A Sweet and Clever Child at the Door of Hope "She is evidently overcome with maternal affection," stated Mr. A. Martin, senior British Assessor, who sat last Friday in the Mixed Court with Mr. Kuan Chun, senior Chinese Magistrate), of a 55-year old Chinese woman who burst out in tears when an application was being made by her solicitor, Mr. L. K. Kentwell, for the return to her charge of a 13-year old girl (whom she claimed to be her daughter) who was. arrested in a house of ill-fame some weeks ago and who was ordered by the Court to be sent to the Door of Hope to be looked after.
SubInsp. Moore stated that Bench that the little girl was found by him in a brothel where she was being trained to lead a dis honourable life. As sha was not of age, he had arrested her and the brothel-keeper.
Mr. Kentwell: My client was in the country at the time Her daughter was kidnapped and brought to Shanghai, and she did not know that she had been placed in a brothel.
The Assessor: And if we return the girl to hen, she may not know again, The mother was called and she denied putting her daughter in the brothel. She stated that she did not know her daughter was there, because she had been kidnapped from her home-in the country.
The Magistrate: If we return her to you, what do you propose to do with her?—Witness: Oh, I will take her back home with ma to the country and there I will teach her to sew afd to make shoes like other country-girls.
Miss Abercrombie, matron of the Door of Hope, in reply to the Court, stated that the little girl had been with the institution for about a month and according to reports was very bright and diligent. She Shad won the admiration of her teachers for her sweetness and cleverness.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.