Disappearance of Nuns--St. Pierre--Gags--My temporary Confinement in a
Cell--The Cholera Season--How to avoid it--Occupation in the Convent
during the Pestilence--Manufacture of Wax Candles--The Election
Riots--Alarm among the Nuns--Preparations for defence--Penances.
I am unable to say how many nuns disappeared while I was in the
Convent. There were several. One was a young lady called St. Pierre, I
think, but am not certain of her name. There were two nuns by this
name. I had known her as a novice with me. She had been a novice about
two years and a half before I became one. She was rather large without
being tall and had rather dark hair and eyes. She disappeared
unaccountably, and nothing was said of her except what I heard in
whispers from a few of the nuns, as we found moments when we could
speak unobserved.
Some told me they thought she must have left the Convent; and I might
have supposed so, had I not some time afterward found some of her
things lying about, which she would, in such a case, doubtless have
taken with her. I never had known any thing more of her than what I
could observe or conjecture. I had always, however, the idea that her
parents or friends were wealthy, for she sometimes received clothes and
other things, which were very rich.
Another nun, named Saint Paul, died suddenly; but as in other cases, we
knew so little, or rather were so entirely ignorant of the cause and
circumstances that we could only conjecture; and being forbidden to
converse freely on that or any other subject, thought but little about
it. I have mentioned that a number of veiled nuns thus mysteriously
disappeared during my residence among them. I cannot, perhaps, recall
them all, but I am confident there were as many as five, and I think
more. All that we knew in such cases was, that one of our number who
had appeared as usual when last observed, was nowhere to be seen, and
never was again. Mad Jane Ray, on several such occasions, would indulge
in her bold, and, as we thought, dangerous remarks. She had intimated
that some of those, who had been for a time in the Convent, were by
some means removed to make way for new ones; and it was generally the
fact, that the disappearance of one and the introduction of another
into our community, were nearly at the same time. I have repeatedly
heard Jane Ray say, with one of her significant looks, "When you
appear, somebody else disappears!"
It is unpleasant enough to distress or torture one's self; but there is
something worse in being tormented by others, especially where they
resort to force, and show a pleasure in compelling you, and leave you
no hope of escape, or opportunity to resist. I had seen the gags
repeatedly in use, and sometimes applied with a roughness which seemed
rather inhuman; but it is one thing to see and another thing to feel.
There were some of the old nuns who seemed to take pleasure in
oppressing those who fell under their displeasure. They were ready to
recommend or resort to compulsory measures, and ever ready to run for
the gags. These were kept in one of the community-rooms, in a drawer
between two closets; and there a stock of about fifty of them was
always in deposite. Sometimes a number of nuns would prove refractory
at a time; and I have seen battles commenced in which several appeared
on both sides. The disobedient were, however, soon overpowered: and to
prevent their screams from being heard beyond the walls, gagging
commenced immediately. I have seen half a dozen lying, gagged and bound
at once.
I have been subjected to the same state of involuntary silence more
than once; for sometimes I became excited to a state of desperation by
the measures used against me, and then conducted in a manner perhaps
not less violent than some others. My hands had been tied behind me,
and a gag put into my mouth, sometimes with such force and rudeness as
to lacerate my lips and cause the blood to flow freely.
Treatment of this kind is apt to teach submission, and many times I
have acquiesced under orders received, or wishes expressed, with a fear
of a recurrence to some severe measures.
One day I had incurred the anger of the Superior in a greater degree
than usual, and it was ordered that I should be taken to one of the
cells. I was taken by some of the nuns, bound and gagged, carried down
the stairs in the cellar, and laid upon the floor. Not long afterward I
induced one of the nuns to request the Superior to come down and see
me; and on making some acknowledgment I was released. I will, however,
relate this story rather more in detail.
On that day I had been engaged with Jane Ray, in carrying into effect a
plan of revenge upon another person, when I fell under the vindictive
spirit of some of the old nuns, and suffered severely. The Superior
ordered me to the cells, and a scene of violence commenced which I will
not attempt to describe, nor the precise circumstances which led to it.
Suffice it to say, that after exhausting my strength, by resisting as
long as I could against several nuns, I had my hands drawn behind my
back, a leathern band passed first round my thumbs, then round my
hands, and then round my waist, and fastened. This was drawn so tight
that it cut through the flesh of my thumbs, making wounds, the scars of
which still remain. A gag was then forced into my mouth, not indeed so
violently as it sometimes was, but roughly enough; after which I was
taken by main force, and carried down into the cellar, across it almost
to the opposite extremity, and brought to the last of the second range
of cells on the left hand. The door was opened, and I was thrown in
with violence, and left alone, the door being immediately closed and
bolted on the outside. The bare ground was under me, cold and hard as
if it had been beaten down even. I lay still, in the position in which
I had fallen, as it would have been difficult for me to move, confined
as I was, and exhausted by my exertions; and the shock of my fall, and
my wretched state of desperation and fear, disinclined me from any
further attempt. I was in almost total darkness, there being nothing
perceptible except a slight glimmer of light which came in through the
little window far above me.
