Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder

I NEATH GAS WORKERS.. An application for a 121 per cent, in- crease upon the, gross earnings of all em- ployes at the Neath Corporation Gas Works came before the Neath Town Council on Thursday, when a letter from Mr. Rees Llewellyn was read, in which he stated that the majority or gas under- taking in Wales had adopted thi6 policy. The Mayor referred to the proposed official deputation to London on the question, and pointed out that Wales would be penalised by having to pay 2s. 6d. per ton more for coal than gas under- takings in England. It was decided that the Mayor should represent the council at the deputation.

U-BQATS IN AMERICAN. I WATERS. The Germans are fanning the war spirit in America! Two German sub- marines have appeared in American waters, and have sunk three steamers and 6ix or seven schooners off the New Jersey and Delaware coabt-with the result that, as a Reuter wire received on Thursday states, the recruiting stations have been swamped with applications for enlistment in the naval reservee, over 3,000 applicants being reported in New York on Wednesday. The three steamers reported sun' were engaged in Porto Rican trade. Of these the largest was the Carolina, a vessel (,f 5.093 tons belonging to the ew York and Porto Rican Steamship Company News of the attack upon her was re- ceived by wireless telegraphy, and for some time there was much anxiety as to her fate. for she carried 220 passengers, as well as a crew of 120. The latest re- ports- Atate that most of the passengers hav<j f.«?n laJJded safely in American ports. The loss of life is.not yet ascertained. Of those on board the are dead or missing. The other steamers which have been sunk are the Texel, a former Dutch ves- sel of 1,913 tons, owned at Rotterdam, and the Winneconne, 1.869 tons, of the Foreign Transport; and Mercantile Co. of New York. Among the schooners de- stroyed are three of more than 1,000 tons. Some of the crews of these vessels ex- perienced hardhip on being cast adrift. Some of the survivors were kept pri- soners on board a U-boat lor several days. It has been reported that five of these craft have been operating, but Navy o'Hcials are inclined to believe that only one has been engaged. She is over 300 feet long, and armed with two fa-inch guns. Every precaution has been taken in view of a possible shelling of the coast towns. Lights in New York and other places -are to be darkened owing to the possibility of air raids. Evidently it is thought that seaplanes may be carried in sections on the submarines. Washington, Wednesday (received Thursday):— Recent activities of German submarmeR in American waters were to-day dis- cussed at the regular session of the Presi- dent's War Cabinet, and afterwards Mr. Hoover the Food Controller, said that the food supply of the American Army overseas woud not be endangered by the appearance of enemy raiders, and no fear need be entertained on that score. The Press pureau issues the following: An American wireless message from Washington states that The Star- Spangled, Banner and other patriotic songs were sung by the passengers afloat in the lifeboats after their rescue from the steamer Carolina. There were :H2 passengers and crew on board the ship, of whom 297 have been, safely landed.

I I AUTHOR FIN EFT £ 100. I lOO I At-the Old Bailey on Thursday Henry Murray, the author, accused of .libelling Sir W. S. Marwood,-joints permanent sec- retary- to the Board of,, Tirade, was-fined £ 100 and ordered :to pay costs, and to enter into ;,his: own. recognisances in the sum of fcSOO to bex of gpod^behaTio'ur. for two.years.

W.A.A.C.'s UNDER FIRE. | Letters received in London on Monday showed that the W.A.A.C.'s had been under fire again, but the Welsh contin- gent, appears to have escaped remarkably well. Mr. Towyn Jones, M.P., has heard from his daughter. Miss Elsie Jones who is in charge of a detachment of these girls, and she has hastened to let her father know that she and her friends were all right afteil the bombing. 1. AV, e have top-hole dug-outs," she adds in her letter, and they are absolutely bomb- proof." Miss Jones appears to have been rather ill, but she is now free from an attack of fever.

FELL BACK DEAD. The inquest on Reginald Pitt? (37), ca6hier at Llo.d6 Bank, Swan?a. who dropped dead at the Port Talbot branch on Tuesday- morning, was held by Mr. I/ewits M. Thomas on Wednesday night. George Pitts, bank clerk, Exeter, said his brother, who was a native of Exeter, re- sided at 150. King Edward-road, Swansea. Ile had never complained of heart trouble, but had suffered from rheu- matism. The painful incident was described by Robert Morgan Brown, of Porthcawl, a clerk at the bank. Mr. Pitts, he said, commenced temporary duty at Port Talbot on Monday, and travelled to and fro by train. About 11.20 on Tuesday morning witness heard him fall, and picked him up. When he came to he iviid he had never had such a thing before. He then changed colour and fell back dead. He had complained of the heat to one of the young ladies, and had men- tioned that he had to hurry to catch the train at Swansea that morning. Dr. Frederick, giving the result of a post-mortem, said all the organs were fatty—particularly the heart. Death was due to fatty degeneration of the heart, and it was a mystery how he had lived fo long. No doubt fhe heat affected him. A verdict in accordance with the medi- cal evj&soe.

