The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-09-03 00:00:00

PARENTAL CRUELTY

At Stilton, a few days ago, a young woman, named
Martha Crewe, was taken by force from her father's
house by the clergyman and constable. On breaking
into the house, the poor girl was crying bitterly to be
taken away, and asking for food, her sisters holding her
back. She appeared to be almost starved, and looked
scarcely like a human being. The two sisters clung to
her very tenaciously, and would not give up their charge
without a severe struggle. The constable, however (with
assistance, which quickly flocked to Crewe's house), got
her away, and took her to a lodging house. The girl,
we understand, is a most piteous object. She is about
19 years of age. Her flesh is all wasted away, and she
is a complete living skeleton. Her bones are said to
protrude through her skin in several places, and made
her so sore that she cannot lie down The thick part of
her arm is scarcely the thickness of a man's two fingers.
About two years ago the parish officers broke into the
house for the purpose of satisfying themselves whether
she was dead or alive ; they then found her in a very
emaciated condition, and apparently suffering from
indigestion. When an offer was made to Crewe to supply
her with medicine at the parish expense, he refused to
allow her to take any, and returned that which was sent
with a saucy message. It is now upwards of two years
since she was seen out of the house, and it was kept so
close that no one on any account was ever allowed to
enter it. The poor creature says the food her father
supplied her with was dry bread and a little salt and
water to drink, and a very small piece of mutton about
once a fortnight. Mr. Wright, surgeon, of Stilton, has
been attending the girl since her release, and hop is, in
the course of time, to bring her round. The two sisters
era stout and healthy, and apparently have wanted for
nothing. Crewe and his two daughters have been
apprehended on a charge of misdemeanor, preferred at
the instance of the parish officers, and are now in Fleton
loek•up. A crowd of women smashed the windows of
Crewe's house, with stones, and set fire to the window
curtains.

THE BELGIAN TRANS'ATLANT'IC MAIL
STEAMERS.

SOUTHAMPTON, Aug. 30.—The steam-ship Belgique, Capt.
Tack, belonging to the Belgian 't ransatlautic Steam Navi-
gation Company, sailed to-day, for Antwerp. This steamer,
it will be recollected, put back to Southampton from an
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pronounced to be in a sound and seaworthy condition. An
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examination into the state of the vessel proved her to he
more extensively faulty than was even at first reported, the
defect being in the primary construction of the ship. The
repairs that have been effected here by Messrs. Summers
and Day have been of the most extensive and costly nature.
The caulking of the iron plates and the riveting had to be
renewed almost throughout the entire ship. Two new
pistons and cylinder-covers, with new bilge pumps and pipes
and a pumping engine, have been fitted to the machinery.
A new three-bladed screw propeller, and a stern pipe, with
new screw shaft and couplings, have been added. The
boilers have been strengthened by additional stays. The
iron lower masts of the ship have been lifted out and
strengthened The hull has been strengthened by stringer
plates, and many improvements made both in the ship and
machinery under the superintendance of Mr. Jobling, the
surveyor of Lloyd's at this port. At a trial trip in Stokes
II y, on Thursday last, the B ,lgiqae attained a speed of
10.192 knots, the engines working with great smoothness
and efficiency. We understand, after her arrival in
Antwerp, the Belgique will be place I upon the Antwerp and
New York route, to be followed by three or four other ships
of a similar class—viz., of 2,250 tons burden, and 300 horse
power. The whole of these steamers, immediately after the
disasters which happened to the Belgique, were withdrawn
from the proposed line, and were placed under a course of
repair similar to that adopted in the case of this steamer.
Should the ships under their new conditions of efficiency
prove successful in their passages, there is no donbt that a
good traffic in passengers and freight will be secured at
Antwerp, where the want of a direct communication between
that part of the continent and the United States of America
has lung been felt.