THE KIDNAPPING CASE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 220, 15 March 1912, Page 8

THE KIDNAPPING CASE

TWO MEN CHARGED. DIVORCED PARENTS AND THEIR LITTLE GIRL. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auekland, March 13. A little girl-, with closely-cropped hair, was placed in a chair ill the Police Court before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., this morning, while her mother was giving evidence against her father and an alleged accomplice upon a charge of kidnapping. The defendants were Siren Marctw Mikkleson and Richard James. They were charged with having, on February 22nd, attempted to deprive Hannah Beatrice Caroline Kipp of her child, Gladys Kipp, aged eight years, of which she had the legal custody. Mr. Singer appeared for defendant Mikkleson, and Mr. Hackett for defendant James. | Chief-Detective Marsack said that, as James was alleged to have assisted in carrying off the child, he was being charged as an accomplice. The mother of the little girl deposed that the latter was the child of herself and defendant Mikkleson. They were married in South Brisbane in September, 1902. A couple of weeks later he went to Sydney, and shxirtly after left far America, from where he returned in 1903. Almost immediately he went to South Africa, asking witness to go too, t>u't she was not in a fit condition to travel. He sent hSr a little money for the first few months, but after the «hild was born she had to support herself. Defendant wrote asking her to go out to South Africa, but she did not do so because his letters were always unfriendly. Witness came over to New Zealand and procured a divorce while in Wellington on March 11th of last year. The Supreme Court judgment gave her the custody of the child. She and the latter came to Auekland before last Christmas. Witness was not aware that defendant Mikkleson had come te Auckland. She had not seen him since January, 1910, when- he went to her house in Wellington with a solicitor and j tried to get the custody of the child.

Violet Maud Henderson, aged ten years, told the court how a man had come behind Gladys Kipp as the two were going to Grafton road school from their homes one morning, and carried her away. They both cried, and witness tried to holtl on to Gladys, but she was put into a trap and driven away with two men. ' v Gladys Kipp, the little girl alleged to have been kidnapped, said that while walking along the footpath on her way to school on the morning in question with the former witness 'she had stopped < to take some books out of her schoolbag, when defendant Mikkleson came be- ] hind her and picked her up. She r screamed, but he put her in a tart and ! ! drove her away with the 'other defendant around Mount Eden. When some distance out the former took her from the trap and sat down with her on the roadside for a long time, Tvhile the trap went away and came back again. He then showed her a new dress and; hat, which he said were for her to wear. She was then driven a long way to a house, where she stayed for several days. The defendant Mikkleson cut off her long hair and put it in a .paper bag, and on the second day he put hoy's clothes on her so that "no one would know her." He told her that her ' mother starved her, which was not true. She slept in the same bed as him, except one night, when she was taken by two men to sleep in the bush, so that no one could find her. Leah Miller, a resident 'of Mount deposed to having witnessed the carrying off of the child and to seeing the defendant Mikkleson place his hand over her mouth. Defendant James afterwards came to her and said, "Hold your tongue to-night, or I will choke you!" When being cross-examined "by Mr. Haekett witness became excited, and her husband from his seat in the court rose, with arms waving in the direction of counsel, and protested against the manner in which he was questioning his wife. trial th <Jefendants were committed for