THE DOWN GRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 252, 21 October 1892, Page 3

THE DOWN GRADE.

some Startling revelations."

The d%er of allowing girls to wander the - streets |j 0 at night unattended, waa pain- <■■ i p ]? ifeßted by aca6e thab came beforrthe 1 olija Court this morning. The facts a»'i related^ the witnessesdiscloseadistressine, state ofiffairs, and serve to illustrate thai means which the ranks of the unfor-'s tunoteJas3 of abandoned females are so •'■ stoadity rG cruitod. Tho accused was aa'i elderly: w oman named Mary Ana. Mooney,; otherwise known as Minnisr; Mooney, She was charged bofow Captainf. Anderson and E. W. Alison, • jusbices; T ;it.h being an idle and diaorderly;' porson, laving no visible lawful means ofi support. The woman had also been previ-e ously evicted as aa idle and disorderly* person, ftd a rogue and vagabond. ' .^.. }■ The pfeoner pleaded guilty. ■ 1 Sergejib Gamble aßkod the Bench'to,: hear so% evidence in thia case in order to)----give an |ea of the enormity of the ofiencfr really ctymitted by the prisoner. The fab witness was a girl who stated that ahiwas fourteen years of age, and:' thab ahesrent to school. On the nighb of. -Tuosdaj the lSbh instant, aha etayed out eij late thab she was afraid to gO f h<^e. She meb the prisoner aboub; one o'clqk in tho morning, Prisoner asked her to Rjwith her. [Witness then related' how prfcner sent her wich a man whom they m( by whom she was seduced.]; Witnessjirthor stated thab prisoner took her to ai hotel, and gave her 9d worth of brandy. jThe accused took from witness 3s 6cl giveito her by the man. The prisoner stopped the man, and told witnees to go with hitj and said ehe was to gob 3s 6d.-. Prisoner-jhen took witness, and left her,at> v. womaij house.

Prisonr aaid that when she meb tho girl. she stat^ that boys had kept her oub/'and. sho was fraid to go home. Prisoner took pity on ir, and gob her out of the web.' Sr Sarahporne deposed that the^prk soner cmc to her house early '"on Wedneaiy morning, with the^lasb witness.! It was a quarter before 'six o'clock. The little girl was then drunk. Prisoneriaked witness to keep the girl in the hous as sho would make "whip 3of money ot of her." Witness saw Detective Hughes jißsing later on, called him in and asked hiilto take her to her parents. Detectre Hughes deposed to taking charge if the girl, and arresting the printer who said aha picked up the g:l in the street. He knew that) trie womii was a bad character, having' only jusfcjome out of gaol. She had been in fourteji times for larceny, four times on other chiges, and once for being a roguo and vagalond. Prisonfeaid the whole story waa afabri* cation. I \".

The B|ch sentenced her to 12 monfcha', ' imprisonjient with hard labour. ~..,„..,. ,