FOOLISH GIRLS IN COURT.

NZ Truth, Issue 264, 16 July 1910, Page 6

FOOLISH GIRLS IN COURT.

There would appear to he a mild epidemic m thieving among Christchurchi women since the advent o£ .the girl burglar, ;and the nice-looking sex seems to tfe out to distinguish itself. . Mary Knox Allen is a strikihg-loofaing-young woman of pleasing features who Mary-Amied m the house of one Buckley, of Merivale, for a while, and made I berseK So ranch at home that she appropriated ,some of the contents. Mnally she found herself m the criminal dock charged with the theft of articles valued i- at £1 ;10s, the property of Fhoetfe Gra--1 ham and E. Buckley. She protested that she had taken i one \i or two of thef articles only; She was qiuite self-possessed aod looked bored at the proceedings. Sato-Inspector McGrath explained that the girl, wJk> hailed from Wellington, had^ ': been m ■ service m the house. Magistrate Bishop : How old are you ? Accused : Twenty-three. Why did you ' steal these things-?— I •oidn'-t ateal them all. I took the note--paper and two hatpins. The rest were m 'the room. She gave me 'the books to read. The Sub. gave the information that. Mary bad been dismissed f roan- two' situations m Auckfend, but there was no 'charge of dishonesty. • His Worship decided to treat her as afirst Offender, although he didnH know whether sho <was ;or not. A finevtof 40s was imposed, or one month with'^-Gover- . nor Ironsides at the port. ' The next . lady to toe the mark-didn't have Mary's assurance ; m fact,, she-wept quietly and with bitterness. Her name is" Estella Bennett, and she' is a weH-dress-ed, good-looking, young married woman. She is alleged to be one of those ladies who enter big drapery establishments and conceal goods ahout fflieir clothes. At anyrate, she was arrested by 'Tecs. Gibson and Ward on that assumption, and was charged with the theft of goods (principally ladies' underel&ttoin©)/>valued at £4 17s 2.d from the D.I.C. ,; clothing, etc., worth £61 ' 10s 2d, from- thq Farmers'. Co-op. ; goods Worth £2 l-5s !)d"; from Ballantync and Co.; and property valued at £1 8s lid from Beath and Co. There was " also a charge ol stealing a I>tke valued at £16, the property of Mrs Dalton. The lady was remanded till the following Friday, and, on the application of Solicitor Bishop, .bail was allowed m £50 and one surety of £50. She was led, still ■ weeping, from the court-room.