Evening Express

WHICH OF US NEXT? W ro n gfu I Co n viet ion s Scandal. THE MUNICIPAL EXPERT. I BY LLOYD MEYRICK I The imprisonment of innocent men is fast becoming a gross scandal. From all parts of the country comes news of these wrongful convictions. The notorious case of Beck ought to have put a stop to the possibility of such errors. The whole matter is very disquieting. How many perfectly innocent men I wonder have served their sentences and gone through their lives with ruined characters? Now, it is true, as the result of the Beck case, the Home Office is more alive to its duties, but even now there are grave mis- carriages of justice. Two Cardiff men, Buckingham and Griffiths, are the latest victims. Per- sonal liberty is the most priceless posses- sion of every man, and to deprive him of it without solid grounds is an intolerable outrage. On this question there ought to be no distinction of class or station, as the character and liberty of the humblest are as sacred as those of the highest in the land. If They Had Been Wealthy P I Is it so, however, in practice? Has the poor man the same chance of defen- ding his liberty as the rich man ? If Griffiths and Buckingham were men of means, would they not have been able to set up a successful defence ? I have very little doubt they would have proved their innocence by the means of competent counsel. All this shows there is grave flaw some- where in the administration of the criminal law. These cases cannot be allowed to go on occurring even if a sop of compensation is given to the victims. No man can feel safe if innocence and good character are no shield to protect him. We are a law-abiding people because we 'have had conifdence in the impartiality and fairness of the law. If this confidence is mis-placed, where lies the remedy. Who is responsible for the condemna- tion of innocent men? In my judgment the responsibility rests upon the police, the judge, and the jury. Take, first of all, the police. The public want to know what steps they took to test the story of the two men charged. The latter set up their defence at once; did the police assist them in proving it? It cannot be said too often that the police are the ser- vants of the truth, and it is more their duty to see that innocent men are not convicted than to get verdicts against the guilty. Police Preconceptions. The police, however, are far too prone to take entirely the view of the prosecu- tion and shut their eyes to the state- ments of the prisoners. Buckingham took the harness to Jenkins's house; therefore, of course, he must be guilty. The police take too often a narrow official view, and are not sufficiently alive to the unexpected. What I want to know is whether the matter is to be allowed to remain without further inquiry. Will the head-oonstable, will the watch com- i mittee take any steps to satisfy the public that the police did all they could, not only in the interests of the prosecu- tion, but also of the accused men? The watch committee are charged with a very solemn duty to see fairplay between the police and the public. Will they act up to this duty without fear or favour? Are two Cardiff men to be lugged off to prison, and is the terrible wrong done them to pass off with a little temporary sensation? If this does happen it is a wicked and abominable i shame. The police may not be to blame, and I have always found the Cardiff force very fair-minded; but after the police-court inquiry the men were undefended, and they should have had help from the police to make good their defence. Did they get it ? That is the short point, and, if not, who is to blame ? What of the Magistrates ? So much with regard to the police; and now I shall say a word about the judges, in which latt-er term I include the magistrates at the police-court. Very often a solicitor defending a prisoner in the police-court is placed in a very awk- ward position. If he has witnesses for the defence some magistrates get very restless when he calls them. They con- sider that as the trial must come off at the sessions or assizes the defence may be reserved. Then, if the witnesses are not called, there is no end of comment at the trial that the witnesses were not called at the police-court, but have been raked up since. Magistrates should encourage the