ALLEGED CRUELTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10294, 31 May 1919, Page 8

ALLEGED CRUELTY

FOSTER MOTHER CHARGED

NEIGHBOURS COMPLAIN OF CRUELTY AND NEGLECT.

Ellen Purvis, a married woman, who appeared before Air F. V. Frazer, S.AX., in tho Magistrate’s Court yesterday to answer a charge of ill-treating a pleaded not guilty. The accused was represented by Mr C. B. D’Donnell. Sidney Wilson, who resides next door to the accused, in King street, said she had a boy 13 years ot age. Air Purvis did not live in the house, and he understood ho was serving at tho front. About six weeks ago witness had occasion to ge.. out of bed at 11.-15 p.m. and complain to Airs Purvis about her treatment of her son. The accused carao out and said that her son was in a fit and she was trying to bx-ing him round. It was usual to hear thumps and screams from tlboy two or three nights each week. Tho screams commenced a I 9.30 o’clock and continued till nearly midnight. He had not actually seen the boy thrashed, but during the three months he had lived in the street sounds, as if the boy was being thumped, wore frequent. Witness could hear nearly every word that was spoken in Airs Purvis’s house as tho premises were close together. The use ot obscene language was common, and on one occasion he heard the hoy cry out to his mother that he would scream and inform the neighbours if she did not desist from boating him. From the state he had seen the accused in on occasions he came to the eonclxision that she was addicted to drink. mu HIS OWN WASHING.

To Mr O’Donnell; The child had been beaten about a dozen times during the past two months. Ho was not aware that the boy was subject to fits. He was a. wealt lad, ana it was possible that he suffered from his ill-treatment. Ho was not well clothed and had to do his own washing. In witness’s opinion, the lad was thrashed for one and a-half hours at a time. The boy used to go about with a pair of pants and half a shirt. Annie Florence Wilson, wife of the last witness, stated that about'six weeks ago her husband got out of bed about midnight to complain to Mrs Purvis about the way she was thrashing her boy. Witness had previously knocked on tho wall of her bedroom on several occasions, but it did not have the desired effect. On the night in question the hoy cried out: “Oh, mother, don’t beat mo any more. 1 shall have to scream out.” The woman did not stop, and It was heartrending to hear the hoy pleading. The defendant was using filthy language, aud every word could bo heard in tho house where the witness resided. Tho lad was in the habit of going to the Boys’ Institute once or twice each week, and if ho camo homo a few minutes after the time specified by his mother he was given a thrashing. Witness had often seen the accused under the influence of liquor, and had noticed men going and coming from her house. The hoy was not given fair treatment. To Mr O’Donnell.: The beatings usually lasted from 15 tq 30 minutes. From the sound of-the thumps, the heatings were very severe, and witness considered that no mother in her proper senses would use tho> language Mrs Purvis did to her child.

• Joseph Henry Birkett said he lived two doors away from the accused, and did not know much about the illtreatment of the hoy. One Sunday morning ho was awakened about 2.30 o’clock by a noisp, and on going outside to ascertain the cause, he found it came from Mrs Purvis’s premises Mrs Purvis came out, and said she was having a party, and invited witness inside the house, but he declined the invitation. He had seen the hoy going for , fish and chips at 10.30 o’clock at night with only his shirt and pants on. Ho considered the defendant’s downfall was drink. On going homo one night the boy was sitting on tho footpath opposite bis mother’s house, crying, and on being interrogated, ho said ho had been locked out. The boy to his knowledge had not been beaten excessively, and if he had screamed loudly at night he would have heard him. Mrs Birkett said she had not seen nr heard tho hoy being beaten. A FILTHY HOME. Louisa Waters, secretary to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Women and Children, said she in spected tho house occupied by Mr Purvis on May loth. There was a double lied in which the defendant and the boy slept. It was in an indescribably filthy condition, and articles were strewn over tho floor of tho room. The boy, who came in at the time, did not look healthy, was well dressed, and his mother was partially under tho influence of dims.

