The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-08-08 00:00:00

BAD WIFE AND STEPMOTHER.

Elisabeth Rogers was broneht up agein on Monday last,
before the Borough Bench. She had been bailed on Friday,
but on Saturday her husband came, and wished her
locked op, as he was afraid if she wasn't, he would be put
In prison. She was charged with ill-trashing her step-
daughter cruelly, and the euperintswisint edified toe
Bench touts the marks on the child. Defen lent fiercely
pritset thet her father mad • the marks by aselihdii Di(
her, and asked the child if it was so ; but the little girl
sail—" It was whet you did with a cher!. on Fri lay."
The child was examined and her arm, an l legs found
blue-black. She wee then sworn, and said she lived in
High-street, and defendant was her meson 43er. Lad
Friday about half-part seven, her ttspui tier "jawed"
h. r because she hade't the piece cleaned up when she
tame down, and then she knocked her over the char, and
" bile finding fault" tIl her father came back, and told
him • lot of stories. Se al., k cocked her down, best her
with a pair of trousers. on Frid or afternoon, after father
was "gone to brach alto locked her down cellar.
Mr,. Rogers: Because you didn't teeth your dirty face.
The Moor: If you synth en i titer word, I'll send you in
the cells, and hear the evidence in your absence.
The child continuel that her etepmothes often got drunk
at home, and was always ill-treating her. Witness had
, gone away from home, on account of her ill-treatment;
her father did not ill-treat her. unless when she told him
• lot of stories about her. Witness had constantly run
away, and slept in her grandmother's c:oset, in the hotel
stables, to get away from her.
Mrs. Rogers repeatedly interrupted, and wee at last
taken down into the cells, and the evidence continued In
her absence.
The child continued that the blow on her arm wee what
her stepmother gave her with a chair last Friday. Her
m,ther kick° II her out in the yard lut Ssturday, and
caused two blows on her leg but her father, as • rule,
teated her kindly. She was at service with Mrs. D.citee,
but her mo'her sent for her and took her away from •
plan, where they were going to give her a shilling a week
and her food, for minding a little baby. Her tt,pmotier
kept her at home to licht the fi,e and clean up house.
Defendant was fetched *4WD, end stated that she found
the girl did not sleep at Mrs. Dickee'e, although the girl
wrote that she did sleep there. lire. Dickee said she
Poili sot keep her, as she was such • story t iller.
Mrs. Ann Chick, who lives next door to cl-dowiamt, said
this was a very bad cu.% it woe horrifying to her to hear
the scream., and they went torough her and made her feel
quite ill. The child looked neglected, and she bad heard
the mother was the cause, but had never seen it. Mrs.
Rogers's ether children looked better, but the child as if
she had been ill-used.
Defendant said the brothers of the child used to beat
her.
The Mayor: More shame of you to allow it
Nis. Jeolima Wells, wife of James Wells, had frequently
seen the woman beat the chill : she had done s o with •
peir of iron pinchers, end alto threw a Sunderland dish
three parte full of water at her. Last Friday her mother
struck her against • choir, and locked her in an under-
ground kitchen or cellar. When she was not lusting her,
she swore at her. All day Saturdey,_ the ware not
drinking. Her own cnuaren ene ill-treated in a different
way.
Defendant : When the child stole that perambulator, I
should have kept it, If! had listened to you.
Witness alio said she kicked a bucket of water down-
stairs, but defendant declared that the bucket was left
at the head of the stairs, end she did net see it, and ac-
cidentally knocked it down.
The child was questioned, and said that her mother
wanted to know if she might t he the clock to pawn, and
because the father would not allow her, defendant said
she'd rip her (the child's) inside out.
William Rogers, stepson of &fondant, and 1600 Aurust
4th, denied having struck his sister except in play ; but
had seen the mother ill-treating her, when be tried to
get out of the way. The mother was always staking and
beating the girl, and evreariog at her.
Mrs. Elisabeth Dowell, wife of E 'ward Dowell, said
last Friday arternoon she was in Mrs. Wills's room, and
heard Mrs. Rogers beating the child, and put her down
in • downstairs room. She came over and told the police.
"Rover saw no harm" in the child; but had seen her
stepmother run alter her, and accuse her of stealing •
holt-sovereign.
Supt Vickery said this was the half-sovereign out of
which a boy had bought three pints of beer and porter
for her • be ref used to fetch any more, and then the mother
charged. the girl with stealing it.
Mrs. Rogers raid it was "all • spline," and the children
had been out op to speak against her.
Sept. Vickery said that could hardly be, as the wit-
nesses only knew this morning that they were coming.
Mrs. Rosters said it Wag all caused by the girl making
miechief between her and Roger.
Supt. Vickery said the woman had been convicted
before she was married, but this she strenuously denied,
stripe it was her sister. Lost week, when her husband
gave her a black eye, and she went to the offioe for a
summons, Rogers came up there crying, because she
shouldn't do it. She had n•ver been so ill-uud before
she went with Rogers, and she had been ill-treated by
who got so drunk that he couldn't bull off his own
eeir•re.

The Superintend. ntpruluced a list of convictious which
had only gone back to 19.
The Mayor sal I a very black list against her had been
put into their bands ; she hal been fined, and had had
im prism:meat, and yet here she wee Srau, hue.
hand strove to make !dwelt a respectable member of
society, ye, her conduct was :itch that he had been bound I
over In £lO which strictly tbey ought perhaps to have
ordered him to pay, but he coal not do so. That was
what she had brtught him to, through drink. It wise
very very sad rase hide ;—.iinply for drink she had
broken up his horn. They tight to give her a much
longer imprisonment : they were very sorry to do so ; but
were going le send her for two months' bard labour, and
hoped she would c ms out a wiser woman. When she
came out they thousht her bust:and had better live separate
trim her, and make her an allowance.
Rogers sill he was willing ti keep all the children and
allow her Ss. a week away trim home.
The Mayor told him he had act id very wisely.
Rogers said his wife was a very vol sort of woman, al
good as any in Weymouth or anywhere else, when she
waa out of drink ; but when she wag in drink she'd hang
her own mother.
The Mayor called the attention of the parents to the poor
little girl, and then, having her up bef,re him, said she
seemed to have a great amount of lot ,Illgence„ more so
than many girls to her position in life, and she might torn
out a very good woman or a very bad one. Staying ats ut
in hotel stables could not do her any good. He advi.ed
her to stay at home and try and make it comfortable for
her father and the rest.
Mrs. Rogers again brought charges against the girl, and
the Mayor told Rogers if there was any truth in what his
wife said, there were schools to which such girls could go,
not es:boots for priecinere but industrial ones
Roger,: If the maid had been treated right, she would
have been a better girl.
The Mayor then highly praised Mrs. Chick and the
other witnesses for coining forward in behalf of the girl.