Heard's Stands Pre-emsnent 1 t FOR FIRST-CLASS VRUIT, VEGETABLES, I and CONFECTIONERY, I I WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. « HEARD'S STORES, H7, Station Road, PORT TALBOT, 67, High Street, ABERAVON, 10, Parade, NEATH, 18, Windsor Road, NEATH.

The "LEADER" gives the Latest and Best War News.

The Week' s War Story. German Offensive Completely l Checked. French Confident; British Tenacious. The main features of the -week's war ■fstory have been the complete checking of the German offensive on the Western front by the Allied armies, the defence of the Marne by the American Army, and the U-boat raid on the American coast. Some idea of the genera l position may, Iliowever, be gathered from M." Clemcn- iceau's declaration, in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday—" We will never Y, ield." There appears to be another lull. For wo days there has been nothing but local It lighting on the Aisne—Marne front. Th5 opinion is general? held by French mili- ary critics that the Crown Prince's rush 11 as lost its momentum, and that the posi- tion has become stabilised. On the other hand, it is not to be ex- pected that the enemy will relinquish his i attempt to reach Paris, and the proba- bility is realised that he is already en- gaged in preparing a further powerful blow. GERMANS PAUSE FOR BREATH. General von Ardenne, in the Berliner iff'ageblatt," admits that the French re- sistance on the frOI tween Soissons tand Novon was unexpectedly strong, and demanded a pause fo? breath before the Crown Prince's army could begin the f5e- ,cond part ci' its task," which, he says, lie approaching. Neutral endorsement of the general edmiratioll of the magnificent French resistance is provided by the Berlin cor- respondent of the Nieuwe Rotter- damsclie Courant," who has just visited the front. He telegraphs: The bloodiest fighting developed in the later stages of the advance, especially when it came to widening the front. 'Around Soissons there was, and still i6, very hitter fighting. Some Zouave divi- sions in! particular offered at Soissons the .onost stubborn resistance, and the fight- ning was of the bitterest character. Before iChaudulU finally changed hands the J'reneh made an attack with small Tanks, reaching far beyond the village. The whole ground, too. between the present fighting line and the great road to Ilertennes shows traces of very furious lighting. During the whole of Sunday and until Monday mid-day the German advance was held up." FROM BEHIND CLOSED BLINDS. Un Monday the correspondent visited Soissons, and lie gives the following gra- phic description:— In the evening of May 29,' he says, tl)c t<)wn_was occupied, but had again j t?? be evacuated. On the following day ? the Germans entered anew. Even then French patrols remained concealed in the :town, causing a grat deal of trouble to those entering it. They tired from the h-olises a n<! the cellars, Even from be- • thind dosed blinds machine-guns were fired, and when at last the houses were stormed no living soldier was found." Telegraphing on Monday the correspon- dent states that up to then the cathedral had been spared. BRITISH REPULSE ENEMY. At noon on Wednesday the War Ofhce issued the following telegrajn from Sir D, Haig: Headquarters (France), Wednesday, lu.45 a.m.—A few prisoners were captured by our troops last night in successful raids in the neighbourhood of Lens and south of the La Basset Canal. A raid attempted by the enemy early this morning south- west of Morlaneourt, under covex of a heavy bombardment, was repulsed, leav- ing in our hands. Hostile ar- tillery has been active during the night north of the Scarpa- and Lys Rivers, and in the Merris and Ypres-Comines Canal sectors." Then at p.m. the following was is- sued regarding the tenth day of the gsreat battle:- Headquarters (France), Wednesday, 7.40 p.m.—As the result of the raid at- tempted by the enemy early this morn- ing in the neighlxnirliood of Morlancourt wc captured 21 prisoners and three machine-guns. Beyond the usual artil- lery activity on both sides, there is noth- ing further to report from the British front." lIench military critics now expect that the Germans will attempt to break through at some other sector—for ex- ample, that between Noyon and Mont- didier, with the object of making a con- verging advance on Paris. The possi- bility of an enemy attack on a totally different sector' of the front is. however, also not lost sight of. I T OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUES. In order, however, to bring up to date the war story of the week, we quote the following official communiques issued qn Thursday:— FRANCE, Thursday, 10.12 a.m. Last night the enemy again attempted to raid our positions south-west of Mor- lancourt, but was repulsed with loes. ( Another hostile raiding party succeeded in rushing one of our poste yesterday •afternoon in the neighbourhood of Boy- elles. Two of our men are missing. The enemy also attempted raids during the night north of Lens, north of Beth- une, and east of Nieppe Forest. All these raids were repulsed and casu- alties iliffifted on the enemy. Hostile artillery has been active in the Strazelle Thursday, 3 p.m. To the east of Sapigny our troops. last night continued the driving back of the enemy groups who had succeeded in crossing the Oise. We took about 100 prisoners. To the north of the Aisne we appreci- ably improved our position to the ndrth and to th^ west of Hante Brays. Fifty prisoners remained in our hands. There was rather lively artillery acti- vity in the region of Longpont and Veiully La-roperie. and to the west of I Rheiins.

