MARRIED A NUN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 111, 12 May 1910, Page 8

MARRIED A NUN.

REPRISALS AFTER 33 YEARS. (From Our Australian Corespondent.) SYDNEY, 7th May. The burning topic in Sydney this week has been the exclusion of Dr. Fiaschi from St. Vincent's Roman Catholic Hos-. pita!. Lieut. -Colonel Dr. Thomas Henry Fiaschi M.D.. D.5.0., now 57 years old, and for thirty-five yeais resident in New South Wales, is one of the most distinguished and most popular of fcjyaney physicians. He is a soldier-surgeon, who served with honour with the Italian army during the Abyssinian campaign of 1896, and was specially decorated by King Humbert. He served with the British Army in South Africa in 18891900, PJid received the D.S.O. for services at Paardeberg. He is an honorary surgeon of Sydney Hospital, and the considerable Italian community of New South Wales regards him with affectionate esteem. In 1876 Dr. Fiaschi married Miss Kaiherine Reynolds, daughter of a Leitrim Irishman. Miss Reynolds was at the time a professed Sister of Charity at St. Vincent's Hospital, under perpetual vows. St. Vincent's Hospital is the chief Roman Catholic hospital in Sydney. Attached to it is a pavilion, nominally unsectarian, where many doctors send private patients, chiefly Roman Catholic. Dr. Fiaschi says in reference to his marriage that — "As you can understand, I had to take my wife away to marry her. I couldn't very well ask permission ! "I went to practise in Windsor. No doubt they tried to injure me as well as they could. But I fought my battle ond I survived it. I had a good deal of obstructing and persecuting, but I was never discouraged. I paid no attention to them. This persecution died down. I have always worked amicably with everybody. Naturally, I never put my foot "inside St. Vincent's Hospital. My wife had made friends with them again somehow. Then, one day, in September last, I think, when the rev. mother rectress was in our house, she saw me. and invited me to send patients to the private hospital pavilion. I was welcome to send them, she said. "There is a well-known private hospital to which I have been for many years sending my patients. But after that I sent several who were Roman Catholics to St. Vincent's Pavilion. I sent a patient first in about December, and I have recommended the place to other medical men. "Before sending patients I went with my son to inspect the pavilion. We were received most cordially. They took us over the whole place, and offered to send for the rev. mother redress. There have been the most cordial relations between us." Then, some months ago, Dr. Carlo Fiaschi, Dr. Fiaschi' s son, got into trouble. He was practising at a country town some distance from Sydney. He was accused of malpractice in connection with a female patient, and stood hi* trial, being eventually acquitted. The circumstances of the case were such that the verdict apparently failed completely to rehabilitate Dr. Carlo Fiaschi in his own esteem. He commenced drinking heavHy, and a few days ago was found dying from an overdose of morphia. At the inquest the coroner returned a verdict of accidental death. Dr. Carlo Fiaschi was a member of the Church of England, and was buried with the rites of the Church of England. To this circumstance Dr. Fiaschi attributes a letter which he received almost immediately from the Superior-General of St. Vincent's Convent, requesting him to withdraw from all professional connection with St. Vincent's private hospital, on account of "the unrest and dissatisfaction . . . arising from the sad episode of long past years" — this episode, of course, being Dr." Fiaschi's marriage in the circumstances stated. Dr. Fiaschi, in complying with the request, published the correspondence. The result has been to set Sydney in an uproar. The secretarian press, both on the Protestant and Catholic side, is devoting pages to the matter. The daily papers have printed many letters for and against Dr. Fiaschi. The most remarkable of these is the following letter, signed by more than eight of the leaaing Italian residents in Sydney. This was published, with wine variation in each paper, by both the Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph, and its terms illustrate the extent to which religious passion has been roused, as well as the strong anti-clerical feeling of Young Italy. "To the Editor.— Sir,— As Catholics and Italians we wish to energetically protest against the treatment meted out to Dr. Fiaschi, and we seize the opportunity to express the hope that this country, which gives us hospitality, and to which we are attached by indissoluble chains of affection, may rid itself once for all of the scandalous tyranny which the Catholic Church has practised in all times and all over the world, thus prostituting the. religion of Christ, and speculating on the ignorance of the people and alienating the minds of many trom it. "We Italians know from our own personal knowledge that this plague exists, arid that it has contaminated for mauy centruies our own dear country, until x at> last by the shedding of the blood of our ancestors it has now been circumscribed, and to made impossible for further harm like a wild animal in its cage. "To-day a well-known artist dear to' the Australian public is playing a drama partly historical, and of all the dreadful characters depicted therein the worst is that of a Catholic priest who excites the crowd to kill the Huguenots in the name of God. We can therefore fairly presume, that the dastardly act committed against Dr. Fiaschi has been done also in the name of God, who is, or- should be, the God of charity. "We only hope tha-fc, after all, from . these sectarian excesses good may result, and that this country, folio wine; the example of one of the most cultured nations of the world (France), will free itself from this tyranny, and progress not only in civilisation, but also in charity. — Yours, eU.. C. Capo. G. F. Cuzino, M. Rossi, F. Gagliardi, G. Stesi, A. Riolo, B. Callose, Count G. Tendering and others." The excitement of the incident has not yet been ended, and n«i V champions on the side of the Churih and of Dr. Fiaschi arise daily.

Customs officers are not relaxing their vigilance on Wellington's wharves. Today one of the sentinels was visible on a cart dipping into some tins of dripping with a long piece of stick. The fat had been collected from steamer*,' galleys, aixl it was well ransacked for any dutiable tjoods. that miglrf; be lurking *in the compost. Other tilings which attract the Customs eye ore "the long bags of soiled linen dumped a&iore in great quantities from steamers. The parcels are not opened out on the waterfront ; there is a more thorough test. Occasionally an officer accompanies the consignment to a laundry, and stands by till the last bag surrenders its last pillow-slip. The Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Xeligan) was taken ill on Tuesday afternoon. The Bishop was pronounced by his medical adviser (reports the Herald) to be suffering from a threatened nervous breakdown. Hih Lordship has been ordered complete roai, and freedom from all duties and personal visitations for iomo d&ye.