Weekly Mail

ACT ION AGAINST JIB. STEAD. JABEZ BALFOUR OBTAINS A VERDICT. In the Queen's Bench Division on Monday 'before Justices Wills and Wrig-ht) a motion for contempt of court was made on behalf of Jabez Balfour against Mr. W. T. Stead for publishing in the "Review of Reviews" an article headed "Sir Roger and Jabez," contain- iiig these words, "Another rare rogue, in the shape of Jabez Balfour, was a good deal before th0 courts last month. He will re appear at the Old Bailey, and there we may expect to hear no more of him for some time." Plaintiff's counsel pleaded that his client had only commented on a matter of public notoriety. If he had gone beyond the limits of criticism he apolog-i.<;ed. He never intended to prejudice the trial of Balfour. He did not think the words complained of necessarily meant Balfour would be convicted. Mr. Justice Wills said lie regretted the tone adopted by the press in regard to the case of Jatez Balfour. Mr. John O'Connor asked the court to take most serious notice of what Mr. Ste-id had done. Mr. Justice Wills said this was a clear case of contempt of court, and was almost as serious a case as could well be imagined. The decision of the oourt was that Mr. Stead be fiued £100 and the costs of the application. The applica- tion against the printer and publisher had not been pressed, and might be allowed to drop. Trrnarafara—a—asMMwadBffBMB—

SUPPOSED MURDER OF A CHILD. The Press Association Walthamstow Cor- respondent telegraphs :—Much excitement has been caused by the report, of another outrage, followed by murder, such as w.M committed s( me months ago at Barnet. The victim in the present instance is Florric Holph, aged six years, the daughter of driver. On Saturday evening the child was sent for some beer, and, as she was an unusual tiime in returning, both the father and mother proceeded in search of the girl. but failed to discover her. The police were communicated with, and they used thesr utmost efforts to trace the child, but without success On Sunday evening a giwdener, named Keeling was walking round the Rectory Manor with some friends, when one of the latter saw what lie believed to be a. bun.dle. On going towards it they found a covering of leaves, and under- neath the body of a child. The remains wt-re conveyed to the mortu-ry, and from the bloodstained and torn clothes there was no doubt the child had been outraged and stranglfd to stifle her screams. A couple of yards away from where the body was found, was the can which the little girl had taker, fqr the beer. Rolph afterwards identified the body as th-vt of his child. The spot where the unfortunate little girl was found is a considerable distance from the public-house, where the child was sent, and it is, therefore, supposed she must have been decoyed towards the Rectory Manor. Up to Monday morning the police had failed to discover the murderer. o

SENSATIONAL ESCAPE OF PRISO- NERS. A Central News telegram from New York says:—A dispatch from Okiaheha City gives particulars of a sensational escape from gaol. On Sunday morning three men in custody upon a charge of murder attacked the gaoler with some hastily improvised weapon, and laid him senseless from blows upon the head. They seized his keys and weapons and escaped, scatter- a ed, (-r- ing the crowds outside the building by menacing them with a revolver. The fugitives succeeded in finding horses, which they mounted, despite the pursuit of the: police, which was speedily organised. A hot fusilade ensued, aud two ]>oliee officers were killed, whilst others, and some of the bystanders, were wounded. The men succeeded ill making good their escape for the time. Blcwxlhounds have, however, been .E t upon thE ir trail, and there are hopes that they wll shortly be re-captured.

THE WELSH MOVEMENT AT BARRY In view of the determination of the Barry School Board to adopt a two years' test of the scheme for the teaching of Welsh as a ae specific subject to the school children of the district, and tfce appointment of Mr. J.E.Rees, headmaster of Barry Schools, to undertake the carrying out of the same, a meeting of-re- presentative Welshman was held. under the auspices of the Cvmreigyddion Society, on Friday afternoon at Jerusalem Welsh Cal- vinistic Methodist Chapel, Barry Docks, for the purpose of considering the best ineans of securing the ht,arty co-operation of the Welsh people and oth-r ratepayers in the move- ment. The chair was occupied by the Rev. W. Daniel.—After some discussion a scheme embodying a systematic house-to-house canvass of the district, was suggested, and the Rev. W. Williams, the Rev. j. Howell, Mr. J. R. Llewellyn, and Mr. J. T). Davies were appointed a deputation to wait upon the school board this {Monday) evening to pre- sent the scheme.

