ESCAPE FROM THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 185, 23 November 1876, Page 2

ESCAPE FROM THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.

ALLEGED CRUELTY TO A GIRL. A serious charge of cruelty against Uj superintendent of the Industrial Schoti was made yesterday to the Hon. Georj M'Lean, Commissioner of Customs, by | man named Jeremiah Dohig. He was ao companied by three witnesses, who sut stantiated his statement. This was to tit effect that his daughter Mary Dohig, little girl of ten years, who was commits to the school about a month ago, returna home, having effected her escape abon ten o'clock on Sunday evening. Th, child was represented to be weak and ex. hausted, and her ancles were manacla with heavy irons, which had cut deep into the flesh. She complained of being hungry and sore and sick, and the parenti were attending to her wants, when an officer from the Industrial School, accons. panied by a constable, entered the hen®, and carried her off to the Police Station, manacled as she was. On her arrivil there, Inspector Mallard at once ordered the shackles to be removed, and a fej being produced, this was done. Th! child, it was stated, had been taken back to the institution yesterday morning, and the manacles consisted of an iron chain with a handcuff at each end. Mr. M'Lean having- heard the statements, promised that a strict investigation should be mailt into the whole of the circumstances, h order that both sides of the affair might be ascertained, our reporter at once proceeded to the institution at Caversham, and interviewed the superintendent. He was shown the books of the institution, and from these it appeared that the girl Dohig, although only ten years of age, has been committed to the School for term amounting altogether to fourteen years, for larcenies committed on different occasions. On the 14th July, 1874, when onlj eight years old, she was convicted of stealing a pair of boots, from the shop of a tradesman in Rattray-street, and committed to the School for four years. A few weeks afterwards, on the sth September, she was licensed to her father fot three years and eleven months. Durinj iier short interval in the School she ran away six times, and made an unsuccessful attempt once besides. On each occasion she was followed and brought back, eithe by the master, the police, or the nurses, and the records in the conduct-book go to sliow that her conduct was most incorrigible. On the sth November, 1874, she was convicted of stealing a silver watch and guard, and recommitted to the institution for five years ; but on the 14th August oi the following year she was again licensed out to her fattier for the term—four years and four the 25th October last she was convicted of stealing a dress, under somewhat extraordinary circumstances. She had taken tie dress to the house of a neighbour, and representing that she had been sent by her mother, obtained a written certificate, bj which she was enabled to pawn it. Three days after her admission to the school she ran away, and on the day following she was brought back by her father. Two days only elapsed when she again absconded at seven p.m., and the police were communicated with, the result being that next day (Ist November) she was arrested at her parents' residence in Clarkstreet. On being brought back she received six strokes with a rod, and her feel were secured so as to prevent a recurrence of what had happened. On the 2nd she was locked up in the bath-room —a large, roomy apartment —but although the window was securely battened, she made > d*esperate effort to escape, smashing the timber and a couple of pane 3 ®f glasi For this she received six strokes over the palm of the hand; From that time up to the 10th instant she was kept under restraint, but after that she was set at liberty, and received exactly the same treatment as the other children. On Sunday, however, she again tried to abscond, and as this had been the third attempt of the kind she had made since her committal, it wasconsidersd that some effective method would have to be adopted in order to keep her from breaking out of the premises. She had been out for a walk with the other children during the afternoon, but as she'complained of being unwell, she was left at six p.m. in her dormitory. That she might not escape unobserved, and as the other children were going for a walk, it was found neces- ! sary to secure Dohig to her stretcher. This was done by fastening a pair of ordinary police-handcuffs to her ankles, and securing them by means of a chain to a board in tlie bedstead opposite that in which she lay. On the children returning after their walk at eight o'clock, it was discovered that the board through which the chain was passed had been split, and Dohig had again made her escape, Mr. Roussell, an assistant, was at once despatched in quest of her, the result being that she was found at the house of her parents, manacled as described, and having been brought before the police, was taken back to the institution in a cab. The girl was shown to our reporter. The skin of her right ankle was slightly bruised, and her left ankle, which was bandaged, rras more severely chafed ; but these marks, the Superintendent intimated, were occasioned after she had left the institution, and were doubtless the result of her struggle to get home. Beyond this she. presented no signs whatever of ill-treatment, r" her strong appearance did not 1 any ijieans support the statement of father ths>fr. she was The sup when punii received the kutreatment imagina reasoned with her, ai his power to induce ... conduct, but she has stu%

m the shape of juvenile perversity that he has ever encountered. Th« books showthat she ha» been a source of great trouble and annoyance to his predecessor, and the present investigation, wide** the superintendent of 6W School ha.* for hi* own sake demanded, wiit b« the second »f the kind which the girl Dohig has occasioned. — €tuarr