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SERIOUS CHARGE AT MACHYNLLETH.

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SERIOUS CHARGE AT MACHYN- LLETH. POPULAR SYMPATHY. From eleven o'clock in the morning until eleven o'clock at night on Saturday, Mr TWBonsaH (chairman), Major Hugh Bonsall, Mr Ret Roes and Mr R Gillart, sat in the police court afc Machym let, h, to hear a charge of indecent assault on Jenny Humphreys Lumley, eight years of age, preferred by the police against a young man named John Parry, a by agent in the Wealeyan cause, residing near-Commins Coch. There was no prosecuting solicitor, D.C.C. Williams conducting the case. Tor the defence Mr Owen George, Carnarvon, appeared. The Court was crowded and as the day wore on the roadway in front of the police station became thronged with people. The police at the outset sought to amend the charge from an indecent assault to one of rape; but the Bench decided to hear the evidence first. t Jenny Humphreys Lumley, the complainant who seemed rather small even for a child of eight years, gave her evidence in a straightforward manner and withstood the examination and cross-examination for nearly three hours. According to her story on the afternoon before Christmas Day she passed the accused and a man named John Humphreys on the roadway near Tyoerrig. The men were talking together and she went on. Presently the accused overtook her and nodded his head as if inviting her to follow him. She did so and they went on in the direction of the Castell wood and sat down. Here the offence complained of took place but she made no remonstrance and both left this spot and proceeded to a quarry higher up. They however did not stop here for any length of time but pro- ceeded to the wood above her house. Accused carried her over the thorns but she objected to being carried and he put her down. When they reached the wood the offence complained of was repear,ea< tu»o fdtn:J wia aiet0r u.bo repeated the story to her brother and eventually it came to the ears of her parents. in the coui so of a long cross-examination the story of the child was not shaken and she was followed by Dr Purchas of Newtown. The doctor examined the child on Jan 24 and found evidences bearing out her story. He was followed by Dr Edwards of Cemmaes, who examined her on Jan 17 and held the same opinion as the previous wi.,ness. Mary Lumley, the mother, Robert Lumley, the father and one of the little girl's brothers were all called to tell how the story came to their years. Although they were acquainted with the facts they still allowed the accused to visit the house and accompany an elder sister at a competitive meeting. The arrest of the accused was proved by P.O. Ellis of Llanbrynmair, and when charged later on by P.S. Owen accused replied, I am perfectly innocent." In answer to the cross-examination the Sergeant said that P.C. Hamer, who was stationed at Cemmaes, had not reported the case to him and he had only heard it casually in the train. It was reported and a warrant was issued. This was the evidence for the prosecution, and upon the accused being formally charged he replied I farther assert that I am innocent of the charge." Mr George now proceeded to cail his witnesses for the defence, and the first to step into the box was Dr Williams. He had not examined the child, but after the evidence he was of opinion that if such an assault as described had been committed the results would have been of a more serious character. He was of opinion that no assault had been committed. Dr Davies followed. He was of the same opinion as Dr Williams, but he had not made an examina- tion of the child. It was drawing on foreight o'clock in theeven- ino- when the accused amid a buzz of excitement rose to give evidence. During the time the witnesses were giving their evidence he found time banging heavily on his hands and borrowing a copy of a popular magazine from one of the pressmen sought relief from ennui in its brightly-printed pages. A fellow lodger of his who had become engaged on the side of the prosecution occasionally irritated the accused by scribbling notes and push- ing them across to the police, and Parry at length bluntly asked him what be had to do with the case. Coming to the evidence the accused told the Court that he was not with the girl on the after- noon in question, and proceeded to show how he spent the afternoon preceding Christmas Day. After calling at the Post Office in the village he went off to the home of David Howell, junior. He reached this place at 2-45 and remained there until four o'clock. Afterwards he returned to Tycerrig, at which farm be lodged. At 4-25 he ordered tea. In the evening he attended a meeting in chapel and later conducted a Band of Hope meeting at which the Lam ley children were present, and that was all he saw of them that day. He visited the family after this and accompanied Mary Lumley to a competi tive meeting, and at the same meeting adjudicated o-i an item in which Jennie Lumley competed. The first he heard of the assault was when Davies (the schoolmaster) and three other men came to bis lodgings. Davies lodged with him at the farm, and he read a paper which embraced the accusation which he was called upon that day to confront. He d^ni'=d it to the men, and before sitting down he once again emptatically protested his innocence. Nellie Humphreys, a daughter of John Humph- reys of Tycerrig, said that the accused lived at their house On December 24th he was in between the hours of 12 and 1, and again between the hours of 4 and 5. Mary Jane Hughes, a clerk in the Post office at Commins Coch, said that Parry was in the office at three o'clock on the afternoon of December 24th.- By the Bench She could not say how she remem- bered this particular day. Harriett Evans of Aberh'aeth, Cemmes, said that she was in the post office on the day in question, and saw the accused there. He went out and up the road in the direction of D Howell's house.- By the Bench She bad seen the accused since then and he had asked her if she remembered December 24 th. Elizabeth Howell, a sister of David Howell, de osed that the accused was at her house on the afternoon of the 24th. D Howell said that he left home on December 24th, passed J Humphreys, R Lumley and Jennie Linnlev. On his way back about 3-45 he met the accused'coming from the direction of his (witness's) house. This was all the evidence, and the Bench after consultation dismissed the case. Though they felt it was a prima facie case they gave the accused the benefit of the doubt. The result was received in Court with loud applause. Outside a cheering crowd seizing hoid of Parrv bore him shoulder high to the White Horseliote). The streets were full of people who heartily joined in singing that notorious dirge At the hotel, Parry delivered a brief speech in which he thanked everyone for theii great sympathy.

--------+-..---ELECTION OF…

. THE WOMAN OF MULL.

♦ CARDIFF AND THE WELSH UNIVERSITY.

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THE ABlSRGYNOLWYN FATALITY.

. PERSONAL.

MACHYNLLETH RURAL DISTRICT…

[No title]

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