Engaged To Him

NZ Truth, Issue 1238, 22 August 1929, Page 5

Engaged To Him

house where the accused lived until recently, to speak to their good behavior. A suggestion was mooted by. counsel that if the girls had been associating with white men they perhaps would - not have been charged. They had never actually ' lived with the phine'se.' ' In. her evidence, Mona Laura Johnson, who explained that she took m boarders, though not keeping a board-ing-house, said that Dawson and the younger, girl lived with her .for.. a[ period of four months. They left a, fortnight ago and went to ; live m Khyber, Pass. They did not go but| much arid always behaved themselves. She knew Dawson was engaged to a Chinese, and , he. often came to see her at the house, where he, too, behaved himself correctly. Gross-examined by Sub-inspector McCarthy, who prosecuted, Mrs. Johnson said that she had given advice to the girls on going qbout with Orientals, but Dawson was over-age and she had no authority over. her. The younger girl's father also lived m the house, but neither he nor she knew that his daughter was associating with Chinese. "And you, as a, married woman, did not consider it your duty to this girl to! exercise a closer care over her behavior?" queried Mi\ McCarthy. "Well, she was over twenty-one and I could not interfere," ,was Mrs. Johnson's excuse. . / . - In the witness-box, Nessie Dawson said that her board and lodging were paid by Willie Ong Hing to whom she was engaged. She , was, however, prepared to return to her people m Featherston. In cross-examination, she admitted that the statement she signed was correct.