How long I remained in that condition I can only conjecture. It seemed
to me a long time, and must have been two or three hours. I did not
move, expecting to die there, and in a state of distress which I cannot
describe, from the tight bandage about my hands, and the gag holding my
jaws apart at their greatest extension. I am confident I must have died
before morning, if, as I then expected, I had been left there all
night. By-and-by, however, the bolt was drawn, the door opened, and
Jane Ray spoke to me in a tone of kindness. She had taken an
opportunity to slip into the cellar unnoticed on purpose to see me. She
unbound the gag, and took it out of my mouth, and told me she would do
any thing to get me out of my dungeon. If she had had the bringing of
me down, she would not have thrust me so brutally, and she would be
revenged on those who had. She offered to throw herself upon her knees
before the Superior and beg her forgiveness. To this I would not
consent; but told her to ask the Superior to come to me, as I wished to
speak to her. This I had no idea she would condescend to do; but Jane
had not been gone long before the Superior came, and asked if I had
repented in the sight of God for what I had done. I replied in the
affirmative; and after a lecture of some length on the pain I had given
the Virgin Mary by my conduct, she asked whether I was willing to ask
pardon of all the nuns for the scandal I had caused them by my
behaviour. To this I made no objection; and I was then released from my
prison and my bonds, went up to the community-room, and kneeling before
all the sisters in succession begged the forgiveness and prayers of
each.
Among the marks which I still bear of the wounds received from penances
and violence, are the scars left by the belt with which I repeatedly
tortured myself, for the mortification of my spirit. These are most
distinct on my side; for although the band, which was four or five
inches in breadth, and extended round the waist, was stuck full of
sharp iron points in all parts, it was sometimes crowded most against
my side, by rocking in my chair, and the wounds were usually deeper
there than anywhere else.
My thumbs were several times cut severely by the tight drawing of the
band used to confine my arms, and the scars are still visible upon them.
The rough gagging which I several times endured wounded my lips very
much; for it was common, in that operation, to thrust the gag hard
against the teeth, and catch one or both the lips, which were sometimes
cut. The object was to stop the screams made by the offender as soon as
possible; and some of the old nuns delighted in tormenting us. A gag
was once forced into my mouth which had a large splinter upon it, and
this cut through my under lip, in front, leaving to this day a scar
about half an inch long. The same lip was several times wounded, as
well as the other; but one day worse than ever, when a narrow piece was
cut off from the left side of it, by being pinched between the gag and
the under fore-teeth; and this has left an inequality in it which is
still very observable.
One of the most shocking stories I heard of events that had occurred in
the nunnery before my acquaintance with it, was the following, which
was told me by Jane. What is uncommon, I can fix the date when I heard
it. It was on New-Year's day, 1834. The ceremonies, customary in the
early part of that day, had been performed; after mass, in the morning,
the Superior had shaken hands with all the nuns, and given us her
blessing, for she was said to have received power from heaven to do so
only once a year, and then on the first day of the year. Besides this,
cakes, raisins, &c. are distributed to the nuns on that day.
While in the community-room, I had taken a seat just within the
cupboard-door, where I often found a partial shelter from observation
with Jane, when a conversation incidentally began between us. Our
practice often was, to take places there beside one of the old nuns,
awaiting the time when she would go away for a little while and leave
us partially screened from the observation of others. On that occasion,
Jane and I were left for a time alone; when after some discourse on
suicide, she remarked, that three nuns once killed themselves in the
Convent. This happened, she said, not long after her reception, and I
knew, therefore, that it was several years before, for she had been
received a considerable time before I had become a novice. Three young
ladies, she informed me, took the veil together, or very near the same
time, I am not certain which. I know they have four robes in the
Convent, to be worn during the ceremony of taking the veil; but I have
never seen more than one of them used at a time.
Two of the new nuns were sisters, and the other their cousin. They had
been received but a few days, when information was given one morning
that they had been found dead in their beds, amid a profusion of blood.
Jane Ray said, she saw their corpses, and that they appeared to have
killed themselves, by opening veins in their arms with a knife they had
obtained, and all had bled to death together. What was extraordinary,
Jane Ray added, that she had heard no noise, and that she believed
nobody had suspected that any thing was wrong during the night. Saint
Hypolite, however, had stated, that she found them in the morning,
after the other nuns had gone to prayers, lying lifeless in their beds.