STESDMAN'S Soothing Powders for children cutting their teeth have now been in use over fifty years. They relieve feverish heat, prevent fits, con vulsions, &c., and preserve a healthy state of the constitution durinsr the neriod of teething Manufactured only at Walworth, Surrey. Sold every l where. Please observe the EE in Stffidiuaa. Lell27 "T"T 1' ? 4 MTTLES /,1 2/9 JAM I22/ pa, iP-e i-e,7 71

PORifH MANSLAUGHTER CASE. TRIAL AT GLAMORGAN ASSIZES. At Glamorganshire Assizes at Swansea, on Saturday morning (before Mr. Justice Henn Collins) the three police-constables—William Evans, George Perkins, and Thomas Thornas- were indicted on the charge of feloniously kill- ing and staying Mark Morris, of Pontykgaith, nea.r Porth, on the 3rd of March last. Mr. S. T. Evans, M.P., and Mr. Ernest Bowen Row- lands appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. W. Bowen Rowlands, Q.C., M.P., and Mr. Lewis defended. CASE OF THE PROSECUTION. Mr. S. T. Evans, in opening the case, said 'the prisoners at the bar were charged with man- slaughter. They were police-constables, and, on the night of the 14-th of February, were on duty at Pont\ gwait-h. and on that night there wa.s a disturbance in the Bridge Hotel between an old man, named John Rees, a fish seller, and a navvy. The latter kicked the old man Rees, and then the deceased, who was looking on, knocked down the navvy. The attention of the three defen- dants was called to the disturbance, and Mr. Arthur Thomas went into the hotel and took away the fish-seller. The latter left his hat behind him, and then it was that deceased first came into collision with the constables. Deceased simply handed to prisoner Thomas the hat whioh had been left behind. Thomas said, "Thank you": but Perkins appeared to have thought that deceased was interfering in what was not his business. Perkins seemed first to have engendered ill-feeling by saying to Morris, "Why are you interfering with our business? Go away." Deceased was pushed about by Perkins. and became indignant. "It is all very well," he said. "to shove me now when you have two others with you, but if I had you alone I could manage you." Those words, perhaps, had better have been left un- said, but they d'id not justify the conduct that subsequently ensued. Perkins became angry at the words used, and said to the deceased, "You are threatening me, now, you b and struck him on the head with his staff. Previously the prisoners had attempted to handcuff and take away deceased, who said, "If I have done anything' wrong I will come with you," The prisoners continued to struggle w-;th the deceased, and they used their staves r-pon him. Opposite the grocer's shop kept by Mrs. Morgan, a. very severe blow was dealt by the prisoner Evans, and the three .,ae succeeded in handcuffing the deceased. They then took him to the Porth Police-station, whein the police-sergeant dressed the wounds on deceased's head. There were three distinct woundis. which, from their position, must have teen inflicted by three blows. Deceased was in a dazed condition, and the next morn- in,g 'was charged with resisting and -assaulting the police, and was sent to prison for a month. Whilst he was in gaol he died from erysipelas, and the question lor the jury would be whether, under the police regula- tions, prisoners were justified in using their truncheons ait all, and if they were whether t'he head was the proper place to strike. EVIDENCE FOR THE PROSECUTION. I Evidence was then. called. The first witness was a young collier, named Morgan Llewellyn, who saw what transpired from start to finish. Deceased was a good fighter, and well able to take his own part. Ho struggled with the police, but was not violent, and did not strike any blows. In his struggles he broke one of the handcuffg. The struggling continued down the road, and as far as the grocer's shop, the whole affair last- ing fully half an hour. Thomas struck de- ceased with his fist, and the latter two be- laboured him with their staves. John Wiltshire, also a collier, ^ave corrobo- rative evidence. Perkins first assaulted the deceased when he was returning the hat. He struck him with his hand and with his truncheon. saying, "What are you interfering with our business for! During the subsequent struggle Evans knocked the deceased down with his staff. The blood spurted from his head on to the constable's clothes, and Morris cried out, "You've got my blood on you." De- ceased's mother was there, and asked her son tD go quietly, and not be abused by the police. Cross-examined by Mr. Bowen Rowlands, O.C. He could not say whether what de- ceased said about coming down the road was a threat or not. The blows struck were hard blows. M'r. Rowlands: I suppose you were sur- prised that the man's head was not beaten to a jell}-?