The North Wales Weekly News

Colwyn Bay Fire Sequel. .THE CHARGES AGAINST BRIGADE MEMBERS. EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENTS. The Fire Brigade affair," as it was spoken of lo-cally, occupied the attention. of the Colwym Bay J.u.stices for nearly six hours on Friday; Bind their labours were followed by an unex- pected development. As explained in our last issue, a fire at the sho.D of M.r. BreretoiU!, provision merchant, Con- w'ay-ro.ad, was foTilo.wed by the prosecution of aeven. members of the Fire Brigade. The names of the defendants and the charges against them were as follows: — David Jones, i, Ivy-street, stoker, who. was charged with stealing a veal and ham pie valued at i.s. John Jones, Pe,nyhyn,r,o,ad, Colwyn Bay, mas- ter plumber, charged with the. theft of a veal and ham pie, box of biscuits, pot of potted tur- key, and a bottle of pickles, valued at .55. Ediwin.. Evan.s, Horeb Cottage, Rhiw-ro.ad, labourer, a tin of sardines, tin of Ivelcon!, tin. of Shino., bottle of sauce, pot of potted turkey, valued at js!. 6d. .George Q'uinton, Ivy Buildings, Colwyn Bay, plumber, one bottle of chutney, tin of cocoa, e"r' tin of sardines, packet of lemonade and packet of custard powder, valued at 3s. gd. James Harley, Pretoria Villa, Dundonald- road, Colwyn B.ay, chimney sweep, a bottle of pea.s, pot of chutney, bottle of sauce, two tins of tongue, tin of sardines, bottle of co.ffee, bottle of sauce, two packets of tea, five bottles of Oxo, one pot of salmon and shrimps, one ancho.vey, tin of cocoa, packet of baking powder, two tablets of soap, and two. tins of Ivelcon, valued at Zi. Robert Williams, Rhiw Bank-avenue, water- man, two tins of sardines, one tongue, half- pound of tea, two. pots of potted chicken, ham and tongue, va.Lued at 6s. .David Davies, Groe.s Cottage, steam roller driver, two tins of cocoa, four bottles of Borv- ril, three bottles of Oxo, pot of honey, two. tins of tqntgme and SOUip, three tins of sardines, and five pots of potted meat, valued at i8s.. icd. At a late hour on' Wednesday of last week the Bench heard the evidence against David Jones in respect of a shilling pie, and an- nounced that they had decided to. convict. The remaining six cases were he.Iid over until Fri- day morning. The same Justices sat as on the previous occa- sion—Mr', T. G. Osbonm (presiding), Mr. J. Watkin. Lumley, the Rev. Thomas Parry, M.r. J. W. Raynes, Mtr. Walter Whitehead, and Mr. J. Berth Jones; together with the Magistrates' Clerk, Mr. James Amphlett. The Chief Constable of Denbighshire (Major Lea.dbe'tter) occupied a seat on the Bench. There was again a large attendance of the general public, who followed the course, of events with the keenest interest, notwithstand- ing that they were obliged to stand the whole time. The same advocates appeared as on Wednes- day. Mr. E. E. Bone (Messrs. Bone & Lucas) was. for the prosecutor, Mr. Brereton, Wiltshire House, whilst Mr. Joseph Lloyd, of Rhyl, con- ducted the defence. It was decided to take the case of John Jones, charged with stealing articles of the value of 5s. Mr Bone explained that Mr. Brereton did not reside on the premises, but at his Rhos-on.-Se'a. establishment. At abo.ut four o'clock in the moming, when leaving the scene of the nre, to. which he had been called, Mr. Brereton had a conversation with two firemen left in charge, and informed them that if they wanted anything to. eat they could have certain pies, which he pointed to., and some biscuits, and added that there were mineral waters in the cellar. Later in the day he returned. and subsequently MISSED SOME ARTMLE.S, in. consequence of which he communicated with the police. Later on the police produced the articles now in Court, which Mr. Brereto.n identified as his property. These articles, had been obtained by the police from the house of the defendant, having been handed over by his wife. I.t would be for the Justices to. say whether it was reasonable to suppose that the. defendant could have thought that the invita- tion extended to him meant that he conid take anything from the premises. I am