EXTRAORDINARY CRUELTY TO A BOY

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7257, 17 January 1889, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY CRUELTY TO A BOY

Peter and* Margaret McNee, members of the Salvation Army, were charged at the Newtown Court, Sydney, recently, with assaulting JanKs McNee, sixyears old. The female prisoner (says the Daily TeU. graph) is the child's stepmather, and.on being arrested said that she was willing to suffer with Jesas, and that she burned the boy to get at his little conscience, because he had stolen 5s 6d belonging to the Salvation Army. Dr. Strong stated that he had examined the boy, and found on his forehead marks of burns which could have been caused by a hot fork, and his back was a mass of bruises. Adolph Becka (9) deposed to seeing the male prisoner beating his son with a strap. Afterwards witness saw the boy with his hands and legs tied, and Mrs M*Nee said that she had put the four marks on his forehead, " One for lying, oixj for stealing, one for smoking and one swearing." Emily Becker statedtbat Mrs W'Xee told her that she had " branded the bor as God branded Cain, and had done it with a hot fork in order to ahame him." Witness also said that the female defendant was generally kind to the boy. and kept him clean and tidy, For ttU defence, Peter McNee stated that be had beaten the boy, but not severely, for stealing money; that his wife suffered from fiteTSnd sometimes was not in her jight mind, and that he was ignorant of e£y assault committed by her. Margaret McNee averred that theiburning wasaccidental. Mr Clarke, S.M., dismissed the chance against the male prisoner, and sentenced the female prisoner to four imprisonment.