LABOUR AIMS. ————— .0 t More Equitable Distribution I of Wealth. ) NEWCASTLE, Thursday. The annual meeting of the National transport Workers' Federation was opened to-day at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Mr. H. Gosling, in his address as pre- sident, dwelt on the growing strength of y the Federation, and in discussing the Whiteley Report, remarked that the Whole tendency of organised labour to- day was to endeavour to set up industrial councils likely to obviate disputes and bring radical improvements in the lives and conditions of workers by amicable aueans across a table rather than "by stride action. The fact that employers were more anxious to meet them now than formerly was due to the increasing strength of the trade union movement. Increases in wages barely kept pace with the increase in the cost of living. He hoped that they, as trade unionists, would not be deterred in their applica- tions for a bigger and better share of the wealth their labour produced, by provid- ing such an increased and improved' standard. There was no limit upon the total amount of .wealth available for dis- tribution. When we applied our efforts to peace purposes his advice to all and sundry was, Set your standard as high as possible, and when you have reached that standard raise your standard again. Powerful organisations like the T-riple Alliance will be necessary in the near future, if not for aggression at least for defence." WHEN PEACE COMES. I Proceeding,-Mr. Gosling said they were infinitely more p-uwerftil- coatieot*t;' llll with the miners and railway men. They had set up a joint committee of them- selves and the National Union of liI- waymen to determine all questions when peace came, when they must be prepared to face its problems. They had a great responsibility towards those Who had risked their lives in the war and towards their dependants. The peace which was to come must be shaped and influenced largely by those who were able to speak truly in the name of Democracy. We want a peace," he added, free from the intrigues of militarists, imperialist and diplomatists, and free from their inter- ests and ambitions, and likely to be sat- isfactory and enduring in character. (Cheers. ) DRAFTING OF TREATIES. We need a peace in which Labour, which has borne the brunt, shall have as large a voice in the drafting and in its final aspect as those who represent the privileged and propertied classes. It may be that some of us will disagree that Labour should be at the peace conference ehaping the various treaties, but it seems clear that the majority of organised labour are whole-heartedly in favour of Labour presenting its special claims, not only at, but lwfore, the peace conference. (Cheers). Discussion took place on the amend- ment of rules. DURATION OF THE WAR. In the course of the debate in regard to the increasing number of officials of the Federation, Mr. Havelock Wilson said reference bad been made to establishing a bureau of information, but it had a German smack about it. There was a bureau of information at Berlin, and more attention was paid to that than to the transport workers. Mr. Robert Williams (secretary), voic- ing the necessity for adequate assistance, remarked that the .war may, last for ten yeare..

BIRTHDAY HONOURS. I Awards to West WaSes -1 Officers. The second instalment of the birthday honours, relea.sed for publication on Mon- day night, includes the names of several West Walians. Capt. Gerald William Vivian, R. N who has been appointed a Companion of the Order of St. fic,hael and St. George, is a son of Sir Arthur P. Vivian, K.C.B., one of the partners of Vivian and Sons, Swansea, a nephew of the late Lord Swansea, and cousin to Lieut.-Col. the Hon. Odo Vivian, D.S.O., of Bridgend. Chaplain the Rev. J. G. Ltine-Davies is an old student of St. David's College, Lampeter, and before fhe war was a curate at Bnbbacombe, South Devon. Acting Major C. U. Brazel, awarded the Military Cross, who has been twice pre- viously mentioned in dispatches, -was for- merly in the electrical department of the Swansea Corporation. He is a brother of Mr. A. W. Brazel, manager of the Cardiff Employment Exchange, and a oon of Mr. Brazel, of the Great Western Railway, Swansea. Capt. J. J. Pugh Evans, double M.C., is a son of Lady Pugh Evans, of Loves- grove, Aberystwyth, brother of Col. Pugh Evans, V.C.. D.S.O., and a nephew of peut.Gell- Sir James Hills-Jolines, V.C

IN PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Thursday. Mr. Macpher?n said he would e phased to consult with employers' organi- 6abons Mgarding his apj?al for vol un- teers. THE MILITARY SITUATION. ] Mr. ttonar Law said he would not at- tempt to review the military situation on the Vote of Credit. INSULTED BY GERMAN PRISONER. Mr. Rowlands coked the Home Secre- tary whether his attention had been drawn to th-a prosecution of Cliarles Ridge, a lame seaman, at Lonp Ashton.. Bristol, who assaulted a German pris- oner of war who 6pat at him. and wh-it punishment was given to the German prisoner who spat at the lame British seaman, who had served not only in the Navy, but in the merchant service and in the Army. Mr. Brace, who replied, said be had seen the newspaper report of the case, from which it appeared that a penalty of 4s. was imposed on the defendant. Dis- ciplinary punishments, to which pris- oners of war were liable, were matters for the military authorities. General Colvin asksd the Under Secre- tary whether the German prisoner of war who insulted our wounded eoldiers on May 31st, in the neighbourhood of Epping Forest, by spitting at them. had been punished?