calling of witnesses for the defence in the police-court, and in this particular case some were so called. At the quarter sessions, however, strong comment was made because others were not called before the magistrates. Lawyers have an instinctive distrust of an alibi. It is so easily made, and very often there is nothing in it. When Pickwiek had damages given against him for breach of promise old Weller's countenance wore a mournful expression as he shook his head gravely and said in warning accents: I know'd what 'ud come o' this here mode o' doin' bisness. Oh, Sammy, Sammy, vy worn't there a alleybi!" In this case it was perfectly sound, and yet no one believed it. Most of our judges harp too much in their summings-up on the tech- nical view of a case. Why did the prisoner do this? Why didn't he do that ? Probably Griffiths and Buckingham had no idea of what clever fellows they were until they stood their trial. All sorts of motives and ruses were attributed to them which they probably never dreamt of. In some cases this attitude is all very I well, though in every sessions and assizes there is far too much of it. What is Wanted. Juries, I fear, attach far too much importance to the lawyers' line of reason- ing. It is for them, as the sole judges of fact, to take a broad view of the whole matter even if their verdict seems dead counter to the summing up. Juries should take their backbones with them into the jury-box, and display more in- dependence. The Poor Prisoners Defence Act is not much use. What is wanted in every large police- court is a detective whose special duty it would be to aid in the defence of poor prisoners. Such a man would see that the prisoners' witnesses are compelled to attend on his behalf whenever necessary. He would, of course, be a policeman vested with all the powers of the police, and acting solely in the interests of the prisoner wishing to call witnesses. If there is a solicitor for the defence he could co-operate with him, but it is all nonsense to expect a poor man to get a large num- ber of witnesses to attend. He cannot pay them, and they shuffle out of going. The official I speak of should see that they were made to attend. Until some- thing on these lines is done these scandals will occur. I feel very warmly on the subject, and consider that Griffiths .nd Buckingham have a very solid grievance against this country. It is all very well to say these things will happen. D'.ey simply must not happen, or our proud boast of an Englishman's liberty will become a delusion and a sham. The N.ew Expert. I The appointment of Mr. Bateson as a municipal expert by the Corporation will be welcomed by the ratepayers. They seam to have selected a highly competent man, and it is to be hoped he will be given a free hand. Such an appointment has been strongly advocated, in this column, and I expect very beneficial results. I notice the deputation was struck by the efficient control which seems to be exercised over the spending powers of each department in Blackpool. If the same control can be exercised in Cardiff it will be a very good thing. In the past expenditure has grown bit .by bit without any central grip upon it until at last, when faced with a huge total, the councillors were often as surprised as the ratepayers. Probably as the result of this appoint- ment there may grow up in Cardiff a sound municipal system, to which every councillor after his election must loyally give his allegiance. The ratepayers want a public report from Mr. Bateson, and he will, without doubt, give his views un- prejudiced by the opinions of any of the officials or councillors. He is really appointed by the ratepayers of Oardiff, who will eagerly look forward to his recommendations. Every councillor must see afterwards that the new system is rigidly adhered to. There have been many new brooms applied to council affairs, but so far after raising a little dust all is lassitude and peace. It is one thing to get a system on paper, and quite another to keep it daily working. After Mr. Bateson has come and gone the real work of the coun- cillors will begin in seeing that his report is acted upon to the letter. I heartily congratulate them upon the appointment, and it appears to me that the reasonable remuneration involved is money well spent.

