INCORRIGIBLE GIRLS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 19, 24 January 1919, Page 4

INCORRIGIBLE GIRLS

SYDNEY, Jan. 8. The small town of Riddell, near Melbourne, knew an hour of wild excite- ' i ment one evening last week. The cause was the return of seven young girls from the local Salvation Army Home, who escaped, from the institution on New Year’s Eve. .at The girls at imp Home in the majority of cases are the genuine “hard cases.” The Army courageously attempts to reform the incorrigibles,, butOften knows more than- a JittJ© excitement in the process. The' girls often escape and reach the city, and a score of slums have to be combed before they are. found by the police and sen* back. Frequently they disappear altogether. The seven who thus celebrated New Year were discovered by the police and sent back by train in, charge of a plain clothes constable. The officer hadjm unenviable task, beiing badgered ah the way By the undisciplined young women. On the railway platform th© girls refused to go to the Home. They made a violent scene and a crowd gathered. The Worried and perspiring constable.then tried to gee them to the . local-' police station. They went, professing loudly, and their language was scorching. Unhappily, the local constable „ was away, and the girls promptly ran amok in the station. They broke all ;he windows in sight, smashed some furniture, and turned on their unhappy guardian with stones. He tried to fight, but he was being sadly battered when the wife of the local constable courageously, and in a very timely manner, intervened . with a • revolyer. The weapon cowed the riotous girls; the manner of the constable’s "wife,’ who was outraged by Ihe damage done to her home, plainly showdd & determination to shoot. The plain-clothes man got possession - of the revolver and regained controlp? the girls. Obviously, they were stilt ready for any mischief, but the revolver disturbed them. Very reluctantly they allowed themselves to be formed up, and, with the constable and the revolver menacing them behind, they were marched lo the Horae, Here they . Broke loose again for a ’ while* and "he windows in th© house of one of the Army, officials';