afraid, continued Mr. Bone, that I must submit to. you that he could not suppose any- thing of the kind, and that in, taking away the articles, he was doing wrong. At the same time, I wish to call attention to. the good character of the defendaint, his respectability as a citizen, and the satisfactory way in which he has be- haved in every walk of life. I hope you will give due conside.ra.tion to. that, as well as. to. the evidence, which will sho.w that the articles were undoubtedly taken away wrongfully. Mr. Lloyd asked that the witnesses for the prosecution might be ofut of court. For his own part, he bad no. witnesses to. call except as to. character, which he. did not think was necessary after the generous and kind reference, made by his learned friend. 'Mr. Eramk Brereton., the prosecutor, repeated the evidence he had given at the previous hear- ing. When he got to the scene of the fire— which had been extinguished—there were a number of members, of the Fire Brigade on the premises, two. of the tradesmen of the town, and two police constables. He remained there! until four o.'clock in the morning. Betfore he left he talked to several, an.d had a conversation with two n,remen behind the counter in the front shop. In addition to. these two. firemen, there were present P.C.'s William Jones and Joseph Jones, and witness's brother-in-law, Joseph James Jackson.. There were some pies OTL the counter, between himself and the firmeri. He told them he had no, bread, as he didn't sell it, and that they could eat these pies, at the. same time passing his finger alon.g the pies. He also- pointed to. the cheese and the. biscuits. He told them they could eat those, and there were plenty of mineral waters in the cellar. He told them to help themselves to. these, things'. That was all be said, He left the key in the door, remarking that he had another' in his pocket. He then went away with the constables and his brother-in-law. He returned to. business about seven o.'clock that morning, and in the course of the day he missed certain article's, in consequence, of which he COMMUNICATED WITH THE POLICE. Later in the day Sergeant Thomas saw him, bringing with him a veal and ham pie, a box of biscuits, and one bottle of pickles, which he ide.ntine.d as his, property, an.d valued at 5s. Cross-examined by Mr. Lloyd, the, witness said he was disturbed and excited when talking to the furemetn. He said on Wednesday that there were .only two. firemen present, but he had since learnt there were. three. He was not able to identify the two men. Failing to elicit the answer he required, Mr. Lloyd exhibited impatience and warmth, and reminded the witness, that the liberty of these men. was. in peril. .Mr. Brereton I am very sorry for that. Pro'- ceeding, he said he could not swear that the defendant did or did not hear the whole of the conversation, between himself and the two fire- men. In, the course of a further PASSAGE AT ARMS between the advocate, and the witness, Mr. Am- phlett suggested that some amount of temper was being shown. Mr. Lloyd It is very dimcult for me to. keep my .temper when. I have such responsibility and I have such a witness as this. to. de.al with. Further questioned, Mr. Brereiton said that the money he had intended giving the -firemen could not have bo.u.ght. refreshments for them at that time of the night. He told them he would see them next .day and asked how many of them there were, and wa.s told there we're te<n. Were you also desirous that they should have refreshment?—Certain,lv,yes. All of the.'m?—Ju.st the two I was speaking to. tben. Did yol use words to this effect: that they ahou.'ld all of them have money, and that you only wished these two to have refreshments?— I asked how many there were, and they said ten. I said I would see' them to-m.arro'w, and then I asked those two to have refreshment. Are you quite sure you didn't want anyone elae to have refreshme'nt but these two men?— Yes, that is. what I meant. I thought there was no one else on the premises. I did not mean anyone' else. You didn't intend the police to have refresh- ments?