Rare Sister Charlotte Testimony - tortured nun

[Sister Alvear]

Have you ever talked with Bro. Blume?

[Sister Alvear]

You must not be aquianted with the Catholic church....I live in a very Catholic country...I do not doubt her story at all.

[Sister Alvear]

I have sent an e mail to Pastor Blume and maybe he can come over and give some more information...

[Sweet Pea]

How do you make this leap: that Endna Cackler = (Charlotte)
and this one: Rhoda Cacler = (Charlotte)

[mfblume]

Hi all, I was informed of the discussion continuing. The information I gave was given to me. I have no personal way to prove it all, but I never made any of it up. I was told this by Sis Nilah who traveled with Charlotte for 14 years.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by jacko

This is taken from Charlotte's account,

“As the years dragged by I learned to use a hammer, saw, shovel and anything else a man normally does. We worked very hard, performing heavy manual labor, digging out underground rooms and tunnels, building walls, plastering, etc. Often we were two, three or four miles back in the tunnels. Sometimes we wondered if we even had voices because of the strict rule of silence, and would speak in whispers to each other. The very next morning Mother Superior would call the offenders out and say, "You are going to do penance." We wondered how she could have heard us. One day we learned that all thirty-five miles of tunnel under the convent were wired so she could hear every whisper.”

This passage (along some others that will be mentioned in due course) in Charlotte’s story is what really got under my skin and set off all the alarms that this story can´t be true and gave me the motivation to investigate her whole story. Can someone please explain how on earth young girls and women with presumable a very limited education would have the know-how to dig out and build tunnels for miles underground, without them caving in and provide them with ventilation and on top of that bug the whole place, something that wasn’t invented until 1941? And nothing less than Thirty-five miles, a feat that not even the best engineers in the world would have been able to accomplish without all their studies and equipment! Besides, lets presume the convent would have at most an acre or two of land, keep in mind, one square mile = 640 acres (260ha) for what purpose would they want or need 35 miles?
This is so far-fetched one would have to be pretty crazy to swallow this fat fish!

Which account did you get that from again?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by jacko

From familysearch.org

Parent's marriage

Wm. H. Cackler, "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934"
Name: Wm. H. Cackler
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 18 Apr 1888
Event Place: Spencer, Clay, Iowa, United States
Age:
Birth Year (Estimated):
Birthplace:
Father's Name:
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name:
Mother's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Name: Cora Belle Triggs

Spouse's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Father's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Titles and Terms:
Reference ID: item 1 p 165
GS Film Number: 1435879

Digital Folder Number: 004312787

1900 Census
William Cackler, "United States Census, 1900"
Name: William Cackler
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1900
Event Place: Doyle Township Hopeville town, Clarke, Iowa, United States
District: 29
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Number of Living Children:
Years Married: 12
Birth Date: Jan 1867
Birthplace: Iowa
Marriage Year (Estimated): 1888
Immigration Year:
Father's Birthplace: Illinois
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother of how many children:
Sheet Number and Letter: 5B
Household ID: 109
Line Number: 58
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T623
GS Film Number: 1240424

Digital Folder Number: 004120102

Image Number: 00260
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head William Cackler M 33 Iowa
Wife Cora B Cackler
F 33 Iowa
Son Clarence Cackler
M 13 Iowa
Son Clinton Cackler
M 10 Iowa
Daughter Liddie Cackler
F 7 Iowa
Son Wayne Cackler
M 5 Iowa
Daughter Endna Cackler (Charlotte)
F 2 Iowa

Endna Cackler in household of William Cackler, "United States Census, 1900"
Name: Endna Cackler
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1900
Event Place: Doyle Township Hopeville town, Clarke, Iowa, United States
District: 29
Gender: Female
Age: 2
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Daughter
Number of Living Children:
Years Married:
Birth Date: Apr 1898
Birthplace: Iowa

1910 census
Rhodie Cackler in household of William Cackler, "United States Census, 1910"
Name: Rhodie Cackler
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1910
Event Place: Wolf River, Doniphan, Kansas, United States
District: 47
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Daughter
Birth Year (Estimated): 1898
Birthplace: Iowa
Immigration Year:
Father's Birthplace: Iowa
Mother's Birthplace: Iowa
Sheet Number and Letter: 3B
Household ID: 70
Line Number:
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: M1283
GS Film number: 1374450

