I bet she didn't. If she DID, then she would have destroyed them LONG, LONG ago. Do YOU keep stuff that is embarrassing to you? Or do you dump it for REAL?
Was she supposed to fly to Dublin after mailing each letter, break into the priest’s home, and steal the letters back one at a time, or should she have waited until the end of their 17 year correspondence and retrieved them in bulk?
Even if they had been in her possession, that doesn’t mean she wanted them to be made public. They were personal letters. Very personal letters.
Personal does not mean embarrassing. I do possess personal items that I would not want sold to the highest bidder. For example, I have a note my Mom wrote to me years ago, when I was experiencing a difficult personal tragedy. It’s a very touching and inspirational note. Nothing embarrassing, but certainly personal. When I die, my family members will go through my belongings and find that note. They will read it, and be touched by it, as I am whenever I read it. They will not sell it to the highest bidder.
How do you destroy letters that you sent?
These are letters she sent to a priest when she was quite young. I am sure she thought they would be kept confidential. As they should have been.