CASE FOR FRAUD AT LA SALETTE when Lamerliere pretends to be Jesus' mother to two young children on the Alps?
Two little shepherds, Maximin and Melanie reported a vision of a beautiful lady they assumed to be the mother of God. A mad religious lady was accused of orchestrating this and of being the imposter who was wandering about in a religious fantasy and who made the dress the vision wore. An impressive Catholic shrine in France started off owing to this story.
Let us look at that rumour.
We cite a source.
Some months ago, we presented our readers with the prospectus of a work
printed at Grenoble, by several of the diocesan clergy of that place, with the
object of laying before the Pope a memorial, exposing, in detail, the imposture
of the alleged apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the Mountain of La Salette
-
The whole subject is too large, and has been too minutely dealt with by the Abbe
Deleon and his colleagues, to be satisfactorily disposed of in a single article,
and we, therefore, propose to confine ourselves, for the present, to that part
of the work alone which has reference to the lady plaintiff in the court of
Grenoble, and which will enable our readers to understand, without going any
deeper into the supposed mystery, why Mademoiselle Lamerliere should have
brought an action against the Abbe Deleon for 20,000 francs damages for alleged
injury done to her character by the publication of the work in question, and, at
the same time, to estimate, at somewhat of its real value, the importance of the
decision at Grenoble, as bearing on the veracity and faith-worthiness of the
reverend author and his colleagues, when we state that the court dismissed her
proceedings with costs -
What follows is a verbatim translation (and, perhaps, may be considered by some
too literal a one) of the early part of the 4th chapter of the Abbe Deleon's
book, pp. 59-69.
The Apparition on the Mountain of La Salette on the 19th September, 1846 —
Mademoiselle Lamerliere. Mademoiselle Constance Lamerliere, de Saint-Ferreol,
was born of rich parents, and received a careful education. After several years'
sojourn in the Convent of St. Pierre, at Grenoble, under the religious direction
of M. Rousselot, Canon and Vicar-General of Grenoble, she entered the Convent de
la Providence, in 1822. That convent had only just been established, and had at
its head a lady of high merit, Madame Chantal.
Mademoiselle Lamerliere filled several offices in this convent, and was at
last chosen as the mistress of the novices. Gifted with a lively imagination,
she became remarkable for an exaggerated piety, and gave herself up to practices
the most mystical. To fulfil the rules of her convent was not sufficient for her
ardent zeal. In her class, in her cell, in fact, everywhere, she desired to have
little shrines which might recall to- her more particularly the presence of God
and the Holy Virgin. By the aid of a fluent speech, she easily fascinated her
pupils — simple, young, country girls, who were scarcely initiated into the
first elements of the most ordinary instruction. This continued tendency to
fanaticism excited the solicitude of her superior, Madame Chantal; and, as it
was her duty to guard the novices of the institution against rash innovations,
or any dangerous exaggerations, Madame Chantal submitted the explanations and
commentaries of a private catechism, which Mademoiselle Lamerliere had composed,
to the consideration of M. Desmoulins, at present attached to the Seminary of
St. Joseph, at Grenoble.
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Mademoiselle Lamerliere entered into retreat, which she did in a manner so
complete, that she shut herself up in her cell, and never quitted it but to go
to the church or the refectory.
Three months thus passed on, when, without giving any one notice of her
intention, Mademoiselle Lamerliere quitted the house as a fugitive, and directed
her steps to Notre Dame du Laus, in the Diocese of Gap. There she rested for
some days, and then commenced her route for Marseilles, on foot. On her way, she
visited all the churches, pointed out to the cure of each place defects to be
corrected, and repairs to be made, and, to induce them to enter into her views,
put down the name of C. Lamerliere, de Saint-Ferreol, for large sums, which she
promised should be paid as soon as they informed her that the improvements were
made. It is needless to say that not one of these promises were fulfilled.
Arrived at Marseilles, she associated herself with a priest who was occupied
with several institutions and pious works, among others, societies for the
working classes. This excellent clergyman, however, died, and Mademoiselle
Lamerliere proceeded to Valence. There she associated herself with an
ecclesiastic whose name had had much notoriety, and she only left him when he
himself sunk under the reverses of ill fortune. During her sojourn there,
however, Mademoiselle Lamerliere had pursued the realization of her favourite
dream, and had organized the congregation of " the Holy Family," and made
desperate efforts to obtain the patronage of the Bishop of Valence, Monseigneur
Latourette.
At Grenoble, where she came often, she placed herself under M. Rousselot, the
first director of her conscience, and M. Canon Bouvier, the second director.
Among all these projects she dissipated her fortune, and her correspondence
evinced such a constantly-increasing change in her intellectual faculties, that
some members of her family became alarmed, and tried to lead her back by
kindness. Mdlle. Lamerliere took no notice, however, of their friendly overtures
; and, as matters appeared only to grow worse, her own sister and brother-in-law
commenced proceedings for her protection before the tribunal of Saint Marcellin
on the 28th August, 1846, and the 5th September following, the court assigned to
Mdlle. Lamerliere guardians appointed by the court (un conseiljudiciaire).
Deeply wounded by this measure, and, above all, irritated because it had been
taken at the instance of her brother-in-law (a military officer, whose name
already is distinguished, and will probably figure still more hereafter in the
records of our history), remembering also, with complacency, the benevolent
reception she had experienced from several members of the clergy at Grenoble,
Valence, and Marseilles, Mdlle. Lamerliere at once formed her resolve. Having
been placed under a kind of tutelage by the magistrates of her country and at
the instance of her own family, it was by means of the clergy of her country and
by a bold stroke that she was to regain her liberty.