For some reason or other, their death was not made public; but their
bodies, instead of being exhibited in full dress in the chapel, and
afterward interred with solemnity beneath it, were taken
unceremoniously into the cellar, and thrown into the hole I have so
often mentioned.
There were a few instances, and only a few, in which we knew any thing
that was happening in the world; and even then our knowledge did not
extend out of the city. I can recall but three occasions of this kind.
Two of them were when the cholera prevailed in Montreal; and the other
was the election riots. The appearance of the cholera, in both seasons
of its ravages, gave us abundance of occupation. Indeed, we were more
borne down by hard labor at those times, than ever before or afterward
during my stay. The Pope had given early notice that the burning of wax
candles would afford protection from the disease, because so long as
any person continued to burn one, the Virgin Mary would intercede for
him. No sooner, therefore, had the alarming disease made its appearance
in Montreal, than a long wax candle was lighted in the Convent for each
of the inmates, so that all parts of it in use were artificially
illuminated day and night. Thus a great many candles were kept
constantly burning, which were to be replaced from those manufactured
by the nuns. But this was a trifle. The Pope's message having been
promulgated in the Grey Nunnery, the Congregational Nunnery, and to
Catholics at large, through the pulpits, an extraordinary demand was
created for wax candles, to supply which we were principally depended
upon. All who could be employed in making them were therefore set at
work, and I among the rest, assisted in different departments, and
witnessed all.
Numbers of the nuns had been long familiar with the business; for a
very considerable amount of wax had been annually manufactured in the
Convent; but now the works were much extended, and other occupations in
a great degree laid aside. Large quantities of wax were received in the
building, which was said to have been imported from England; kettles
were placed in some of the working-rooms, in which it was clarified by
heat over coal fires, and when prepared, the process of dipping
commenced. The wicks which were quite long, were placed hanging upon a
reel, taken up and dipped in succession, until, after many slow
revolutions of the reel, the candles were of the proper size. They were
then taken to a part of the room where tables were prepared for rolling
them smooth. This is done by passing a roller over them, until they
became even and polished, after which they are laid by for sale. These
processes caused a constant bustle in several of the rooms; and the
melancholy reports from without, of the ravages of the cholera, with
the uncertainty of what might be the result with us, notwithstanding
the promised intercession of the Virgin, and the brilliant lights
constantly burning in such numbers around us, impressed the scenes I
used to witness very deeply on my mind. I had very little doubt myself
of the strict truth of the story we had heard of the security conferred
upon those who burnt candles, and yet I sometimes had serious fears
arise in my mind. These thoughts, however, I did my utmost to regard as
great sins, and evidences of my own want of faith.
It was during that period that I formed a partial acquaintance with
several Grey nuns, who used to come frequently for supplies of candles
for their Convent. I had no opportunity to converse with them, except
so far as the purchase and sale of the articles they required. I became
familiar with their countenances and appearances, but was unable to
judge of their characters or feelings. Concerning the rules and habits
prevailing in the Grey Nunnery; I therefore remained as ignorant as if
I had been a thousand miles off; and they had no better opportunity to
learn anything of us beyond what they could see around them in the room
where the candles were sold.
We supplied the Congregational Nunnery also with wax candles, as I
before remarked; and in both those institutions, it was understood a
constant illumination was kept up. Citizens were also frequently
running in to buy candles, in great and small quantities, so that the
business of storekeeping was far more laborious than common.
We were confirmed in our faith in the intercession of the Virgin, when
we found that we remained safe from the cholera; and it is a remarkable
fact, that not one case of that disease existed in the nunnery, during
either of the seasons in which it proved so fatal in the city.
When the election riots prevailed in Montreal, the city was thrown into
general alarm; we heard some reports, from day to day, which made us
anxious for ourselves. Nothing, however, gave me any serious thoughts
until I saw uncommon movements in some parts of the nunnery, and
ascertained, to my own satisfaction, that there was a large quantity of
gunpowder stored in some secret place within the walls, and that some
of it was removed, or prepared for use, under the direction of the
Superior.
I have mentioned several penances, in different parts of this
narrative, which we sometimes had to perform. There is a great variety
of them; and, while some, though trifling in appearance, became very
painful, by long endurance, or frequent repetition; others are severe
in their nature, and would never be submitted to unless through fear of
something worse, or a real belief in efficacy to remove guilt. I will
mention here such as I recollect, which can be named without offending
a virtuous ear; for some there were, which, although I have been
compelled to submit to, either by misled conscience, or the fear of
severe punishments, now that I am better able to judge of my duties,
and at liberty to act, I would not mention or describe.
Kissing the floor, is a very common penance; kneeling and kissing the
feet of the other nuns, is another: as are kneeling on hard peas, and
walking with them in the shoes. We had repeatedly to walk on our knees
through the subterranean passage, leading to the Congregational
Nunnery; and sometimes to eat our meals with a rope round our necks.
