A SAD CASE.

Southland Times, Issue 1186, 2 July 1869, Page 3

A SAD CASE.

"Here are two little children, your Worship ; very intelligent little things, brought up as neglected children. They are the sou and daughter of a Dr O'Snllivari, riow dead, and their mother has been away" in New 1 Zealand for the last three yeaw." The' little people, a boy and agiii were neatly dressed, and appeared well fed, and it appeared that they had been taken care of by the Dean of Melbourne and Mr Lowcock, of Prahrau, but as they were becoming too great a burden, they had been sent in the charge of some person stigmatised by some other person as a " psalm singer, " to the City Court, on the 7th instant, with a view of their being committed to the industrial schools ; but the aforesaid musical gentleman disappeared before they came under consideration of the bench. It was unanimously agreed that it would be a pity to send two such well well-bred intelligent children to the industrial schools, where they would be almost certain to become diseased, both in body and mind, but the difficulty was to dispose of them in the meantime, while inquiries were being made as to the possibility of some benevolent couple being induced to adopt them. Senior Constable Slattery, the biggest and one of the besthearted in the force, solved the difficulty, by offering to take the boy home for a few days, and Sergeant Pewfcress also offered to take the little girl home- This arrangement was agreed to, and the two children were then remanded till monday, a constable being instructed to make inquiries as to their ultimate disposal. They were refused admission to the Protestant Orphnage, because the mother is not known to be dead. The two orphan children of Dr. O,Sullivan were again brought before the City Court Mon onday, when the bench formally handed the girl over to Sergeant Pewtress, and the boy to Mr. Peters, engineer, living in Oollingwood, both those gentlemen having decided on adopting the children according _ to the above arrangement. Inquiries have proved Mr. Peters to be a well- known and respected engineer in good business. He intends to send the child, who is eight years old, to school with his own boy, about the same age, until they are old enough to learn a business. Mr Peters formerly knew the deceased doctor, who was a widower with one child (now in Ireland) when he married the mother of the two children, and who left her at his death with £300. The widow put her children for a term of four years to board and lodge at Miss Lowccck's school, Charles-street, Prahran, and paid one year, but has not been heard of for three years. She was last heard of on the 10th May, three years ago, and it is supposed that she spent all her money, " went to the bad," and left the Colony for New Zealand. The children have been living with Miss Lowcock ever since, and it was stated in court that they had evidently been properly cared for and well educated, the girl who is only sis, being able to read and write very well, &c. As they had become too great a burden, however, it was found necessary to transfer the care of them to some persons better able to bear the expense. Some little property was left to the children by their father, but it cannot be touched till they come of age, no trustees having been appointed. At any rate, they are now in a fair way to be brought up well and put in the right groove to earn an honest living.— Melbourne Age.