HIS CHOICE OF A WIFE I A certain man had, somewhat late in life, taken unto himself a wife, who was, to put it temperately, not precisely in the first bloom of her youth. And at the wedding the man's mother took occasion to say: "Yes I'm glad to see John married and settled at imt. An' I'm really pleased at the choice he's made, too. He couldn't 'a' suited me better. Ye see, young girLs is skittish and' hard to manage, and widders is set in their ways, bat old maids is always eo thankful and willin' to please."

BBOADWOOD, BLUTBNEB, and SCHIBDMATtR  PlMioIortas.—Se&th & SWI, QQe4I.Q-Â, L 4IIGIII

AS OTHERS SEE US. A NEW YORKER IN LONDON. Before he left London for Paris Big Tim Sullivan, of New York, gave the following spirited interview to the New York "World's" London resident correspondent. I have visited your House of Commons," he began. I had some lunch there with Mr. T. P. O'Connor, and although. I couldn't stay to tea we had coffee on the terrace; a lovely place it is, too. Your chamber eeenus to me mighty inconvenient, no accommoda- tions for the members and very funny to a New Yorker in many ways. It reminded me most of the meeting places of some of our secret societies, like the Eagles, &c., eo unlike our Legislature, where every man has a place to put a piece of paper on, and his own locker. Then whatever the m-ember on Government side may say he is ridiculed by the Opposition in all sorts of ways. In New York these man would be thrown out of the place. Perhaps a little handclapping suiting the action to the word-" but that's all. "I have never been over here before. In fact this is my first sea, voyage, and though I haven't been able to see more than a little, and make a few inquiries, I'm a bit startled. This is a great city of yours. The first thing that struck me was the oontrol which your policeman has over the traffic. He is helped so much by the 'bus-drivers and others. He holds up his hand and they a.ll stop, No Argument About It any time. We can't afford eo many of these officers, either. Each man costs us about L6 a week, and what do you pay your men? Well, then, you get four or five policemen for what we pay for one. "Municipal matters? Under the county council of the County of London the expendi- ture has increased from twelve to twenty- five million pounds sterling in ten years. Well, I've had a look around and I oan tell you that you get full value for your money. We pay ninety millions in New York and you are doing gre,at things on about one-fourth the sued. If your folk grumble at thaA they'd grumble at anything. Your county council bag such powers that its members could make fortunes out of it. It is a good thing that they depend upon their constituents for re-election. I've been meaning to go to some of your theatres, but I've only had time to visit one or two of the music-halls. They are fine, better in many ways than anything we have. Take the Athambra. It's a lovely band there How much do you payeaAth musician? Why, it's much like your polioemen. If we had the same number of musicians in a New York music-hall the expenses would pretty well swamp the profits. You have cheap labour here and so oan give more for the money. But travelling here seems arranged to stop your people from travelling. I went to Newmarket races the other day, and if we Charged Such a Fare and entrance fee we shouldn't get eleven people to come. I notice you breed your horses for stability as well as speed. Our horses would pass yours on oar prepared tracks, but would go to pieces on your grass and hills. Your accommodations at races meetings for those who have paid for seats and only get some benches would create a sort of riot in any decent meeting in the States. "This fellow the King struck me as know- ing how to be popular. If he had sat up all night thinking about the best way to do it, he couldn't have come to no better conclusion than the way he goes round, being affable to everybody. I've heard that your King is a good Foreign Minister. I guess he has all the advantage of experience with him and that if there's anything delicate to handle that he is a better fellow at it than anyone that's been brought up specially for the trade. I reckon out that he has more real personal influence, although ruled by Parliament than any of the other Kings who came before him. I like your liberal ways in this metro- poliB. I mean the liberty you all have. I go to the Alhambra and there are girls walk- ing about there, but you don't have no fear that a patrol is coming along to take the whole lot of you to the polioe-station. There seems room for every one here. I like your Excise laws. I wish we could ha.ve them in New York. We have stricter laws, so strict that a workingman can't get his glass of ale on a Sunday, and our folks spend their time trying to evade those laws. Here. the people can get liquor anywhere until eleven p.m. on Sunday, but the law is enforced and every one seems to help in enforcing it. They reckon that by eleven o'clock a man has had time to buy all the liquor he needs."

Swansea Woman I TAKES POISON IN MISTAKE I FOR BEER. Sarah Price, aged 22, a native of Haverford- west, housekeeper to Mr. Martin Webber, stevedore, of Belvedere Honse, Constitution- hill, Swansea, died at the Swansea Hospital on Monday from the effects of carbolio acid poisoning, under circumstances already reported. At the inquest on Monday evening (before Mr. Leeder) Martin Webber said he, deceased, and his boy had been to the Empire the pre- vious Monday, and on their way home deceased called at a chemist's shop, appa- rently with the object of getting something for the house. He went on, and got into bed. Deceased came into the house, and went up- stairs in a rage, demanding why he bad not waited for her. She asked him if he would have any supper, but he said he was tired and would have none. She persisted, when he spoke sharply to her, saying "Don't bother me." She went down, and he dosed off, but was awakened soon after by heajring her shout- ing and making a noise to herself. He got up, went downstairs, and saw deceased sitting in the back kitchen. There waa a beer bottle and a cup on the table. He stood in the 1 kitchen, when she came up, took up the cup, threw its contents towards him, and Baid, "Ta-ke tha,,t." He felt some of what he thought was beer or tea etrike his back and his arm as he turned from her to avoid the fluid. He feLt a, sharp pain and said, "Are you mad, or what? That's vitriol; it's burn,ing me. I'll send for a constable for you." He went upstairs to ohiangc his shirt, and heard the smash of a plorte on the floor. He went down, and found deceased lying across the fireplace in the kitchen. He said, "What's the matter?" "Oh," she said, "I'm done." "Done what P- he asked. "In a mistake," she replied. Then he notioed a bottle of carbolic acid on the dresser. She was then unconscious. He sent his boy for a doctor, and Dr. Edwards came. During the past month deceased had been enticed to drink by a woman old enough to be her mother, and when under its influence ehe got hysterical. Dr. Isaao said at the hospital deceased told him she had drunk the acid in mistake for beer. The jury returned a verdict of Death from misadventure."

