THE SLUMS OF CHRISTCHURCH.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2222, 11 April 1881, Page 3

THE SLUMS OF CHRISTCHURCH.

Another haul of youthful prostitutes was made by the police on Sunday, April 10th. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, this morning\ before Messrs Ollivier, Westenra and Parker, the following persons were charged under the Vagrancy Act with having no lawful visible means of support, viz :—-Mary Gilbert, senior, who oame into Oourt with an infant in her arms; Mary Gilbert, junior, aged eighteen years, daughter to the above j Ada Gilbert, aged fourteen years and a-half, sister to tho last-named ; and Mary Ryan, aged sixteen. It was proved by the evidence of neighbors and the police that prisoners resided at a house in New street. Tho house was rented by a man named Gilbort, who was husband to the eldest and father to the two youngest prisoners of that name before the Court. The husband was a tailor, but did vory little work ; ho and his wife lived on the prostitution of their daughters and of other females who frequented the house. The house itself had four rooms. It was in a filthy Btate, there boing no furniture at all in it, except one old mattress and a few dirty rogs, on whioh its inhabitants slept. There were two little ohildren in the house. They bolonged to Gilbert; they were neglected very much. For tho last five or six weeks—that is, ever since it has been occupied by the Gilberts—the house has been the resort of crowds of male and female larrikins, and the scene of the most disgusting rows. Gilbort himself had left town last week. The immediate cause of the arrest of tho prisoners was their proceedings on Saturday night and Sunday, when there was more disturbance than usual. One witnesß counted fourteen or sixteen young men and boys in the house on Sunday morning, and the police chased out of it ten ot a dozen of tho same class, who afterwards, joined by others, paraded the street, watching the police who had to remain in the Tioinity until two o'clock in the morning. During the examination of the witnesses, the younger prisoners giggled at each other, and otherwise behaved in a most unbecoming manner. The police stated that Ada Gilbert had just served a term of fourteen days for vagrancy, Ryan had been out of gaol a week after one month's imprisonment on the same charge, both having been previously let off, and Mary Gilbert junior had been wanted for being concerned in a row at a brothol. The Bench, addressing the elder Gilbert, pointed out her infamous conduct to her children, and said they wished they could put her somewhere for a long time Out of reach of them. As for the younger prisoners, their brazen-faced behaviour in Court showed that nothing would have much influence with them. Those who had before been convicted might have been sent to gaol for twelve months. The Bench thi'9 time would not do that, but they might depend upon it, if evor they came there again, they would get the utmost the law allowed. All the prisoners were then sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labor. The Bench, in conclusion, hoped the police would endeavour to get hold of some of the male frequenters of these dens. They were quite as much, or more, to blame than girls like the prisoners. At a late period in the day, William Gilbert and Harriet Gilbert were charged with being neglected children. Their mother and sisters who have been sent to prison for vagrancy as detailed above, said their ages were six and ten respectively, but they appeared to be much younger. They were very dirty, badly -clothed, and appeared to be stunted, weakly children. The Bench said they were reluctantly compelled to burden the State with the oharge of these poor little wretches, but there seemed nothing else to be done. They were ordered to be sent to Burnham, till they were fifteen years of age, to be brought up in tho Roman Catholic religion. The man Gilbert was to be sought after, and an information laid against him with the object of making him contribute to the maintenance of ' his ohildren.