I I DUSTY MEAT. I 0 I A SWANSEA VALLEY CASE. LONDON, Thursday. In the Chancery Division to-day, Mr. Justice Eve eat to assess damages in the action of J. E. Woodman, butcher, of lstalyfera., against the Pwllbach Colliery Co. Mr. Vaughan Williams, K.C, for plaintiff, said the action arose in conse- quenco of an alleged nuisance caused by some new coal washing and screening machinery introduced by the defendants in 1910. An action was heard at Glam- organ Arizes when the jury found there I was a nuisance and gave a verdict for plaintiff. Justice Horridge, owing to the hist- ence of some agreement, entered judg- ment for defendants, but both the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords held that the judge was wrong, and found in I favour of plaintiff and granted an in- junction. Continuing, counsel said plaintiff bought land cloee to the colliery, and erected a slaughter house, shop, beef sausage factory and 12 oottages. Plain- tiff opened branch businesses at Ystrad- gynlais and Dowlais, and was prosperous. A CRITICAL PERIOD. Being in a small way, this period was a critical time for the plaintiff, and had he failed in the, appeal it would have been very eerious for him. After the erection of the machinery coal duet made its way into plaintiff's premises and covered the meat there, the nuisance being 60 great that his business was seriously affected, and eventually he closed his two branch businesses. In consequence of an inj unction defen- dants had carried out alterations and improvements, and the nuisance had disappeared. This might have been done before plaintiff claimed £1,130 loss of business and S:1,670 in respect of goodwill. He also claimed damages for the total dis- organisation of business and the deprecia- tion of premises. Unfortunately a good deal of feeling had arisen between plain- tiff and Mr. Davies, general manager of the colliery, and some serious .charges had been made. AN INADEOLUATE SUM? I Seven hundred pounds had been ten- dered by the defendant company, but it was. quite insufficient to meet the actual loss and general loss occasioned plaintiff by this litigation. Counsel rettd an affi- davit by the plaintiff stating that in Oct- ober, J912. he found carouses in his pre- mises even being coated with dust caused by defendants' machinery. He previously had a successful business, and it would take years to satisfy the public that the nuisance had been abated. 0 Case adjourned.

NEATH AND PREMIER. I At a meeting of the Neath Council on Thursday, Mr. J. Morris referred to the visit of, the Prime Minister to Neath for the National Eisteddfod. He thought it would bo opportune and graceful to offer to Mr. Lloyd GeorgP-ihe Jfreatest Welsh- man of the day the, freedom of the an- cient borough. The AfAyor, whilst associating himself with the suggestion, thought it was of such importance that it should be placed upon the agenda before discussion. y Moris proposed that a special meet- ing be convened to consider the matter. This was unanimously agreed to.

I DOPINC CHARGE. SWANSEA I 8 I SWANSEA HAIRDRESSER I SENTENCED William Ernest Jones, barber, was charged on remand at Swamiea Police Court on Moaday. afternoon for that he If did with intent to enable one Henry Brown, a member of H.M Forces to render himself or to induce the belief that he was temporarily, or permanently unfit for service, unlawfully supply him with a cert-lin, drug or {Preparation con- trary to the Defence of the Realm Regu- lations." Similar charges were preferred against defendant in respect of other men: Edmund Rhydderoh Evans, John Charles Jenkins, Percy Brandon Jones, and Edward John Butler. Mr. Rupert Lewis prosecuted (instructed by the Director of Public, Prosecutions). He eaiu this was a most, important mat- ter for the public generally and for the Army. He had obtained consent of the competent military authorities in asking the magistrates to deal Summarily with the case, believing that a prompt hearing and decision would be a warning to others. Defendant made a long statement. He said he met a young follow in Neath, who was on leave. They drifted into conversation on the Army, and the young fellow said: I've got eome ttuff here; if 6ver you are called up for the Army; you take some of this." It was something in the shape of a rubber ball. He replied that he didn't Wilht it, but the young feHow eaid, Go on, put it in your pocket, it might conve handy." He once bit off a little, and found it harmless. IT& had trouble in the house, had buried three children, atid 1 waa wanting money. He thirdly knew what he was doing. He admitted having made the suggestion -to Mr. Evans, who treated it with eoorn, ae he eccpected he would. In. Swansea he got talking-in Oxfordtbout glasses, and again the conversation drifted to the Army. He pleaded guilty, and threw. himseK on the mercy of the court. The Chairman asked < defendant what was his pension, 'and he replied 2Ss. 6d., which wag, about terminating. Defendant was found, guilty on each of the two charges, and sentenced to six months'imprnment ',f()r,'e¡ä.cto run concurrently. • The sum was allowod, towards the costs' of the prose- cution.

