So far as I know, they have republished but one, and that is Mr.
Miller's!
The New York Catholic Diary of March 19th, said--
"We take the following _overwhelming_ testimony from the _Brooklyn
American Citizen_ of the 11th instant:
"The following affidavits, &c., are copied from the last No. of the
'Protestant Vindicator,' and prove, it seems to us, taken with other
corroborating circumstances, the falsehood and irrelevancy of the
testimony against Miss Monk, and therefore establish the truth of her
narrative:"
(Here it inserted Mr. Miller's affidavit, and then added:)
"What is the weight of the affidavit? Of ponderous import? I inquired
where Maria was, and she told me she was in the Nunnery? Therefore she
is an eloped Nun. Marvellous logical affidavit! We may say, that when
an inquiry is made after the editor of this paper, and the answer is,
that he was in Protestant Church, therefore he is a Protestant
minister."
The Rev. Mr. Schneller, (for a Catholic priest is the editor of that
paper,) thus tries to slide over the important testimony of Mr. Miller,
and in doing it, admits that I was in the Hotel Dieu Nunnery in the
summer of 1832. Of course, _he admits then, that Dr. Robertson's
testimony to the contrary it false, and gives up the great point which
the Montreal affidavits were intended to settle,_ viz. that I had not
been in any Nunnery--at least, not since I was a child.
But another thing is worthy of remark. The Diary says, "We take the
following overwhelming testimony from the Brooklyn American Citizen,"
yet he really leaves out the greater part of the testimony which that
paper contained, viz. the certificate beginning on page 251. Let any
one turn to that, and ask whether the editor had not some reason to
wish to keep it from his readers? Did he not get rid of it very
ingeniously, when he inserted the following remarks instead of it?
"The following statement has been furnished by the female witness above
mentioned; the name being reserved only from delicacy to a lady's
feelings."
"Excellent! 'delicacy to a lady's feelings!!' we are absorbed in an
exclamation of wonder; the _delicate_ name, in a matter of such vast
importance, as that which affects the _truth_ of the slanderous tale,
cannot be mentioned!
"Therefore, 'we, the subscribers,' 'Brownlee, Slocum, Brace, Fanshaw,
Belden, Wesson, and Hogan,' rest the weight of their authority upon the
'delicacy' of a nameless 'lady's feelings.'"
Now here Mr. Shellner pretends that the witness was not accessible, and
leaves it in doubt, whether the subscribers, (men of known character
and unimpeachable veracity.) knew any thing of her. Yet it was
expressly stated by them that she was known, and that any reasonable
inquiries would be readily answered. (See p. 249.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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