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THE FRIENDLY SOCIETY CASE.

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THE FRIENDLY SOCIETY CASE. THE ACCUSED COMMITTED. Eavid Damel, New Kow, Ponterwyd, and Isaac Jones, Hwlchgwyn, Ystamtenni, were charged on re- nmnd by D. Davies, William Rowlands, and Richard H. Jones, trustees of the Loyal Gogerddan Lodge of Odilteilow-, Ponterwyd, with stealing banker's f-hntue-, the property of the Lodge, and converting th • *<vnic) to ther private uses. Accused were fnr- t'icr charged with stealing two postage stamps, and with con-piring and agreeing by false pretences to cheat and del rand divers companies and persons- the National Provincial Bank of England, the Loyal Gogerdrian Lodge of Oddfellows, and D. Davies. John Thomas, and Hugh Morgan, their respective trustees, and others of their respective monies. In the absence, throngh illness, of Mr W. P. Owen, Mr. Goddrts Smith appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. A. J. Hughes for the defence of Isaic Jones. The fi-t witness called was Mr. Perrott, manager of the National Provincial Bank, Aberystwyth, who j.r;>dncert the pass books of tiie Loyal Gogerddan Lodiie, und also the ch-ques and the written authori- ties for cashing the same. In dealing with the Lodge, the witness raid their practice at the bank was to cash the cheques when signed by the treasurer, and authorised to do so in writing by the secretary. The whole of the cheques produced were signed for pay. ment at the bank. Cross-examined He did 'not remember when the pass-book* were last returned to him. H. L. Evans, borough accountant, produced a cheque trom the Corporation, dated March 7th, 1893, and m«idc payable to the accused. David Daniel. He also put in a bond, dated April 6th, 1886, in the names of Hugh Morgan, David Davies, John Thomas, and others, to secure £200. The letter attached, dated 21st April, 1893, related to the bond. Mr Smith had deferred his explanatory statement of the case for the benefit of the two preceding wit- nesses, who were anxious to leave. He now seated that in Jtine, 1888, according to the bank book which had been put in, the balance at tVe bank was iillfJ. Rule 18 of the lodge provided that no money must be drawn out of the bank without an order from the lodge signed by the Noble Grand and the Permanent Secretary. It appeared, however, that money was drawn out front time to time by die secret try and treasurer. S ine uf the cheques wer- signed by David Daniel, ti, iir, and some by both Daniel and J a ic J Thu->e that were not signed by the both were always accompanied by a lett r from Jones. The minute book, which had been put in. showed that th. re w..a not a single entry of » resolution authorising them tj diaw any of the cheques which had been drawn. Between May, 18SS, and the end of 1891 11:218 IV". had been dr..wn from the bank. In the books which he put in, they would only find entries of £ 140 out of = £ 218 10s. which had beeD withdrawn troin the bank. They would find also that the secretiry had entered up the treasurer's book himself, being a better penman than the trea- anrer. The secretury. thereformust necessarily have known that the amounts omitted were neither in his own or the tr.surer" book. Between the months of Ja; nary, lfcOl, and April, 1892, the interest allowed by the bank amounted to .£1 8s. 2d., where- as in both books th' y found the secretary aud the treasurer crediting the Society with interest amount- ing to about E9 II)e. 9d.—^ £ 8 more than was received from the bank. He should ask the bench to infer from that, that. the object of the two officials wa" to quiet the suspicions (tt the persons who would go through the books. '1 he next item he had to deal with wa" in connection with a sum of .£200 that was advanced on mortgage to the Corporation. In the be- ginning of 1893, Isaac Jones went to David Davies, one of the trustees, aid asked him to sign a certain papt r, as the Corporation wished to pay their money up. David Davies ask for sorno explanation, and it was given him. Davies then signed the paper, which enabled I-aac Jones to obtain < £ 200 from the Corpora- tion. The cheque for this a an* iw made payable to David Daniel, and it was stgnedbyhim. On the same day, April 22, they found that JJ150 was lodged at the N atiOJul and Provincial Bank to the Lodge account, leaving .£5:! 18s. 4d. unaccounted for. Sub- sequently the suspicions of the various bodies inter- ested were aroused, and they got Mr. David I avies (Mr. Hugh Hughes' office) to go through the accounts, and it was found that the sum of £ 130 was un- accounted for. In conclusion, Mr. Smith explained that as the question wasoueof conspiracy, inferential evidence could be accepted William Rowlands said th, t on a certain occasion several members of the Lodge went to see Daniel, laaae Jones beilll: present at the interview. One of them a-ked Daniel what had become of the money. Daniel replied t at he lent lahout .