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Emperor's Demand for Surrender

SURRENDER DEMAND

WAR BREVITIES

Cardiff Man's Character

"COCHFARPS" COSTSI

ILeeds Execution.

————..Mt!!M<.!!tiL!t).' SIR…

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STARTLING CHARGESI

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STARTLING CHARGESI In a Swansea Valley Law Case SCHOOL GIRL'S REMARKABLE kNOWLEDGE OF LAW A remarkable action for detinue from the Swansea Valley (Saunders v. Bees v. Swash) in which allegations of perjury and forgery was scattered broadcast, wae resumed at the Swansea Assiros i yesterday. The defence has brought, a long string of witnesses to support the suggestion that plaintiff could not have had money to enable her to lend the £ 1,000 alleged to defendants, while plaintiff's own son and other witnesses spoke to her having got defendant's son Edgar to make out a fraudulent bill of sale to her of Rees's colliery, with the object of defeating an action in the Llandilo County-court, and that with this Rees's son Edgar, at the plain- tiff's direction, forged his father's name. Closely questioned as to his knowledge of the consequences, Rowland Rees, who wit- nessed it, said that plaintiff was their aunt and their senior, and they obeyed her. Another witness who spoke to this transac- tion was Rowland Rees's wife, who inciden- tally described how the colliery was worked. It was really a drift, and those engaged there were Edgar Rees, Rowland Rees, their mother, and herself. While the men cut the coal the Woman Worked the Engine I and screened the coal, weighed it, and kept the accounts. They worked from hand to mouth, excha-nging the coal they worked for provisions. An interesting witness was Florence Mary Roes, a girl of sixteen, who showed such a remarkable familiarity with legal formula and documents that the judge elicited from her that she studied law as a hobby, had a law library, attended police-courts, because that was her delight, and hoped eventually to turn the knowledge she thus acquired to good account by becoming a lady lawyer. Laura. Swash, one of the defendants, was _11_.3 Ct1- .3 '1 L.1- uwu cinieu. oue tsaiu sue osu iour cmiuren. In June, 1895, she quarrelled with Rees because he would not make over anything to bring up the two little children, and went to live at Brynamman with her son Edgar. Sub- sequently she was induced to go back to Rees, and he then handed her in 1895 three leases for the education of the children. In November last the colliery lease was also given her, as reparation for loss of charac- ter, as Rees, she said, had ruined her. She bore out the evidence already given as to the alleged fraudulent bill of sale, and also as to the withdrawal of the present action. The Judge asked witness what she did at the colliery, and she replied that she went underground, helped fill the trams with coal, put fire in the engine, filled the boilers, and drove the engine. She worked very hard, and did not have much time for pleasure. She was anxious to save the colliery when the plaintiff took the fraudulent document to the pit, and was afraid her sieter would get into gaol, and her son and she offered to raise a loan on the securities that had been given her. Plaintiff had never lent Rees £ 1,000. She never lent him a penny. Indeed, she never had any money, but had always been in poverty. In cross-examination, witness was preseed as to whether she had ever had the deeds she alleged Rees had given her, but she would only reply, They are in the house," "I decline to answer," and "I am'prepared to bring them here." The Judge: I am afraid I shall have to draw my own conclusions. I can only draw lone conclusion, and that is that you are not telling the truth. Edgar Rees, a son of the defendant Rees, was called by Mr. S. T. Evans, who intimated to the judge that in order that the witness might not incriminate himself, he would ask him in examination-in-chief no question as to his alleged forgery of his father's signa- ture. Mr. Abel Thomas was about to cross- examine him, when his lordship warned the witness that he need not answer any ques- tion if the answer were likely to cause him to incriminate himself. Mr. Abel Thomas put the question as to the putting of the defendant Rees's signature to the bill of sale, and asked: Did you sign it? The witness did not answer. Mr. Thomas: Did you sign it?—I imitated W. B. Rees's signature at her (the plaintiff's) instructions. The last witness called was William Burchell Rees, the defendant, who described the pit, which was a slant rented at zElO a year, and only sufficiently large to give employment to his own family. He also described the plaintiff's going to live with him in 1875, on the death of her father, saying she aeked him to take her in, and he did so, and gave her employment at the shoemaking. He denied that she ever had any money, and was certainly unable to lend him £ 1,000. He remembered her well leaving him in 18%, after being with him 21 years. A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. He remembered it too well, as she went away without saying a word, and the police accused him of murdering her, and his house was searched. She made no claim on him for money, and from 1896 to 1900 he heard not a word from her. In December, 1%0, her son, Charles Henry Swash, told him to come to his house at Brynamman, and he saw plaintiff there. She requested that the treacherous document, as she called it, be returned to her. She went back to South Shields, and never made any demand for money. The first demand was on the 8th of March through her solicitors. He denied ever having given her a mortgage to secure £ 1,000. Refer- ring to the forged document, he said that in 1895 he was in such low water that he was in arrear with rent, and was sued at Llandilo County-court. He noticed on the engine- door the remains of a paper, and asked what it was. When he heard he was about to strike his son, when plaintiff came forward and asked Mm not to do so, as she had aided for the beet to gain time to find the money. He told her the document was a bad one. At that time Laura Swaah had left him, and the reconciliation took place on his handing the deeds in question to her. Then the action came on, and at his request Laura Swash accompanied him with the deeds to Messrs. Jenkins's office at Swansea, and the result was a loan of X50 on them. With this money they were able to settle the action, and plaintiff signed a with. drawal of the interpleader action she had entered. Subsequently he redeemed the deeds. In cross-examination, he said he had had a good many cases in the couree of his life. He had studied law, and had got, together a decent law library, adding one was bound to have Woodfall's Landlord and Tenant if one had houses. Mr. Evans: If you Btudy law books you deserve to have cases. (Laughter.) The cross-examination was not concluded when the court adjourned till to-day (Wed- nesday). This is the only case remaining for trial.

STUCK ON THE BANK I

VOLUNTARY SCHOOLSI

HAMPSHIRE v. SUSSEX

MIDDLESEX -v. LANCASHIRE

DERBYSHIRE v. SOUTH AFRICANS

WORCESTERSHIRE v. KENT I

YORKSHIRE v. ESSEX. I

I KING AND EMPEROR

IJUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE_____I

ALLSOPPS' MANAGEMENT ATTACKEDI

8WAN8EA MILLERS HEAVILY FINED

PRESENTATION AT FERNDALEI

PRETTY WEDDING AT MOUNTAIN…

SEAMEN AND THEIR WAGESI

jA REMARKABLE WILL

I LOCAL CHARTERINGS

I CARDIFF ARRIVALS,

I IMPORTS

ISHiPPiNG CASUALTIES

! LONDON FINANCE.

LOCAL FINANCE. I

To-day's Markets.I

FOOTBALLI

[No title]

- - - -IStockton Meeting.

I Folkestone Meeting,

NEWMARKET NOTES.

OFFICIAL SORATCHINGS.

ACCEPTANCES.

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SHIPBROKER'S CHARTER LOSSES…

.I SWANSEA WIFE WHO TEASED…

-' 'STREET BETTING,

SAVING LIFE IN WALE8

BARNSTAPLE BATHING FATALITIES

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