"GENERAL" TO CONVICTS. I General Booth demonstrated the wide humanity of his mission yesterday by paying a visit to Ayr Prison, and there delivering a characteristic address to over 100 of "the inmates. He took them into his confidence at once, and rapidly won them with his sympathy. Last night." he said, I addressed my friends, the ladies and gentlemen of Ayr. You are equally my friends, and in spite of your present unhappy circumstances, there is n<)tbing t43, prevent is nothing to prevent you reforming, under God's blessing, and eventually meeting me in Heaven."

STOP PRESS Latest Telegrams. "EXPRESS" OFFICE, 5.5 p.m. 4,C-EL\.DFCRD HASLICAP E £ tL"LT: — 4 6 13 ,1 :\1 i èL L1 r r d b r J 1- ii Hunt 6 7 2 >fr i:<n' Kgtt(f¡é Owner a 6 15 £i::2lTI- .0';1 T .V'orric-rry's fct. Fioren'i <"i ('1J3kJ.1ï 9 n 'i (,-rlffith:2. LiJ) K f-ollf}"WCICG 15 iir r: Clements 6 5i 4 :1,' rn: riyrsefc and Eepeattr 11 to 0..1 S;. F'njPi1J, >fr £ V Wi Hallick 5 3 2 fjiirinva's t iruoeas i, PecK;) S 7 r Reid Walker's Donaria Taylor 4 S 11 V | <

MURDERED FAMILY BURIED. Rainful scenes occurred on Monday after- noon ait the funeral of M. and Mme. Eonfaut and their three boys, in Paris. T!he police and gendarmes had the greatest difficulty in restraining the huge crowd that had collected in front of the dwelling. When the coffins of Bonfaut and his wife were borne out shouts of Hangmen I" Assas- stiis!" were raised. The hostile manifestation increased in vio- lence at the sight of a wreath which had been placed on Eon'faut'e coffin, and the undertakers had to remove it in deference to putatio feeling. During the religions ceremony only the coffins of the three murdered children were taken into the church. Uonfauit's atrocious crime is inexplicable. Hiis brother denies that he was in sucih dire need, and aiutnbutes the tragedy partly to his dhiargin sub not being able to place on the market various inventions which pro- mised to be successful.

A MILLION AN AURE. The price which a jury has decided that the London County Council will have to pay for the small strip of iand-amounting to 1,210 square feet-by the St. James-street comer of Piccadilly, is about zC34 a foot. This works out at something over a million and a quarter sterling an acre, though, of course, a considerable portion of the X41,000 awarded was for compensation for distur- bance. Still, the valuers for the plaintiffs estimated the ground-rent value at 91 ls. 6d. per foot, and the valuers for the council at splitting the difference, this, ait the usual thirty years' purchase, would still make the admitted value of the land approxi- mately Y,1,200,000 an acre.

