A Painful Case.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XXXIII, Issue 6079, 15 July 1897, Page 4

A Painful Case.

A painful and peouliar oase was dealt . wjtjjh at the Melbourne City Court last !,'..' Week, when two young married women, named Mary Ann Sohultz and Lily , Swift were eonvieted on four charges of ' larceny. The aooused did their " shopping" in company, and the'articles , .stolen were principally drapery. A large I number of tradespeople were victimised. Mr MoKean, who appeared for the I women, stated that they were in a very ■,weak state of health, and being acoom- ' modated with chairs, they concealed their faces from the Court during the trial. Mr MoKean made a pressing appeal for meroy on their behalf. On , behalf of his clients, and of the four young, ohildren of Mrs Sohultz and the children who were yet unborn, he urged the Bench, bearing in mind also the Queen's Jubilee, not to order imprisonment, Having said this Mr MoKean burst Into tears. Concluding his address between sobs, he stated that Mrs Swift had been only three months married. There was a certain clause whioh the Benoh well knew under whioh the aooused could be brought, or if the Court thought fit to impose a fine the husbands would pay it. Sending them tO gaol meant their ruin. Mr Pan ton, the Magistrate, said that if the accused had committed only one offence, the 'ease would have been different; but, as it was, they had been carrying on the f thefts persistently. The class of onme under notioe was very rife in Melbourne, and among the large establisments the effect was terrible to the employees. The thieves never considered the unfortunate employees, and the terror they ielt when properiy was missing and they ' were suspeoted of taking it. Starvation ' 'and lack of eduoatidn were sometimes accountable for thefts being committed, but when people who had comfortable homes and knew that they were disgrao- j log their families did suoh things, it was ; a terrible state of affairs, Each of the v accused receiving sentences amounting to one. week.