ALLEGED CRUELTY TO CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 103, 25 January 1919, Page 11

ALLEGED CRUELTY TO CHILDREN

OFTAIiGE AMAIN,ST A FATHER. lidward Norman M'l'artland.. was charged 111 tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, before' Mr. J. l '. V. I'razer, S.Ji., with iil-lreatiii-g two uf his children. •: ijub-lnspuccor i'luierson, wnu ' prosecuted, said that., when . accused' wont away to tho war tho' family Was prac■tically without a home.. Ills, wife, who was a liard-working woman,' got a liomo together witli assistance received from tho Financial Assistance Board, and furnished it, and was- getting 011 very nicely until this 'man returned home, when, there was" trouble.' Mrs. •M'l'artland,died in November, and the children had liad a. very rough time si'neo. Accused was in the habit of coming, homo .drunk, assaulting tlio children, talcing their money from them, awl spending it in drink. Tho eldest daughter •of the accused said that previous to her mother's death her father- was away at the' war for. about, eighteen month's. - Ho camo home in April, 1917, and after that the -conditions in the home wero very bad. Her father started drinking, and,used bad language to tho .children. : He struck her-little brother on tlio chin. When lier brother got his wages 'of 10s.'not long ago her father wanted to tako tliem from him', but she told her brother not to givo the money up, but to let her have it to buy him-some ciothes.. Tho boy was thrashed by her father because lie would, not; give up tho money.' Witness did a good deal of tho house work before going to-and after returning from work. Her younger sister stayed at home and.looked r.ftei the house. Hor father had never given her nioney for housekeeping, but ho brought home meat and vegetables. Her undo had told the' gfoccr that lie would pay for groceries u-p to £2. A younger girl- said' that"her mother died- on Novoinbor. K), and. since, then her father had given.way to-drink, and camo home driitik almost every dayHe used bad language very frequently. She had heen kickod by her father, but there was no bruise. She corroborated the evidence as to her.young brother being thrashed for not'.yielding,'up his wages. 'She. was the'housekeeper,• hut received no moiiey . for housekeeping. There ' was'. sufiinicnt food in the' house.

The brother of the two witnesses, a little fellow aged 11:," gave evidence corroborating the.statement/of. his sisters that lie" had been beaten bv lnV father for not giving up his,wages. He -was a newspaper'runner, and received 10s. a week. .

Two women neighbours testified • to the drunken habits and .bud behaviour of tho accused towards. the children, and both expressed the opinion that he was unfit to have choree of , tliera.

(Nonstable C'attamlch also gave evidence. '

The •Alnopstrate -snifl- that, .from the evidence it-'appoaiwHo be more a case' of ncelent t|ian, wilfril"n'r' serious enielty—children 'could, suffer. .through nepleet as- much ns HirnucV anything else. Tlio man complained tl">t. bis children woulil not ol>"v him. but mail who was, always, drunk, could not exnoct h : " cb : Mren to resneet him or obev .him. H" did not like'to impo(w»-«-to"" of '■ imprisonment, fn>'' that would • fall hard upon. th n children, ■ wo"ld have to bn-soi'it °ud como Rcnnroto' l . li'inp'lv. the M. r " r i < =- t.rit" convicted IfPeHlnivT. and .'or'Vred b'm +o com' l up for. r o"+"-non wb"n culled-, and n rirohih'Hon order w«- I'po-nd Wm. ? r ~ -Kniwr .'flde'l +(l'n.t. :tv. l'vobnf!"" OfPW..end tlio -noV"" would be to .l>< , "-> "i ■•vn r><i him 'jowl tbe /'bil'Vo'v. "nil if 1 "' foiled to out li^'rould lm brnwh 4 - befnro t l '.". CinH nnd f"V teneefl tn'H'—» ?-^'i?onmcnf.