I IVi R. POTTER'S WOOING I MAGNATE CHARMED BY A LADY I HAIRDRESSER. A romantic love story from Chicago ia brought close to our doors by the arrival yes- terday at Liverpool of Mr. Quill W. Potter, a steel millionaire, a,nd his bride. The pair had occupied the most luxurious state-rooms on the Oceanic, but had kept themselves apart from their fellow-passengers with a degree of care that piqued the curiosity of all on board. As soon as they arrived at Liverpool they made a hurried departure for the Lake District, where the rest of the honeymoon is to be spent. The story of Mr. Potter's wooing is an unusually romantic one. His wife was a Mrs. Bell, a, beautiful woman, who had been three times married, and had divorced two hus- bands. -At the time she was engaged in the lowly occupation of a. masseuse and hair- dresser in one of the principal toilet rooms of the Windy City. I Mr. Potter came under the professional care of the pretty assistant. He observed the I whiteness and delicacy of the hand that shampooed him; was charmed with the soft I voice that beguiled the tedium of the opera- tion with light conversation; and was be- I witched by the beauty of I The Fair Operator's Face I -lie returned again and again to the saloon, and, finally, proposed, and was accepted. As he had amassed millions in the steel trade, and had thus a ready passport to the "best society of Chicago," the news of his engage- meDlt caused something of a stir. Mr. Potter was a widower with three daughters and a son, and, naturally, they strenuously opposed the idea of the marriage. To avoid unpleasantness and publicity, Mr. Potter decided to adopt secret methods. While in New York he took hie intended wife for what was supposed to be a casual morning carriage drive. During the drive he ca.lled &t a parsonage, where the nuptial knot was tied, and then drove away to the docks to board the outgoing Oceanic. So hurried was the departure that Mrs. Potter left half her frocks behind. She had on,ly twelve trunks full on the steamer-a, terribly short allowance for a millionaire's bride. So close was the race against time that the man who brought the twelve trunks on T),oeTd was carried out to sea, and had to be sent back by a special tug. Mrs. Potter distinguished herself on the voyage by wearing the moat enormous diamonds and other jewels.

BRISTOL CHANNEL DISASTER. Feared Failure of the Salvage Operations. Further inquiry yesterday revealed the fact that no progress had been made in the salvages efforts in connection with the Flora Bell, which was sunk in collision with the steamship Reginald, outside Avonmouth Dock, on Saturday night. The Bull Dog started operations early in the morning, and, a diver having been secured, it was hoped that some success might be achieved. The tide" receded, he went down into the hold of the boat, and from his report on an examination it is feared that the injuries to her render all hopes of her being floated at a discount, her plates being so seriously damaged as to make repair almost impossible. The diver also went to the after part of the vessel, but was unable to get into the engine-room to search for the body of the unfortunate engi- neer, the entrance being too narrow, an4ptlie space within so limited. On thi? statement it would seem probable that recourse will have to be taken to other measures, which, in the event of all attempts to float the Flora Bell proving fruitless, will mean that she will be blown up, to avoid her causing an obstruction to traffic. Such, at any rate, was the course adopted in tihe case of the ill-fated tug Sea King, which never was sank near by, a few mOUlths ago. Neither of the bodies of the missing men—Clutterbuck and Crose— has yet been recovered, and it is feared that Cross has been washed out to sea.

TRIPLETS-ALL DOING WELLI On Sunday night Mrs. F. Mills, wife of a bricklayer living at Trowbridge, gave birth to triplets-all girls. Both mother and chil- dren are doing well. His Majesty will be apprised of the event. Triplets have been born to the wife of a Suffolk labourer, named John Flatt, who resides at Stradbroke. The mother and children are well.

THE LAST DAY! To-day (Tuesday), August 22nd, is the last day for the receipt of Coupons in Our 1 Art Drawing.