—No; I didn't me:an anyone but these two. firemen. You gave these men a right which they would. not have had unless you had given them per- mission?—I d!oh't understand. You ,gave these men a righft to. exercise a privilege which otherwise they would not have? —That is ao.. Will you pledge your oath as to the exact words in which you. gave that permission.? Con- sider your excitement; consider the evidence of the police; consider the evidence' which re- spectable men have given and judge whether you can pledge your oath to. the words you said when you gave that right?—1 have given them as near as. I can remember. I can remember whatlme'ant. Further pressed., the witness was sure he sa-id help yourselves to. what you want," and he thought that he added' the words to eat." His words might have been misunderstood by the -firemen, and the police. Whom did you Iea.ve' in charge of these pre- miEes?—The. two. firemen, behind the counter. Did you .also. consider that they would be re- sponsible t0' you if anything was missing?—No.. I never thought of anything missing. I thought of the fire breaking out. It never entered my mind .about anything missing. Witness said that although he had left firemen in charge it was. to. the police he telephoned when he discovered the loss of the goods. By Mr. Lumley When did you DISCOVER THE LOSS of the goods. from your shop?—I think it was M the. afternoon, after dinne-r. We were packing up goods for the Rh.os. shop. fHad you any suspicions, that the firemen had taken anything out of your' shop ?—Not the slightest. You ieft two firemen in charge; why didn't you. go to +hem and inform them of your loss?— Well, you always go. to. the police when any- thing is .missing. I always do. I didn't suspect the firemen more than .anyone else. .By the Chairman You have seen all the police have found. Has all you have lost been restored to you?—No., not one-half, sir. .Mr. Lloyd objected to this .statement being placed on, the depositions. The Chairman (to witness) And .none of the goods hav,e been restored to. you otherwise than through the police?—No. By M.r. Lumley: Were the two. constables within hearing when you told the two. firemen? —They were about four yards behind me. They were in the act of going through the door. Joseph James Jackson; a i&d, who is. Mr. Brereton's brother-in-law. also gave evidence. In answer t01 Mr. Lloyd he said that when in the. shop after the nre he was as cool as a cucumber." (Laughter.) P.C. WiHiam Jones. (4S) aaid that at the time of the' conversation, in the shop the place was in darkness. There were present in addition to witness, Mr. Brereton, P. C. Joseph Jones, Fireman Edwin Jones, and Fireman David Jones. The defendant was. also present. By Mr. Lloyd I thought the invitation was given to the police', as well as the firemen. I did not eat anything or take anything myself, but I smoDŒid have' felt justified in taking some- thing in the way of biscuits and cheese and pies. I thought I was entitled to it after what he said. The words, spoken by Mr. Brereton were Help yourselves. to. whatever you want— whatever you like to eat." In the course of a discussion, Mr. Lloyd said his point was this. First of all Mr. Brereton said Help yourselves to. whatever you want," and later he said "Help yourselves to anything you may want to eat," and it was important to. know how much time elapsed between the utter- ance of these two. sentences. Police Constable Joseph Jones (7) also g.e.ve evidence. In cro.ss.