THE LILY ARMSTRONG CASE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1406, 17 October 1885, Page 3

THE LILY ARMSTRONG CASE.

The peculiar case of abduction of a child, for which the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette and Mr Bramwell Booth, of the Salvation Army, have been committed for trial, is thoroughly exposed in the latest English papers. The St. James’ Gazette comments upon it as follows : —“ Our readers will be relieved to hear that Eliza Armstrong has at length been safely restored to her parents. The recovery was effected by a pardonable stratagem on the part of the mother, and by the revelation of farther instances of falsehood and deceit on the part of those who were concealing the girl. It will be remembered that Mr Bramwell Booth bad given an address in Lonol, Drome, Prance, as the place where this child could be found. On the faith of this statement, Armstrong, the father, in company with a detectiv*, was sent over to this address. On arriving at Loriol, he found that he had been the victim of another cruel fraud. The child bad been removed—it is believed to Rouen. From here she seems to have been taken to England and placed in the house of a gentleman who has been closely associated with the literary part of Mr Booth's recent enterprise. Questioned on the subject at St. James’ Gall, Mr Stead (editor of the Pall Mall Gazette) made an important statement. He said that he, and he alone, was responsible for taking the child Eliza Armstrong from her home; that the mother had sold her daughter for immoral purposes ; that he had conveyed the girl to a house of bad character, but that she had left it free from all barm. The first statement conflicts with that made by Mrs Josephine Butler, for this lady has stated that she was responsible for the proceedings of her friend Mrs Jarrett, who is known to have taken the child from her home. The second point is denied by Mrs Armstrong, who has stoutly persisted all through that she did not sell the child, and that she really believed that she was to be taken to a respectable situation. Mr Stead’s assertion that the child was not wronged proves the falsehood of the story told in bis ‘ revelations,’ The identity of the story of ‘ Lily ’ there given with that ot Eliza Armstrong has been admitted by Mr Booth, and indeed, in the face of (he evidence which has been seen by ourselves and others, cannot be denied. If Mr Stead’s statement on (he platform is to be accepted, this story—the most striking of his ‘ revelations ’ —is a fraudulent and obscene concoction, This is what we have frequently contended, and we now find our surmise confirmed from Mr Stead’s own lips. Mr Stead absolved Mr Booth from all share in decoying or conveying the girl from her home. He did not take the opportunity—nor did Mrs Booth, who was present, and complained of ‘ slanderous ’ statements made about her organisation—of explaining why Eliza Armstrong was sent to herd with fallen women for several days, and by what right the Booths kept possession of her, refused to restore her to her parents, and aent her ont of the country when inquiries were set on foot by the mother,”