INFATUATED WITH A CHINAMAN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2638, 27 March 1894, Page 1

INFATUATED WITH A CHINAMAN.

The particulars of a case in which an English child only 16 years of ago became the wife of a Chinese vegetable hawker were laid before Mr Panton, P.M., and other Magistrates, at the Melbourne City Court lately. Emily Kiley had been arrested as a vagrant. She was of rather pleasant appearance, but her constitution seemed to have been wrecked by the frequent inhalation of opium fumes and the terribly abandoned life she had led among Chinese in the lowest parts of the city. In Court there was not the slighest indication of shame in her demeanor. For some time past she has been well known to the police as a slave to various vicious habits of the Chinese, and not withstanding her tender age she was a confirmed opium smoker. On the oth iust. she was committed to the Neglected Children’s Department, and subsequently it was arranged that she should be transferred the Girls’ Reformatory at Coburg. From this institution, however, after a couple of days’ detention, she succeeded in making her escape, after scaling an eight-feet fence. Then she quickly found her way back to the Chinese dens off Lonsdale street. The police ascertained that after the girl’s committal she was accompanied by her mother and a cm pie of other persons to the residence of Mr Kinsman, at Fitaroy, where in the course of a few moments the youngster became the bride of a Chinaman. The girl’s mother, notwithstanding that she was cautioned by Mrs Hutchison, of the Salvation Army, against allowing her daughter to marry the Chinaman, made no effort to save her, and sanctioned the union by her presence. Mrs Hutchison, who regularly attends the court for the purpose of rendering assistance iu cases where there appears to bo any chance of getting offenders to turn over a new loaf, was put into the witnessbox, and declared that she had personally asked Mrs Kiley to step iu and prevent the marriage from taking place. She also warned her that she would bo proceeded against if she encouraged her daughter in the foolish stop she contemplated. Mr Panton ordered the girl to be sent back . tu the L’luHren’e DcparLuwt-