Line 3.0.0 Parry, an aged widow, by false representations.

Line 3.0.1 Defendant, who held herself out

Line 3.0.2 as a fortune teller and spirit medium, made

Line 3.0.3 the acquaintance of Mrs. Parry last year and

Line 3.0.4 gave her some sittings. The client, who is a

Line 3.0.5 widoe and had lost her five children by

Line 3.0.6 death, was much comforted to hear the

Line 3.0.7 voices of her deceased children speaking to

Line 3.0.8 her, as the deluded woman thought, through

Line 3.0.9 the medium of Mrs. Praed. The fact that

Line 3.0.10 their communications were largely in praise

Line 3.0.11 of the medium did not arouse her suspi-

Line 3.0.12 cions. Mrs. Parry was instructed to pro-

Line 3.0.13 cure beautiful dresses and handsome furni-

Line 3.0.14 ture for the medium, and when messages

Line 3.0.15 purported to come to the same effect from

Line 3.0.16 the Mother of God and St. Anthony her

Line 3.0.17 faith was still unshaken. (Mrs. Praed in-

Line 3.0.18 troduced these names because she knew that

Line 3.0.19 Mrs. Parry was a Roman Catholic). She

Line 3.0.20 afterwards made a will in favor of the me-

Line 3.0.21 dium, transferred land to her and was ar-

Line 3.0.22 ranging to take her on a trip to the old

Line 3.0.23 country and the Paris Exhibition, when the

Line 3.0.24 detectives came on the scene and obtained

Line 3.0.25 the restoration of the property.

Line 3.0.26 The jury, after half an hour's retirement,

Line 3.0.27 found the prisoner guilty.

Line 3.0.28 When asked whether she had anything to

Line 3.0.29 say, why sentence should not be passed she

Line 3.0.30 said in a low but clear voice, "Simply that

Line 3.0.31 I am entirely innocent of the charge laid

Line 3.0.32 against me." "You are innocent?" asked Mr. Justice

Line 3.0.33 A Beckett in astonishment. "Yes, I am,

Line 3.0.34 replied Mrs. Praed, “and Mrs. Parr knows

Line 3.0.35 His Honor said he had no doubt of her

Line 3.0.36 guilt. The offence which she had committed

Line 3.0.37 was a very dangerous one, and one against

Line 3.0.38 which the public had to be protected. Had

Line 3.0.39 the woman who was victimised died, her re-

Line 3.0.40 latives might have been despoiled of all

Line 3.0.41 her property. The defendant gave up what

Line 3.0.42 she had obtained, and for that reason, and

Line 3.0.43 because the offence was novel,he would

Line 3.0.44 impose the light sentence of six months

Line 3.0.45 imprisonment. Those who in the future

Line 3.0.46 offended similarly would, however, be pun-

Line 3.0.47 ished with much greater severity. ,

Line 3.0.48 * Mrs. John Rial, of Cuddell station, who

Line 3.0.49 a few days ago sustained serious burning in-

Line 3.0.50 juries through her clothes catching fire while

Line 3.0.51 attending to her household duties, died sud

Line 3.0.52 denly on Wednesday morning from shock to

Line 3.0.53 the system. She was a daughter of the late Mr,

Line 3.0.54 George Day, at one time, M.T.A., for Albury,

Line 3.0.55 and was widely known throughout the dis