ALLEGED PROCURING ABORTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 208, 2 September 1899, Page 5

ALLEGED PROCURING ABORTION.

SENTENCE OF TEN YEARS

STRONG REMARKS BY JUDGE CONOLLY.

Mary Mulvahill, a middle-aged woman, who hobbled into the dock on crutches, was indicted that between the Ist and 30th days of November, at Newmarket, Auckland, she unlawfully did use an instrument with intent to procure the miscarriage of a single woman named Annie Dennv.

Prisoner pleaded not guilty. She had no counsel.

Miss Denny deposed to going to stop with a Mrs Wilson in Carlton Gore Road in November last. She had met the prisoner once previously. In November she saw prisoner at her lodgings at Mrs Wilson's and consulted her about her condition. Witness then detailed what took place. Annie Wilson. Alice Smith, and Detective Mcjlveney also gave evidence for the Crown.

At two o'clock this afternoon His Honor summed up the evidence. The jiiiry without leaving the box returned a verdict of guilty.

His Honor in passing sentence told the prisoner Mary Mulvahill that she had been convicted on the clearest evidence of a most abominable crime, which was accounted by the law only second to murder. The prisoner and persons like her he had no doubt were practising this abominable crime day .by day. They saw by the newspapers and the Registrar-Gene-ral's reports that there was a serious decrease in the birth-rate of the colony. What was the cause? The cause lay with the prisoner and those like her who were practising abortion. In eases this he would always consider it his duty to inflict severe punishment. A horrible feature of tlie proceedings in this case was the indifference with which the witnesses in the case, regarded the commission of abortion. Mrs Wilson did not seem to think much of that. The girl Denny too, displayed great indifference, but she was liable to severe punishment. His Honor's opinion was that it was the duty of the police when they have such a clear case as this before them to prosecute. He considered that the woman Denny ought to be prosecuted for allowing this to be performed upon her. The only way to check this was by severe punishment. It shocked him that there should be women with such indifference on this subject. The prisoner appeared, to have carried this on for some time past, and he would take care to impose such a sentence

as Avould prevent her from practising it for some time to come. The sentence of the Court would be that the prisoner be imprisoned and kept to hard, labour for the term of ten years.

The prisoner, who was considerably overcome by the sentence, was then removed to the gaol.