THE WAIPAWA GIRL-FLOGGING CASE.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 51, 28 August 1895, Page 4

THE WAIPAWA GIRL-FLOGGING CASE.

TO THI EDITOR. Sib— l desire to oall speoial attention to the telegram appearing in your issue of the 22nd inst. from Napier as to the brutal beating of a girl at Waipawa. It made my blood oreep whilst reading it. A more diabolical act of ornelty inflioted by the parents of a child it is diffionlt to oonooive, and yet the inhuman brute of a father gets off with two months' imprisonment, whilst the equally to blame mother apparently goes soot free. That euoh things oan happen in a oivilised community seems almost inoredible, and I sincerely hope, in the interests of justice and for the credit of the colony, that some member will, from his Beat in the House, question the Government on the subject, or better still will it be if Mr. Richard Seddon, who is known to be a kind-hearted man, will take the initiative and cause a full enquiry to be made into the matter, and let the pnblio know the result. If the Magistrate inflioted the maximum punishment allowed by law, then the sooner the law is amended the better, but I do not think he did. In my opinion William Merriok deserved to be tied to the cart's tail and thrashed through the publio Btreets, and then sent to gaol for six months with hard labour, whilst Mb wretched wife should hare been severely punished. I think this matter is one the press shonld take noiaoe of. Had I not felt bo keenly on the subject I certainly would not have trespassed on yonr space, whioh I know is valuable, and more particularly during the session. lam, *0., A Justice of thi Peace. 23rd August.