WELSH TANK T0UR. I The lank Batik campaigaB in South Wales ia meeting sub- the towns and mining villages, ahd- are being met ivvrywhere with enthusiasm. The Tank at Merthyr on Tuesday took Jte76,155. Excellent results are also Jl\g obtained in > ooKnoction with the vapeerar. War Weapons Weeks "in Leicester; Ameebury, Beaconefield, Eaet Gtinsteed, Ems worth, Pembroke, Padstpw, and Rayleijrh., Leicester's total oil Tuesday ^was JB286.303, making a total to dale of j £ 348'.720.

CHIEF- CO.NS'rAB,LE'S, AUNT. I The death has taken "p Œ' Mis. Ann Jon?%. widow .of Ute?.?te J?r. Thomas I Jonee? Who for'nMBy ye*]? wae a mwon under th: Swansea Harbour iVust. D?- ceased, w?odi?  at tb? residence.of her only daughter, Mrs. Jonathan Rees, 2, King-street, Swansea," Was' the eldest eister of the late Mr. William Thomas, of the well-known firm -of.,Tfiomais, ..Watkins an'd Jenkins, contractors, and was an aunt of the present Chief Constable of Swansea (Ca.pt. Alfred Thomas). She was also one of the oldESt- m..m bers of Mount Pleasant Chapel whteh she at- tended from her early days. Deceased dietl on Wednesday,, aged 90 years.

CLY DAC H WAR WEDDING.; A quiet war wedding ■ was eoteaM?taea bv special licenoe at At. ? K'*y a?, el lydi?v, between gergt S. J. Pitt, ??E., and Miss Mary Augusta Pitt, 6nly jAugkter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Pitt, of vine Hollies, Tre- banoe. The bnde wai giien away by her father, and there were tKt bridesmaids. The best man was Mr. S. J. Pitt, organist of the Parish Church, Fishguard. The officiating clergyman'wasvtka Rev. T\106. Morris, vicar, aesisted by the R«t. David Davies. Trebanos.

?: SCHOOLBOY HERO. l, I At a meeting of tb?Ltandilo Council, Mr. E. A. HarrM. cha.ir. moved that the attention of the Royal Humane Society be. drawn tn' the brave act of j Master Ronald Morris,,in rescuing a fel- low scholar from drowning in the Towy ,I He 4et £ iled <the, circumstances under whicii Ul wtrne ,had taken place. Mr. J. R. Reet), wao la engaged at the County School, where Ronald Morris is a scholar, pointed out that, action in the matter wae btint; taken at ;the school. The resolution was adopted,, as it was-thought that it would strengthen "the case from the school. #;

VALLEY "CONCH I ES." Two brothers from Pantynynon ap- pealed before the Pontardawe Tribunal on Tuesday on conscientious grounds. Both were colliers, aged 24 and 22 respectively, and declared that they could not kill. Several letters from local ministers were put in to substantiate the genuineness of their claims. Both were Dot prepared to do anything. They oould not even attend a wounde d soldier, as it- was the result of the war. They would/not help: a sailor who had fought in order to bring bread into this country for tliem, to eat. I must have food before l can work," said one of the applicants. Mr. Slater: "You are, prepared to accept everything provided the sacrifice is 1. made by others. V Member of Tribunal: = Aiid you want to remain here to mak& m6ney on the backs of' those boys who arre fighting for you. Both were refused. Similar treatmjent was'itfeted oxit to a young "conchy" from. Gw>aun-cae-Gulrwen who declared tlspit he was a Christa- delphian. Mr. Slater: Look heft; 1; -eQuId tie ypu up in; a kaot but b don't < wash- to do it. Applicant adiaiwi fhbt'he',Ii.,id'piit.in a cia?m for,ex?i&ptio- "0n(l(i,,i, some time algo, but AVc  heuWi any more of it bec6 r?4 ui,n.i,el to (I' ?,i u p- j cae-Gur sveat. He ne r jif?i?ed the autho- nt1esat P'entre that _r 1 J.

