SECTARIAN FEELING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18051, 27 September 1920, Page 8

SECTARIAN FEELING

THE CASE OP SYLVIA THOMAS,

iFbom Oob Own Cobbespondent.) . SYDNEY, September 7. bectaran feeling, already considerably stirred over the case of Sister Ligouri (the ''Reaped Nun"), has been further excited this week by an application for a writ of habeas corpus ordering the Mother Superior of a convent m the suburbs of Sydney to release a g,rl of 16 years of age, who woe recently given into her cliarg« Ihei story was told to the judge by a Mrs Duval an aunt of Sylvia Thomas It appears- that a widower named Thomas died, leaving seven children in the caro of his sister, Mis Duval. Thomaa was himself a Protestant, but his wife, who had predeceased him, was a Catholic. Ho left orders that the children were to bo reared as Protestants. Tfte seven children were a heavy burden for Mrs Duval herself a poor woman, and after a time she put live of them into a large orphanage. She was then absent from. Sydney for a time and on her return she found that the five children had been taken away from the orplwnage by another aunt, a sister of the dead mother, and a Roman Catholic, and placed in various Roman Catholic institutions. Mrs D.uval immediately proceeded to recover the children. She got four of them back without much trouble, but she had somo trouble at first in even ascertaining the whereabouts of the fifth, Sylvia Then she learned the girl was in the Convent of the Good Samaritan, St. Magdalene's Retreat, Tempo. This place is really a laundry, the work being done by the' inirates Mrs Duval applied at tho convent and was told by the mother superior that she could not see Sylvia under any conditions. Those were the orders she had received from the officials. Mrs Duval wont away, but could not discover any officials who had given such aji order. She wont back nnd told the mother superior so. Tho latter snid Mrs Duval could not sec her neiee unless she had a written order from the secretary of tho St. Vincent, do Paul Society—a Catholic body. Mrs Duval applied to him and was refused an order. Mrs Duval wont back again to tho convont, accompanied by a solicitor's clerk. The mother superior point blank refused to let tli? woman see her niece. Then Mrs Duval threatened -legal proceedings, and told the identity of the solicitor's clerk. Tho mother superior then said she would "see," and was absent about 20 minute , ? She came back with Sylvia Thomas. Sho expressed eagerness to leave the place, and made her aunt iJromi.se to do her best to get her released. Later on Mrs Duval, accompanied by a solicitor, weut to the convent and formally demanded the release of Sylvia Thomas. This was refused. They demanded to see tho girl. This olso was" refused. The solicitor then said he would apply for a writ of habeas corpus. The convent poople were obdurate; they simply said their inplruciions were not to allow anyone to sec tho g«rl. The judge duly issuod the writ of habeas corpus, and on this being served on the mother superior of the convent. Sylvia Thomas was released and taken homo by her Kunt. In viow of the present state of public feeling in rrprmd to sectarian ofTairs. fhis l-'tt l " omhan i-irl is in danger of becoming a "porsonnore."