The Mysterious Disappearance of Mary Victoria Mahon: A 19th Century Search Story

In the summer of 1833, a large search was organized in the area around Drummond in search of a little girl, Mary Victoria Mahon, who had mysteriously disappeared. The little girl, just over five, has been an orphan since the death of her father, Peter Mahon, a tailor by trade in St-Hubert-de-Tingwick.

She had arrived in Drummondville with the missionary Robson, of whom I have already spoken in this column. Robson had met the little girl when he was on a trip to St-Hubert-de-Tingwick. Mary had run to him while he was reading his summary to tell him to come urgently to his dying father’s bedside. The priest followed her along a “winding, almost impassable path” to a log cabin where Peter Mahon, visibly in bad shape, was lying on a bed of pine branches. Robson gave him the last rites. The cause of his condition is unknown, but the tailor died a few days later. It was barely two years since he came from Ireland.

However, before the colonist’s death, Robson had promised to take care of his daughter Mary Victoria, having been “struck by the knowledge and experience of his young guide” according to the historian St- Amant. However, Robson was already elsewhere on his missionary tour when he found out that Peter Mahon had died and that his large family had been scattered because his mother had no way to support them (He this before DPJ and social services, even before). establishing a network of religious communities that would take place until the 1960s). He inquired about young Mary Victoria and learned (Oh Horror!) that she had been entrusted with… a Protestant minister! He lived “on the road to Sherbrooke, probably in Windsor Mills.” »

For Father Robson, it was necessary to act before this heretic leading her on the way to hell by forcing her to renounce her Catholic faith: “Feared by the danger this child’s soul was going to run, Mr. Robson went to the minister to ask his protégé. » Apparently the minister “who had a big family” already told about the promise of the priest to the father of the dying girl, that she had no problem putting her in the hands of the “paper”.

It was agreed that on a predetermined date, the “level” (diligence) would travel from Sherbrooke to Port St-François (Drummondville) to deliver the young girl. On the appointed day, in the month of July, she disembarked from the platform and went towards the clergy, with only “a little linen wrapped in a piece of cotton” as her baggage. When Mary Victoria arrived at the priest’s house, he was gone, he went to meet a family that could adopt her. The priest’s servant opened the door and let her in. Continuing with her daily activities, the woman left the child alone in the kitchen.

But here it is: when the priest returns, we no longer see the slightest trace of the little girl! All that remains is his meager luggage.

Searches are underway to find the little girl. There is no sign of her in town. From searches in homes we move on to searches in the woods, as far as Grantham and Wendover. The little girl cannot be found.

We think the worst but, a few weeks later, hunters said they encountered, on the banks of the Nicolet River, a haggard-looking woman with a little girl “wary, but thin from fatigue and hunger “. At the woman’s request, the hunters helped them cross the river. There is no social media in this era but gossip is a good place. There is a report of the disappearance of a woman who today we would call suffering from mental illness but we then described as a “poor crazy woman”. I wonder if she might not be the woman seen with the little girl.

However, the searches are in vain and the priest Robson has to resign: it seems that Mary Victoria Mahon has disappeared from the face of the earth. He would later be transferred to the parish of Saint-Raymond de Portneuf and it was there that he received a letter from Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly and signed by hand… Mary Victoria Mahon!

Robson left immediately for Saint-Antoine, where he met the local priest, Mr. Louis Proulx. He tells him how the little girl appeared one fine morning, with a “poor fool” near a flour mill built on the edge of the forest. Both were in poor condition, tired and hungry. The little girl, in particular, was “wretched. The crazy woman, who was considered to be her mother, who always mistreated her. “. There were several farmers there, having come to grind their corn. One of them, a certain Sevigny, without any children, decided to adopt the child and convinced the “clever woman” to trust him The conversation took place “by force of gesture” because none of them understood French and the farmers did not speak English.

The little girl was brought up in French and, at the age of 13, entered the Ursulines. Finally, she managed to piece together her memories and found Master Robson. She then wrote to him to ask for news about her mother. No answer. In fact, Father Robson, receiving a letter signed “Mary Mahon” in French, thought it was a forgery! A second letter in English was more successful. The reunion was moving.

Mary finally entered the convent in 1848, she had to leave for health reasons and returned there in 1851, well, under the name of Sister Saint-Louis. She died in 1887.

What about the mentally ill woman who dragged her into the woods? She was named Mary Ann Chase of Burlington, Vermont. She was eventually found by her parents and brought back to Vermont. She died by drowning in a “tannin pool”. Not only were there no social services at the time, but, as we will see, safety standards in the workplace were not what they are today.