A VERY PAINFUL CASE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3105, 14 March 1883, Page 2

A VERY PAINFUL CASE.

A more than usually painful case of elopement formed the subject of an inquiry before the Sheffield stipendiary on January 18, Annie Rhodes, the daughter of a silver plater living in Fitzwilliam street, being charged with deserting her infant illegitimate child. The evidence showed that the prisoner, who is only 19 years of age, was some time ago employed at the establishment of Mr E. Langwell, glass cutter, who was assisted in his business by his son, aged 30, who is married and has two children. Mr Langwell, jun., seems to have formed an attachment to the girl, whom he seduced and persuaded her to. leave his father’s employment. At the same time the girl left her father’s home and took lodgings. In October last she gave birth to a child at her lodgings, and three weeks afterwards she left the baby in the care of her landlady, saying that she was going out to meet the father of the child to buy some clothing. She never returned and though her father was communicated with, he refused to receive the infant, which was taken to the workhouse. Inquiries were instituted, which showed that the young woman had left Sheffield and gone to Leeds and other places, but no definite trace of her was found until Wednesday, when the police learnt that she was at Manchester. A police-officer went to Fawcett street, Manchester, where the girl had been staying for ten weeks under the name of Ann Marton, and was preparing to leave for Liverpool that night. She was taken into custody on the charge of deserting her infant, The police found that young Langwell had corresponded regularly with her, and had made arrangements for sending her to America, where ho was to follow her. On Friday Langwell ran away from Sheffield, leaving his wife and two children, and made his way to Liverpool, whence be wrote to Ehodes at Manchester, telling her ho bad taken her a berth on the Allan steamer Circassian, which was announced to sail for Montreal on Thursday. Her apprehension of course interfered with these arrangements for the elopement. The girl, who fainted during the hearing of the case, was remanded for her father, who is a respectable man, to be communicated with as to her being taken J care of in the future.