YOUTHFUL FIENDS.

Evening Post, Volume XV, Issue 211, 8 September 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

YOUTHFUL FIENDS.

They have a lively " female " trio in the Destitute Asylum, Adelaide, in the persons of Margaret Gordon, aged fifteen years and nine months ; Eliza Smith, aged fourteen years - and nine months ; and Elizabeth Whitehead, about fifteen and a half years of age. Having been convicted of larceny and other crimes several times, in April last they were all convicted of destroying Government property in the Destitute Asylum, and were imprisoned for two months. After the expiration of that sentence they were received at the Reformatory again. Since that time Mr. J. M. Solomon, J. P., the chairman of the Destitute Board, in consequence of their disgraceful conduct, had them placed in separate rooms, or cells, on the premises. During the present week they had to be confined in separate rooms for destruction of property. After being there for twentysix hours they were let out on a promise of amendment. On Thursday evening the assistant matron, Mrs. Webster, pat them into a dormitory at half-past six, leaving the gas burning as usual. Soon afterwards she heard a great uproar in the room, and observed that the light had been extinguished. On entering the room Mr 3. Webster asked why the light had been put out, when the girls denied all knowledge of how it had occurred. Mrs. Webster then noticed that the cocoanut matting on the floor was all in pieces. She lighted the gas, and was surprised to see that the apartment was a perfect wreck. There were several beds in the room. Three of these were, according to the Government regulations, provided with four blankets, two sheets, pillow, and pillow-slip each. These articles, which wore quite new, were found to have been taken on? the beds and cut into a thousand threads ; the mattraas and pillows were cut open and their contents strewed all over the floor. Three night-dresses and two ordinary dresses were also torn into rags. On seeing the state of affairs, Mrs. Webster shut the door and reported the matter to Mrs. Hunt, the matron, who proceeded to the dormitory. The girls were then acting like fiends — tearing the blaukets and sheets to ribbons, throwing portions of the bedsteads about the room, smashing the windows, pulling up the bricks from the fireplace, and defying the matron or anybody else to interfere. The police were sent for, and on their arrival shortly afterwards, together with the superintendent of the Asylum, Mr. Lindsay, the bedding and other articles were removed out of the room. The girls then commenced amusing themselves by singing obscene songs and defying the superintendent to lay his hauds upon them. It was found on examination that the girls had managed to abstract knives from the kitchen during their dinner-hour, which they had used as screwdrivers in endeavoring to affect an escape by removing the iron bars which guarded the windows. Finding that it was impossible to remove the bars in that manner, they attempted to dig them out from the framework with the knives. Being unsuccessful in their attempt to remove the bars they smashed the windows in fragments, broke a roller, a screen, and other articles to pieces, in order to satisfy their inordinate craving for destruction. Their attempts at escape being frustrated, they were locked np in the room for the night, which they passed in singing and yelling horribly. On Friday morning when Mr. Solomon visited the institution the girls defied him, and repeatedly asked to be sent to gaol, loudly declaring that that was what they required. On Mr. Solomon saying he would order their hair to be cut as a punishment they laughed at him, and treated his remarkß with derision. A special meeting of the Board was held during the morning, aud, with the consent of Mr. Beddome, the girls were brought before him and Mr. S. Tomkinson, J.P., in the afternoon, on a charge of destroying Her Majesty's property. The evidence was taken, and the girls were sentenced to six months' imprisonment each with hard labour. About a fortnight ago every window in the usual school-room and the locks from the doors were removed, thus enabing some of the occupants to escape. Two of them were recaptured and sent to prison for their exploit. They were then removed to the dormitory at the Destitute Asylum, and mortice locks instead of the ordinary rim locks were placed on the doors. To account for the girls being in possession of knives, we may mention that the inmates of this Reformatory are by the regulations supposed to attend and assist in the kitchen during certain hours, in order that they may become domesticated. The condnct of these girls will appear the more reprehensible when we mention that the dormitory immediately adjoins the Lying-in-Hospital, which contains fifteen inmates. As evidence of the incorrigible nature of the girls, we may mention that during the two months they were in Adelaide Gaol, which we have previously referred to, they were twice sentenced by the Visiting Justice, Mr. Beddome, to solitary confinement. They appeared to glory in being conveyed to the station in the police van, and to have an opportunity of showing off before their friends in Court. To prevent their having this pleasure on the present occasion, Mr. Beddome arranged to take the case in the afternoon. There being nobody in the Court but those actually engaged in the case, their behaviour, which on former occasions was of a very bouncible character, was much more suddued.