Unnatural Cruelty.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1710, 11 August 1875, Page 3

Unnatural Cruelty.

A case of revolting brutality has been reported to the police to-day. Until the matter comes before the Court which it is pretty certain to do, we should be overstepping the bounds of our duty as journalists if we were to aive the full particulars. We can, however, describe the. nature of the offence aDd at the same time state that the person represented to have been guilty of the cruelty is a member of the police force. Yesterday evening, the screoming of a child was heard by the neighbours of the person in question. No notice was taken for some time, but the cries continuing for nearly fifteen minutes, and being observed to be accompanied with heavy blows, the circumstances roused their attention, more especially as the cries, which were those of a child only about six months old, grew gradually fainter and fainter till they subsided into gasps. Two of the neighbours ran round to the door of the house whence the sounds preceeded, and seeing what was going on remonstrated with the father on his treatment of the child, and at the same time threattened to report such conduct to the Inspector. This was done this morning and we are sorry to learn that it is not the first representation of the same person's brutality. It is a sign of a very wretched condition of affairs when children have to be protected from their parents, but the present case is so flagrant that it demands special investigation.