-examination he said he had -no, reason to. suspect that these' men. took anything before the conversation with Mr. .B'rereton. I could not, the witness added, say what was the relative position of the men, but they were all in the centre of the shop so! far as I .am aware. Mr. Lloyd: I don't think you are correct there. I think Mr. Brereton is correct. It is quite possible you made a mistake. At any jate, it was dark. Having regard to. the dark- ness, it is probable that the men did not see the pointing by Mr. Brereton. Re-examined by Mir. Bone.: The invitation to. help yourselves. was in reference to. eating. By Mr. Lumley: I heard, clearly what Mr. Brereton said, and the, defendant could have heard it. I took it that Mr. Brereton meant .anything you like to eat." I did not see any- one take anything away from the. premise's. Sergeant W. Alfred Thomas said that he visited the premise's occupied by defendant John. Jones in Penrhyn.road and there saw Mrs. Jones, with whom he' had a conversation, in consequence of which he went to' the back of the premises. There he was handed a veal pie in cardboard case., a tin box of biscuits, a pot of potted turkey, and a bottle of pickles. These articles he took to' M.r. Brereton. On. the Mon- day following he saw the defendant at his work- shop and said he had, come respecting the affair at Mr. Brereton's." He then asked me (proceeded witness) what we were going to. do.. I replied Proceedings 're going to be taken against you by summons." He replied I have heard so, that we are goin.g to. be' tried on Wednesday, and if we are going to. be tried why not be tried as soon as. pos- sible? I would not mind' being tried this. after- noon o.r to-morrow morning." I then, asked him would he consider, if served with a summons, it was too. abort a notice for Wednesday. He replied Not at a.lil; sooner the better for me." Cross-examined by Mr. Lloyd: Mr. Jones is a man of the highest character. So far as I have known him, I have always had a high opinion of him. I had no. difficulty in recover- ing these articles. I prepared a report before taking these proceedings. Superintendent Beresford said the report would not be submitted without the sanction of the Chief Constable. Cross-examined Mr. Brereton complained of goo'ds having been. taken from the shop, but did not say he suspected the firemen. 'Mr. Lloyd .asked the witness to refresh his memory by referring to. his report, which the advocate did not v/'iah to see. Tthe Chairman decided that the Sergeant should refer to. his report, which he did. Mr. Lloyd': Now I suggest to' you that your report states that you received, information from Mr. Brereton that he suspected the firemen had been stealing some of the g.oods. from the shop. .Sergeant Thomas Well., yes. The. Chairman.: That is. all we want. In answer to Mr. Lloyd, the witness said he made. the' report immediat'ely after the receipt of the information. Mr. Brereton, recalled at the, request of M.r. Lloyd, said that his brother-in-law, Jackson, had made two. mistakes in his evidtence that day. Witness' did not wish to. modify his evidence re- garding his suspicion of the firemen. Mr. Lloyd said he observed the Justices were about to. retire, but, before they did s'o he wished to submit that there was. no. case to..an- swer. He would not now comment on the. fact.a but hje would submit that the proper course for Mr. B,r,,e,reto,n to have. taken, in this matter wa.s an action: in the bounty Court against these men for the recovery of the goods which they had taken. The ground of his objection was this. The whole point involved was A QUESTION Of RIGHT. Mr. Brereton gave what these men. believed to be a right to take these goods, and.. therefore Mr. Brereton should .seek damages, in the Co.unty Court, and not take criminal proceeding.s. Mr. Bone resisted this legal contention on. the ground that there must be a bona-nde claim. At 3.35 the Bench retired, and when they re- turned, ten minutes later, the Chairman said the Justices were of opinion, that there was a case to answer. John Jones, the defendant, was. then. called, and pleaded not guilty. He also. elected to be tried by a jury. In his evidence the defendant said he was a master plumber. He had been in the Colwyn B.ay Fire Brigade seventeen years, and not the. slightest complaint had ever been made against him. On the i2th inst. he was with the Fire Brigade in .Mr. Brereton's premises. Mr. Brere- ton, .came in about three o.'c.l.ock in. the morning, and at that time there were on the premises two, of Mr. Brereton's. neighbours .and other people. Mr..Brereton (remained on the premises about three-quarters. o.f an hour. He was VERY EXCITED. Witness met. him at the bottom