Digital Folder Number: 004328332

Image Number: 00896
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head William Cackler
M 45 Iowa
Wife Cora Belle Cackler
F 44 Iowa
Son Clinton Henry Cackler
M 18 Iowa
Daughter Lydia Ellen Cackler
F 16 Iowa
Son Wayne Raymond Cackler
M 14 Iowa
Daughter Rhodie Cackler F 12 Iowa

1920 Census

Rhoda Cacler in household of Wm Cacler, "United States Census, 1920"
Name: Rhoda Cacler (Charlotte)
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1920
Event Place: Hiawatha, Brown, Kansas, United States
District: 22
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Can Read:
Can Write:
Relationship to Head of Household: Daughter
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Daughter
Own or Rent:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1899
Birthplace: Iowa
Immigration Year:
Father's Birthplace: Iowa
Mother's Birthplace: Iowa
Sheet Number and Letter: 4A
Household ID: 97
Line Number: 43
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T625
GS Film number: 1820525

Digital Folder Number: 004300842

Image Number: 00581
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Wm Cacler
M 51 Iowa
Wife Cora Cacler
F 50 Iowa
Daughter Rhoda Cacler F 21 Iowa
Daughter Bessie Cacler
F 20 Iowa
Daughter Elva Cacler
F 17 Missouri
Daughter Lena Cacler
F 14 Kansas
Son Chester Cacler
M 8 Kansas

From ancestry
1Rhoda C. Keckler 1940 Census C Keckler
Name: Rhoda C Keckler
Age: 34
Estimated birth year: abt 1906
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Kansas
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Lodger
Home in 1940: Rock Island, Rock Island, Illinois
Map of Home in 1940: View Map

Street: 19th Street
Inferred Residence in 1935: Moline, Illinois
Residence in 1935: Moline, Illinois
Resident on farm in 1935: No
Sheet Number: 10B
Occupation: Nurse
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: High School, 4th year
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 50
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income: 400
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors: View others on page

Household Members: Name Age
Minnie C Kieley
75
Rhoda C Keckler
34
Emmett L Hartley
33
Robert F Brown
37


More of this another day as I didn´t copy all the records to my pc just took notes so will have to look for them again.

Just curious but how do you know that's Charlotte?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by jacko

This is taken from Charlotte's account,

“As the years dragged by I learned to use a hammer, saw, shovel and anything else a man normally does. We worked very hard, performing heavy manual labor, digging out underground rooms and tunnels, building walls, plastering, etc. Often we were two, three or four miles back in the tunnels. Sometimes we wondered if we even had voices because of the strict rule of silence, and would speak in whispers to each other. The very next morning Mother Superior would call the offenders out and say, "You are going to do penance." We wondered how she could have heard us. One day we learned that all thirty-five miles of tunnel under the convent were wired so she could hear every whisper.”

This passage (along some others that will be mentioned in due course) in Charlotte’s story is what really got under my skin and set off all the alarms that this story can´t be true and gave me the motivation to investigate her whole story. Can someone please explain how on earth young girls and women with presumable a very limited education would have the know-how to dig out and build tunnels for miles underground, without them caving in and provide them with ventilation and on top of that bug the whole place, something that wasn’t invented until 1941? And nothing less than Thirty-five miles, a feat that not even the best engineers in the world would have been able to accomplish without all their studies and equipment! Besides, lets presume the convent would have at most an acre or two of land, keep in mind, one square mile = 640 acres (260ha) for what purpose would they want or need 35 miles?
This is so far-fetched one would have to be pretty crazy to swallow this fat fish!

Someone else could have told them how.

What was the date of this excavation?

I think you are mistaken about the ability to dig shafts. Miners have been doing it for years even before 1940

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Sweet Pea

How do you make this leap: that Endna Cackler = (Charlotte)
and this one: Rhoda Cacler = (Charlotte)

I was wondering that

[ILG]

Interesting conversation, everybody!