RELEASE FROM CONVENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1920, Page 6

RELEASE FROM CONVENT.

"MIXED MARRIAGE" SEQUEL, DETENTION OF ORPHAN GIRL. Sydney, Sept. 7. Sectarian feeling, already considerably stirred over the case of Sister Ligouri, the "escaped nun," has been further excited this week by an application for a ivrit of habeas corpus ordering the Mother Superior of a convent in the suburbs of Sydney to release a girl of 16 years of age. The story was told to the Judge by Mrs. Duval, an aunt of Sylvia Thomas, ft appears that , a widower named Thomas died, leaving seven children in the care of his sister, 'Mrs. Duval. Thomas was himself a Protestant, but his wife, who had predeceased him, was a Catholic. He left orders that the children were to be reared as Protestants. The seven children were a heavy burden for Mrs. Duval, herself a poor woman, and after a time she put five 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 liad been taken away from the orphanage by another aunt, a sister of the dead mother, and a Roman Catholic, and placed in various Roman Catholic institutions.

Mrs. Duval immediately proceeded to recover the children. She got four of tliem back without much trouble, but she had some difficulty 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, Tempe. Mrs. Duval applied at the convent, and was told by the Mother Superior that slie could Pot see Sylvia under any conditions. Those were the orders she had 'received from the officials. Mrs. Duval went away, 'but could not discover any officials who had given such an order. She went back and told the Mother Supei%r so. The latter said Mrs, Duval could not see her niece unless she had a written order from the secretary of the St. Vincent de Paul Society—a Catholic body. -Mrs. Duval applied to him, and was refused an order. Mrs. Duval went back again to the convent, accompanied by a solicitor's clerk. The Mother Superior point blank refused to let the woman see her niece. Then Mrs. Duval threatened legal proceedings, and disclosed the identity of the solicitor's clerk. The Mother Superior then said she would "See," and was absent about twenty minutes. She returned with Sylvia Thomas, The girl expressed eagerness to leave the place, and made her aunt promise to do her best to get her released. Later on Mrs. Duval, accompanied by a solicitor, went to the convent and formally demanded the release of Sylvia Thomas. This was refused. They demanded to see the girl. This also was refused. The solicitor then said that he would apply for a writ of habeas corpus. The convent people were obdurate: they simply said their instruci ions were not to allow anyone to see -he girl. The Judge duly issued the writ of habeas corpus, and on this being served on the Mother Superior of the convent, Sylvia Thomas was released and taken home by her aunt. In view of the present state of public 'feeling in regard to sectarian affairs, this little orphan girl is in danger of becoming a "personage."