MAN-HUNTING FLAPPERS' ESCAPE

NZ Truth, Issue 1187, 30 August 1928, Page 8

MAN-HUNTING FLAPPERS' ESCAPE

Girls ' Adventures

**— Fourteen-year-old Girl's Twenty-five Lovers Daring Hectic Three Weeks In Bach "A TISSUE OF LIES' FROM BEGINNING TO END!" (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Representative.) » COOLLY INDIFFERENT to the staging of the sordid drama of their self-confessed depravity, two young girls, neither of them yet sixteen years old, took their turn m the witness-box of the Christchurch Supreme Court last week as the principal figures m the trial of two men J which yielded disclosures of an amazing and shocking nature. The girls, however, crumpled on their facts when under cross-examination and before long Lawyer C.5. Thomas, who appeared for the accused, had torn the case for the prosecution to shreds—both men, who were charged with the commission of a serious offence against a young girl, being acquitted. The judge agreed with the verdict.

THE case was the outcome of the sensational episode of three young girls who had escaped from the girls' home at Burwood. The lower court story of their adventures has already been told m the columns of "N.Z. Truth." The facts, briefly, are these: In January last, two of the girls escaped from the Jiome and were away for three weeks before they were caught by the police. A fortnight after their return to the home, the ringleader m the first adven.ture, with another girl, again escaped, but their liberty on the second occasion was short-lived, their freedom extending over four days. As *a result of these adventures, a number of young men were interviewed by the police and later made their appearance before the magistrate on serious charges. The namos of the young men wore: Frederick James Fox Sullivan, Ernest Crozier, Victor Robert Blackburn, James Hannan, George Quaid, Chaiies Timothy Rogal and Maurice Victor Rossiter. When the case came before^- judge and jury last week, the charge against Sullivan was taken flrst. Being under the age of 21, he had available the defence that he had good reason to believe the girl m respect of whom he was charged was over the age of 10. The second accused presented was Crozier, to whom no such defence m law was available, he being 37 years old. In each case the jury declined to convict. As the story of the girls had been characterized by such discrepancies and contradictions, Crown Prosecutor A. T. Donnelly intimated that he would have to consider what action to' take ln regard to the other five men.

The action eventually taken was that the serious charges against them were not proceeded with. Following their escape from the home on the first occasion, the two girls lived about New Brighton, following a nomadic existence. At the end of the first week, they found their way to Brooklands and went to a. bach next door to one occupied by Sullivan and a companion of his. It was abundantly clear that the girls made all the advances. . First they called on Sullivan with a request that they be given some tea. Tea was given them and they returned to their own bach with it. Sullivan was away fishing all day and on his return m the evening the girls again called; this time they asked for something to eat. They were given a meal and ; as a ■ result of the conduct of the girl with whom Sullivan was concerned, Intimacy took place between them. This was admitted by Sullivan m a statement he had made to the police, and the Crown Prosecutor, m addressing the jury, said there seemed little doubt that the girl had "led him on." The girl then gave evidence. At present an inmate of the Point Halswel.l institution for girls, she looked older than her years. She admitted her adventures and stated that when she and her friend escaped from the Burwood home, they walked to Brighton and were away for three weeks. She also admitted that during the whole period they had lived at different baches with different men. The court looked shocked when

Lawyer Thomas, m cross-examina-tion, elicited the admission from the girl that it would not be an exaggeration to say that during the three weeks she had committed misconduct with 25 different men. In the charge against Crozier, there were some amazing discrepancies m the evidence oli the two girls. Crozier met the girls on the second escape and there was a direct conflict of evidence. The girl said, that Crozier had met them and m course of conversation had asked them if it were not true that they were esca/pees from the home. She had told him that this was correct, she said. He had driven them round m his car and had been a memt ber of a party when liquor was procured. Crozier denied misconduct \vi t h the girl. When her companion entered the box to give give corroboration, she was at A-ariance with, her companion on so many vital points m the case that it was apparent no conviction could lie. At one stage Lawyer Thomas had both girls ' m turn flatly contradicting the other as to the part Crozier had taken. Counsel made no bones about his view of the girls' evidence when addressing the jury. "A tissue of lies from start to finish," was his description of the story that had been told m the witness-box. Either one or the other of the girls was lying — and it seemed as though one of them had gone into the box ready to tell any story. Counsel referred to "this unceasing

search for men" which had been pursued by the girls during the time they were escapees. He went on to draw attention to the amazing discrepancies m the evidence given. He left it to the jury, confident that they would give the accused the verdict.' In Sullivan's case, the twelve good men and true took but a few minutes to find him not guilty. They were almost as prompt m finding a similar verdict m the case of Crozier. . ■ ; "You will probably flnd it very dangerous to convict on the evidence you have heard to-day," Judge Adams cautioned them m his summing-up. When the verdict of not guilty was' returned, his honor made it clear that he. was m complete accord with the finding. "If it is any satisfaction to you, Mr. Foreman and gentlemen, I may say that I agree entirely with your verdict. The evidence was very doubtful." At the conclusion of the case against Crozier, the Crown Prosecutor intimated that with regapd to the cases of the other young men concerned — and m view of the fact that the girl had been disbelieved — he would consider what should be done about them. The cases were stood down till the following day, but they were not proceeded with. There was an echo of the trial m the Magistrate's Court later, when a series of charges of having harbored the girls when escapees, were heard against several of the young men who had been involved. Magistrate Lawry inflicted fines varying from £25 to £5, totalling £72,