that
my place WAS in the world. and that
| by remaining i'm the world could do
far more good than by becoming" Il re-
ligiouS. | afterwards discovered to
my SORROW thHt his decision was Hl,So-
lntrly correct. that | had no religious
vocation. and should have remained in
the world. Would to God that had
followed the advice of my kind and
fatllcrIy director. Had done so how
much unjust persecution from the
world would have been spared mo.
Through the agency of my "odmothrr
| obtained an entrance into st. JOS
rph'S Academy ut Emmrttsburg, Md
| WAS entered as Il postuIant to the
Sisters of Charity for the first three
months. after which entered the
noritnir, where ! remained as :;
novice for about four years. at the end
of which time and. unknown to my
SllpcriorS. l. early one morning. quietly
| left the institution. missed the stage
and walked about twelve miles to
trtnHcrStoWn, Il small village in Mary
land, There stopped at Il country
inn and at once wrote to my father
| that had left Emmc,sburg. and TO-
| uucStcd him to come for me. Mean
time the sisters at Emmctsbury learn
ed of my departure and of my where
aboutS. Thinking my going away was
! the result of Il GirliSli notion which
would afterwards regret, some of the
sisters. bringing with them all my be-
ongings. including some jewels. adj
viSed me in II kindly manner that ii
would be to my interest to return.
When they saw | was determined not
to go back to their institution, they
gave me all my belongings. and with
out attempting in the least the use of
any force left me unmolested, and
! quietly departed Soon afterwards my
father came and returned with me to
his home ut Norfolk, Va. My mother
had meantime died in the yellow fevet
epidemic. and | felt it my duty to as
sumo her household duties. being. Ds
l was, the Oldest of nine children.
remained at home. as nearly as l can
remember. some two or three years.
when I married Solomon Andrews, Nj.
ID. assert that it is absolutely false
to designate mo as an cX-nun. l never
having been Il nun. 1t is Il cnlnmny to
say that l. by my marriage. broke my
vows. At the time of my marriage
| was 10 religious in any sense of the
word. other than being IL Catholic, was
bound by no VOWS, and was just as
free to marry as any one in the world.
All promises of obedience. etc. which
| had made to the order l left, had
binding force for only one year ut II
time. ut the end of which time. in
order that they have further force. II
renewal for another year was. and is.
necessary. AS. prior to my marriage.
had, after left st. Joseph's Acad-
envy. lived in the world mt least two
and possibly three years, it is clear
that l could not be bound by promises
that had long since ceased to have
binding force through lapse of time.
Owing to tho opposition of my father.
my marriage took place in North Caro-
lima. then went with my husband to
a small town in New Jersey, where |
lived for number Of years. One son
was born to me, q beautiful child, tai
cntcd and gifted in every way. l had