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I Alleged Detention in a Convent.…
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Alleged Detention in a Convent. A PENARTH GIRL IN SECLUSION PARENTS APPLY TO THE MAGISTRATES. The magistrates at Penarth Police Court on Mon- day Mr W. B. Gibbs and Councillor Morris—had a somewhat unusual application made to them by a woman named Mrs Mary Kelly, of 15, Maughan- terrace, Penarth. The woman stated to the Bench that hei daughter Elizabeth was aniumate of a Convent at Ileriylari, Gaidiff, and they desired her release. Her daughter, who was not yet 16 years of age, had begged and ci ied to return to the bosom of her parents, and although herhnsband and son bad visited the place they had refused to allow her to do so- She therefore made application to the Bench for an order compelling those at the Convent to restoie the child to the parents ■Mr W. B- Gibbs informed the woman that the magistrates had no power in such a case. Application should be made to a higher Court, and he advised the woman to consult a selicitor. INTERVIEW WITH THE SISTER. fn tin course of an iuferview which a press represnta- L a;, o I secured with another daughter of Mrs Kelly, she stated that her sister had become too intimately associ- ated with girls of disreputable character at Penarth, and in cousequence was taken to the Couvent against her will, The girl was nearly 16 years of age and her parents apprehended that unless they succeeded in obtaining her release before she was 10 years of age she would be detained at the.Couvent through- out the remainder of her lifetime. The excuse offered at the Convent for the refusal to grant the girlls release was that. the "father" of the iustitnliou was at the time a vay from home, and construing this to mean that they desiied to delay matters so that the girl might attain her 16th birthday, they had decided to make application to the magistrates. tn EXPLANATION BY THE LADY SUPERIOR In the afternoon a South Wales Daily News reporter called at the Convent, Penylau, and, after explaining the object of his visit, was readily accorded an inter- view with the Lady Superior. The Superior, in reply to a question as to whether tiie statements given above were correct, smiled, and said, "Ah they (the mother and sister) have made out a very funny story, but it is not hue. I'll tell you all about this matter. The father and step-sister brought the girl, whose name is Annie Kelly, here and asked us to take care of her as she was getting very wild, and they were afraid of her getting into mischief. We agreed to take her, and after she came sha appeared to be very happy. Shoitiv afterwards, however, the mother sent a mes- sage requesting us to send the gill home at once, but I told her I could not do so without the permission of the girl's father, as he had asked me to take her. I asked the girl it she would like to go home, and she said she pieferred to remain in the convent as her mother kept a lodging-house, and she felt it was not n a safe home for her. I told her I could not keep her against her will, and she said she would rather re- main. I had farther applications from the mother and the sister, but knowing the family, and the girl being willing to stay wirh us, I did not give her np. On one occasion the sister and a lady friend caliled, t c and made a great bother because I woald not give up the girl or let them see her, our rules being that visitors are allowed to see their friends once a month, and I could not disturb the house on their account. They stayed about the place half a day, and ulti- mately I had to send for a policeman to put them away." "Has the girl expressed any desire to return home ?'' No. She has herself told me that she wishes to remain here. She was not brought here against her will, and she is not detained here against her will. There would hava bpen no question about her being here, or about going home if it had not been for the intervention of some of her friends." Has the girl's father ever requested you to give her up?" No; and I haven't seen him since the day he brought her here." "Have yon any particular rule respecting the de- tention of children and girls of her age?" It is entirely against our rules to receive or keep girls against their will. This girl told me she wished to stay here." Do you know anything of the father? I have been told that be has since gone away." And you say you have no rule of arbitrary de- tention ? Yes. Of course in the case of little children brought by their parents we keep them until they are asked for, but even in those cases when they dislike being here, or feel unhappy, we ask the parents to take them home again. Girls of the age of Annie Kelley can go when they please; and the statement that the girl's parents apprehended she would be de. tained tor life, if not released before she was sixteen years of age, is absurd. There is no rule or custom which could allow us to detain any one for life against their will. The girl's friends may have got their idea from thill, that we have a few who have promised to remain foi life, but entirely of their own free will, and who have bep-n allowed to do go only as a very great privilege." Do many wish to remain for life ? "At present we havd three who have promised to do so. Bat we usually find situations for our girls after they have been with us for two years or so, if they wish it, and even sometimes before that. I have been here seven years, and I should say there are only about 30 at the outside of those who were here when I came remaining, and we have 150 in the house. It would be decidedly against the usefulness of the house to keep every girl for life. We have room for 160, but 150 is about the averag3 number we take in," ° THE GTRU STORY. "An,d now," added the lady superior frankly, "if you like to have the truth of my Statements regard- ing the girl confirmed, I sli;,Jl &end for her The interviewer assented, and presently Annie Kell*»y, a tall, good-looking young woman, was ushered into the ruom, .lid she answered the questions put to her freely aud intelligently. Have you been prevented from leaving the con- vent ? asked the Pressman. "No. Mother (the lady superior) would let rae go to-morrow if I wished. I Cdme hero of my own free will, and I do not want to leave. I came here with my father and step-sister on February Chh, an I first request; for my ret urn home was made the wees before Easter-" Did you wish to come here Yr, s. Did you not have a good home ? I liked home well enough, but I could not agree with my father." ° "Is he your stepfather ?" (I No. He is my father. Airs Kelley is my mother, but the sister you speak of is my step sister, a daughter by my mother's, first husband." In reply to further questions, she said uer people kept a boarding-house for seamen near the docks at Penarth that her father was a fireman and went to sea and that be had recently lsft home without having got a ship. I lid you tell your parents you wished to come here,?" Yes. Defore my father came home last time I told my mother that I wanted to go to Penylan Con- vent. After he came home I told him, too, and he brought me here." It will be gathered from these two last interviews that the girl has not been demanded by her father, b and that she prefers remaining at the convent a present. -=
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Penarth District Goiliicil.
