ONE WOMAN'S WEAKNESS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5731, 28 October 1905, Page 10

ONE WOMAN'S WEAKNESS.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, September Ist. Last week the papers were full of tho mysterious disappearance of Miss Phoebe renniall, a pretty young Greenwich woman of philanthropic and religious tendencies, who ' had for some years visited the poor, nursed tho sick and carried creature comforts and Tho Word into tho dark places of the old Thames-side town. Miss Penniall’s_ disappearance called to mind tho notorious Miss Hickman case, with its suggestions of a romantic elopement, of minder, and of suicide. And liko that affair, unhappily, tho quest for tho missing girl had ended in the recovery of a corpse. In tho Hickman case there will always bo an element of doubt as to how tho victim camo fcy her death, but thero is no question as to the cause of Miss Penniall’s end. She died in giving birth to a child, tho father of -which is a man with a wife and family living at Blackhcath. He, like Miss Ponniall, was active in “good works” among tho poor of tho East End—“a good Christian man,” who lived in tho odour of sanctity.

Miss Penniall, up to six months ago, Booms to havo been a happy little soul, contented with her lot, and too busy with her .work to dally with such a thing as love. Then, quite suddenly, she became, reserved and restless and finally announced to her parents that (die meant to go away. Later sho told them that sho had obtained a situation as companion to an invalid lady living near Sovenoaks. On March Ist shejeft her Greenwich, home ostensibly for Scvcnoaks, hut in reality she wont to Wrothanr, some nine miles from that place. She, however, had her letters directed to Scvenoaks Post Office, and when pressed by her mother for her real address, ceased to write to her parents, but continued to correspond with a married sister. Letters apparently written try Phoebo continued to arrive at Greenwich till tiro early days of August, including one in which sho vouchsafed tho information that she was married to a “good Christian man,” and was very happy. Sire, however, did not disclose tiro nanro of her “husband,” and ho in a letter to her parents was content to sign himeclf "Phoebe’s husband.” About the second week in August Miss Penniall’s parents received a letter- stating that Phoebe was very ill, and » few days later they were informed that sho was dead and hot-ied. But no address, nor other information was given. Tho Pennialls and the police at Sovenoaks scoured the district in search of traces of the missing woman, but without avail. They discovered that for some time after March she regularly called at Sevcnoaks Poet Office for her letters, but that her visits ceased in July, and that Later a gentleman called for- them. Tiro mystery was deepened last week when the parents received a map with a. spot near Mcrc'worth marked as the place where they would find Phoebe. They went there, but could find no trace of their daughter. Meanwhile tho police had found certain clues, and soon were in possesh;on of tho facts relating to Miss Pcnnialf. She had early in July left the neighbourhood of Sovenoaks, and in company with a gentleman, who gave the name of Stanley, had taken rooms at Albany street, Maidstone. There, on July 19th, she died after giving birth to a male child. Three doctors were in attendance on her at the time, and after the interval prescribed by lanhad expired, sho was buried as “Phoebe Stanley.” Apparently tho police are quite satisfied that there is no ground for proceeding against “Mr Stanley” on tho score of foul play, nor is it suggested that he compassed Miss Penniall’s moral downfall by resorting to a bigamous marriage. Apart from what further action the real “Mrs Stanley” may .take, we seem, indeed, to have reached the final chapter of the Pen'niall Mystery, for punishment of the “good Christian man” appears likely to bo left to bis own conscience.