GROSS ILL-TREATMENT OF A GIRL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3674, 24 April 1883, Page 4

GROSS ILL-TREATMENT OF A GIRL.

At Birkenhead Police Court Airs Catherine Blundell, the Avifo of a fisherman living at Tranmero, Avas charged with committing a scries of aggravated assaults on her sister-in-law, Alary Alice Blundell, about fifteen or sixteen years of age. It appeared that the gii-b an orphan, -\v_nt to reside with her brother, the prisoner's husband, on Christmas Last. Ever since then she had been subjected to a system of brutal illtreatment at the hands of the prisoner, who had almost daily pulled her hair, and struck her heavy blows about tho head Avith her fi.-t, while she held her,head down with the other. The neighbors had frequently heard the child cry for mercy, and on one occasion a Avomau named Ellen Ratclift'c, a neighbor, heard her singout " Oh, don't Caroline !"' to which the prisoner had replied, "I'll give you more, and Avhen your brother comes in I'll make him give you three times as much. You shall go to the hospital from here." Tho girl, it was stated, had a swarthy complection, and ou one occasion the prisoner clipped her in a tub of cold water, dried her Avith a piece of floorcloth, and said if she had a scrubbing brush she Avould scrub her white. Recently Airs Ratcliffe took the girl into her houso, let her warm herself before the fire, and gave her a cup of tea. AVliile she avus drinking it the prisoner came in, seized her by'the hair, dragged her about the houso," beat her about the head, kicked her in the -legs aud stomach, and knocked her into a corner of the kitchen. The system of violence having been persevered in for a considerable time, the girl had become so ill that she had to lie doAvn on the kitchen flags, covering herself Avith a piece of old cam-as. The prisoner had, however, dragged off this covering. The girl had slept in an ashpit for tAvo nights, and Avhen she was found in the morning in a filthy state by Airs Ratcliffe, she craved to be taken into her house and protected from the violence of licr sister-in-law. The prisoner's neighbors had frequently remonstrated witli her on her brutality to the girl, but: to vory little effect. At last one of the neighbors got so disgusted Avith the violence practised on the girl that she communicated with tho police, and Superintendent Clark thereupon sent Detectiveofficer Bateman to inquire into the circumstances of the case. Bateman found the girl in a very Avcak state, and sho ap2ieared to be stupid from the effects of the violence she had suffered. She Avas subsequently examined by two Avomcn, avlio found her body covered with bruises—her neck, shoulders, and head being especially disfigured. Superintendent Clark thou obtained an order from Air Al'Nerney, the relieving officer, for her removal to the Avorkhousc hospital. She was attended to by Dr Laidlaw, the hosjiital surgeon, who found her delirious, and in an extremely dangerous condition. The girl, it Avas stated, Avould not be in a fit state to appear in Court for some time.