LEFT OUTSIDE GATE

NZ Truth, Issue 1215, 14 March 1929, Page 20

LEFT OUTSIDE GATE

Mystery of Little Waif Is Soon Solved by Police

DUNEDIN GIRL'S CRIME

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Dunedin Eepresentative). Either shrinking from the shame of her ill-fated folly, or driven to desperation by the thought of how she was to carry the burden of her child, Pearl Caroline Hislop, an attractive-looking girl of twenty years, showed contempt for the bonds of motherhood by abandoning her newly-born babe near the gateway of a house m Anderson's Bay.

THE young mother has now faced justice, and her apprehension, it is understood, has also been responsible for a serious charge being preferred ag-ainat a married woman living m the house, outside which the infant was found. Not three weeks after Dunedin had been startled by the succession of discoveries of three dead infants within the bounds of the city, it was announced that a living newly-born child had been found at the back-gate of a house m Anderson's Bay Roacl. A smart bit of work by Detec-tive-sergeant Nuttall was responsible for the arrest of Pearl Caroline Hislop, a singl© girl, who had given birth to a child at the Salvation Army "Red Roofs" Maternity Home on January 28. Brought before Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., at the city police court, the girl pleaded guilty to having, on the night of Wednesday, February 13, abandoned her female child near the residence of Mrs. Mary Jane Clark, of Anderson's Bay! Road. From the witness-box, Mrs. Clark said that at about 6.45 on the morning of February 14 she was attracted to v her back gate by the sound of a baby crying. On investigating she • discovered a little baby dressed and wrapped m portion of a blanket. ' Haying taken the infant inside and given it food, she notified the police. Dr. Evans, who arrived on the scene' with the police, stated that the child was well developed ajjd weighed six and three-quarter pounds. The- infant appeared to have been well cared for and was m a healthy state. In t n « medical man's opinion the child was fully natural at birth and when he saw it, it was about fourteen days old. It was given over to the care of the Plunket Society's Home at Karitape. » Evidence of the accused girl having been treated at the "Red Roofs" Home, was given, by Sister Chrlstianson, of the Salvation Army. Sixteen days j

after the birth of the child, she- said, the young mother left the'home, taking the child' with her. It was about 8.30 m the evening when Hislop left, and she had remarked that she was going to some friends. According- to the evidence of Detec-tive-sergeant Nuttall, the unfortunate girl, when interviewed, admitted that she ha.d given birth to a child m the Home. On the night, of February 13, she told the detective^ she left the home and caught a late tram to Anderson's Bay. Disembarking from the tram at the Bay View Hotel, the young ' mother walked about the streets for a few minutes before leaving her child near Mrs. Clark's gate, which faces on to the Portobello Road. She then returned to the city and | stayed the night with an aunt before leaving for Balclutha the next morning:. Remanded to the Supreme Court for sentence, Hislop later appeared before His Honor, Mr. Justice MacGregor. Neatly-dressed, with a shaped sports-tweSd overcoat closely turned up round her face, the girl kept her big dark eyes riveted on the front of the dock during the brief proceedings. On her behalf, Mr. E. J. Anderson stated that she was the daughter of highly-respected parents, and, tiring of country life, she made for the city, where, unfortunately, she had made a false step. Counsel suggested that the girl should be placed where environment would counteract the influence of that m which she had . been living during the past year or 80. •' • • ! The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. F. B. Adams, .drew his Honor's attention to the fact that the child had been out from 11 o'clock at night, and when found, 'its legs were cold. On' the assurance of Ensign Glover, that the girl would no doubt benefit if placed m the Salvation Army's charge, the prisoner was ordered to be detained m the home for a period of 12' months.