New Legend Magazine August Issue | Page 55

A Saint Among Outlaws SISTER SEGALE, A MEMBER OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF CINCINNATI, CAME TO TRINIDAD, COLORADO, IN 1877 TO TEACH POOR CHILDREN. by Antoinette Wharton Known as “The Fastest Nun in the West” and “The Nun Who Took on Billy the Kid”, Sister Blandina’s historical legends are stories of compassion and great triumph. Her history tied to the town of Trinidad is one of the most famous folk tales. It was here she had her run-in with the infamous criminal Billy the Kid. One of Billy’s gang members suffered a gunshot wound and was near death; none of the doctors in Trinidad would treat him. Sister Blandina heard of this, took him in and cared for him nursing him back to health for three months. At first, this kindness was unseen by Billy as he planned to come back to town and seek revenge on the four doctors who wouldn’t save his friend. This is when Blandina intervened and prevented him from committing these heinous crimes. It was from then on that Billy and Blandina became friends. It was reported that she even visited him in jail. Once he came to learn that Sister Blandina was a passenger on a stage coach he was attempting to rob, he called off the robbery. Aside from the outlaw dramatism, she also spent her life fighting for Native American and minority rights. She built and founded hospitals and schools in Colorado and New Mexico. She also spent her days teaching and caring for the orphaned children. In the summer of 2014, cause for her sainthood was opened in New Mexico. Sister Blandina is now titled “Servant of God.” Find out more at Newlegendsmag.com Check us out on facebook N 53