TRADING IN INFANTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 260, 7 November 1906, Page 5

TRADING IN INFANTS.

AX INHUMAN TRAFFIC. THREE WOMEN FOUND GUILTY. SYDNEY, October 27. Three. women, named Elizabeth Scholes, Eliza Ann Kennedy and Grace Saran, the first two being middle aged, were convicted at the Quarter Sessions to-day on charges of trading in babies. Scholes, according to the evidence, received £5 with a child, and passed it over to another woman, with a promise to pay 5/- a week. Only one week's payment was made. She made a trade of receiving babies on the plea that she was going to adopt them as her own. The woman pleaded that she had only received £3. She pleaded guilty to abandoning two otner children.

The woman Kennedy accepted £8 with a child., and passed it over to another woman.

In the case of the woman SaraJi, a young woman stated that Saran had told her to register the child in an alias. Witness said she did not wish to do anything like that, as she would be responsible. The accused Saran said she knew a doctor who would fix things up for her if anything happened. f?fic also told witness that she knew a girl who bad a. child registered in. an alias, and had things fixed up by a doctor. Saran told witness that if she gave her £o she would have the child adopted for life by a woman. Witness declining, Saran advised her to put- the child on the State, but witness refused.

Evidence was given by the police to the effect that during the past few months six babies had been found at Scholes's residence, and since then a pretty close watch had been kept over the ■woman. From 2nd August to Ist September eight abandoned children were found in the streets, and four of them died.

His Honor said Scholes's case was a serious one. In two cases death had resulted, and no doubt these could be laid to her charge. He thought that these two cases of abandoning infants and their associations courted a strong suspicion that other children had beeu similarly dealt with. He therefore •must order the substantial sentence of 18 months' imprisonment on each of the charges of abandoning infants, the sentences to be concurrent. With regard to other two charges he would let them stand against accused for judgment generally. The other two accused were bound over in their own recognisances to come up for sentence when called upon.