Sergeant Butler said he wont to tho defendant’s house with Constable Uulllllllgim.no When outside the premises he heard the accused using obscene language, and she refused to conic to the door in answer to a knock. Witness and Constable Cunninghamo wont to a window, and the defendant, wiio was inside, tried to prevent them from pulling it down. Ihcy eventually succeeded, and during a conversation bo had through tho window with the accused, witness told her that a charge of ill-treating the hoy had been made against her. .Mrs Purvis denied the accusation, and invited witness to see the boy for himself. It was about 12 o’clock in tho day when witness called, and the accused was not dressed. The house was in a filthy cond’tion, and the boy was found lying on a sofa in ' tho front room with a covering over him. The woman, who was in a mad, drunken condition, tore the clothing off the lad, but there were no marks of riolence on his body. Some davs later, when he was scrying the summons, Mrs Purvis said tho child was not hei own, but was the illegitimate son of a woman silo know. She considered there was no harm in a boy thirteen years of ago sleeping in the same bed ns herself. The sheets on tho bods had not been washed for a considerable time, and the pillows were devoid ol pillow-cases.

Constable Cunninghams said he had known the defendant for some time ond he corroborated Sergeant Butler’s statement.

Acting - Senior - Sergeant Emerson, who prosecuted, said h. would put the boy in the witness-box for cross-exaixnnation, but would not take a statement from him, as ho would deny all that had been said. HAPPY WITH HIS MOTHER.

Reuben Purvis stated, in answer to -i&if Connell, that the evidence that

had been given by the ■witnesses for the prosecution was untrue. He Had never been beaten by bis mother for Halt an hour at a time, but had only been slapped when he deserved punishment. He had been well looked after, and the only way he could account for the neighbours giving the evidence they had was jealousy because lie was well cared for. Ho was fond of his mother, and wanted to so back ' to her. He discarded his hoots and stockings for his own convmence, and -had pood clothes to wear. Ho was frightened when his mother struck him, and ho screamed. Nobody could be happier than he was with hia mother. Mr O’Donnell said the case must tall through on the hoy’s evidence, and. the magistrate said he was not going to accept the evidence as being absolutely correct, as the boy was too glib in the witness-box. In answer to the flench, the hov said he had never complained to anyone about being locked out. Ilia mother did not get drunk, and the least knock lie received to his head caused him to have a fit. THE MOTHER’S EVIDENCE.^ Ellen Purvis said she was a dressmaker, and resided at 40. King street. The boy was not. her son, but she had adopted him when he was two years ol age, as she had lost her own two children. She admitted taking a glass of beer or two, but never got drunk. When the boy was disobedient she beat him on the legs, but had not given him a thrashing since January. The hoy tainted on receiving the slightest knock, and on Die night complained about by Mr and Mrs Wilson no had hurt hia head at the Boys’ Institute. On going to bed ho fainted, and when in that condition screamed. She was separated from her husband, and she gained a | livelihood by going out to work and { keeping a boarder who paid her 3us per week. She never used bad language, ! but the sergeant of police may have heard her swear. During the time her case was remanded the boy came to the house from the receiving home and complained that a matron had smacked him on the face. She was fond of the boy and was nuito able to provide for him. Allan Edward Contes, night porter, said ho slept at the defendant’s house occasionally, and had seen the hoy in a fit on two occasions, hut had never seen Mrs Purvis under the influence of liquor or heard her swear. As far ns he knew, the lad was well looked after. To Sub-Tnsnector Emerson: He had hoarded with Mrs Purvis for two years, hut was on’v in the house from after S o’clock in the morning and slept, till 6 lx, V’* 1 evening. He paid 3os a

week for hoard, and sometimes he took homo a bottle of beer, which. He shared with Mrs Purvis. THE MAGISTRATE’S REMARKS.

The magistrate said ho was satisfied that the woman was a drunkard. Her home was in a filthy condition, and it was not proper that a boy 13 years of age should sleep in her bed. The lad’s evidence was given ‘with such readinesr that it created suspicion. The court was quite satisfied that the woman jva l uot a proper person to have chargi of the lad, and although he did not show any visible signs of ill-treatment, the defendant may have beaten him during her fits of drunkenness despite the fact that she may have been .tond of him. The boy was delicate, and ho should not havo been allowed to go about late at night half-clad. He would be committed to a receiving honie. ■ln regard io the charge of cruelty, the magistrate said that, although he was satisfied that the child had been ill-treated, it was one of those cases in which he would not feel satisfied in entering a conviction; therefore, the charge would bo dismissed.