EXTRAORDINARY CRUELTY TO A BOY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2047, 26 January 1889, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY CRUELTY TO A BOY

if eter and Margaret MoNee, members of tha Salvation Army, were charged at the New?cwa Ooart, Sydooy, recently, wiih sseaaHng James McNee, six yoarß old. Ihe female prisoner (saya the ' 'Dolly Telegraph ") s the child's stepmother, and on being srrested ssld that bY.q was willIng to etffjr with Jeabs, and that she burned the boy to get at his little ooneo!ence, bee, use he had stolen 5i 6d belonging to the Salvation Army. .Dr Strong stated that he hed examined the boy, and foacd on his forehead marks of burns which could have been caused by a hot fork, aud his bick was a mass of braise. AoVph Be:ka (9) deposed to seeing the mala prisoner beat bis son with a strap. Af'e' wards witness saw the boy with hia hands and legs tied, nod Mr* McNee said that nhe had put the four mafks on his forehead, "One for lying, one for stealiog, one far smoking and one for swearing " Emily Backer stated that Mrs MoN"ee told her that she had "branded the boy ns God branded Gain, aßd had done it with a hot fork ii order to shame him " Witness also said that the female defendant was gen<-rilly kind to the boy, and kept him cleau and tidy. For the defecoa, Peter McNee stated that he bad beaten the boy, bnt not stvar-Jy, for stealing money ; that his wife suffered from fit?, and sometimes was not m her right miud, and that be was Ignorant of any assault committed by her. Margaret McNee averred that the burning was accidental. Mr Clarke, S.M., dismissed the charge against the male prisoner, and sentenced the female prisoner to fonr montha' imprisonment.