The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-08-18 00:00:00

THE CHAROE OF STARVING CHILOTEN.

At the Town Hall on Monday. a caw which has
excited considerable interest wa. heard, before the
• ayor (Mr. W. Mate) and Mr. Alderman Curtis It
was a remanded charge against Mn.. Eliza King, on
bail, and the offence imputed to ho.r was that she had
unlawfully and grossly neglected to provide adequate
food for three children, whereby the health oof the
said children was serionedy injured.
The court WAS mon• than ordinarily crowded, and
tho' leaning oof the public seemed to lie rather in
favour of the defendant, who it is generally admitted,
ha. until oof late years Imrue An rusnill.lfy character,
lout has sine,. indulged in drink, a course to which
she has been driven through unhappiness at home..
Mr. Budge pro...muted on behalf of the Board
of Guardians, the chairman of which, r. W. D.
Dug.tale, being present—Mr. IL 8. Dickinson de-
I d
fen ed.
A tier oof the neighbours of the accused
had been ttttttt "mod as witmeses, Ind WI will be
seen, their evidence was not required.
1 Mr. Budge, in bringing the ease le.fon• the magia
mites, said lie did not wish in any some• to " it
on against the defendant, InWalim• hi always con-
sidered it the duty a prosecutor. Mon. eqwcially
when it had been undertaken by a public body, (A. lay
the facts before the bench without any attempt to
filly press them, or to unduly extend them. First
of all h. proposes.' tID pia in the certifieate oof the birth of
the child ; and then he would put into the Ism the
medical gentleman who hal seen the child and
attenolel it, mid who would tell thin what the weight
of a child oof that air. ..ought to be, awl what ICS present
weight ought to be—he was at that moment simply
dealing with the caae oof the youngest child : the
defendant waa charged with neglecting three—and he
would alm tell them that its condition was simply and
solely dote to neglect. Although there had not been
the neglect in the cases if the other children that there
had been in that"( this pow baby, he would show that
through an unfortunate habit the defendant had con-
tracted, they had not been properly looked after. The
Cage, which he relied upon was that of the neglect .4
the baby, Bertie. lie should have called two medical
gentlemen in the case, Dr. Mackintosh and Dr.
Turner, but the latter had been obliged to go away
for his health, and as he did not think it fair tO the
defendant to allow the charge to remain hanging over
her head, he should not ask for an adjournment,
but rely upon the evidence oof the former.
The Bench would remember Ova when the defendant
W.lal first charged before Dem, sir. said the child had
g.,t into the state it had owing to having bad diarrhoea
(nen its birth, while the medical gentlemen told
them there was not the slightest evidence of any
disease. He (Mr. Budge) then oottnrested that it
would be to the interest of the defendant that there
should an adjournment, in order that, if able, stn,
might call medical eVidenee ti prove that, inasmuch
AA if the child was so. afflicted, and the defendant neg.
lected to call in medical aid. sho• WM equally guilty
o•f criminal neglect. The child, when weighed on the
day oof the charge, Jody 22:id, Wit. 711 e. It Was then
placed t.r the care of Mrs. Maiolinent, an aunt of
the defendant, andom the roth it weighed ;lbs. 121..Z.1.;
and to-day, the 10th of August, it weighed 911 m.
without its clothes. He believed this neglect had
arisen simply from the defendant having given way
to bad habits. What punishment should be awarded
her, of comm.., tested with the magistrates. This
only he wished to say—that the Guardians who
instructed him did not wish to press the case, but
they had been obliged to take action on account of
the serious representations that had been made to
them. . .

In reply to th.• 1.1...nch, Mr. Budge said he would
confine hurwell to the cage of the child Bertie, the
baby-. • . .