ACCIDENTS AT WESTON. An accident, attended with serious results, befel a. little girl, the daughter of Mr. Clark, Kimberley House, Upper Milton, Weeton- super-Mare, yesterday afternoon. The unfor- tunate child, together with some friends, was indulging in a donkey ride on the sands, when the animal, apparently frightened by some object, lunged forward and threw her. She alighted with considerable force on her left arm, which wae. broken in two places, and she also sustained several cuts and bruises. A conveyance was immediately requisitioned, and the child was conveyed to Dr. Alfred's, A!i--re her arm was set and her other injuries attended to. She Is now pro- gressing satisfactorily. Another accident, happily attended with no more serious results tha.n a few contusions, befel a visitor, Mrs. Susan Hughes, of Swin- don, who was knocked down by a. cyclist in the vicinity of the station. She was conveyed to the local hospital in a. cab, and her injuries were attended to by the house sur- geon. She was not detained. The little boy Phillips, who was the victim of the terrible accident at Worle, where he had one of Mig legs cut off ajid the other badly crushed by a mowing ma.chine, is reported to be going on as well as can be expected, but he is still in a precarious con- dition.

WELSH MARTYRS I i St. Tydfil, or Tydvil, virgin and martyr, whose day is August 22, is the patroness of Mertliyr Tydvil, the name of which, indeed, signifies just "Tydvil the Martyr." Wales has several Merthyrs of similar origin-Mer- ilhyr Cynog, in Brecknockshire, for instance, commemorating the martyrdom of St. Cynog, on a local mountain. Tydvil was the daughter of Brychan, a Celtic prince, who ruled over the diistriot in the fiftJh century, and she is said to have been murdered, along with her faitfher and brother, by heathen Saxon invaders. A slab in the outer wall of the piarMi church bears an inscription believed to refer to the brother. In those early cen- turies the Mertihyr Tydvil region was a regular cockpit of war between Briton and I Saxon.

CONFESSED TO EIGHTEEN MURDERS I A peaisanit, named Poeltl, living at Bruck, near Munich, has confessed to having killed biiis seventeen obtHdre-n. wihom he had by two wives. He aleo admitted having killed hifl AaM. write.

BURGLARS AND DETECTIVE The amusing mistake of two would-be burglars was rolaited at Sheffield Police-court yesterday, when. two young men, named Robert Bailey and William Morton, were charged with breaking into the house of Deftecti ve-sergeanrt Denmey, of the West Biding Constabulary, and stealing a. large quantity of goods, wfhich they had packed really for removal. It appears that on Satur- day night Sergeant Denney had returned from a Chopping expedition, when to his sur- prise he found thiat in his absence the hlOUse had been emtered through the kitchen win- dow, drawers and cupboards broken, open and ransacked, and even then the thieves were busy in the upstairs apartments. On realis- ing the situation he called the assistance of Poliice-oomStiable Proctor, who was in, the neighbourhood, and the two offioers surprised Morton and Bailey in tihe very act of packing up in one of the front bedrooms. Proctor had a. lamp, but in a moment this was dashed from his hands, and out of the dark- ness came a, voice, Sit,and back, or I'll fire." Undeterred by the tfireat, however, they dashed into the room, seized the intruders, and after a long struggle in tihe darkness managed to secure botih. A light waa obtained, and the two intruders appeared asifounded on learning tihe identAty of their unwilling host. Why, it's Mr. Denmey," said Morton. Well, if Id known you lived here I wouldn't have oome." The officer smiled, secured botih wi-tih a. pair of hand- cuff", w:ll-icli- the thieves in their search had emptied firoon a Gladstone bag, and conveyed them bot'h to the cells. They wf-re. brought up a.t the police-court yesterday, ami com- mitted to the quarter sessions for trial.

AN OLD ACROBAT. I There lives in Grantham at the present time an ex-acrobat named Henry Johnson, who is nearly 99 years of age. He was asso- ciated with the original Sanger's Circus, and at the age of 22 entered into partnership with Mull aba, the Chinese juggler, with wlhom he toured the country. The pair gave exhibitions before William IV., Queen Vic- toria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and Edward VIT. when Prince of Wales. The vicar of 8pittlegate (the Rev. C. Elsmere) recently submitted these facts to the King, and has received a reply through Lord Knollys conveying the oongratulations of his Majesty to the veteran acrobat on the great age he has attained.