of the stairs, and took him upstairs to. where, the fire, had broken out. He..appeared to be. very .grateful to' the Brigade for what they had done. As, he was coming downstairs with witness Mr. Brereton said he could not thank the Brigade enough for being so prompt and for doing what they had done. Later he. made the, remark in the. centre of the .shop that he did not have anything on him, but there were a few .coppers in. the drawer. From this the witness understood that if he had .money Mr. Brereton was going to. give them a, tip." As he was about to leave the ahop there were present P.C. W. Jones, P.C. J. Jones, ajn.d Fireman David Jones, all in the centre of the shop and near to the door, whilst wItrDJ2Iss¡ wa.s just coming from the back pre- mises, where he had taken a lighted torch. He was behind the counter, as. also. was fireman Edwin Ervan.s. Mr. Brereton said You can help yo.ursel.veiS to, whatever you care to take." From this the witness 'understood they had per- mission to take anything within reason. He also. 'understood the permission, was given, to. himself, the other firemen, and the two, policemen. In consequence of that permission the, witness took: the articles, now in Court. He did no.t under- stand that be wa.s not to. take anythimg that was not on. the. counter. When he .took the articles he thought it was reasonable, and he did it open- ly, making' NO ATTEMPT AT CONCEALMENT. He. only ate three .small biscuits, and as the other men had been. eating pies he thought he had a right to take one .home. If it was. considered by M!r. Brereton that in taking these articles he acted unreasonably he wias prepared to. pay for them. He, fully believed he had a perfect right to. take them or he. would never have done so. ? By Mr. Bone He told Mr. Brereton. upstairs that there was no, need for him to. remain;, that witness and another fireman would remain in charge until half past five, and that two. other men would than come to. remove them. Witness did not hear .M.r. Brereton' indicate pies or bis- cuits, or cheese, or minee-al waters. He only heard the words. Help your.selve.s to whatever yci'i care to ta'ke." He already understood that Mr. Brereton. intended to, give them next day a money present., and in addition he thought he wa.s entitled to. the other things. He should like to add that the reason why he took the tin. was because it was saturated in wet, and was, practi- cally worthless. By Mr. Eumley: What position do, you hold in .the. Fire Brigade?—I am the Chief Engineer. !Is. it the duty of firemen to. PROTECT THE PROPERTY that is in their care?—CertamIy, sir. Do, you, seriously .say, after Mr. Brereton. had said he would see you again, and had no money upon him thbn, you w'fere justified in taking away anything at all .you chose?—.Certainly, sir, anything within reason, according to the words he .said. What do. you mean by within reason"?—Any little thing I had a fancy for. (Laughter.) Does the Fire Brigade, authority allow you to pick up anything that yo.u think is damaged by fire because you think it is: us.ele.ss?—No., sir certainly not .without permission. But yon picked up this box of biscuits because it was damaged., according to your explanation? —Yea, but .1 understood. I had permission to. do it. Mr..Lloyd: Iini other words, you consider, this thing being damaged, that you were very reasonable?—Yes. And that the permission extended further to. things that were not damaged?—Yes. Mr. Eloyd, again addressing the Bench, said he now submitted with redoubled energy, if not with redoubled argument, that the BENCH HAD NO- RIGHT to. convict this. man, inasmuch, as he thought he had clearly established, out of the mouth of Mr. Brereton..and out of the mouth, of the defendant, that Jones did claim a right to. do that which be did. And that right was not a shadowy right, but even if it 'was a mistaken belief the fact remained that Jones did believe he had k-. claim to do .what he had .done. He asked the Bench to reconsider the point in view of the evidence they had heard from the man in, the dock. He further asked them. to say there wa.s no, case .which .should go. to; a jury. He asked them to come .to, the .conclusion that the. man who. stood in the box, and gave his evidence as he gave. it, was. neither a thief nor a liar. Mr. Brereton had told them that day certain things which his own. witnesses, had .contradicted. He was very anxious when in the box to get credit for his brother-in-law having made a mistake. It wa.s gratifying to..find that Mr. Brereton be- lieved some people could make mistakes besides firemen, and he (.Mr. 