THE ALLEGED CHILD BEATING AT DUNEDIN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3275, 26 March 1885, Page 3

THE ALLEGED CHILD BEATING AT DUNEDIN.

(By Telegraph.) Dunedin, March 25. The charges against Fleming and his wife of cruelty to their children were gone into at the Police Court to-day before Messrs Fenwick and Gourley, J.P.'s. The former informations were for common assault, but these had been withdrawn and " assault resulting m grevions bodily harm " substituted. Mr Denniston prosecuted and Mr Macgregor defended. The case against Mrs Carrie Fleming of assaulting John Fleming, aged 11, was first taken. . The boy said that some neighbors followed him home from school on Friday last and said something to his stepmother, who afterwards gave him a "hammering." She made him strip naked, then laid him on the bed m the bed-room face downwards, and his Btepmother beat him with his father's cart-whip all over Ma back and downwards. It was a sore beating. He did not cry, because he would have got three times worse. (Sensation m Court, which was crammed mainly by women.) In cross-examination the boy said he was sometimes naughty, and had hit his sister with bis fist, for which he had been beaten, but this was not on the Friday referred to. He was sent to school on the Friday with Ids knickerbockers sown up, because m the night he had got up, lit a candle, and taken a biscuit, because he felt hungry. One of the neighbors mentioned (Mrs Greatrex) stated that she followed the boy home on Friday because she saw him with his trousers sewn tip as high as they could be, and he looked a perfect fright. She told Mrs Fleming she ought to be ashamed of herself for treating a motherless boy so. The boy on the Friday was afterwards taken to her house by the police, and she described bis back as having the appearance of a lean Bfccak. The accused was committed for trial, bail being allowed, herself m £200 and two sureties of £100 each. A charge against Alexander Fleming of assaulting the same boy was then proceeded with. The boy gave evidence that he had ■truck his sister. His father took him out of bed, took off his night-shirt, tied him up to the bed-post and beat him with the whip. (Suppressed cry of indignation m Court.) Mary Fleming gave evidence as to seeing her brother -whipped at the bed-post when naked. She said her father had been kind to them, but did not answer when asked if she loved him. The hearing of this case was adjourned till to-morrow.