EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL'S ALLEGATIONS

NZ Truth, Issue 1179, 5 July 1928, Page 8

EIGHTEEN- YEAR-OLD GIRL'S ALLEGATIONS

Father of Ten Children Faces Charge of Committing Grave Offence Against His Daughter

WILL CROWN PROCEED WITH A FOURTH TRIAL?

uiiiiiiiiniliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinimiiiiiiiiiniliiitrtHiiniiiiiniiimiiiiuiiiniiiimiminuiiiitmnnniiHiiiiiniiiiiiimiimiiiiiniiiMmniiniiiii^ |H iniiiMiiiiiiiiiiiii nil iiiiiiiii iiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiuiiimiiiimii iiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.i mini iijijijiii iiiiiuu i r iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini miiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiii tinttjiiiiiiiiajMiiititiiiiijiijtiiji jrtfii,,, It ,, l , ll[ , 11l , l ,j lrl „ l f, 1 i I , l j t , < ,, ll i, ltlI | t ,, t (fKitJi Jifit JiiiJ'* l ' l |1 _■.'■' * . (From "N.Z. Truth's" Morrinsville Representative.)- v If ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS and revolting charges m the criminal code is that against a father j| accused of committing misconduct with his daughter. Arthur Read, a nwddle-aged man, of Morrinsville, has jji stood his itiial on such a charge no fewer than three times, the jury on each occasion having failed to agree! If after a fengthy retirement. |j At the third trial last week the jury deliberated for four hours be.f/ore announcing their failure to agree Ij concerning Read's innocence or guilt. When — or if — the Crown will proceed with the case a fourth time is II not known.

:f:l • ' £:!iiiiuiiiiintii>iiiimimiii>Mi nmiimiimiimiiiiimiiiiiimiMiiimiimiiiiiiHiiiiiiwiiimiiiiiiiiiiiii *rMiiliiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiimniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiuiiiiiiuituiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiittiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiliiiiiiiiimiii READ is described as a painter, but It appears that he has done very little work at his trade for a long time. ', He has a wife and ten children who subsifet largely on their own labors m : cleaning shops and offices. His daughter, against whom he is alleged to. have committed a serious offence, is now eighteen years of age. Some time ago sne gave birth to a child, fbr which she declared that her father wais responsible. . : Fortunately for all concerned, and particularly for the child, the infant died artd was spared — if the. girl's story is true — the hereditary disadvantages which would attach to such a parentage. . • To a person of normal^mentallty. such* a relationship as that with which Read was charged is totally incomprehensible. It is .to be regretted that one of the different juries which heard the case did not return a verdict one way or the other, for the man to be punished if guilty, or, if not, to clear his name of such a terrible: charge. Crown Solicitor Gillies^ told the jury m the Hamilton Supreme- Court last week that Read had a wife and ten .children. •He gave his occupation as a painter, though since Christmas the police alleged that he had done little or no work. ■.'■'•''•.'"■. The evidence, against him would be that when his wife went up to AuckIn Wife's Absence land on the last occasion before the birth of her child, Read took his eldest daughter, aged 18, to his room. He remained with her the whole of the. first night his wife was away and ,on subsequent nights. His illicit relationship with his daughter continued over a long period a"nd finally the" girl discovered that she was about to become a mother. She informed her father of the fact and he provided her with money to procure pills, which she took without effect. Finally she gave birth to a 'child. Counsel said that at this period the mother had been back a considerable time. * I Read had called m Dr. Seville, telling him; that his daughter had a pain m 1 her leg. When the medico arrived he discovered the girl's condition. He informed the father and mother that she was about to have a baby, but neither of them expressed any surprise, the only remark Read was alleged to have made being: "Thafs funny." The' girl declared on oath that her ■ father, was the. parent pf the. child to which she had given birth, but which was now dead. Prior to her mother going to Auckland, her father had, told witness thathe wanted her love. She told' him that they could love each other without going to that length. On the night her mother left, he told her. to go to his room. niiiitMiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiMiitiiiiiHiiiiiiititHiiiuiMiiiiiiiiiiiniimimimiminiMimiiHimmiinmn iiJfirjfjfiiJJriJiJ'JiJiiiiififJfjjj-irrttiiiTiittiiiittftittrinjifJtiijfiifJfiitttfnjtjiiMJtiofftitKn,,,,!,!,,,,!,!,,!,!,*-

At first, she refused, but finally, under threats, she -went there' and spent the night with him. The girl added that she spent many subsequent nights with her father, while frequently m the day-time he would nod to her to go into his room. Aske.d. why she had not informed her mother of this, witness said her father had threatened to kill her if she did. When she told her father of her condition, he gave her money to buy pills, but they did her no good.

Questioned as to whwe the child was registered, the girl saftd Hamilton, She told the registrar that she did not know who was __»c father. The girl was cross.' examined regarding a week-end which she spent at Frankton, when shja overstayed her leave by a day and "got into a row" with her father on "her'' return.. She denied that sine, spent the weekend with a young maai whom she met at the" bible- class cfatnference at Ngaruawahia the previotjjs Easter and with

ni'iiimiimiiiiiilimiiiiiitirmiiiiiiimiiiiimiim^ iiifiimtnliumitiiniiMiiiiifititiimiftiiiiMttM^^ whom She had since been corresponding. Her father, she said, had told. her to say that the father of her child was a a&ilor she had met m Audi*, -j land. Dr. Seville, who attended the girt, gave evidence on the lines of counsel's opening address. In the box, Read accused his.daughter of telling "a tissue of lies," She hated him, he said, because he had reason to correct her on several occasions. He denied that ho knew she Was ifj a certain condition or that his wife was aware of the fact, although they were all m the house together at that tinie. He admitted that he had made- ho effort to discover the father Of the child; The jury, after a four hours' retirement, failed to agree and a new trial was ordered. At the subsequent trial three hew witnesses gave evidence. One was the girl's sev&hteen-year-old brother, who said that four months before his sister gave birth to the child, her condition was quite evident to him. The young bible-class student was also called to state that although he played tennis with the girl during her week-end at Frankton he was never with hec alone. He denied that he had "been intimate with her at any time. For the "defence, Read's wife gave Disagreed Again evidence. She stated that she Was quite unaware of her daughter's condition until the birth of the child, On her return from Auckland, she had found things at home proceeding just as usual. Her daughter had never complained to her bf any misconduct on the part of her father. .-... Mrs. Read did not believe the girl's story and had complete faith m her husband, with whom she was living on quite normal tenuis. In his address to the jury, Lawyer N. Johnson described the girl's story as av,tissue of lies prompted, firstly, to shield the actual father of the child, and, secondly, because of a deadly hatred which she bore her father. Crown Solicitor Gillies said that while the girl's story was uncorroborated, it had yet been unshaken. No matter how bad the girl might be — there had been no evidence that she was bad at all; m fact, she was given an excellent testimonial— it was hardiy likely that she would concoct such a diabolical story against her father. ''„', Referring to the evidence given by the wife, counsel, observed that Mrs. Read was probably the splendid type of woman sometimes met with, who, nb matter what she had suffered and no matter what her husband had done, would stick to her man through thick and thin. The jUry, after, sitting a full four hours, again disagreed and a third trial was then ordered, with the same result. iiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiitiiiiiitiiiiitiHiiiiiiiHuiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiitiniiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiifiiitiiiiuiiiiiiiiiitHniv iiitlHHMiHiiiiitiiiiiitiuiiiiuniiitinitHliiniiiuiiiiiiitJiiuiiliilitiiliniiliniliilHlitiiiniiiitiniiiiitmnmc