THE ALLEGED CHILD BEATING AT DUNEDIN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3276, 27 March 1885, Page 2

THE ALLEGED CHILD BEATING AT DUNEDIN.

(By Telegraph.) Dunedin, March 26. At tho Police Court to-day the charges against the Flemings were resumed. Further evidence was taken m the charge against the father of assaulting the son by tying him to a bedpost and whipping him. Dr Ferguson's evidence was that the whipping must have been a very smart one. The bruises remained from the 12th to the 20th The Bench said they had a doubt whether thoy could deal summarily with the case, and said they would give their decision to-morrow. Carrie Fleming, the stepmother, was then charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Isabella Fleming, five years old, on the Bth instant. The little girl, who called the stepmother Miss Connon, was examined briefly, and said she was beaten with a whip by the accused. The other children gave evideuce, and it appeared that the little girl was whipped m the same way as the boy had been. All her clothes were taken off, and she was then laid face downwards on the bed, and beaten with the cartwhip. She was beaten for wetting tho bed, and the boy stated that he had tried to dry the sheet at the fire to save his sister getting the beating. The doctor said the little child's body was covered with bruises, old and new. There was no danger of permanent injury from them, but any beating which had been inflicted on them must have been unnecessarily severe, and a series of such whippings would bo likely to permanently depress the child. The accused was committed for trial, bail being allowed. A further charge against Mrs Fleming, of assaulting the other child Mary, aged nine, was withdrawn.