FOUND-DEAD IN BED MASTER MARINER TAKES AN OVERDOSE OF CHLORAL. Mr. LI. Reece (deputy-coroner) held an inquest at Cardiff Town-hall on Monday on the body of Richard Hector (40), master mariner. Deceased's father-in-law, Dr. Duguid, of Buckie, N.B., said he ha-d not seen deceased for sixteen months, and when last he saw him he was recovering from an attack of influenza. Ernest Stock, night porter at the Central Hotel, Cardiff, said deceased engaged a room at eleven on Friday night, and then he went out, and called again at. 11.20. He went to his bedroom, and gave instructions to be called at six. At that hour witness knocked at the door (which was unlocked), and saw deceased on the bed, with his coat and hat off. He was lying across the bed, and was dead. There were two bottles (produced), corked, on a, table beside the bed. Witness got assistance, and then sent for the police. Campbell Maopherson, dispenser at Duck's the chemists, said that on Friday evening at 7.45 a man came in and gave an order to an assistant for medicine for sleeplessness similar to that which had been prescribed before in Febru- ary, 1904, and which appeared in the books. He was supplied with the medicine, and left with it. He gave the noame of Captain Hector. Police-constable Andrew Fraser was called to the hotel on Saturday morning, and taw the body, which was warm. He took posses- sion of the two battles produced, and removed the body to the mortuary. Dr. J. J. Buist (police surgeon), who was called to the hotel to see the body, said he had that afternoon made a post-mortem examination. The heart was somewhat enlarged, and from the appearance of the blood vessels of the brain and other indica- tions he believed that the taking of the seven doses of powerful sedative mixture which had been taken out of the bottle produced had proved fatal, acting on a weak heart, although such doses in ordinary cases might not have caused death. Deceased's father-in-law said that the man, from his knowledge, had a weak heart. In such a case the deceased should have con- sulted a medical man, instead of having the prescription copied from the chemist's books. Dr. Buist: It is not the fault of the chemist. but of the law. The jury s verdict was "Death from misad- venture through taking an overdose of I chloral, acting on a weak heart."

Go in for Divorce," I HUSBAND'S CRUEL SUGGESHONS Astonishing letters from a husband to his wife were reiad in a case at Hudderefleld yesterday. A woman named Martha Rawlinson applied for a separation order from her husband, Emsley Rawlineon, an engineer, on tihe ground of his desertion. The parties were married in 1902, and had one child. In 1903 Rawlinson went to Ireland to work, leaving his wife in charge of the home. He sent remittances for her maintenance for some weeks; then the payments stopped, and Mrs. Rawlinson, to obtain a living, sold up the home and went into service. Her mistress wrote to liawlinson's employer in Ireland, and in reply Rawlinson sent several letters to his wife. In one (accord- ing to Mr, Welsh, Mrs. Rawlinsonls solicitor), he said:— I don't know what you are after writ- ing to the firm after all these years. If you are a sensible girl you will go in for a divorce as I am living with another girl at present, and I don't intend to leave her. She has plenty of money, and I have told her all about it, and she docs not mind. The very minute you cause me trouble we are off abroad. Please don't call yourself Mrs. Rawlinson in future; it is a n,ame not fit to replace yours. In another letter, addressed to his wife in her maiden name of Harper, Rawlinson referred to his little boy, saying, If he is dead it is all the better, as he will not have the trouble to go through as I had." In a further tetter he said: "Let me know if he (the boy) is dead, and if it is so I wish you would soon follow him." Referring to hiis wife's offer to go to Dublin, Rawlinson said she "had better bring his brother with her as he would suit her bett-or," and he added in other letters :— I don't think my lady friend. would oa.re for your company, as she would be jealous of you. You toave my free word to marry or do as you please. If you show this to any judge you will get a divorce without any trouble. Riawlinson now pleaded that he had been ill and unable to send his wife money. He admitted writing the letters, but said that certain statements in them were untrue. The magistrates granted a separation order, and ordered Riawlinson to pay his w,ife, who was given the custody of the child, 7s. per week. They charcterised the letters as cruel and disgraceful. :L

