A WOMAN’S PLIGHT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3449, 14 February 1912, Page 3

A WOMAN’S PLIGHT.

AND A STRONG PLEA FOR MERCY

IpEH PRKbn ASSOCIATION, i CHRIS'! CHURCH, Felv. 13. At the Supreme Court yesterday, Margaret Bourlce, who pleaded' guilty H> the lower Court to concealment of birth, came up for sentence. Prisoner appeared to feel her position acutely, and had her head under the shade of a big black hat during her stay in the dock. Mr Donnelly, who appeared for ihei, said she. was 22 years' of agoi She oau been unfortunate enough when she was young to . lose both her parents, ami for the last six years she had gone out to work as a domestic servant. Her character as far as was known had been hitherto good. ' She had saved a little money. * and was going to Wellington for her confinement, but was unexpectedly taken ill, and her money being absorbed she kept on putting off her trip until it was too late. The man who had been the cause of the trouble had immediately left her, but another man, a respectable member of society, was prepared to come into Court, and inform his Honour that he was prepared to marry the girl.. His Honor: Has the girl been out on bail? Mr Donnelly: Yes. . • His Honor: What’s the use of saying he is prepared to marry her? Mi- Donnelly, in reply, said the marriage had not already taken place, owing to his advising the parties that it would be better to wait till his Honor disposed of tlie ease. He asked that tlie girl be admitted to probation. His Honor said that Mr Donnelly had probably read l - his remarks on the subject at the last criminal sittings. The Act had been passed, not for the punishment of the individual, but for the protect ion of children. If he made the law a dead 1 letter it would be a very serious matter. Mi- Donnelly said that lie considered that- every case should stand on its own merits. His Honor held a contrary view. There was. he said, no criminal intent in the majority of these cases, but a natural impulse. Mr Donnelly said that the girl had already suffered her punishment. Probably no man was capable of understanding tlie punishment a young woman went through in cases like these. His Honor stated that the difficulty was the obvious temptation to a mother in circumstances like these when she was alone. What was to prevent her destroying her offspring? The only security against this was what lie mentioned. It was no use his formulating rules on the subject, and then in each case not acting up to them. Mr Donnelly held that if the girl were admitted to probation it would give her a chance to go straight in the future. His Honor": It is not a case for probation. li' it. were a. case of the punishment of the individual I would have no hesitation at all in the matter, but as it is. J have laid down very clear and proper rules in regard to these cases, and I will order her to come up for sentence when called upon, and your friend in the background, Mr Donnelly, had better act up to bis word. Mr Donnelly : There is not the slightest danger of'his not doing so. His Honor said that he would bring the matter of these offences before the n nice of his brother judges in Wellington next month, and perhaps tlvey woitld come to some definite conclusion on them. In England for many years the sentence had been eighteen months’ imprisonment. ? •