SHE TROD ROAD OF PLEASURE

NZ Truth, Issue 1216, 21 March 1929, Page 5

SHE TR OD ROAD OF PLEASURE

TO PAY FOLLY'S PRICE '-■ ' ms

Pretty Peggy Blames Married Man WITNESSES ASSAIL GIRUS MORAL CHARACTER IN AFFILIATION PROCEEDINGS \ '" ■■_'„'• (From " N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Representative) When Peggy Taylor, a pretty little waitress, of less, than twenty years, left Christchurch to try her fortune m Wellington, she did not appreciate the pitfalls that beset the feet of the inexperienced and unwary. In the metropolis and its environment of strange faces and new companions, the gaiety of life appealed to her. She was quickly initiated into the cult which ripples along, on the waves of amusement, never counting the cost; the cult which thrives on "spotting" and joy-riding.

BUT- Peggy, an orphan,, whose worldly possessions amounted to a "pretty face, a winsome manner, and a . suitcase full of pretty clothes, fell a victim' to the artificiality of the pleasure-seekers. > Could she hold the pace set by her confreres? fc ' ■ She would try, arid she did try, but m the train of that endeavor followed disappointment and despair. Before she had .even attained her majority came the grim realisation of the price of folly. The fun was all right while, it lasted, but like all good things it came to an end, and at that dismal end the young, friendless girl was faced with approaching motherhood, and she had no one to turn to for assistance or advice. So "another little unwanted child joined, -the ever-growing throng of State-reared children. But the responsibility was still Peggy's, and the Education Department, acting, through the police, called on the; ' girl to declare the name of the man who. had. betrayed her. .'■'.•■ In .doing so, she named Albert Lawrence, a married man, who- works at the motor trade m Wellington, but Lawrence defended the suit and was successful m having his defence accepted by Mr.. H. P. Lawry, S.M., when the- case was heard m the Christchurch Maintenance Court. .„": Lawrence called evidence bearing or ,the girl's mode of living while Many Car Rides employed 'm a. Wellington hotel,

and the evidence of a former female cook employed m . the hostelry comprised a scathing, indictment of the conduct of the girl, and involved, also, the licensee, Gilbert James- who, according to the evidenceyof the female cook,' had'been, more''th£n friendly with tlieyglrl. '„';•■' The story set up by the girl,'however, did" not impress the /.magistrate, and his decision went m favor Of thd ( defendant, Lawrence, whose witnesses told a sordid story, of Peggy's .'.brief, but hectic, stay m Wellington. The principal witness was . the girl, Marjorie Taylor, known to her intimate.friends as. Peggy, , and at present engaged as a waitress at'Kaikoura. Under examination by Sub-inspector J. Fitzpatf-ick, she told her story qlearly. and- attached': the blairhe On Lawrence, whomi •sli.e'jsald, she had met through, ah. introduction by a friend named Verna Bradley, then a waitress at the Blue Platter private hotel, at Island Bay, Wellington. The. girl alleged that a friendship sprang up between her and Law- . rence, and they, frequently . went -.for'car rides around the. bays. iSoon after arriving m Wellington from Christchurch, m September, 1927, she went to work at the City Hotel, where she was engaged until Decemhor 16 of the same year; and during that period she and -Miss Brad'.ev occasionally went, driving with Lawrence and one of his friends, she alleged. She left the City Hotel on her birthFrequent Caller day, December 16, and after spending three days as a boarder at the Blue Platter/she was engaged as a waitress at the Pier Hotel, but loft there days later. She took rooms ,In Wellington Terrace a few days before Christmas, where, according to her story, Lawrence was a frequent caller, and with whom she went i driving on several occasions. The first allegation of intimacy concerned a chance meeting between the girl and Lawrence near the Lambton railway station one evening just before Christmas. Lawrence, she said, had some drink with him, and they went for a drive, around the bays, where misconduct occurred. On two or three ] subsequent occasions, she-alleged, the same thing happened when they were joyriding around the bays near Wellington, and on a 'ater occasion m January, when ■ accomby Miss Bradley and another man, they drovet out to Khandallah m the evening, and misoonduct again occurrT»dl 1 She returned to Christchurch on January 27, 1928, but before leaving Wellington, she said, she informed Lawrence of her condition, and alleged that he gave her some medicine. . Six. weeks later she went back to Wellington, where she again saw the defendant. "1 asked him for £10 to help me m my trouble," said Miss Taylor, "and he said he would try. and get the money, but he gave -me only £2, tell-