'Lloyd') suggested that the whole of this case h.ad been a mistake. Take the evidence of the. police. The two. young police OfSicers would have been in a very awk- ward position if they had been in the dock with his client and he could quite understand Mr. Lumley giving them a bad quarter of an hour if Mr. Brereton said he had never authorised the .police to. have anything. He asked the. Bench to' say that there, had been. a mistake. Mir. Brereton admitted mow that possibly there was a mistake. As .soon. a.s Mr. Brereton admitted the possibility of a mistake the case fell to. the ground. Of .course, the whole point turned on what was the intention. A good deal turned upon what was .said. Mr Brereton! was the only m.an. who had .decided to. go. rnto. the box and pledge his oath as to th.e. exact words used. Other witnesses .would not go. so. far as that, al- though they all agreed that they heard the words Help yourselves. Take what you -want." But he (the advocate) submitted that although there was a doubt about what wa.s. said, it was. im- material what the precise words were.. He asked the Bench to believe that John Jones, had made a true. statement. Mr. Brereton w.as very excited and could not pledge him.sel.f exactly as to. what took place. He wa.s very excited and very grateful, and. in going with the men through the place .he .said There are no coppers in the

DEHCtOUS SU5TAINI G 0 0 0 ocr-, 0 A ECONOMICAL

Rhos-on-Sea Marine Gardens. TO THE EDITOR Of FHE Weekly News. Sir,—You were good enough to insert my for- mer letter on the! above subject, and I thank you for doing so. It is a. real pleasure! to me, and I am sucre it will delight all your readers, both re- .sidants .and visitors, to. learn, on the authority of our active, assiduous, and intelligent representa- tive o<f the West Ward, Mr. Herbert Bliss Hill, that the Qombermere Cottage site is forthwith to. be utilised as pretty marine gardens for the use and healthy enjoyment of the public. On that ideal and uniq.ae enclosure., lawns., walks, newer be.ds!, waiting-rooms., and lavatories are to. be provided, also. garden seats from which the most interesting and picturesque views can be obtained of lovely Colwyn Bay, Old 'Colwyn, and Penmaenrhos. :Sweet .fields' beyond the swelling flood Stand dressed in. living green. Also. views, of the charming Colwyn Bay Woods and the everlasting hills. while the visitor is resting, and at the same time. breathing the life-giving pure air and ozone, of the sea, amid the delicious. p€rfume"of a thousand no.wier.s. I think the medical .gentlemen resident in, the urban district will agree with me that the hygienic conditions of Rhos-o.n-Sea, its; freedom from fog, earthquakes, and noises, maike it the most attractive and desirable health resort in the Principality.—Yours, &c., ELLis LEVER. Mount Roya.1, Cblwyn Bay, March 17th, igoa).

Tales of a Countrywoman. One day last Summer," writes, my friend the naturalist, I w.as! far o.ut on the Moor's, away from the furthest fringe of .civilisation—and I wlaS woefully hungry. Coming upon a one- stoE'eyed cottage, packed away in the shelter of a sim.ali coppice., I knocked at the .door, and, after a minute, was, admitted by an .apple-faced old dame, who. had an unmistakabLe odo.ur of baked cakes about her cotton-gown. I may live to. be ninety, but I shall never forget the taste of the currants in that good woman's girdle-cakes.. Ever since that day il have made a practice of eating currant girdle- cakes whenever and wherever possible, and have found them the most siatisfyiing and delicious of all cakes."