—Witness: Yes; I was. Albert Lewis, who did not see the begin- ning or the end of the row, swore positively that the three prisoners struck deceased with their truncheons, and that the blood on Evans's face spurted from deceased's head. Before that they had all fallen down on the road, the police liarving failed to put the hand- cuffs on. Cross-examined by Mr. Lewis: The blow by Evans was the only blow he could speak to positively. His Lordship: But you can swear tha.t the three were beating him with their stave,; all the time?—AVitness Yes- Eva.n George, collier, Pontygwa.ith, said the deceased when struck repeatedly erie,. out for his father and mother. His mother and sister came and. coaxed the police not to kill him, A man named Hill in the crowd struck Evans in the face. I Cross-examined by Mr Rowlands, Q.C. He saw some six or seven blows s-truck. Morris got away from them at first. The deceased was a strong feMow and was rather violent. He did not say before ?the magistrates that deceased broke a pair of handcuffs or that he defied them to take him to Porth till they told him what be had done. Although it was in his depositions (produced) he denied that he sa.id it. He did not hear anv of the crowd sav, "Slafhintothem.Ma.rk. They told the con- stables not to beat him. He did not see Morris strike Evan. From beginning to end lie did not see him strike a blow. He had never said that Morris knocked Evans's head against the ground, and that lie (witness) then said, "Serve him right." He believed Morris by his wo ds meant to challenge the police to fight Sarah Moigan, wife of a grooer at Ponty- 't7 gwaith, repeated her evidence -it, the oolice- court, as also did her daughter, Miss Jennet Morgan. They added nothing further to thn evidence except tha.c Miss Morgan was positive tha* Pol ice-constable Evans v sed his truncheon upon the deceased. Dr. David Howell Thomas, prison surgeon at Swansea, was called. He stated that on t!i" day following deceased's admission he examined him, and found him in good health, with no marks on the body, but with three lace- rated wounds oil the side of the head. Wit- ness's report (which appeared in the "Western Maill" when the prisoners were tried at the police-court) waa then read, at the suggestion of Mr. Bowen Rowlands. This showed the j dition of deceased and the treatment he j ceived until death. On the day following detention of Morris the doctor certified th3 q# was capable of doing first-class labour- a{ the 21at of February deceased complain pains in the head and all over the bod>aj-d By hia Lordship: He had been (1?iT'L-eed' labour up to then. On the 22nd and ,o ing days deceased again complained of „i<1- I the head and body, and was treated ac £ 0l? v ingly. On the 24-th he wa« ordered to light 1 hospital. On the day following 9 t" delirium exhibited itself, and increased u^jii* j the 26th. When deceased's friends wet* | municated with Morris became semi-cons0 I and comartose, and died on March 3. f By Mr. Ernest Bowen-Rowlands: The c of death was meningitis, brought on by el'• pelas. The wounds might have been the by blows from a truncheon, and they werfij]jl0 primary cause of death. It was not p°s je* to know on the 16th of February that } ceased was suffering from an affection Of brain. r,u* By Mr. Bowen Rowlands: Deceased on low diet, as wa.s the case with sho:'t'^j,3l J tt-nced prisoners. The exertion on the to which he waa put was considerable, would heat the blood. The wheel vvas ou | the prison. Cold weather, the posure, low diet, and hard in this case would not have had effect upon the erysipelas. He thought ceased was suffering from influenza, and ol., orel him a mattress. The wounds were the reo of separate blows.. Dr. Latimer, who conducted the post-moi■ gave in detail the results of his examinat1 J and said the cause of death was meningitis coma, following erysepilas, which was the r^°j, of three separate wounds inflicted on the n J By Mr. Bowen Rowlands I would not- 1^ j considered it safe and wise to have put s^c^1 j person on the wheel. The treatment, 1 afraid, may have liad a tendency to increase J chances of erysipelas. The severe weather the wheel in the open air