DEATH AND DISHONOR.

NZ Truth, Issue 140, 22 February 1908, Page 5

DEATH AND DISHONOR.

THE PASSINa OF HENRIETTA PFAIRERT. Duped and Deserted, She Suicides m the Waipoua. Woman's Humanity to Woman. Three Good Samaritans.

At the Masterton^ Courthouse on Sunday last, Mr W. P. James, coroner, and six jurymen conducted an inquest concerning the death of an unmarried woman named Henrietta Pfahlert, who, having given birth to an illegitimate child, evidently became a victim to Mother Grundy, and comruiit&d suicide m the Waipoua river. . From the evidence that was put forward by Sergeant Miller, a very sad case Of affairs was revealed. Isabella Douglas, a buxom barmaid at the Masterton Prince of Wales Hotel, stated that she had known the uhfortunarte victim, of some skunk of a villain m human form all her life, and that deceased was about 36 vfcars of age. This witness had obtained the Woman employment at | thp hotel as a laundress, but as she •had complained of being unwell, witness took upon, herself the role

OF GOOD SAMARITAN and .sent' the poor woman, -who was a native of Hokitika, to lie On her bed and had administered -Sundry oom- ; forts to -her. She noticed that deceased appeared to be m a certain condition, and approached her on the subject with true sisterly feeling — . some people consider barmaids are devoid of feeling— proffered to assist the unfortunate woman with her purse or any other way. Deceased, hpwever, indignantly denied that she" Was about to become a mother and cut up pretty rough at Here's sue;-' Restion; At 7 p.m! deceased left the hotel without saying where she Was going, but the r sisterly affection of the witness was again m evidence," and she sent to see if the erring woman had. gone to a restaurant kept by one Ay son. The girl returned and said that deceased had- riot- turned up, and witness ■ made 'known her suspicions to her employer, who, with true motherly instinct, relieved Isabella from duty so that she could search for the unfortunate victim of man's lust. Accompanied -by Madge Nancekivelle, the barmaid went to Ayson's private residence, and' as the woman was not there,' made search for her m the, Park and surrounding neighborhood, but- without success. The woman,- however, appears to have returned to Ayson's house at 9 p.m., and shortly' afterwards retired to bed. Madge , Nancekivelle, a waitress, stated that deceased had recently arrived m Masterton via Reef ton and Nelson. : It w#s evident that deceas- i ed was : TRYING TO EVADE PUBLICITY of hex sinning m districts where she 1 was known. Returning from duty it 1 a.m. on- Saturday- . moraine- . this witness found the unfortunate* woman m bed and apparently asleep. During the night the woman appears to have left the house, and her body clothed only m a nightdress, chemise, and pair of stockings, was discovered by a boy; looking for a cow, m the river at 6.30 a.m. Sergeant Miller was quickly on the scene, but apparently did . not like getting into the water, himself, .as he allowed one Robert McKenzie to- bring, the. body to shore Dr. Archer Hoskings-was called to examine the body, and pronounced life to haye v been, extinct several hours. It was during his examination that he discovered, deceased had given birth to a child, and he further dis-. covered the afterbirth, but all search for the infant proved unavailing. The medico visited Ayson's house and discovered the bed deceased had occupied was saturated with blood, and from his examination, he considered the child had been born .before the woman reached the house. Madge Nancekiyelle, who occupied the same room as deceased,* had not heard her leave the room, and her disappeairance. from the . house was unknown until Cop* George. Doggat arrived on his enquiries. Miss, j Nancekivelle also HAD EXTENDED HER SYMPATHY to the victim and proffered her assistance m every- practical ,vav. ' Mrs Ayson also displayed, practical sympathy by asking deceased if she was not 'in a certain condition— this on the night she disappeared— and offering to procure the services of a doctor and a ,nurse for her, as, " to use her own words,, "she would not: see any girl stuck." Coroner -James commended the three women for their praiseworthy conduct, and the' jury m returning a verdict that deceased drowned herself whilst temporarily insane, also added their quota. ' The action of Mrs Ayson and Misses Douglas and Nancekivelle is praiseworthy beyond description. Unfortunately, ins cases of this kind, the victim is too often, subjected to scurvy treatment frdm their own sex, m fact, there is no one, as a rule, more unkind to woman, than the members of her own sex. "Truth" is pleased -to add its commendation to that -of Coroner James and the jury. ■-•: • - : . '■. ■■ Of the skunk, who has allowed two lives to be lost rfco the State, "Truth" cannot find words sufficiently strong m condemnation, but hopes that efforts will be made by the police to trace the unmanly thing, who, having robbed a woman of all that is dear to her, left her to face the world alone. The victim was much to be sympathised with, as only three weeks before her death ( SHE LOST HER FATHER, and this preyed ' heavily on her mind. "Truth" has before advocated the establishment of a "Foundling" institute, where the unwanted infant may be left without nuesUon and cared for by the State. This Dominion wants population and is endeavorine; to procure it by immigration, but is neglecting her own offspring by its worship at the f<?et of Mother Grundy. . Had there been a foundling institution, this victim would, m all probability, not have taken her own life, and the same applies to hundreds, nossiblv thousands of other cases, nnd doubtless if such nn institution wore inaugurated, j we should hear less of crime and abortion vhctn we now do.