The clergy take the lead in matters of civilization ; it is their duty, and
their disposition ; if the clergy, therefore, should bow before her proceedings,
and proclaim her above the laws which govern feeble humanity — if this
proclamation should be accepted by the Catholic world — if the magistrates
themselves should respect it and keep silence — the decision of the 5th
September would be, in fact, reversed, and the superhuman nature of Mdlle.
Lamerliere, and the success of her divine mission, would be for her an ample
compensation ! Thus thought Mdlle. Lamerliere, and thus she set herself to act.
Very skilful in the art of embroidery, she prepared an aerial costume ; it was a
white robe, trimmed with a garland of silver flowers, ornamented with
arabesques, rising in graceful designs to the waist ; on the front of the body
was embroidered a brilliant cross, which appeared supported by a chain
embroidered in the same manner ; on either side, two similar embroideries
represented the pincers and hammer, the instruments of the passion of the
Saviour. A yellow apron, surrounded with a silver fringe, a scarf, bordered with
roses, shoes of white satin, ornamented with a little garland of flowers, and,
lastly, yellow stockings were prepared by her ; and, as if one single costume
was not sufficient for her purpose, she further prepared a dark blue dress, and
another rose-coloured one, and, carefully packing them up in a pasteboard box,
set off for Grenoble.
At St. Marcellin she took the diligence ; and, as the Conveyance was already
full, she was obliged to mount the imperial, and share the seat of the
conducteur, whose name was Fortin.
She had with her her precious box. Her whole soul was set on the execution of
her project. She commenced speaking mysteriously at first, but afterwards
without disguise, to her "compagnon de voyage." " Her brother-in-law had
rendered his name illustrious by his feats of arms ; she aspired to acts of
renown of another kind. She was going to the mountains of the Alps ; there she
was sure of success!" The conducteur, Fortin, laughed, and, like an agreeable
traveller, began to banter Mdlle. Lamerliere ; but, far from disconcerting her,
she displayed the resources of her imagination, and her brilliant and fluent
elocution charmed her companion, who was satisfied with becoming a listener.
When they reached Grenoble, he restored her box to his fair passenger, and
wished her good fortune, and complete success.
The same day Mdlle. Lamerliere presented herself at the house of M. X , a
merchant, at Grenoble, and asked for a particular kind of trimming ( u galorrs
en points d'Es-pagne"). She specified the size which was necessary to enable her
to complete her work ; and, as the merchant could not satisfy her with the lace
which he showed her, of which the breadth was not exactly what she required,
Mdlle. Lamerliere opened her box, took out her several dresses, and displayed,
before the eyes of the merchant and his family, the white robe embroidered and
ornamented with arabesques and garlands, and especially the cross, pincers, and
hammer, which decorated the upper part ; the yellow apron, yellow stockings,
scarf trimmed with roses — in short, the whole contents of her box. In vain the
merchant searched his stock for trimming which would match those so artistically
used by Mdlle. Lamerliere. He was obliged to ask for a delay of 48 hours to
enable him to get it from Lyons, but the traveller was too much hurried to agree
to his proposal — for she wished to continue her journey the next day. The
merchant then gave her the address of Messieurs X or Y as the only persons in
Grenoble who could supply her.*
Mdlle. Lamerliere, in the presence of all the members of the family of the
merchant, shut up her goods again in the box, and retired, leaving them in a
state of astonishment ; for none of them could comprehend the design or aim of a
costume so eccentric.
The next day she returned ; she had found, at one of the places to which they
had directed her the evening before, the kind of material which she was seeking
for.
She thanked the family of M. X for the assistance they had given her, and left
them, tore-appear no more.
All this took place in the early part of September, 1846, and before the event
of La Salette, which occurred; on the 19th of the same month.
Mdlle. Lamerliere betook herself towards the Alps.
In the very heart of the mountains, at a few miles distant (huit kilometres)
from Corps, there is a village called La Salette-Fallavaux, of difficult access,
and which is surmounted by wild and abrupt mountains, which serve as pastures
for cattle. Every day the children of the village climb these mountains, and
drive there the beasts of their parents or masters, and, in the evening, lead
them back to the hamlet.
Melanie Mathieu, a native of Corps, and who had been for nine months in the
service of Baptist Pra, met on this mountain, on the 18th September, 1846,
Maximin Giraud, also a native of Corps, whose services his father had given for
eight days only to Peter Selme. She descended the mountain with him, promised to
meet him again the next day ; and, on the 19th September, the two children again
betook themselves to the mountain.*
Maximin was always accompanied by his master, who, not to lose sight of him,
went to till a field, from which the little shepherd could watch the cows, and
sent him, at noon, to water them at a rivulet which flowed near the place,
desiring the child to rejoin him immediately. On this 19th September, at noon,
Peter Selme despatches his young herd to the fountain. Maximin commenced by
calling Melanie ; then joined, and went away with her, and, contrary to his
usual custom, did not come back to his master, lie did not, in fact, rejoin him
until the evening, at his house ; and when the latter scolded him for the
liberty he. had taken, Maximin replied by telling a story of a beautiful lady
who had appeared to him, and also to Melanie, and had amused them for a long
time, and had made them both talk familiarly with her (" les a fait deviser l'un
et l'autre").
COMMENTS: The mad woman had the dress that the children seen who they thought was the Virgin Mary wearing. She fitted the bill for an imposture.
