A HARD CASE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1516, 25 March 1887, Page 3

A HARD CASE.

(Wednesday's "Chriatchurch Telegraph," Two respectably dressed girla appeared at the Po ice Court tc-day to answer a charge of larceny preferred by their la' a

employe™, Mr and Mrs Wittnr, of Sprejdon. That the gir!s became possefßod i f the arfc'oles which were enumerated m the oharge thaie wta no donV, but the felonious m'ent was doubtful, as the goods were of a nioe: worthless cha-acter, and ft eovere reprimand would probably have met the exigencies of the case without (he onlprits being drngged before the public, and their employers' absence of magnanimity ehown. The articles produced were a worthless lot to make such a futß over. One of them was a comb, minus the majority of its teeth ; another was a child's lndiarubber ball, with >ut t u .e paint and the list comprised a bit of Berlin woo), a very amal- piece of embroidery e c, any of which if Been on a pavement wouH be kicked into the gutter m disgU3t rather than picked up. The necklut was tie most valuable of the lot, bat thero was no evidence of misappropriation of this. It appeared to have been accidentaly left near ♦ha pump* The girls had evidently been 1 hardly dealt with. Their room had been searched m their absence by Mrs Withers, and or.m'nal procaedinga taken m the impulse of the momont. The B^ch treat*, d the case as its trivial natare deserved, cautioned the accused, and discharged them, tlad a caution been administered before such strong measures were taken it might have been sufficient, end the girls, who sppear to have previously borne a good character, saved the degradation of uuch an eipoeure aa this. In that cane the employers would have earned their gratitude, which is certainly not the case now.