would have a telV th6 to cause erysipela-s. I should have thought hospital would have been the best place f°r deceased. Aff- After the case for the prosecution, ii Evans said Mr. Rowlands had decided no evidence for the defence, and, ^0t upon the case, argued that the police ivei- justified in using truncheons. FOR THE DEFENCE. ( Mr. Bowen Rowlands, for the defence* J mitt-ed that the question for the jury to j eider was whether the prosecution had jjy satisfied them that prisoners were crin'1,^ » t responsible. If not, then he should ask ^<1 verdict of not guilty. The crowd ga' ieg- through the disturbance, on the night in tion, was anything but friendly to the and counsel pointed out that prisoner was discharged by the Pontypridd mag1- pi but committed upon the coroner's warn1' jjt spite of this, the prosecution had Itia- to be somewhat harsh and arbitrary i" 1 ^.Jji ing ail three prisoners in one indictme ut; \ox*i i had the effect of stopping Thomas from into the witness-box in the case of thp -fii>? prisoners, and Perkins and Evans from evidence in Thomas's case. The constant maintained, had not exceeded their 0 J prison treatment aggravated the conclit} the wounds, and produced the fatal resU^ deplored. The deceased should have teeI c0n1' into the hospital at the moment he plained of iliness. t1¡' Captain Lindsay (head-constable tor e¡1 of county) said the prisoners were young good character. They were quiet-, inofte uj# j andl temperate, and he had always relied their judgment, ,r evt' Superintendent Evan Jones gave sin111' dence. THE SUMMING UP. p0li<f. Hia Lordship, in summing up, said the were properly fenced round with ^a, of by the law, and could do things vyllC-J *'} [ nary citizens might not do, and 1 ^li^ ] to the interest of the public that the I should be protected. A policeman had i J right., however, than a citizen to mterie ¡, anyone unless the lav-' gave him specia ■,$.<# rity, and if deceased on this night able the police had no i ight to order hi feOf or to arrest him. If they illegally'11' the person so molested had a right foroe by force, and if the police which was not justified they mast take <i I sequences. The police in property arrest had no right to use more than violence. Were the jury satisfied in that tha police used more violence t 't J necessary, or that death was the result, or indirectly, of such violence? AVhate )iP legal position in the cva»e, they.11,11 \V^i lordship added, regret that this i'u' v three open wounds, wa-s subjected ( labour and the treadmill in the fearfu^ weather with a planter on his head. ^ngih'f' son who inflicted the wounds was b^v although by better treatment they bu» been cured. THE VERDICT. The jury retired at 5.40 and return M court at six o'clock. They found prisoners guilty, and expressed the °Pin' ^ei1 death had been accelerated by the tr? j received in prison. THE SEKT15NCE. lh]re^ His Lordship, in passing sentence, au k the prisoners as follows :—The jury, ae^er-v' most patient inquiry—and after hearing thing which can be urged in your favovtr~jjf* found you guilty. I feel, in dealing with I officers, that they are entitled to ver^ :#t1 consideration, and I have no doubt # the have given your ease the most anxiou^y sideration. This is not a case of manslaughter. You were placed, no under circumstances of some difficulty, although a-s the jury have found, ^o' ceeded your duty by doing unwarranta lence to the deceased man. still, I quite possible you wore under the 1 J sior. that you were acting within y°u.r. jiiJ11' J in dealing with him as you did deal ^rit I also cannot shut my eyeS tb thj fact that, very possibl* Illí"Ø deceased man might now be but for the fact that he was subject b$X' treatment which I must characterise 'V barous. in prison. Under these circums ^jiv? while I recognise the necessity of safe £ the public against any excess of zpa, o>[ certainly against anything like bruta the part of the police, I also recognlS~o{ oi-' the police have to discharge a function 1 treme delicacy. Under these circum3 the justice of the case will be met by tence, in each case, of hard labour »° | calendar months. Prisoners, who said nothing in. df*f('n iyf.P'^ then removed. Mr. Lloyd Morgan. VVI held a watching brief for one of t 10 nesses. -■■■I.— __T

— rk. If you are in any way not "up to the ma ■■ (iwiiym Evans' Quinine Bitters. It never p strengthen the weakened system, to brace tn • unci fortify the constitution. In bottles, Zø. 6<1.. 11.14.1 4d. 6d. each. 1