AN EXTRAORDINARY CAST.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12771, 18 April 1910, Page 4

AN EXTRAORDINARY CAST.

■Kcmarkable conduct on the part ol a l&Uy was Uescnoed at London Sessions, wlioie L! ,;.-i*;-o Burnley, "Zd, a •vell-ureso , living at Uamp- j diretwi, piea-Ueu gunty to Having ou- K cawieu Dy raise pretences irom Selfiidges, uinutecl, six pans of hose, \ eigiiteen hantiKorcincis, lour piioto ' iiames, a tea-set, anu outer property, »ortli iCoO itis. Accused, wno surreii- 1 ixiered to her bail, looked very haras- < sed, and, alter entering the uocn., ap- i peaied to tho warder to be allowed to sit Uowii. Xlie request being glanteu, she burst into tears,, and iiotened | •vith a painlul expression to the state- ( ment oi tlie prosecuting counsel. Mr. Tray-era tiumplireys, tor tne accused said ho coulu not explain wUy she, being of good family and education, and iiavmg plenty of means, had resorted to this extraordinary exped-. iein't oi obtaining the- goods by giving a false name and address.. Her lather was a journalist, and the whole of her family were hignly respectable. She nad an income of £l7u a year, quite apart irom what her father allowed her The lady, said counsel, was engaged to bo married. In September last defendant, who yvas very hysterical and excitable, got into her head the idea that tne engagement was aiot going to end in marriage. Apparently there was no foundation for that idea, but defendant, became extraordinarily depressed, and was not a bit like herself— in fact, her sister, Miss Kate Burnley she was mot responsible for what she said or did. There was absolutely no reason or any motive — and defendant yvas unable to give any explanation— yvhy sho should have acted as she had done*. Mr. Humphreys urged that there was no need in the public interest yv^iy she, should be sent to prison, aiid. thus be absolutely alxl irretirevably .ruined. The gentleman to whom she was engaged yvas quite prepared to marry her in tyvo or three months. "If any sentence is passed on this woman,' continued Mr. Humphreys, "the gentleman will find it absolutely impossi--1 ble to carry out his promise. In tno 1 circumstances, I think your lordship, : in vioyy of the fact that all the goods, except £15 worth, have been returned, ' and that sum, with -your lordship's _ sanction, will .be. handed, oyer, might accept the father as a security to look '. after her, and become responsible for ' her. He will see that she is removed \ out of London and her sister will live with her and yvatch over her until she 1 is married." ' In dealing with the prisoner, Mr. f Wallace said: "These cases, unfortuu- |' ately, have been very frequent in the last few months, and it would never do for the impression to get abroad that misplaced leniency might tend to a growth bf crime of this kind. There . are, hbyVever, other interests to con- :' sider, and each case must be decided on its merits. "... I believe that sending this woman to prison would be absolute destruction, and yvould lead possi- \ bly io her sinking^altogether into the ' ranks of crime. On' the distinct'under- ' standing that she is removed from ( London, away from temptations of any r kind, I am prepared to alloyv her to be I bound over. It is in the best interest , of herself ahd, in the end, I believe of ! the community, to save people like ] prisoner from the degradation of prison life."