THE WALTHAM ORPHANAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2707, 31 January 1906, Page 16

THE WALTHAM ORPHANAGE.

THE ALLEGATIONS OF ILLTREATMENT. Ihe WaJtham Orphanagre inquiry was continued this morning. The evidence was i uninteresting, and simply went >n the diroc- , tion of showing that Mrs Carpenter the matron of the institution, had not illtreated the children, but, on the contrary uas popular with them. Mrs Temby, at one time assistant-matron of the Lyt- | telton Orphanage, stared, howler, that when Mrs Carpenter joined the orphanabe staff she instructed the children to annoy her in every possible way. Airs Carpenter also told witness that she would get her out of her place. She did not consider that Mrs Carpenter's language was ladylike. She used to jeer at witness taking the children to church, saying. " Oh if 31 " Jl^m ', they - ou ° ht to 8° ♦<> church! bhe also said more than once: O 'V — — .vow, go' away." Mrs Carpenter continually used bad language of similar character, -and she used to beat the children when at home on Sundays. She used also to jeer at the children and hold them up to ridicule. Witness stated that she had seen the matron smoking cigars at the orphanage, and had been told that as long as she "kept in" with the secretary of the institution it would be all right. Mrs Carpenter, matron of the institution said she never called the children " bastards," becau-e they were not. She put up the word " Silence " in the bedrooms and the passages to remind the children to be quiet. She used to inflict corporal punishment on the children. It was necessary to do so. She was never more severe than necessary. After Miss M'Arthur came she had her present when inflicting punishment. After the fire the temporary orphanage was not satisfactory. Witness was never stinted for supplies at Lytcelton, but her attention was called once or twice to bills. Witness had had experience in household management, but did not have time to attend lo details as closely as she desired. Whilst at Lyttelton the children were always well fed, and never made complaints. They seemed fond of her. They removed to Waltham in May. She knew Mrs Peachy before going to Waltham. Mrs Peachy had Leslie Henderson boarded out with her, but gave him up, and he was taken into -the- orphanage. It was suggested that Mrs Peachy should take Fraukie Hammond, and she had remarked that witness could " work the point." Witness said she could not do that. She had been very friendly with Mrs Peachy. On August 6 Mrs Peachy went to tho orphanage at about 8 p.m. to take Gertie Andrews, and Percy Whittle was not very well then, having a cold. Mrs Peachy observed that he did not look very ! well, and wanted more nourishment. She ' did not say that no was a dying child, j Between August 6 and the night of the attack of croup he was well. He was j aiven dry bread one morning a fortnight before he was taken to the hospital : it was because he had been running about in his nightshirt. Witness did not know of the punishment until after breakfast. She then ordered him to have hot milk and biscuits. When he was taken seriously ill she put him by the fire and rolled him in blankets. He -eemed " choky," so she made him sick. She gave him a hot bath on Saturday night before the fire, and rolled him up again in the blankets. She did not -think it was pneumonia he had until the Sunday night. She did what would have been done in the hospital before sending for the doctor. Witness sent for the doctor on the Monday morning, as ?he thought then the boy had pneumonia. He was then thin and delicate, and even a day or two would alter his appearance a lot. She had a letter from Dr Crooke, dated September 3, saying that Percy wanted witness to take him home. He mad© a good recovery, but required watching. He would always be delicate. She did not box his ears when he was ill. Mrs Peachy was present once when witness gave Leslie Henderson a slap on the ear. It did not hurt him. She used to have to punish Frankie Hammond sometimes, but it was not severe. On the day referred to by Gladys Wilson she gave Frankie half-a-dozen cuts across

the shoulders, and he went downstairs laughing. On the night spoken of by Mr Mellish. Gertie and Emma Andrews had knocked over a lighted candle in the passage. They had been forbidden to touch it, because of the danger of fire, and witness trapped them. They screamed, but she i was not severe. They toM Miss M'Arthur that Mrs Peachy had told them to cry as loud as they could when they were punished. Mrs Peachy seemed to be kind to , them, but at about" the time of the inquiry \ she found that the children were more troublesome than over they had been . before whenever they had boon to Mrs Peachy. On the day of May Burbcry's illness she was sent home from school, but seemed well. On the next day witness went to tell her she could stay at home, but found she had ran to school. In regard to the Andrews girls' dresses, on St Patrick's Day the children wanted some green, and witness asked if thrv would like green dresses. They said " Yea," and witness pot them the (rreen dresses and hats. The hass were made ugly by being turned into bonnets. The girls never complained about the dresses'. -T Witness had no intention of making them ' ridiculous. She had herself been three years in a convent school, and there the children bad to keep silence. She was previously with. Father Cooney and tho sisters, and often went to see the latter. Witness used to let May . Burbury £0 to a neighbour next to tho orphanage at Lyttelton to play with the children, and mind the baby, and she was 1 given 6d a week pocket-money by the i woman. Mrs King had never sent child- . ren for liquor. She had had about 54 I chi'dren under her care, and many of those .' who had left came back to see her. \\ it- , ness never heard of any complaints before , the inquiry, either as to the punishment or anything 'else. The children never comr plained "about the food. There was a little I difference between the children's food and hers, but not much, and no more than she considered she was entitled to as an official. When they went without potatoes 1 it was because they were very dear at ; the time. She admitted having said '• Darn the children, 3 ' and calling them " Little devils " in heated moments. Tho children were very trying at times, and after she had had a severe illness it was hard to bear with them. When she called them darned children they had been throwing water on the clean sheets, and j she had called them " Little devils." In the convent she was trained in, silence was the lule at meals. Under the silence punishment at the orphanage the children spoke a good deal, and were allowed to talk outside the orphanage. She took the children out of " silence " if they appeared to be miserable. Allen Attwood's "fits of misery " were caused by the children teasing her. Since the inquiry witness had not made any change in the general rules. The water supply had been improved, and more baths were given to the children. She had not «ot on well with the " progressive women " on the board. They had a roundI about way of doing things, and if they wanted to get rid of her why couldn't they say so. She favoured the boarding-out system in private homes. Supervision could be secured by having voluntary visitors in the various districts. She would not punish by " silence " for a month unless they broke it. They were put on for a day, and then they got further days if they broke it. The inquiry was adjourned till February