THE MALZARD CASE.

NZ Truth, Issue 98, 4 May 1907, Page 6

THE MALZARD CASE.

The Woman to Await Her Trial hi the Samaritan Home.

Three charges m a couple of days, one involving a oommital far trial for a most serious offence, was the little lot preferred against Edith M. Malzard, a married woman of 15 years standing at Christohurch. The woman. was .arrested for bein£ ii: a state of helpless drunkenness, 7 and with leaving broken a prohibition Nrder which had been made against her some time previously, but which was always religiously disregarded. It then transpired ''that the unfortunate woman, who is badly addicted to drink, had left her home and children a few days previ.bu.sly and gone out on a wild, erratic drunk. When she was known at public houses she Knew where houses of doubtful character, inhabited by noclass people, were located and there she got all she wanted. Meantime, the husbaivd was out at work all day, grafting like the devil for. a ■numler of children and a Orjnking wife, the eldest left at home being a girl of 14, who was placed "m the unhappy position of not knowing what tp do with an infant m arms. The youngster -was a small child, but. healthy at birth, and would have lived had it received proper, attention' according to medical evidence. But the Crown say that that was THE MOTHER'S FAULT ' for mot being at home, to look after it. The 14 year-old daughter is, naturally, not to blame. Nurso Maude was called m, and ultimately the poor, puling infant was removed to the Hospital, where it passed away. It .was stated to be very emaciated, \ and died through improper fee*ding, whereupon iho '"Coroner's jury made some j'cmarks, and at the S.M.s Court, the., woman Malzard was committed for trial. . Later on she was discharged on the charges of drunkenness and breaking a prohib. order, I he Magistrate remarking that a charge of manslaughter was quite sufficient to have hanging over her head at one lame. ,At the same time he 1 said that "if ever the i womai; came up en such charges again he would give' her every bit the law allowed her, as her record was very far from rood. At this stage the prisonor asked to be sent to the Samaritan Home until the time of her trial for manslaughter, and her husband, who was m Court, said that was about the, best thing she could, do.. "She has sense enough to know what is best for her," said the S.M., and the matter dropped right there. •