MUMBLES LOVE TRAGEDY ■ MURDER CHARGE DISMISSED The Langland Hay tragedy entered upon what everybody fervently hoped would be its final chapter at Swansea County Police Court on Wednesday morning. For the first time the indict- ment appended in full upon the charge sheet. Young Elsie Smith, whose age was given as 21, and who was described as a munition worker, was charged that she feloniously, wilfully, and with malice aforethought did kill and murder one William Ernest Bartlett." Such was the extraordinary charge /which Mr. Henry Thompson, on behalf of the Public Prosecutor, had to attempt to prove, and which Mr. C. W. Slater, on behaif of the girl, had to refute. The 6tory is too well-known to need recapitulation at length. In the early hours of Saturday, April 6th, Elsie staggered to the Usborne Hotel, and, in a state ot collapee told an incoherent tale of having fallen over the el Her later story hinted at the preeence of her boy somewhere on the beach, and Sergt. Thoe. Williams, going to the spot, discovered the lifeless body of young Bartlett on the sadde. The Coroner's jury found that Bart- lett took his life during temporary in- sanity, and tlifry preferred no charge against the girl Mr. Thompson dealt with the nature of the charge at once. His instructions were to prefer a charge of wilful murder and no other charge oould be framed; under the well-estaglished rule that where two persons agreed to commit suicide, and one survived, the survivor was held to have been guilty of murder. .JJLr. TliAmpcon.-fecoiistr.ucted the storj of 'the^tragedyy from the young man's ar- rival home on the Thursday, to find his recall awaiting him right down to the re- covery of the body. and the girl's subse- quent statement. He dealt with her ar- rival at the Osborne, her pitiful cry: 1 fell over the cliff; I am wet; help!" and the absence of bruises such as her state- ment would lead one to expect. Then came her statement (a new fact) to Capt. Shaddick, an hotel visitor, I walked into the sea with my boy; he tied himself to me and we walked into the sea." Then came her statement to Sergt. Williams: Where IS Will? I love him and he loves me. He told me if he could not have me in life he would have me in death. He tied me to him and pulled me into the water with him." Then there was the story told to P.C. Gould when she re- covered her memory-a totally different story. Mr. J. H. May, manager of the Osborne, repeated his evidence given at the inquest. Capt. Geo. Henry Burgess Shaddick, commandant of a prisoners' camp, bore oht the opening statement. After she made the statement (half-an-hour after reaching the hotel), she went into a 6tate ,i, well, off her head. I should call it,' said witness. Mr. Slater questioned witness as to the words he addressed to accused. He could not, be certain whether he said to her, What. have you been doingf" or What did you try to do?" He would not like to pledge his word to any utterance or aot, except that she was in a state of col- lapse when carried t > the bed. Dr. L. Freeman Marks gave similar evi- dence as at the inquest. Cross-examined as to the effect of malaria and Salonika service on deceased, he admitted it might have rendered him less able to resist any sudden impulse. While Sergt. Thomas Williams was giving evidence of the love letters from accused found on decease, accused buret. into suppressed sobs, and the mother of' deceased was also in tears. Then he spoke of formally charging her with wilful murder, and cautioning her, at Swansea Hospital, on 18th May. She replied. I am not guilty." Mr. Slater said he would submit that those pages on which the letters were written had. been torn up, and he would submit that they were, therefore, of no account. In reply to Mr. Thompson, witness said.the pages were inside the note book P.C. Gould. Sketty, who was at the Swansea Hospital when deceased re- covered her memory, read the statement accused then made. MT. Slater then addressed the Bench for .tlw defenee--auit was a powerful plea to the Bench to d'rspoeè of the case there and then. At the outset he referred to the kindness shown to this poor girl by all-Mr. N-lay. the police, the Hospital authorities, the authorities at Pennmen, and the prison authorities. The respon- sibility for pressing the ease, confronting her with the capital charge, lay with "the person in London, with no bowels and very few brains." The Bench had been told. at. the instigation of the Public Prosecutor that this court, for the pur- pose of this came was not the place for mercy or kindness. He did not want mercy or kindness—although be knew his client would get it from the Bench—he wanted justice. The evidence of the prosecution, he submitted, was contrary to its intention, and proved that there was no agreement to commit suicide. The outstanding fact was that there was < return ticket from Oystermouth. That was not evidence of a compact! There was no jury in the world who would ever convict this girl. He felt bold enough to ask the Bench to look upon them- selves as a jury, in order to see what a jury would do. He aeked not for mercy, but for a reasonable interpretation of the law. Soon after 310 p.m. the magistrates retired to consider their verdict. While the court was waiting for the return of the Bench, Elsie Smith, who had walked along the solicitor's bench to speak to her sister, fainted, and had to be carried out. After a retirement of 20 minutes, the Bench returned at 3.35 p.m., and the chairman, Mr. A. H. Thomas Paid:- "We do not think that a jury would bring in a verdict of guilty in this case, and we dismiss it. There was an outburst of applause at the back of- the court and in the gallery. This was received as the girl stepped out of the dock inth the court. The Chairman exclaimed sternly: "Silence! Silenct! This is not a play house!" On Mr. Thompson's application for, costs, the Bench allowed XIO and wit- nesses, fees.