,q — _ L __ c > ing me that it would do for a deposit, • and he would give me the rest later. , "I did not go on with it; and I have r not seen him since the child was born, ' six weeks prematurely, on August I£, 1928;*' It was elicited m cross-examination by Mr. Roy Twyneham that the girl : was not aware that Lawrence was a I married man for three weeks after meeting him, even though his wife and child, .were . staying with him at the Blue Platter. She first met him, she said,, at the City Hotel, when Miss Bradley brought him and Jeff Butcher there. On the occasion of the Khandallah trip, Miss Taylor alleged that she and Lawrence got out of the car and went up the road, leaving Miss Bradley and

j___ __ _— _ _~-c hotels, but she." was not dure which hotel it was. Mr. Twyneham: Who is Valeric Buckston, Miss Bradley? Miss Bradley: It was a name 1 went under at the beginning, as I didn't want anyone to know where I was.' Was riot there a little trouble? Didn't you have a little incident?— The witness, offered ho reply. Counsel: When you went to Khandallah, did anything immoral happen between you and your man? Miss Bradley: . No., . And that was the only car ride when the four of you ever separated?— Yes, but Peggy was out with Lawrence, by

her friend m the car alone. [ Mr. Twyneham : - You had special ' reasons for leaving the City Hotel, did 1 you not?

» The girl: No; I think it- waa ; my ' temper. Did you not make allegations against ' Mr. Young, the proprietor?— No. " And .what did you leave the Pier • for?— l didn't like if. 1 Answering further questions, the girl ■ admitted that she had been out with ' other men m Wellington, mostly to ', dances at Newtown and -for trips ' around the bays. ' Counsel: Now be . particularly care- ! ful how you answer this question^ Miss Taylor.' -.Did Lawrence- give you £2 when you x asked him for £10 ? 'The girl: Well, I went to a. solicitor and he told me to go and ask Lawrence myself. • •"■'■'.', Do you suggest that your solicitor advised you to have an ..illegal act per--1 formed? — He told me to go , and see

Lawrence to see what he would say. Lawrence, said he could not manage £10, but later m the day he gave me £2. '"..'.' "You know that your solicitor demanded £10 from Lawrence's solicitor; you know how the latter treated the claim, and how your solicitor suddenly stopped acting for you?" asked counsel. , Miss Taylor denied that she knew anything of such arrangements, and explained that it was through her having no money that she could not y afford to retain .her solicitor's services. ' * The girl added that she did not approach Lawrence from March, 1928, until the police took the matter up on

behalf of the Education Department. Mr. Twyneham: Would you ever h a v c proceeded against Lawrence yourself?

The girl: No. • The magistrate: Why? Miss Taylor: Because it costs money. The girl went on to say that she did not sue Lawrence for paternity orders, because the child had been taken charge of by the State when it was six weeks old. . ■ Miss Taylor's story was supported by the evidence of Miss Verna Eleanor Bradley, a well-dressed' and attractivelooking young- woman, who said she was a waitress, working arid residing at Constable Street, Wellington. She corroborated the statements of the former witness regarding the car drives arouhd the bays and the trip to Kharidallah, when, she said, "Lawrence and Peggy Taylor left' the car. She could riot siay how long they were away. -•'.'.'' She went on to relate how she saw a •box containing a certain preparation m Peggy's ' "bedroom at one: •of " the

nome-oreaicer ana a young woman with very loose morals. , ' Mrs. Springall alleged that, while Peggy vwas employed at the hotel,, she- was familiar with the proprietor, Gilbert James Young, and that on ocoasions when Mrs. Young was out, Peggy and 'Young were alone together m the hotel. Young used to take drink to the girl, Mrs. Springall alleged, and, when she left, Mrs. ' Young -' brought down many empty bottles from her room.' '"Peggy used to talk to me about Young,". Mrs. Springall continued, "and told me she was mad about him, and that" she had permitted impropriety to occur between them. V "When I offered her advice, she told me to shut up, and, when I asked her if she knew the consequences of- allow? ing a man to take stich liberties with

)-. . „ _ • ■ ■■ . , her, she said she didn't care as long as it was Young." Mrs. Springall went on to say: p "She said she had Young round her little finger, and could get any of the staff paid off when she liked." When Peggy asked/Mrs. Springall to take her to her home, Mrs. Springall declined, as she said she regarded the girl as a home-breaker. Mrs. Springall continued her description of the life the girl was, living while employed at the City Hotel, stating that she frequently saw Young take hold of Peggy familiarly m ttfe' kitchen. Peggy had sometimes showed money, which, she said, Young had

_,* . V.AA A4W*. . • - ■ On one occasion, the name of Mrs. Lawrence was mentioned, and Peggy said she did not know Lawrence, the woman's husband, nor had she ever seen him. '•''.-. • • On December 16, Mrs. Springall informed the court, Mrs. Young and Peggy had a row, and Mrs. Young made her husband pay the girl off. Peggy said: "A nice birthday present I've got. I've got the sack, and I'm m a certain condition to Young." Mrs. SpringalJ alleged that Peggy ,had shown her her wages,. and also I£s which she said Young had given her to keep her mouth shut;; 'According to 5 'Mrs: Springall, Peggy W^ % Taylor's association with the City Hotel

