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NZ Truth, Issue 181, 5 December 1908, Page 5

Matches may toe made m heaven, hut they, are dipped m the other place. "Truth" regrets to report the rather severe illness of one of Mustextpn's leading citizens, Mr M. C. O'Connell. Probably the result of the license poll was too much for the esteemed Mick, but "Truth" dreads to thinK what' the result would have -, been had his pet dog, A. : W. Hogg, been beaten by Hunter m the Parliamentary stakes. On the Continent a new craze has sprung up— i.e., swapping daughters. The idea is to exchange your daughter with somebody else's, so as to give them a holiday each m n^w surroundings. N.Z. fathers plan fellings differently, for they avail themselves of weddiug days and give their daughters away. The reason is not far to seek. Datd is desirous of getting rid of the girl, for fear she might give him away. . The man' Dawson, of St. Albans, Christchurch, charged AVith defiling a child two-and-a-half years old, was let off by the jury. The evidence was purely circumstantial, m that the man had been left alone with the child one afternoon, and Nthe youngster was subsequently found to have a venereal 'disease from which Dawson was also i suffering. The absence of corrobofation secured his acquittal. Of other disgusting cases the fat, fifteen-year-old, lad Ditford escaped a. flogging because the Act doesn't define a "rod" with sufficient accuracy, and the youthful girl spoiler Was ordered to be detained m the Samaritan Home till the next sittings of the Court. The elderly man Johnston, who was interrupted while mishandling a little girl m a stable, got twel v e months iir Clearv's ; and m the remaining case of carnally knowing a young girl the alleged offender, an ojd buster named Bilson handed m his earthly checks and passed through the cemetery to a Higher Court before his case could he taken ' before Judge Denuiston.