Pte. J. Powell, 36, Caebricks-road, Cwmbwrla, is a prisoner of war at Soltan. Pte. Dick Griffiths, 87, Symon-street, Waunwcn, is suffering 'from gag poison- ing. Mr. and Mrs. Steins, of 38, Wern-ter- race, Port Tennant, has received official news that their son, Gunner Brinley Steins, has been killed in acti< in France on May -li-th. He joined up two ard a half years ago. He war, one of three brothers serving, one at Salonika and the other in Ireland. He was pre- viously employed at Baldwin's, King's Dock TinplaKs Works finishing ifopaurt- He waa 2% years of age,

I NOT GUILTY. I I THE BIHIHC LIBEL CASE. The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty in favour of Mr. N. P. Billing, M.P., on the charge of publishing a false and defamatory libel on Miss Maud Allan. The acquittal was greeted by ex- traordinary sceues both inside and out- side the Court, which Mr. Justice Darling ordered bo be cleared. His lordship, summing up. said the jury would be absolutely altogether from forming any opinion about the Black Book and the 47,000 people. and the influ- ence of Germaflv upon them. That had leally nothing whatever to do with the case. Defendant would not have to prove that part of his justification, heeau.^ in that part there was no libel upon Miss Mau-d Allan It arose out of a few linc- in the "Vigilante." being put into the in- dictment, and the mention of the article in the Imperialist." t If that had not been alluded to in the indictment, h" should have struck out all that matter from the first. A good many things had occurred which had caused him and all decent people extreme regret. To. his mind, it was immaterial whether there was ever such a book or not. There was no charge in that court against the people mentioned in the Black Book. There wa<> no issue regarding them. Some had asked t) be allowed to -?ome. Mr. Asquith had not askecl to bo allftwed to come. He was a very eminent lawyer, and of course did not ask. During Mr. Justice Darling's summing j up Capt. Spencer interruptHl from the k'\C'k of the court, and his lordship had him ejected from the court. Soon after this incident Lord Alfred Douglas interrupted the judge, calling him a d d liar. He was immediately turned out of court. Befcre the trial closed the Judge ex- pressed the opinion that it ought to be made impossible for plays which could not j be produced in the ordinary way to bn produced privately or by subscription." Fj L- also suggested i hat those who had the power should prevent improper dances from being danced or scanvv costumrs from being worn on the stage. If the out that women in a short time would be able to use their influence on legislation, and he hoped they would mak" -it their busin-e«j tc. introduce much mure purity into public representations than w;;s the case at present. He hoped the verdict of the jury might help to bring about some reform in that matter: The Times 6ays that. the vital point of the case, and the one which affects the whole nation, is that vague suggestions of vice and want of energetic patriotism have bean publicly canvassed without remotest proisjiect of proving or dis- proving them, which is the whole object o: justice. It is frankly intolerable that the names of public men, still more the names of dead soldiers, should be loft sus- pended as they arc now suspended, in an atmosphere of scandalous suspicion. U YT r J V, ^'r-y—- » «onteiiiporary) we a'c disposed to treat with the utmost gravity the fact that j tfucrh c harges hou 1<1 1* e"B po?sihie. A bove all. it was emphatically not eii oc- loasion for .lfippancies and joking of the! kind which Ntr. Justice Darling has made his own. and we are bound to sav we deeply regrei that the was net in than The Daily Mail declares that the judge chose a very difficult task, but, railed most lamentably to grapple with it. There wa. hanily a moment when he can lie nid to have been the master iIh ho own court. He lost control of it al- moH from the start, was pptulant where he should have IWfOn firm. The verdict is extraordinarily popular with people in the street (says a London correspondent)—policemen and wum N1, I have noticed being most elated over the jury's finding. j We are clean-minded people, an d that is why we are glad P.B. has was the remark of one constable.

MINERS' DEMAND. A national conference of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain in London on Wednesday, at which most of th members of the Welsh executive were present, unanimously decided that, a re- quest he made for a further increase of the war wage, the increase to be Is. 6d. for men and 9d. for youths. The ques- tion was referred to the executive eOC1- mittee to press forward expeditiously. 1 I ■ .i 'I

I THE HOME COMMAND. I War Ofhee, Wednesday.—As a tempor- ary measure General Sir W. R. Robert- eon has been appointed to command the l'orcce in Great Britain as from May :W. with ;Ile title of He.l' Officer Ccm- manding-in-Chief, Gr->.it Brirain. When he was appoinr.,J Lord Lifuteu- ant of Ireland on May ,Id Ifrtneh was Commander-in-Chief of the tmors' in the United Kingdom.