—Mr. H. S Dickinson said after hearing Mr. Budge
he would wish to address a few words to the Bench,
and thereby they would understand that in behalf of
the defendant he pleaded guilty. It appeared that
this child —and he could not get away from the fact -
was a child of very light weight, :111.1 also they were
bound to admit that it had considerably improved
since it hail been in Mrs. Maidment's keeping, of
which they were very glad. Ile would urge on
behalf of 10,, client that he was afraid she had been
led lately into bad habits—thsee of drink. He had
seen her that ruing, and had had a long conver-
sation with her, and she had promised him for the
future to give up intoxicants of all kinds, and instead
of getting bout she would stay at home and look
after her children, if the magistrateswouldallow them
to coins. back into her care. Although he Wag plead-
ing guilty to wilful neglect, lie thought it Wag not so
a Cage Of WM111110.4 AI of ctrelestoness. She had
t4.ld him that morning the fintt commencement of her
neglect was through some unhappy differences with
her husband. He had seen the husband upon the
matter, and he had assures, him whatever there might
have been they would mutually try and mend in the
future, and try to live happily together. He had
every desire and an iety to live is-weakly, and •
quietly with her, and he would urslertake to do that.
and to Ai, that Ilk children wore proper:y looked
after. In addition, Mrs. NUtislment would U. all
care and diligence to the gallle VITeCt. He bad been
told the eldest child, John, whim all Wag
almont in the same %tate —a puny child. but after
a year llr PIO it gained strenoh, awl it was now all
ritht. Although the defendant never went to
doctor for her Istlw, yet ohs. Wag Wog c,m.tantly in
the habit of gelid 114 IA the chemists fir mixtures, and
she Wag under the impre.sion that she was doer.; all
that was needful. Under thine vice mews that I
Mrs. King would give her promise and word that in I
future she WOlllll give up the evil habit if drink. that I
she would att-nd to the children herself. awl 1... k
after them, and altsgether cxeisliwt. lier•ii-if in a better
way, he trusted this Bench would sin• tit t.. suspend
judgment, as they hail the power to do. They were
iireparett, if thioissary, too enter into sunities to that
effect and Mn. Maistment herself had promised, if
anything in the fnture went wrong, Ate would at
give information to the guardians or the tnagis.
trate* clerk. Under the clause relating to the punish.
tnent for these offences, the Bench had power to
inflict a sentence not exossixiing six months imprison.
ment with or without hard labour, but they were also
onnpswered to call upon her to enter into her OWII
recognisance-., with or without sureties, to come up
for judgment when called Upoll. If the Bench would
soopt the latter course, and requires, stannic., le. was
prepares, with two. This young won; In Wag only '25
years of age, having Issett memos, when she was
This Wag the first, and he holes, it Wellld IN. the last,
offence with which she heel been charged, and it would
ni doubt tie a lemon ti her. lin believed the gentle
men on the Bench had known her for some years, and
that ole. always conducted herself respectably and '
quietly, and he trusted they would think it sufficient
to hind her over to come up fir judgment if called
upon. If, however. they thought the case too iserioua
for that, then he hopisl they would think it might
Ite nest with a tine. If they looked at Moat, they
would MCC they had Ow power to impose a line not
excxse. di.ny £2). . . . . . _

The Mayor said, having heard the evidence of Dr.
Ntackintooh and Dr. Turner m the lam ocamion, it
appeared to him much to,. Aerion4 a came to he dealt
in that way.
.

Mr. Budge, having consulted with Mr. 'Mgtlale,
.aid he believed firmly this c.v.: had arisen solely
through drink. He did not know what the Bench
intend.' to do, and it was not for I o dictate, but
he would oinks,. that rather than any • al
punishmont, in the shape a fine should be inflicted,
he th.night it would be more satisfactory to the Itoiud
if Guardian, that judgment should he suspended, and
having entered into sureties if there wt. the slightest
neglect she would he lirought up again to receive sen.
fence. Applause in court.)
The Mayor thought justice would not he met by
letting her 4olf on those tern.. Here wisi a case not
only of neglect hut actual cruelty, and continued
'd th
drink was eeded as e excuse H . ow, if they let
her Fp, upon promising to behavebetter for the future,
could the magistrates pftisibly fine any unfortunate
in,.,, who came before them for having been upon an
•'_lll% TO DM. C

......
Mr. Bode : I CAR only say that, thank Heaven,
thee. MICA are very rare in Poolel
The two magistrate,' having connulted, the Mayor
said (this Waof a very serious charge, and one that
would tell ag iinnt her (the defendant) in the future
years if nhe did wit treat her children well. Mrii.
Maidomeit's kindly treatment of her child had pro-
bably saved le"r from having to answer to • charge
of manslaughter, and therefore ~he ought to he very
grateful to her.
Defendant : tio I mu.
The Mayor continued : We don't think it a cane
that can be nee by imposing a le.a penalty than
including cost,. or one month', itn(uriamment. It
would net he: fair ti the outnitio public to tine people
for dninkenne,-, an.) to 14:t you go fr..'. If 3,..1 are
again charg•A li..forir us you will hr liable to sin
montlu.

NirTfiUdgr : Oil behalf of the fivanlians I with t.
say we are very much obligor, to Jr.. Maidateat.
Time was allowed her to pay in.