The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-09-28 00:00:00

CHARGE OF CRUELTY TO A WEYMOUTH
omp IN LONDON.
. .

Mrs. Mogsta wiT.S.;,--trre;Sedro-I;is-edi,-and apparently res-
peetableonade an application to the magistrates on Monday
respecting what she alleged was cruelty to her little girl in
London. She stated that about ten months ago, a Mrs.
Arnold, who was then in Weymouth, being acquainted
with Mrs. Potter, wife of • gardener, took her little girl
between 12 and 13 years of age, protuising to be a faithful
mother to the child The girl she said she wanted to wash
up, mind the children, end be • companion for her while
her husband went into the City. She received letters from
her daughter which she found had been written on a
slate, and looked over by Mr. Arnold, so that the child
had ti put down what he told her, and so she did not
know but that the chill was quite happy. But about a
week before last Mrs. Potter had • letter from her mother,
stating that the child was very unhappy, and the mother
might to know of it. She (Mrs. Moge) had Pince been up
to -London, and fount that her daughter had been shut up
in the wash-house without food, anti beaten with • large
o alking stick. This she did not tall her mother the day
she got there, not till she came home. She got there on
Monday, and found she had been kept in the wash-
house : but the child never spoke a word to her,
but cried. She asked her what she was crying for, and
she never answered. As she had no place to put her, she I
let her stay at the house until Friday, when she took her '
home. When she got home, she happened to take hold of
the child's arts, and the chill begged her not to touch it,
as it was so sore. The mother asked what was the
matter, and the child pulled up her sleeve, and showed
blows where she had been beaten with a walking stick.—
By Mr. Arden: Across the back of her shoulders and in
the middle of her back, she had four or live very bad
blows, which could be just discerned now. The people
stabl the child was a dirty lazy little thing, and had done
nothing since she had been there. Applicant asked why
they kept her, then I They replied" We heard of your
sad lees 'the death of Mrs. Mogg's husband] and we thought
we would keep her, and do our duty by her." The chibl's
stays and under-linen were black as the ground with dirt
but she did not know anything of that, till the Friday
evening when she came home. little girl was sent up
to the bench, her mother remarking that she was nothing
but a bag of bones. There was • large lump near the
child's elbow, which WU to have been done by a blow
from a walking-stick. —ln answer to Mr. Anion and the
Mayer, the child sail she had been beaten nearly every
other day. The people were not unkind to her before her
father died, and they gave her food and clothes. She,
sitar her father's death, had to wash and sweep the floors
there wore three rooms upstairs and four down, and three
children ; they had no other 'servant, and she had to clothe
work of the house, Mrs. Arnold doing the sewing—la
answer to the repeated questions of the Mayor, the child
said Rhe had to scrub the floor. awl keep the whole house
in order, make her own bed and the children's, but Mrs.
Arnold made her's. It was about dinner-time she used to
heat her, because she Paid she did not do the work properly..
She had bread-and-butter to eat, and she had plenty all
the time, except when she was kept In &room with nothing
from breakfast till seven o'clock.—The mother said the
child told her this was when she was hungry that she
tried to break mien the pantry door with an oyster-knife.
She said she had swept up the crumbs and eaten them.
In answer to the Mayor, the chill said that at tea time
on this day, the people gave her as much as she wanted.—
The mother said the child ate a small loaf all but one slice
when she took her borne, and that was how she came to
tell her she had no food. The people said she had done no
work since she was there; but look at her handu—The
child further in answer to the Mayor, said she had only
been to church one Sunday, she hail eight damps that she
bought when she went down to her aunt's, to write to her
mother, and they took them away.—The mother added
that the child wont into the dining-room to get some note-
paper, and for this she was beaten with a walking-stick;
and when the people next door herd her cry, they were
told that she screamed because she was threatened with
the policeman for breaking open the cupboard. Mrs.
Arnold promised that if the child did not suit, she would
pay her expenses and send her home ; and that if she did
she would clothe and feed her till she was old enough to
buy for herself; but she had not given her a penny or any
clothes while she was there, though Mr. Arnold had
written a letter saying that she hail. and that the girl was
Indifferent, and not so truthful or obedient as she ought.
—The Bench directed Mr. Superintendent Vickery to
communicate with the London police, and make enquiries
into the came.—The following WWI the letter from Mr.
Arnold :
" Dear Mrs Mogra,—Mrs Arnold desires me to write • line to
inform you she was much grieved to Kern of your husband's
death, and she sympathises with you much In your sAlletlon.
We intend going into the country June the lit for a Ume and
shall take Jessie with us, but Mut Arnold would wish you to
write a letter to her, amid to Imps-me upon her a more merlons
consideration of the lost you and her have sustained, for she
appears to he very Indifferent upon the matter. Although you
have not enewered Mrs Aroold's letter, she, with all due con-
&wrist. to your feelings es • mother, deems it her duty IA
let you know ho. your daughter is going on, and wishes when
t tlii
gwrite to endeavour to convince her of the desirability of
more cleanly, truthful, and obedient, as it is very
vexatious, for Mrs Arnold Is continually doing something for
her: she had since her father's death an alpaca frock, and she
bail torn It almost to pieces, but won't try to mend it Mrs
Arnold has just bought her • black hat, dress, and jacket for
best wear, corset, ties, bouts, stockings, and many other thins.
She was getting • muslin frock made when she reosirsO Me
sews of her father's death. Mrs Arnold has told her she
bought those things for her out of respect for her father, but
she appears to take n° care in the matter. She takes no interest
In her writing or her reading, and some time ago 1 wee our-
palmed to 2nd she did sit know the Lord's Prayer. Jessie is
very well, and sends her kind love; she seems very happy, and
as lug as she Is with us, she shall not want for anything. Mrs
Arnold desires her kind regards and trusts Providence will
watch over and provide for you and your family as he has
heretofore.
- I enclave our address.

he , Ste."