EXTRAORDINARY ASSAULT.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 March 1917, Page 7

EXTRAORDINARY ASSAULT.

CHILD SI:ViiRLLY HANDLED

A GIRL All RESTED. A ease of assault presenting some extra ordinary features occurred at North.-East Yullev on Saturday afternoon (says yesterday's I 'Otago Daily Times"]. There seems to have been no apparent motive for the assault, which appears to bffvc been a most purposeless sort of affair, but it certainly did not jack a measure of severity that amounted to brutality. Ihe occurrence was a most peculiar one in overv way, and had the victim not been a strong, sturdy child it is doubtful if she would have survived the ordeal througn which she must have passed, As far as they have been ascertained, the facts show 'that a little girl named Eclith Margaret Asher, who lives with tier parents in Crown Street, North-East Yalley. was playing with some other children in the early part of the alteiv noun. A horn three o'clock she was. missed hv her parents, and her father, along with some neighbours, organised a search. Eor some time their efforts proved unavailing, but about b.J'r pm. they heard a cry coming from the bush that covers a high hill overlooking Oleuaven, and known as Caskie s Bill. lins pros > at to be the little girl Asher, and she was found to be in a shocking condition. She was bleeding profusely about the head, her hair had been cut off, and her face had been so disfigured with blows that her father failed at first, to recognise her. When the child was taken home .-die was examined by Dr do J.atour and later by l>r Evans, and her injuries were found to he very severe, consisting mainly of extensive bruises about the head and face.

i 1 or nock ;ilsd showed severe bruises and discolorations, and its appearance yesterday seemed to indicate that an attempt had been made to strangle her, especially as there war, a red mark round the back, (‘lose to the spot where the child was found a piece of rope and a pair of scissors wore pi eked up. Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon the little girl Asher was seen in companv with a girl about 16 years of age, wlui was helping her over a The two then proceeded in the direction of the hill, where the child was eventually found. About 4 o'clock the older girl was again seen hurrying down the hill in the direction of Crown Street. It is stated that the two girls were unknown to each other.

('unstable McKntcc, of the A.orth least Valley Police Station, was apprised of the occurrence on Saturday evening, and ho carried out his investigations with great promptitude. As a result of his inquiries a girl named Martha Graham was arrested on Sunday afternoon on a charge

of assault. The girl Graham was an inmate of the Caverslnm Industrial Sc-lioc>l until three months ago, when she was engaged as a servant bv Mr tv R. Stedman. Her cmplovers state that she was a good worker, and verv kind to the children. Her parents reside at Clive, near papier, in the North island. -