A FEMININE FIEND.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 180, 17 November 1876, Page 3

A FEMININE FIEND.

A peculiar case of inhumanity to a child ma brought before the Hobart Town Mice Court on the 29tb alt. The J/itrjiry relates that a respectable-looking ioman named Mrs. Graham was charged jjith. unlawfully beafcinsj a girl named iunrietta Myers. The girt, with three hur children younger than herself, are ie daughters- of Captain Myers, of the Wing barque Marie Laurie. Their ntlier died some two years ago, and since M they have been under the care of her tiler's sister, Mrs. Graham, who has been toiving £& per month for their support, lithe 2<tth Henrietta and her sister Lucy rat into a neighbor's house, where they iv« often heeu forbidden to go, and on turning Henrietta solemnly declared that io had been in an outhouse. For this iiberate tie, and also for disobeying her inmanrljj* at to go into the neighbor's \m r Mrs. Graham flogged the girt. iking her into the kitchen, she made her lip otf every particle of clothing, then » went into the garden and obtained a imber of switches from a plum tree, and ih lh-s© she whipped the girt for a irter of an hour. Not satisfied with it, sue put the girl to bed, and rubbed t butter on her back, and a* the skin t broken in several places, it can easily imagined how the pain would be itoiwed. The woman's brutality would, to, be beyond credence were it not fur i conclusive evidence of the girl, and o the testimony of Dr. Hall- He exinud the girt the day after the flogging, i found her back from the nape of the lit downwards, reaching even as. far as i buck of the thighs, covered with red mka. The marks were so numerous, |<ays,. that he did not attempt to count n; ' the skin was perfectly mapped. ides this, her body was in an emacia--1 condition, from the want of sufficient riolunent, ao that the woman had ally been starving the girl. The listeites held that the chastisement grossly excessive, and in fact amounted tumble cruelty. They therefore sent l woman to gaol for three months withItlm option of a fine, besides ordering I toy ay two guineas coats. §