"'SISTER CANDIDE," THE BOGUS NUN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 864, 9 July 1910, Page 7

"'SISTER CANDIDE," THE BOGUS NUN.

Sir, —Some weeks ago there appeared in the columns of your paper cabled news referring to this person as a wellknown "Sister of Charity," and associating her with enormous frauds. I take it that the news was received and published, by you in the utmost good faith, and as tho _ "facts" concerning this woman have just come to hand, I lia'sten to ask your permission to be allowed to correct any erroneous impression which many of your readers may havo deducted. from the cables above referred to.

The facts are, in the first instance, that "Sister Candido" Mas not, and hover had been, a Sister of Charity. It is truo that she was for a short while with the congregation of St. Anno do Fougarolles, in. tho diocesu of Agon. These sisters take annual-vows, but after her first year Mile Jeanne Forestier—for that is her name—did not renew her obligations, but went- out into tho world to lielp Dr. Petit. That is 22 years since. Tho pair founded an hospital for consumptive children at Orinesson, near Paris. She then called herself Superioress and Foundress of tho Order of St. Ann. While at Carcjuenumo, another of their institutions, she was Superioress of the Hospitallers of the Holy Saviour, which order she also founded. Neither of these orders were recognised by tho Catholic Church, and took no vows.

Tho money required to erect these institutions was raised chiefly by means of lotteries, which were enthusiastically received, ' but in > one of them two lots of tickets were issued, and they sold them all. This scandal was hushed up by high officials. Over twenty millions were received from their lotteries, many millions more from charitable people, vast sums from swindled jewellers and tradesmen, and, besides heavy mortgages oil the furniture, there are millions of debts. Madame Humbert was a tyro to "this Balzacian heroine. Where havo they vanished ? Dr. Petit says ho did not get them, and when he committed suicide he declared "Sister Candido" brought "ruin and death" in her train. Presidents Luubet and Casimir-Perier presided at the annual meetings in 1899, 1900, and 1901, and Waldeck Rousseau gave Dr. Petit and "Sister Candido" tho Legion -of Honour, at tho very l.imo he whs CApilling legitimate congregations from the hospitals and charities of France. "Sister Candido" was a great politician. She was to be found in tho salons, on the bourses, in tho lobbies- —places where a nun's dress was painfully unfamiliar, and, to quote tho words of the. anticlerical "Nouvelles," "sho was much Kioto familiar with tho share list than with her rosary. She was a veritable heroine ol' Balzac —in the hood of a 'religieusc.'" That "Sister Candido" was a great Parisian personality is admitted; that sho was either tlu< cause or the victim of colossal swindles is also truo; but sho had nothing about her of the nun, but t,ho. dress, which was employed as material lor her purposes. This, sit, is tlis trutn about this bogus nun whom somo of her partisans will, no doubt, endeavour to whitewash and place the burden on tho "dead man."—l ain, ctu., JUSTICE. Wellington, July 7, 1910.

A notice to consignees of cargo on the s.s. Tainui, which is due to arrive from London this afternoon, is inserted in this issue.