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Otago Daily Times, Issue 165, 27 May 1862, Page 5

Cruelty by a Parent.—At the Surrey assizes. Fry, a carpenter, was sentenced to three years' penal ; servitude for cruelty to his son. The prosecutingcounsel, in opening the. case, observed that the prisoner held a respectable position as a carpenter, nnd he had three children by a former wife, on* of which was the subject of this inquiry. There wa9 a stepmother, and the poor child was not only neglected, but most brutally ill-treated. He had a chain and ,' heavy log of wood constantly fastened to his leg, he was compelled to do all the dirty work in the house, and he was literally starved. Tlie prisoner's excuse was that the child was a thief, but he (Mr. Robinson) would be able to show that the cruelty was unneces- ; sary, and beyond all human thought. The child only weighed 36 lbs. when discovered by the parish, but by kind care be has improved and gained 6 lbs., and t has worn off a little of his lameness, The learned counsel went carefully' through the evidence, and called various witnesses, amongst whom was the poor boy, wlio said h« was about ten years of age. He recollected having the chain and the log of wood put on his leg last winter. His father said hel put it on because he was a bad boy, and a thief.' He said he stole apples and potatoes from the house. Witness did _ot do that. He did once take an half-penny from the window,, and found a. penny in the playground: He never took any money out of the house but the half-penny. He never took his father's tools.- The iron belt was put round his ancle, and fastened so that he could not move it. (The poor child here showed how it was fastened, and exhibited bis legs.) The chain was fastened to a staple in -the floor. He slept on an old pair of trousers, and had an old coat to cover him. That was all. He was left fastened down in that way for a week,, but for ten months had the log fastened to his leg. He slept up-stairs, and had to carry it up to bed. He, however, generally slept in the back-kitchen: He had to chori wood, carry pails of water, sift cinders, and do other jobs by direction, of his mother-in-law. The chain hurt him at first, but he got used to it. The ring slipped a little. He had two slices of bread for his breakfast, with dripping and treacle. He had meat on Sundays. He had the same, bread, &c*., for his dinner.and tea on~other days. His trousers were cut to enable him to get them off at night-time. His mother-in-law had bacon and eggs for tea sometimes, and his step-brothers and sisters had it. His brother did not have any. Witness complained to Miss Scoggins, and she gave him food, as he did not like to complain to his stepmother. He had his food in the washhouse,- and they had their food in the parlour. On the 28th of February, witness got a hatchet, and chopped away, at the chain until the staple came out of the wood. He was glad of that—(sensation) —and ran nway to Mr. Purday's^who took him to the constable, nnd then to Mr. Clifford, at the workhouse. He felt nicely now, but his ancle. was sore and .hurt .him.' }. The chairman directed him to bare. his leg. The constable here assisted him to pull his stockings off, "when the, mark of the ring was very distinct on one of his legs, just above theancle. -The leg was also.bent from the weight; of the log.— English paper. ' ■ ~; ' . .',■«■.. ~;■. .■• '■■ Poor Relief in Scotland.—ln the House of .Commons, on Tuesday, Sir F. Heygate asked the President of. the Poor^—aw Board on what day the Lord Advocate ai Scotland would introduce his bill, as premised last session, to extend to Scotland the provisions of the "Act to amend the law regulating to the removal of poor persons to Ireland, 1861." , Mr. Villiers replied that the Lord Advocate was in communication with the poor-law authorities, and such a bill would bt brought in..—Scotsman. -