was a .very hectic; orie< : :*: She : used to .come mr at-all hours^of 'the night, the Yvitness said, and oh one occasion -when, the: girl was trying to scale the fence . she could not get o"ver, and a policeman assisted her.. .'•""Her conduct at the hotel was thesubject of general discussion," asserted Mrs. Springall. "It waslcommonknowledge; that, she was carrying: on 'with. Young," she alleged; Yahd;it got co' bad: that' the barmen . would', hot sneak, to herY>' - : y-. ''.yy YY '-y ' '.' . „by' Senibr-sergearit Butlery Mrs; Springall 'stated that ; she had le|t the City Hotel on account of ahwargumeh't with : Mrs. Young, and .on that account she was not too friendly with the Youngs. " VMoyra McCartney, who was a housemaid-waitress at the . City Hotel/from February until the end of April, 1928, said, she had met Peggy m Wellington one evening, and Peggy had questioned her about various people working at the hotel. T'he conversation- eventually centred on Young, the licensee, and when Miss McCartney had told Peggy that she did not like Young very much, Peggy stated that she was ; m a certain condition, and that Young was responsible for it. "Peggy had told me she had been out with a lot of men that week, and seemed to be bragging about her boys," Miss McCartney alleged. • '•'Not A Nice Girl" ' "When she had learned this from Peggy she went and told Mrs. Young, but did not mention Young's name at first. The night Miss MoCartney was talking to Peggy, she said, a man drove up m a oar and asked them both to go for a drive. She said ■he would not go, but Peggy .went with him, and the way she went off convinced- Miss McCartney that Peggy was not a nice girl. She did not- know- that Peggy was blaming . anyone . but Young, and she had never heard Lawrence's name mentioned. . ( "When Peggy told me that Young .was resporisiole, I said she was foolish to go out. with other men," said the waitress, "but she said she really . couldn't be sure who was responsible, because she had been out with so many, but she thought it was Young." Peggy had also told her that the first night she was at the City Hotel, Young '.had given^ her drink and she didn't remember^nything after that. The defendant, Albert Lawrence, a motor mechanic,, residing with his wife at Yogel Street, Wellington, made an unqualified denial of the girl's allegations. He stated that he took both Peggy Taylor and Verna Bradley to be friends of Jeff. Butcher's, a motor mechanic associate of his, and never suspected that either of them possessed loose morals. " . . ' The girl, he said, had never told him she was m trouble, and he denied ever giving her any money. He remembered that m March last year a solicitor named "West-Walker sent for him arid . informed him that Peggy Taylor was m a certain condition. ■.■;..- . .?••:■-■■- Lawrence alleged that West- Walker wanted him to pay £10 to bring about a certain result, but he declined to entertain the suggestion. Lawrence said he immediately took legal advice from Mr. Mazengarb, and, while he was present, Mr. Mazengarb telephoned Mr. West- Walker so as to have it on record that Lawrence would, not entertain the suggestion. Lawrence then received a message from Mr. Mazengarb to the effect that Mr. West- Walker did not think he would be having anything further to do with the matter. . Lawrence also stated that the first time he had been accused of paternity was -when the police came to see him m November. Corroborative evidence was given by Jeffrey Butcher, a. motor-mechanic, of Wellington, who stated that never on, any of the occasions he-'a,nd Lawrence were out together with Peggy Taylor and Verria Bradley was there any op-, portunity for intimacy/ ■■■■'.; When the case was called later m the Christchurch Maintenance - ; Court, Mr. Lawry intimated, after having perused the evidence /taken m Wellington, that he »was unable to make an order, and the information was dismissed. -'■■■*

An Assumed Name

Certain Medicine

.herself several times. N Miss Bradley's evidence reached a climax : when Mr. Twyneham accused her of concocting

the story- about the medicine, and she burst into a" fit of sobbing under . counsel's unrelenting- accusation. . When asked where she saw the preparation, she answered that it was somewhere m the street. She said she was with Peggy the night Lawrence gave "the preparation to heri The magistrate: Did you see Lawrence give' it to her? Miss Bradley: Yes. -„■-"; Counsel: Did you tell the police that?— No. ; ; i. Counsel: I give you one more chance. Is this story true or have you made it up? The. witness 'turned her head . awayi.from the gaze of counsel and . . the magistrate and was overcome with a fit of loud sobbing, but oh

being assured she had nothing to be afraid of, she declared that what she 'had said was true. Formal evidence regarding the premature birth of the child on August 18, 1928, was tendered by Miss Edith Pike, matron of the Essex Home, m Christchurch. Owing to- Lawrence, the defendant, being unable to attend the hearing m Christchurch, Mr. Lawry had previously granted an application for the defence to be heard m Wellington. The evidence taken on deposition was produced. Lawrence called as his first witness Mrs. Hetty Wellington Sprin'gall; of 18 Nelson Street, Wellington, who was cook, at the City Hotel, Wellington, when Miss Taylor was engaged early ' . I— . i~. n -f._V.^_

m vctooer, T.he witness spared few. words m her denunciation of the character. of Miss Taylor, whom she described as $,