THE DUNEDIN CRUELTY . CASE. [BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1684, 21 April 1883, Page 2

THE DUNEDIN CRUELTY . CASE. [BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION .]

• , , , Duff.dis, Thursday. L\ theAVain case to-day the Crown Prosecutor, (Mr. Hajfgitt). said .the ( prosecution proposed to prove by the testimony of witnesses a long eonise of cinel and inhuman treatnient to,, tin's child, and then to show by -medical testimony that thp effect of that treatment was likely to cause tuberculosis in -I child not predisposed to that disease, or in' a' child disposed to tuberculosis to develop' it 'much more readily 'than it otherwise' wo'ild be developed, to 'cause itio become dangerous when otherwise it iriight never become so, and general]}' to show by ' means ' ' of that ' medical,. , 'evidence that the tieathient to which this child wa3 exposed Mas t such 'as ' "either" to' occasion tdisease' Vhich would (! cause death j ui (J a , v child;f|jiot piedispo^ecl to it, 91*, if.^e child were ,',redis»osed to i^;, to aecefyjr.ate the cleath of jthe ohil<| v Of 'co.ui'se,, in eithW cp.se, ,the ie3ult ( ,wqul{l be the same, , jihat,. the person, guilty of such treatment would be guilty ot manslaughter. The evidence given by, somo witnpsses, to,-dayt ,had' lefeieuce to the period of tw.o, yeais"*ago, when the, bpy,, Henty, Wain, had been beaten anrl looked, tlie witnpss said, like a poor, stais'ed, ill-used child. One of the piinpipal witnesses^ „was Martha ,McEaoh'e.<3on,\vifeof \yilliam McKacheson, 'of South Duriedin. She 'gave 'evidence as to's'e^iiig the deceased standing on 'tlie ledge ,of the window in his father's house. Witness was in her own back yard at thte'ttiVe. 1 The boy beckoned her to Jiiin, .And, .jSlie,, jsp^Jte (| ( | to him. He \vas" -trehililihg &ni\' soeined to be .raving to get out tpv a , He ,was witjiout shoes or stocking's. „H.e,had a ctjt 011 liis'fprejiead onda black eye. ">Sho gnVe'-'him 'some' 'bfead, M'hich'^he ate ravenously. SIIO was unable to raise the window to give him a dunk. The ch rid looked cold, hungry, and frightened. On the 2nd March I , 's'le'sW the boy got out of tins, window. He Ujcd to cliinj?, _over ,witncso!s fence. Hu %\ris cold and slmOiinc; as when she' had |jre\ i6usly seen' him, and she gave '111111 something to cat. The witness then detailed statements by the child to her, as to itijuiies on his ,body, which he said had been caused' by his mother's treatment. ' ' ''■ '' \ ' 1 Lait Night. The hearing of the chaige ot manslaughter against Frederick and Margaret 1 Wftin »as continued at the City Court to-day. Nothing fiosh >\ .is elicited. The medical w itnesses m ill l)e examiiipd on 'M9ii(lnty. Besides tlietinedieal. gentleman called at the inquest, t)ts. Alexander aud Cough try have been summoned to give • evidence. ) ! They Avill be asked' to ' read over tlie evidence given, and to stats their opinion as, to the effect of the treatment to which the deceased was subjected.