THE CONSPIRATORS AT WORK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9, 1 March 1900, Page 3

THE CONSPIRATORS AT WORK.

' Early in the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Hoyte came to my house with the same old man, wishing me to make all my efforts to find the girl, in the meantime speaking very bitterly against the Catholics, the priests, and the nuns ; mentioned that my daughter had been in a nunnery, where she had been ill-treated. I denied that my daughter had ever been in a nunnery ; that when she was about eight years of age she went to a day-school ; at that time came in two other persons, whom Mr. Hoyte introduced ; one was the Rev. Mr. Brewster ; Ido not recollect the other reverence's name. They all requested me, in the most pressing terms, to try to make it out my daughter had been in the nunnery, and that she had some connexion with the priests of the seminary, of which nunneries and priests she spoke in the most outrageous terms ; said that should I make that out, myself, my daughter and child, would be protected for life. 1 expected to get rid of their importunities in relating the melancholy circumstances by which my daughter was fregucntly deranged in her head, and told them that when at the age of about seven years, she broke a slate pencil in her head ; that irince that time, her mental faculties were deranged, and by times much more than at other times, but that she was far from being an idiot ; that she could mnke the most ridiculous, but most plausible stories ; and that as to the history that she had been in a nunnery, it was a fabrication, for she loas never <n a nunnery ; that at one time I wished to obtain a place in a nnnnery for her, that I had employed the influence of Mrs. De Montenach, of Dr. Nelson, and of our pastor, the Rev. Mr. Esson, but without success. . . . After many more solicitations to the same effect, three of them retired, but Mr. Hoyte remained adding to the other solicitations ; he was stopped, a person having rapped at the door ; it was then candle-light. I opened the door, and I found Dr. McDonald, who told me that my daughter Maria was at his house in the most distressing situation ; that she wished him to come and make her peace with me ; I went with the doctor to his house in McGill street. She came with me to near my house, but would not come in, notwithstanding I assured her that she would be kindly treated, and that I would give her her child ; she crossed the parade ground and I went into the house and returned for her ; Mr. Hoyte followed me. She was leaning on the west railing of the parade ; we went to her ; Mr. Hoyte told her : My dear Mary, I am sorry you have treated yourself and me in this manner ; I hope you have not exposed what has passed between us ; nevertheless I will treat you the same as ever, and spoke to her in the most affectionate terms ; took her in his arms ; she at first spoke to him very cross, and refused to go with him, but at last consented and went away ivith him, absolutely refusing to come to my house. Soon after Mr. Hoyte came and demanded the child. I gave it to him. ' Next morning Mr. Hoyte returned, and was more pressing than ever in his former solicitations, and requested me to say that my daughter had been in the nunnery ; that should I say so, it tvould be better than one hundred pounds to me ; that I would be protected for life ; and that 1 should leave Montreal, and that Ixoould, be better provided for elseiohere ; I answered that thousands of pounds would not induce me to perjure myself; then he got saucy and abusive to the utmost ; he said he came to Montreal to detect the infamy of the priests and the nuns.' In her affidavit — which is a very lengthy one and was sworn on October 21, 1835 — Mrs. Monk deposes that she gives her evidence on this subject ' wishing to guard the public against the deception which has lately been practised in Montreal by designing men, xoho have taken advantage of the occasional mental derangement of her daughter, to make scandalous accusations against the priests and nuns of Montreal, and afterwards to make her pass herself for a nun who had left the convent.'