The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-28
SAD SOME INA ooUkr-RooM.


A Penitent Girl Refused Forgiveness by
Her Father and Mother.
From time to tine, says the London
Star dsId, the annals OF the police courts re-
veal domestic commonplace tragedies as re-
voltiDely horrible as the modern French
school of realistic noveIsts could desire for
the framework of their ulrom antic re.
mances. Now and again the social veil is
drawn aside, and We sTe permitted TO behold
pictures Of homes without atfeCtlOn-of in
human Csllousness upon background Of
sQualOr. Figures fit cross the scene in
the share of men snd women, the product
of centuries OF civilization, but when
ltey cone 20 speak we perceive that
their moral sense il cioldsd in darkness as
CT haI baTism. They seem hardly to know
right from wrong; the, are equally strangers
70 loving kindness to the twice blessed ousl-
ity Of mercy. and to the instinct of family
love A strange, and in Its way terrible,
story of every Gay misery, sin, repentance,
and unfOrgiYe1Ress Wss brought to light at
West Ham on Thursday. A mere child, al
ready mother. girl OF fifteen, with her
baby IN her arms appeared before the mag
isiTate charged with stealing a rag OF a
shawl, the property OF her father. The
mother stepped into the witness-box,
and with glib tongue told the story of
her daughters shame ard crime, call.
ing for the punishment of the law.
On the previous Tuesday she had
missed the garment, and finding at the same
time that the, girl had decamped from what
these people call their home, she followed her
up. IL company with policeman, and gave
her in charge at first the child-motAer
denied the theft. bat Rfterward confessed to
having taken and pawned the shawl, and in
proof thereof handed the duplicate to the
constable. So far there is nothing remark
ably cut OF the common in this conventional
revelation Of & degraded aspect of existence
IN great city. The Registrar Generals an
nual returns give the exact number, for
every current year, Of girls under sixteen,
not being married women. who are yet
mcthers; nor is it particularly unusual to
find parents, in certain rank of
life, publicly charging their chill
dren with theft. Yet if not without
parallel, such case as this at West Ham is,
happily, rare and exceptional. When the
prose cutrix had told her story, aud before
the Magistrate could intervene the child
herself q mother-Cried out piteously from
the dock, Mother do forgive mel To
which the mother replied No. / can't;
have done so too of,en." Probably the wo
man was even then not without some justifi
cation. Msniiestiy her child had behaved
very badly. The girl, however, not to be
put Off, and, as ii appeared deeply and truly
reptntant sobbed forth: "Oh do forgive
me. mother, and I won't do it any more"
Still the woman was obdurate. She
could not and would not extend
PARDON TO her flesh and blood. "0h,
do try me once mOTel' cried the girl; bat
the prosecuting witness was not in a fOrgiy-
ing mood. No" said she, addressing her
child last Saturday week you took q Sheet"
and, turning to the Magistrate. added: 'She
goes from home and stays away days to-
gether, and is sometimes out all night
The humane Magistrate, touched with the
pathos of the scene, added his persuasions
to those of the prisoner. Il think it would
be better if you give her another chance
said be, and the girl chimed in, Eyes,
mother do forgive me Still her parent
would not give way. She had called down
the punishment Of the law upon her Off
spring, and did not mean 20 relent.
The magistrate, bound to administer the
law, yet anxious to blend mercy with JUS
tiCe, thought OF inquiling whether the
father was present in court. Their
upon that person stepped forward.
According to bis account the child
was past his control DE was ashamed of
her and ashamed to own her. She, poor
creature, made no reply nor attempted any
defense but only sobbed, oh father
Ev IDENTIFY panied snd puzzled the msgis
trste ordered the man to stand down, and,
addressing the prisoner, asked hsr whether
she would prefer that he should settle the
case, or that she should be sent for
trial. The child no doubt heard the
MUIUcs Uuk mlSh lAhcIJ IdlltQ 10 SEdep
their meaning She thought that pun
ishment or pardon Law with the woman
that bore her, not with the Court. 'Oh,
mother, do forgive me- Won't you forgive
me, mother Oh de, do forgive me this
time OH sir, do forgive me; on, do''
Such an appeal from q girl-mosher, however
much che may have erred, must have soft
ened hearts not made OF adsmant. Hard.
pressed what to do, in face of the parent
prosecutors ObduTscy, the magistrate asked
TIE prisoner: will you go into homer
And for ali answer this Tepentsnt, unpar.
doned sinner said: 81 would rather 90 home
to my father and mother, sir" There stood
the father and mother, inveterant against
their offspring, as Shylock before
the fsigned court at Venice; bur
there wss no pretended advocate
TO put a. gloss upon the law and
snatch mercy by rUse. The parents did
not choose to pardon their child and take
her back to their home-the least said about
their hearts the better-and the magistrate
wisely, melcifully, and prudenly refused
to convict then and there. He uSed his
privilege OF remand, and consequently the
last act of this commonplace tragedy is not
yet played cut. Let q hope that when next
the girl Eva Walker, aged sixteen, and with
3 child in her arms is brought up before
kiI dly Mr.. Phillips a. the West Ham Police
Court her parents will likewise be present.
and beg her release on the promise that they