Sometimes we were fed only with such things as we most disliked. Garlic
was given to me on this account, because I had a strong antipathy
against it. Eels were repeatedly given to some of us, because we felt
an unconquerable repugnance to them, on account of reports we had heard
of their feeding on dead carcasses, in the river St. Lawrence. It was
no uncommon thing for us to be required to drink the water in which the
Superior had washed her feet. Sometimes we were required to brand
ourselves with a hot iron, so as to leave scars; at other times to whip
our naked flesh with several small rods, before a private altar, until
we drew blood. I can assert, with the perfect knowledge of the fact,
that many of the nuns bear the scars of these wounds.
One of our penances was to stand for a length of time, with our arms
extended, in imitation of the Saviour on the cross. The _Chemin de la
Croix_, or Road to the Cross, is, in fact, a penance, though it
consists of a variety of prostrations, with the repetition of many
prayers, occupying two or three hours. This we had to perform
frequently, going into the chapel, and falling before each chapelle in
succession, at each time commemorating some particular act or
circumstance reported of the Saviour's progress to the place of his
crucifixion. Sometimes we were obliged to sleep on the floor in the
winter, with nothing over us but a single sheet; and sometimes to chew
a piece of window-glass to a fine powder, in the presence of the
Superior.
We had sometimes to wear leathern belts stuck full of sharp metallic
points round our waists, and the upper part of our arms, bound on so
tight that they penetrated the flesh, and drew blood.
Some of the penances was so severe, that they seemed too much to be
endured; and when they were imposed, the nuns who were to suffer them,
sometimes showed the most violent repugnance. They would often resist,
and still oftener express their opposition by exclamations and screams.
Never, however, was any noise heard from them, for a long time for
there was a remedy always ready to be applied in cases of the kind. The
gag which was put into the month of the unfortunate Saint Francis, had
been brought from a place where there were forty or fifty others, of
different shapes and sizes. These I have seen in their depository,
which is a drawer between two closets, in one of the community-rooms.
Whenever any loud noise was made, one of these instruments was
demanded, and gagging commenced at once. I have known many, many
instances, and sometimes five or six nuns gagged at once. Sometimes
they would become so much excited before they could be bound and
gagged, that considerable force was necessary to be exerted; and I have
seen the blood flowing from months into which the gag had been thrust
with violence.
Indeed I ought to know something on this department of nunnery
discipline: I have had it tried upon myself, and I can bear witness
that it is not only most humiliating and oppressive, but often
extremely painful. The month is kept forced open, and the straining of
the jaws at their utmost stretch, for a considerable time, is very
distressing.
One of the worst punishments which I ever saw inflicted, was that with
a cap; and yet some of the old nuns were permitted to inflict it at
their pleasure. I have repeatedly known them to go for a cap, when one
of our number had transgressed a rule, sometimes though it were a very
unimportant one. These caps were kept in a cupboard in the old nuns'
room, whence they were brought when wanted.
They were small, made of a reddish looking leather, fitted closely to
the head, and fastened under the chin with a kind of buckle. It was the
common practice to tie the nun's hands behind and gag her before the
cap was put on, to prevent noise and resistance. I never saw it worn by
any for one moment, without throwing them into severe sufferings. If
permitted, they would scream in a most shocking manner; and they always
writhed as much as their confinement would allow. I can speak from
personal knowledge of this punishment, as I have endured it more than
once; and yet I have no idea of the cause of the pain. I never examined
one of the caps, nor saw the inside, for they are always brought and
taken away quickly; but although the first sensation was that of
coolness, it was hardly put on my head before a violent and
indescribable sensation began, like that of a blister, only much more
insupportable; and this continued until it was removed. It would
produce such an acute pain as to throw us into convulsions, and I think
no human being could endure it for an hour. After this punishment we
felt its effects through the system for many days. Having once known
what it was by experience, I held the cap in dread, and whenever I was
condemned to suffer the punishment again, felt ready to do any thing to
avoid it. But when tied and gagged, with the cap on my head again, I
could only sink upon the floor, and roll about in anguish until it was
taken off.
This was usually done in about ten minutes, sometimes less, but the
pain always continued in my head for several days. I thought that it
might take away a person's reason if kept on a much longer time. If I
had not been gagged, I am sure I should have uttered awful screams. I
have felt the effects for a week. Sometimes fresh cabbage leaves were
applied to my head to remove it. Having had no opportunity to examine
my head, I cannot say more.
This punishment was occasionally resorted to for very trifling
offences, such as washing the hands without permission; and it was
generally applied on the spot, and before the other nuns in the
community-room.