CRUELTY TO À CHILD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4192, 15 August 1892, Page 3

CRUELTY TO À CHILD.

The Mjtiumil Hearing,

In the Masterton R.M, Court this morning, before Messrs A. W. Renall and J. Butement, J.'sP., Tbomns and Elizabeth Goodgamo, of Mauriceville, wero charged on remand with having beaten, assaulted and ill-treated a girl named Maud Thompson, fifteen years of age. Mr U. A. Pownall, instructed by certain private ind'viduals, appeared in support of the prosecution. Elizabeth Goedgame, the female accused, was rc-cdlcd, and iu examination by Mr Skipper staled: The statoment made by my daughter that she had to go down to the creek without clothing to fetch water is untrue. She has clothes other than thoses shown in Court at the last hearing. (A bag containing a quantity of clean clothing was here produced by the witness.) The girl might have worn the whole of these clothes if alio had i liked. I bought them for her in Mr WChisholm's store at Mauriceville. The 1 'olothes produced were all dirty until they wore washed on Friday by my little girl ten years of age, I asked Maud a good many times to wash them, but slio would not. She could bavo had the use of them if sho had washed them. I went into tho girl's room, and finding her clothes in a bad stato pitched tho contents of a chamber over her. I told hor I would mako her swallow sotnoof tho contents, and attempted to do so, but it was never done. I havo nover Been my husband illtreat her to cause bruises. The girl has never complained of the work sho had to do with tho firewood. Latterly she lias done more outside work, becausu lhavo stopped her from working inßide, I have a family of seven, and my husband is away from home from morning till night, By Mr Pownall: The girl generally had hor tea with my husband and myself, My husband has been present when I have been beaten the has not interfered, He may have seen the clothes she was wearing and the filthy condition she was in, The child had not been

wearing the rags produced for many days.' The girl's sisters had some times worn the clean clothes produced, I allowed her to go as she was, becauso she was led by other people rather than by me. It was at her own option she remained as she was, 1 will swear that the clothes

produced belong to the girl, I have tried to get hor to put on better clothes. I have found her every terial to cleanße herself from vermin. The child is the only one of my family which does not bulong to Goodgame, I had no husband prior to my present one. There are some bruises and scars on the body of the child which I cannot account f*r. I do not consider it hurt the girl to pitch the chamber at her, I only threatened to pour a portion of tlio contents down her throat. I have never poured hot tea

, over her. Some years ago I bad a Metter from my neighbours threatening ' MB put the matter in the hands of the police, On more than a dozen occasions I have looked for the girl on the hills, Sbe lias only been out three nights. The girl was stopping for o week with a man named Smith, but I took hor away becauso I did not consider it vras a place for her to be, Constable May offered to lake the girl away, but bis wife would Hot agree to t, My sister has also oflered to lake her. The girl did not Bleep under the logs because it was warmer there than on the boards. Sbe has been subject to bad habits for about ten years. The treatment she received should not have caused these

habits, Tho girl was stripped once to be thrashed, bat I never fetched the blood. I cannot any what I beat her with, Ido not think I hit ber with

a poker to hurt her. I would, use anything I had in my hand when in a temper. I have not sent the girl out into the cold to eat her breakfast. She went out once for punishment to 'jrcook her breakfast. I do not remem- ' ber having chased her two or three times round tbo house with a broom. My husband never kept the child out of tbo room, although he did not like to hear neighbours' children talking about her.

Re-examined by Mr Skipper: 1 have nevor driven the girl out to • sleep on the hills, I think it was only a careleta habit the had. She never went away through fear. She bad an babit of lying 'down any» where to sleep. I bavo sent her out for a bucket of water and have found her asleep by a log. Tho girl has not been brought up-she has been dragged up. She has been with mo for fivo vears only; and since then lias had plenty of food. I told ber to go and cook her own breakfast because sbp was out the night before. I haye sent the girl to the creek to wash, but did npt know she was naked. Prior to her coming to me the girl Was with my father at Woodvillc. - To the Bench: Tho things were in a box. Those produced were a dirty state when the girl was taken. I was not aware that tho girl's bands wejo so jiad that she Could not wash.

Mr Skipper here read a testimonial wbiph the maid accused had received from his employer. This closed the case for tho defence.

Maud Thompson, re-called, stated; I Jiavß not Tvoro sump of tho clean plothes produced because they were not made up, The hat become too small and burl my bead. A bodice was given mo by a Mauricevillo lady. My mother said the ulster was too good for me to'wear unless it was raining heavily. I have not known my Bister lo do washing. The chemises produced are my sister's. The dress 1 is tho ono which I was made to go' out apd wpli in cold iyate'r. J'haye woi'n" the rags taTsen off by'the police for seyerftl months. I have not complained to my mother boeause slio would be all the hardor on me. I took the cruelty without /jfompiaint, I am quite certain my made me drink a portion of the contents of the chamber (sensation in Court). By Mr Skipper: I washed my clothes in cold water, but could not get them clean. I was not allowed to wear'them 1 afterwards because iny mother said I was not worthy of them. I'w&a gojng td wash A>me of toy clo'thes in a tub, when my mother took the lot arid throw them ovet me, stating that I'wus not going to have tb'eni Washeif there.' '' • By Mr ; I did not call out . when my mother hurt me'beaause I knew I would get more, My father has jeeu me in my rags, but has

never attempted to give me better clothing. By the Bench: My mother used an old lit) pannikin when slio made me drink tho contonts of the vessel.

41 r Skipper called the attention of the Court to the fnct that there was no evidence to conneot the male accused with this charge. 'The evidence of the girl was not corroborated as to the unnatural treatment by the mother and wis altogether biased. There waa no hesitation about the child's ovidence and she bad her wits about bar. Her attitude in the box showed she was not easily intimidated and unless her evidence was corroborated there was nothing he contended before the Court to show that she hud been subjected to tho treatment alleged, Dr. Hosi king's evidence showed that the child was not emaciated, and therefore her ovidenco could not be true.

Mr Bkipper in conclusion alluded to the position of the defendants and the family dependent upon thorn. Mr Pownall, for the prosecution, said that even if the father did not actually assault the child he was guilty as an accessory to the. mother's cruelty, although it was admitted that the man had struck the child on the head with a piece of wood. Actual personal violence was not necessary to make a person guilty of a criminal assault, (In support of this, Mr Pownall cited several cases), Even if the Bench did not consider that the defendant Goodgame was n tlio habit of actually ill-treating the child, ho must have been aware of the fact that the child was ill-treated and became accessory to it, It would bo most unfair to punish the woman and allow tho man to get off. He did not know if the fact of the defendants family, should wi'igh much with the Court. Some of tho neighbours were willing to take the elder children, Mr Erickson bad offered to take two. He thought that there would lie no difficulty in finding some kind persons to look after the rest. If the Court was fully satisfied that the cruelty had beer, practised it would lie better to dismiss the case altogether than to inflict a trivial punishment. There was no wish to be vindictive, but similar cases were becoming too common and he (Mr Pownall) was afraid that for every one brought to light ten escaped punishment, (Mr Kenall hero remarked feelingly that he hoped not.) It was necessary as a warning to others that the punishment should not be trivial.

At the conclusion of Mr Pownall'a address a number of the crowd present could not repress their feelings, and gave vent to them by subdued applause, which was sternly suppressed, The Court was tbon adjourned until 2.30.