ITOWN TALK. I A. defendant at Pontardawe Court said he had only stopped at a certain place so that aoaneone oouJd tie the bpot of, ILY laoe." — At Neath on Monday a lady who changed her brother-in-law with assault brought io, her hand evidence of the fray. A tooth! Julian is to be stafcionefd at Bethany Square while in Port Talbot-the placa where the orators thunder out their eloquence. — :0:— IXendy (Ponrtarduiais) allotment work- ers are mostly women. The men-folk are away from home. either fighting or muru- tion-s making. —:0: — Lord Rhondda has presented Cwmavon allotment holders with a breeding sow. The litter "al moanin g, of course, is that they will grow pigs on the allot- nic-Tit —:«:— A party of airmen who descended, in » remote spot in Carmarthenshire the othei day, and stayed overnight, provided aom< cxcitcment to relieve the monotony of country life. Card sharpers at Pontardawe Court said they had no money to pay the fines. The cash was soon forthcoming when au official suggested tossing them double or quits for the amounts. '.0 Pansy was the name of a male defendant at Neath Police Court on Monday. His non-arxival having kept the Court unoccu- pied fbr ten minutes, inspires the com- uii '11 that he wn« a be Ll-com: — :0 A man in Carmarthen who has been medically examined seven times, and who has to be examined once more, is anxious to know if anyone can beat this record. Now don't all speak at once! — :o:— With the hay-making season at hand, we shall no doubt have a call from Gower | u;r assistance. Now is the time for Swan- <?'a?s jaded workers to arrange for a pleasant day or two. with the satisfaction of knowing they will be doing something useful. — :0:— A member of the Swansea Police Fore a had a nasty shock yesterday. He was in tiie police buildings when an anxious in- quirer demanded Where is the War Office ? f' It transpired later—to the re- lie.f of the offi-cer-that the venue required was the War Pensions Office! -:0:- A Swansea Vicar holds that oertair men are especially adapted for the work of sexton and grave-digger. He tells oi one in a county parish that he served who called him out to see a grave. Now," he proudly observed, there's a nioe comfort- able grave I have made, and they 0I1]Y pay me í6. fed. for it! -:0;- Mr. Meth Jones, in convening the con- ference of tv\c toO c:.A1.+ a T -10. (^naidaU- for the Ne^th Parliament, division, invited all Tradesmen and Socialist branches, Co-operative Societies. Women's Organisations and section* of societies'" to send one delegate each. TV a Dot there some overlapping in such an arrangement p -:0:- It was on the Mumbles-road on Satm- day afternoon. The train was loaded with passengers, and when it reached Brynmill Station a man drove. with a horse and cart. He was an ex-soldier with two wound stripes up," and the appearance of so many holiday-makers- <-vicfently caused him much surprise. He :rae in the cart and sarcastically called ,,tit at the top of his voice: Is peace declared? —: or— They were arranging speakers for a series of War Aim meetings at Noatw„ when the Rev. Mardy Rees a-Led to be excused, as ho had another meeting to attend or. that particular evening. W. B. Trick, in his anxiety to get the eloquent minister on the list of speaker-, suggested that he should attend the oth. meeting. T wish you would, added the minister amvlst great laughter, "if* prayer mting Some of the young men in a district •varks, who fawned and scowled, and parsed uncomplimentary remarks about an older man in khaki who had been put upon work of national importance alonz- side of them—even going s" far as. to tell him he would be of better service in the trenches—are singing a diC'erent tune new that the combing-out proce?? is in opera- tion. And the man joined up voluntarily at the commencement of hostilities1 :():- j Now that the penny postage has- given way under the stress <if circumstances, it is well to be reminded that for that boon and blessing we owe a debt of gratitude !o a great Welshman of his day. Samuel Roberts. To Sir Rowland Hill, of course. Jxdongs flic credit of carrying the great scheme into fruition, but the public mrinionwhieh proved more potent than all th" prejudices and enabed him to (L, so had been created by thq Reformer -if Llanbrynmair, who had elucidated and advocated the leading elements of the f-"heme 1'11111. ten years before Sir Rowland Hill entered the field. o; An Aiaeiianford sninister of the Gospel tells a tale against himself. His ey- hoeddiad took him to stay over Sunday with a hoopitahle family who had a bripht little boy. nice-mannered and prrooocioiifi. Shyly approaching the minister after the morning service, he said. I saw you in the pulpit this morning." Did you really ?" replied the minister. Tell me." he continued in his most engaging man- ner. would you like to be a preacher'" —with an emphiM-is on the pronoun. Yes," drawled out the boy with a relish- ing gesture, and then, looking straight in the minister's face, and climbing up his knee, he confidentially aeked, WcvJd you ?" — O: — A lawyer tells in Chambersouma 1 a curious story we have in Wa es about an ancient custom, shrouded in the mists of ages, under which many humble folk in years long past established themselves as owners of landed property. The custom was for a man to enter upon a piece of waste land after sunset, and in the cognise of the night to build with all speed a four-walled strtutaro containing in the midst a fireplace and a chimney. Fever- ishly he would apply his energies to the task, so that by the break of the succeed- ing dawn he should have his building com- pleted and (wherein lay the chief virtuer of his toil) a fire burning upon the hearth* with smoke ascending through the chim- ney. That smoke it was essential eome witness should perceive, for on this being- accomplished, fhe builder became, by vir- tue of the custom, the rightful owijer of tue of t h the rig the Jon4 enclosed jritiia. has fowjljijiflg.