A MISGUIDED GIRL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12889, 24 July 1913, Page 2

A MISGUIDED GIRL.

FALSE DECLARATION OF BIRTH. A MAN'S WRONG-DOING. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. An important case, the first of its kind held in the WanganUi district, tva.i heard at the Magistrate's Court .yesterday morning, before Messrs. T. D. Cummins and E. N. Liffiton. Justices of tho Peace, when a neatly-dressed young wcn'an, now residing at fhovera, was charged that she made a false dedara- ■ lion to the Deputy Registrar of Births, ])e?.thr, and Marriages. Detective Siddells prosecuted, and Mr. Cohen appeared for the accused. Detective .Siddells said that the case Iwm brought under Section 45 of the Tvrths .and Deaths Registration Act, 1908. The circumstances were extre:ne-ly-unfortunate. The accused, who was n;i unmarried woman, gave birth to a child on October 29th, 1912. On Nov. loth sho went to the Registrar of Births in Wangamii, and among other things, which were reduced to writing, sho stated tlmt the father of the child was Charles Thomas Robinson, and that sho was married to Robinson on December 11th, 1911. On inquiries being mado it was ascertained that this wa.'i false. It was of the greatest im- : portance, tho detective said, that particulars supplied to registrars should be j correct, for no one knew what great future issues depended on thenu He wavsorry that their Worships had no pewer to deal with the case. All they had to do was to hoar the facts, and commit tho accused for trial. Doris E. Hill, Deputy Registrar for Births, Deaths and Marriage:; for W«n£xnui, gave evidence that on Nov. 15, 1012. a woman called at the office, and siinplied her with certain information, which w>as taken down on a form. The form showed that accused said sho was married to C T. Robinson. The particulars were ultimately entered in tho register. The accused gave her maiden .surname, ami signed herself "Robinson." To Mr. ( o'i:ii: Accused mado no do-i-!;u-atii)i:. M.'hp.css took down the ini'oi'iiiatiori slu.< supplied. Co.-i.st.-ible W.aneford, of Hawena, depose;! that on June 7th he interviewed pccuKfd r.-'hitive ro information she supplied the Registrar at Wanganui. She told witness that sho had had a child to Robinson, which was born in Wan':a.nui, and that she registered the child I m tho name of Robinson. Her reason for doing so was that she expected Robinson to marry her, and that Robinson had told her to register the child in this manner. Accused admitted that sho bad made a false declaration. To Mr. Cohen: The girl is staying with her mother.

x'his concluded the evidence. ■Mr. Cohen entered :>. plea of ''Not guilty," the reason being to save the country tho expense of sending accused to Wellington for sentence. As Detective Siddells said, tho facts were unfortunate, because at the time the girl gavo tho information to tho Registrar sho was promised by Robinson that he would marry her. Mr. Cohen had letters in his possession showing that Robinson had repeatedly made this promise. J hero was no doubt that public records must bo accurately kept. The man'sattitude towards the girl shook her bc■ieim lnm ? and she took proceedings with a view to having him declared the tat her of tho chni and making him contributo towards its maintenance. At tho timo the man was keenly anxious to marry tho girl, but he humbugged her about so much, that the girl""declared sho would not marry him. It wsrs the policy of the Department that ir accurate entries in tho register could 1.0 rectified. Tho prosecution was brought by the Department. This girl "■a" tho first, victim in this district under tho Act. Mr. Cohen concluded by thanking Detectivo Siddells for tho way in which ho handled the case, and for bis sympathy. Accused was committee] for trial, bail being allowed in her own recognisances of £20.