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& tor respecting- the delay, and the matter will come up again at the Council meeting next Monday. The Clerk intimated that he had received various letters offering a loan of f2,000 for the carryirg out of the road improvements, one offering it at X3 7a 6d, another £3 15s., and another 4 per cent. He was instructed to accept the first. The tenders for the work being more fa\ curable than was anticipated a discussion arose as to the amount to be borrowed. The Local Government Board had consented to the borrowing of X2,000, cl but the tender accepted was only £1,360 18s lOd. Mr Morgan suggested that we should borrow the X2,600, and add the salary of the Road Inspector to the amount of the tender, or a portion of it. It was stated that there would be, probably, extras which bad not been calculated upon to the extent of £ 100. In answer to a question by Mr Thomas. The Clerk reported that the Local Government Board refused to grant a longer time than ten years for the repayment of the loan. Mr T, Bevan objected to borrowing money antici- pating extras. They had accepted a tender for XI,360 18s lOd, and thought that only sufficient money to carry out that tender should be applied for The Chairman: It is not necessary that we should spend it all if we get it. Mr Bevan If we get it we shall spend it. It was ultimately agreed to borrow XI,500, Mr T. Bevan being the only one to oppose the amount. Mr Morgan: I pity the men who will do the work for the sum named. The Surveyor said that complaints were being re- ceived from persons all over the town about the in- sufficiency of the street watering, and also about the tipping cf refuse in the quarry opposite Albert- crescent. Mr T. Bevan corroborated what was said about the dust fron the tipping of the refuse in the quarry, and Mr Guy had also received complaints, but Mr Lloyd had not heard anything of it. It was resolved to purchase a smaller watering van which could be used for watering the roads in course of repair, &c., and to advertise for it, so that the local ironmongers might supply it. A committee was also appointed, consisting of Messrs W. L. Morris. Snell, Purnell, and Thomas, to go with the Surveyor and examine the staad pipes and see where additional ones can be placed, so as not to hare such a loss of time in going to get the vans full. Mr T. Bevan reported that, with Mr Morgan, he had waited upon Mr Andrews respecting the urinal in Ludlow-lane, but they found him immoveable, and would not reduce the amount he had asked. so that it might be enlarged. They considered the price In exorbitant. The Surveyor stated that ft was now paid, but he would not consent to anything less than £6 annually to make the alteration in size. Mr Lloyd The place is now most disgusting, and the situation of it is bad. Mr Guy suggested whether another position for it Could be found. The Surveyor thought if it were placed in the middle of the load by Bray's lamp it would not be so noticeable as to have anyone jumping out from such a hole in the wall when not expected. Mr Snell Leave it with Messrs Morgan and Bevan to try and find a better site and report on it again- Mr Lloyd: Is that only to shelve it ? I propose that it be removed altogether. It wis ultimately referred back to the committee. Mr R. Bevan thought the urinal between Lord- street and Maughan-street was a great nuisance, and the sooner it was removed the better. This was leferred to the same committee. Plans were passed for alterations to Roxburgh, Park-road; for Mr Brain; additions to 14, Windsor- road, for Mr Johnson alterations to Old Post Office, Winasot-ioad, for Mr Johnson: and also the new Baptist Chapel in Stan well-road. The pians for the Pier lavatories were again before the committee, and they were passed conditionally that the pipes be carried back under the pier into the Esplanade wall, and connected with the main sewer. Mr Snell said that the Pier Company were willing to carry the pipes out to low water level as far as their own sewer pipes, but that was one of the strong points in their opposition to the CarditF Jorporation Bill last year, and what they then objected to they could not now allow. Plans were passed for the erection of six houses in Dingle-road by Mr Morris. Mr Morris called attell,tion t'o the dangers of the confounded level crossing. lIe was glad that the local Tress had taken the matter up. What he was about to 'ell the Council was not hearsay, but what be actually saw. Last Friday morning, as the nine o'clock passenger train was coming up, the en°-ine- driver had actually to stop the train and get off the engine and lift a little child off the rails, and if he had not done so the child would have been kiiled. In face of this, he thought the Council ought to adopt the strongest measures possible. Mr Snell; Wait until the Council meeting. There) is a letter here from the of the Intermediate f Schools which will bear upon the same thing. I Mr fl Bevan did not see that the letter would have any reference to level crossings. The letter was read, and it asked the CouLeil to do +- its best to provide better communication between the two parts of the town. Mr R. Bevan: Would it not be better to draw Mr B asley's attention to the incident of last Friday morning ? Mr S. Thomas Would it not be a simple matter to get an order to close the crossing altogether and use the bridge in the interest of the lives of the children of the district ? The Clerk: The Board of Trade decided that the bridge was not a sufficient substitute for the crossing'. Mr It Bevan I propose that Mr Beasley's atten- tion be drawn to last Friday's incident, and that he be asked to place a man in charge. This was seconded and carried through without further discussion- Mr Thomas I object to the motion being carried through without my having an opportunity to move an amendment. You did not ask if there was any amendment. Mr Snell; Were you to move an amendment it would not be seconded. Mr Thomas I object; you do not know what my amendment was to be, and consequently do not ktow whether it would be seconded or not unless you have the Council by the nose. Do you role that I cannot now move an amendment ? Mr Snell: Yes! Mr Purnell: I have noticed that some of the trees about have nearly half their bark stripped off through horses being fastened to them- I propose that they be all wired. v seconded, and said he thought it was *r 8 k°rses- he said with a sly glance at Mr Guy. & Mr Thomas suggested that it was done by some of the builders' ill-fed horses. The proposition- was carried, and the Council dispersed.