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drawer, the inference being that he' meant to pay them something' if be h.ad any cash at the time.. Concluding a long speech, the advocate said: -No jiu,ry wo.uild come to. the conclu's'ioTi. that this main is a thief or a liar. I ask you to say that the whole of this 'hing is ,a mistake, a deplorable mistake, and the sooner we hear the last off it the better. Here are men who never' had any stain, on thei,r characters, who. (HAVE iNEVER TORCHED ANYTHING until they received (permission from Mr. Bnere- ton,, and T ask you to say that they are still wo.rt.hy of the great confidence and the great trust which the' people of Colwyn Bay repose in them. At 4.35 the .Bench retired, and they returned in'half an hour. The Chairman, called upon David Jones to come forward, and said You have been com- mitted OTi 'Wednesday night of the offence with which you were charged. The Bench think there is very great allowance to' be made for you, al- though the offence was a serious! one in view of your position in the Fire brigade. We think that justice will be satisfied by binding you over in your recognisances, in. the sum Off £5 that you will come up for judgment if necessary. Turning to the other defendant, the Chairman said In the case of John Jones', the magistrates have decided, after long 'and careful considera- tion, by a majority, to. dismiss, your case. (.Sub- dued applause, which was promptly silenced.) IMIr. Bone said there were! five other cases, and in view of that decision, he would like to. with- draw thoste cases, as. the circumstances were not likely to. differ materially from those of the case against John Jones. His client only prosecuted in the cases from a sense of public d'uty, feeling that in the public interest th.er'e should be a full investigation. That having been done, Mr. Bone added, it is not necessary for us, as private per- sons, at any rate, to! proceed any further. I trust you will quite agree, however, that Mr. Brereton was quite' right in. bringing the matter forward in the public interest. The Chairman: The course taken by the prosecution takes me by surprise, and I think. takes, all the .Justices! by 'surprise. \Ve have been careful in hearing the two, cases distinctly on their own merits, .and we had no intention of deciding the other cases, by these. I do not feel, and 'I think 'I am expressing the feeling of the whole Bench, that the proper' course is being adopted. The cases, .Mr 'Oshorn proceed to say, were serious, involving an institution which ought to. have the perfect confidence! of all the inhabitants of 'Colwyn Bay, which had been assailed, and had been necessarily so. assailed by the wise and sensible words of the. men's own advocate on Wednesday. The men had be&n! accused of rep.rehen.siMe conduct, which, whether it came exactly within the limits of the! law or -not, had BROUGHT DISGRACE. upon the institution and jpon the town. It was hardly right, therefore, that the other cases should be stopped, and the Bench could not give their consent to. such a course, but Mr. Bone very we'll knew the limits of the magister- ial power in. the' matter. .'Mr. Bone You wish me to go. on.? The Chairman I don't say that. Mr. Bone, after consulting his. client, said that the other cases were not substantially different, and that no. jury would convict if the case's went to. Quarter Sessions. Apart from the \'a.lue of the goods', there, was no. difference in the cases. The Justices' Clerk (Mr. James Amp.hlett) I take it that if there'is evidence offered the Justices will hear it. If no. evidence is offered, you. cannot hear it. The Chairman!: That is so. Bone (after another consultation with Mr. Brereton.') My instructions, are not to offer any evidence! in .the other cases. The Bench rose at 5.1: At the conclusion Mr. Joseph Lloyd and his clients, received many congratulations. A MANC.HESTE.R COMMENT. Saturday's Man.dhes.ter Guardian' contained the following — The prosecution of seven Colwyn Bay firemen, on charges of theft has ended rather' curiously. One. fireman, ,Da,vidl Jonea, was. convicted on Wednesday evening, and yesterday he was bound over. In the case of John Jones!, another fire- man, which w'a.s tried yesterday, the charge was dismissed, and in the face of this decision the prosecution withdrew the remaining charges. The result is that one fireman, who. took a solitary pie home, has been. convicted; a com- panion, who. took a pie, a box of biscuits, a pot of turkey, and a bottle of pickles home, has been discharged!; and the. other five firemen who helped themselves have not been tried. On what the distinguiiShed between the cases, is not stated. If Mr. Brereton, the prosecutor, clearly intend)ed his. invitation to help themselves to apply only to. the two firemen he addressed, then the policeman., who. admits that he consumed a pie., was doing just as much as the firemen, what he had 1110 author- ity to. do; and, again, if the men's offence I.ay in taking the goods home instead of consuming them in the! .shop, as Mr. Brereton invited them to do., then all .stand in precisely the same posi- tion. The defending solicitor yesterday urged very strongly that the men,, on. Mr'. Brereton's invitation to' help themselves, honestly believed invi they were authorised to. ta!ke what they did, an.d therefore redress! shoudd be .sought by civil in- stead of criminal n.ro.ced.ure. But if that was the ground on which the justices dismis.aed the case yesterday, it would apply equally in the case of the man! who was convicted. The rather vaguely denned invitation given in a moment of generous feeling by ,M:L Brereton. led to' a re- markable muddle, and the proceedings which have followed have rather' added to it.