£20 the money of to Isaac Jones, but the latter ridiculed the statement. Daniel then faid to Jones, When are you going to pay me back? You are going to get the insurance money after your mother-in-law." Jones retorted, Why did you not apply to jne for the money at the time ? Daniel said, Oh, you were in want of it at the time and th^re tt,e conversation ended. Wit- ness stated further that he reraembt red going to the National Provincial Btiik w th Isaac Jones to draw money for the Lodge. He asked accused how much the Lodge funds amounted to, and Mr Perrott said that the pass book showed the whole funds. Mr Hughes. at this staao, objected to the< nature of the evidence, as that was a charge of conspiracy. William Rowlands, continuing, said he was present at a meeting of the Lodge in March, 1891. Isaa.c Jones and David Daniel were present, the latter say- ing that he had lent gums of money on several occasions to the former. Isaac Jones said noth-ng. As witness was returning from work on the day fol- lowing, he met Isaac Jones, who then paid that his wife had reminded him the night before that he bor- rowed £ 6 from David Daniel, to whom be had given a note for that amount. Accused added that he would "never admit the others." Divid Davie. Dyffryn Cjst-ll, said that He remem- bered signing a letter on April 21st, 1893, addressed to Mr H. L. Evans, accountant, at the request of Isiac Junes, who t d i li.m that Captain Daniel re- cetveiaitter on the previous day, which made it licces-ary for them to sro (IoAr to Aberystwyth to receive the Corporation money. He remembered going to Daniel's hou.e, with several other membars of the Lodge, in KeLrairy; 1894. Isaac Jones was present at trie interview. Witness then corroborated the evidence of the othT witnesses as to what took place there. Kichard Humphrey Jones and John Howell^ gave similar te-timony. tho ;attnr,in corroboration, stat- ing that Isaac Jones snid, when Daniel declared that he had been hnding him money, "That is what you have been inventing during the past week." David Davies, clerk to Mr. Hugh Hughes, s >1 it-itor, said he was appointed to KO throngh the accoui.ts of the Gosrerddni Lodge. He examined the night book, pence book, ciioh book, trcvi.-urer's book, secretiry s book, and the banker's pis* books, and fonnd there was a deficiency of £ 134 o id. Th> re were en r.esof intere-t alleged to have been received from the bank amounting to £ U 10s. 9d., wUen, accordin" to the bank pass hooka, the amount received was X 1 8s. 2d. Crfss.examined He (Ld not know what material Jones had had for the entries he made in the trea- surer's book.„ Witness inquired from th" d strict examiner, Mr. David Morgan, Machynihtn, if the bank book had been produced to him, and wns in- formed by Mr. Morgan that he did not see it, and that he reported the fact to the district meeting. Mr Smith then submitted that the evidence he had adduced was sufficient to produce the inference' that the accused had conspired to defraud th,> Lodge. Mr. Hughes said with iegard to the charge of stealing two penny stamps, it would be useful t, show the amount of feeling which had bet-n imported into the case. As regarded the other matter, if the prosecution had produced the Lodge cheque-book there, showing the counterfoils of the cheques which had been used, there might hive been some 1" ason for the charge bnt there was not one little of evi- dence as it was. With reference to the case of con- spiracy, it was one of the most perioua charges that eoold be made, and one of the most dimcuir to dis. prove. The Lodge had brought the charge aga nst the defendants to effectually shut the mouths of both of them, and he begged of the magistrates t, distin. guish between the two oac-s of c nspiracy an t'alsifi- eation of accounts. He asked them not to tie the hands of defendants to [ vovent them from having fair play in the case, by allowing the prosecution to nontinoe with a charge that had not been prove I that day. He challenged his friend to show that in any particular there had been conspiracy. They gener- ally found that ma*t- rs of conspiracy were chiracter- ised by secrtuy. Was this the metnod of a man who Contemplated cotlfSpiracy-" F'eaae pay to David paaitll tju sum of There wio no b?creoy about the matter. The only cboques Isaac Jones had signed were those signed in the presence of Mr Per- rott, the bank manager. In conclusion, he asked them not to forget the vindictive nature of the prose- cution, and to mark their sense of it by dismissing the charge. Asked if he had anything to say, Daniel replied that lie had a number of receipts to show. Included in them was a receipt from Mr. Pierce, secretary of the Guaranty Society, showing, he said, a balance of .£17 due from him. Additional receipts produced were for other sums from .£18 to .£20. There was, therefore, not a penny lost to the lodge. Accuied were then committed to the next Quarter Sessions, bail being granted. ASSAULTING A WOMAN. Eardley J. Richards, Pensrlais Cottaga, labourer, was charged by Margaret Richards, widow, with as- saulting and beating her. Complainant stated that on the previous Monday afternoon defendant, who was at her house, took bold of her by the throat, threw her down, pulled her about the floor by the hair, and kicked her on the head. Annie Richardes and Cornelius Richardes gave cor- roborative evidence, and defendant was fined 59. and oosta, and was bound over in the sum of < £ 5 to keep the peace for 6 months.

THE PROCTORSHIP OF ST. DAVID'S…

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TREGARON.

MARKETS.

LL4ISBADARN.

MONTHLY MEETING.'

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THE ABERYSTWYTH OBSERVER

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PENYGARN.

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