A Cruel Stepmother.

Evening Star, Issue 6916, 1 June 1885, Page 2

A Cruel Stepmother.

If the facts disclosed by the following paragraph, which appears in to-day’s ‘ North Otago Times,’ be correct, it seems that action by the police is demanded : “ A boy named Poole, about nine years of age, was to have been brought up at the Courthouse on Saturday last by the Police, under the Industrial Schools Act, on a charge of being a neglected child, but he was so ill that Dr Garland would not allow him to leave the Hospital. It appears that the boy, who resides with his father and stepmother in Eden street, owing to the alleged illtreatment of his stepmother, ran away from home on Thursday last, and slept all through the hitter cold night in a hedge adjoining Mrs Heron's property. In the morning the latter discovered the poor little follow there, and gave him food, but owing to his clothes having been tied about him in a certain way lie was a mass of filth; in fact, in such a state that Mrs Heron could not take him inside her house. She sent information to the police at once about the matter. Immediately afterwards a constable went up to the place, and found the boy crouching in the comer of a pig-stye, He was taken to the station, ana on his clothing being removed his body was found to be covered with bruises. The boy was so weak that Inspector Thompson deemed it to be his duty to send him to the hospital, and wc understand that he will not be fit for removal from that institution for a couple of Jays or so. It is not so long ago since a sister (about eleven years of age) of the boy ran away from borne and was taken out of a brothel in Kibble street. She was brought before the Court aud sent to the Industrial School.”