FRENCH-CANADIAN DREAM, I It is quite evident from the comments of French-Canadian publicists that the people of the Province of Quebec have not given up the dream that the time will yet come when they will dominate the whole of the nor- thern part of North America (says a Mon- tread correspondent). A striking example of this has been recently given to the public by Dr. J. G. Lussier, in whi-ch he points out that the 50,000 French peasants abandoned by the futile .policy of Louis XV. in 1785 on the banks of the St. Lawrence have produced iu 120 yeairs above 4,000,000 of inhabitants, of whom half live in Canada, and the other half is scattered over the States of the American Union." Then the doctor, dwelling upon the prolific- ness of his oompatriots, says" Admitting ] that every 120 years the French-Canadian race multiplies itself in the same fashion, what will be its number in the year of grace 2145-that is to say, in 240 years?. In 120 years from now, if tilings axe not changed, and if the same ratio of increase is main- tained, there will be 320,000,000 of our com- patriots in the north-east of this continent. In reproducing the same calculation and multiplying these 320,000,000 by eighty, the fantasti-c number will be reached of 25,600,000,000 French-Canadians in 2145. It is the eloquence of Bumbers. Nothing can destroy it."

REVIVAL MEETINGS IN A CHAIN SHOP A religious revival has been going on for some time in the vicinity of Overend, Cradley, Religious services have been conducted in a chain shop at Overend, and these have been most successful. Mr. R. Finch is the origi- nator of the movement. It seems that the chain shop in which the gatherings have taken place was once used for a very different purpose. One Sunday Mr. Finch, as he was passing, noticed a lot of men gambling there.. Ho spoke to them. and a revival service there and then took place in the shop, which re- < suited in iiu expressed determintion on the part of many of those present to turn over a new leaf. The shop from that time has been frequenrtly used for religious purposes, and there has been a remarkable demonstra- tion of religious enthusiasm. Young men brought their sweethearts and older men their wives to the meetings. The I cause has prospered, and the regular congre- i gation which worships in the chain shop is stated to be quite one hundred strong. Tile i leaders of the mission are now looking out for better accommodation and a more con- venient meeting-house, and although the j bulk of the congregation belongs to the i poorer classes, it has inallgumted a scheme for the erection of a room close to the pre- sent mecting-plaee. The site has been rented with a view to purchase in five years time, and the foundation stones of the nctw chapel i will be laid, it is expected, in September. <

FORTUNE ROMANCE. SEQUEL TO A-BRISTOL CASE A sequel to the ease which aroused con- siderable iruteiresrt in Bristol—indeed, through- out the count-rome twelve months ago, has come to band, and this from Canada. It w.as in Maroh of 1904 thiat there appeared at the Bristol Young Men's Christian Associa- tion a yo-uth merging into manhood, who seemed what might be called down on his uppers." As is always the oase at tih,a.t insti- tution, he was kindly received, oared for, and aisiaisted till he obta,ined employment in a collecting agency. At this business he worked quietly for some time, gaining by a certain insinuating manner a large number of friends, w<ho know--or thought they know —his hard circumstances, and regarding the hiaindleap from whicih he suffeired- slight imp.edJimelllt iill speeoo-trea,ted him charitably and endeavoured to help him. Then one day oame a startling statement that he was the heir of one Canon Stephens, and (that owing to some Mystery of Birth he hiad been loaf to sigfh.t by his relatives; but on tihe deatth of his father, the latter's solicitors had found him, and broke the news of hiis parents' death with the announcement thiat ho was the heir to some L42,000 in invest- ments, &c., and landed property to t'he value of £ 10,000, of Whiah property he would become possessed on hiis coming of age. He ait once lefifc the business with which he was ocaineoted, and, assumedly on advances from his father's solicitors, p.aid visits to London and began to dress in a handsome style that exceeded good t"te. Theaítre parties, drives, gifts to all around him, and promises of remunerative positions for all and sundry when he took over the estate followed in sequence; whilst hie absence of reserve soon attracted interviews from many journals, whom he regaled with his life 'history ad lib, and likewise other stories. This sort of thing extended over some three months, and then came a. Sensational Denouement I The sum and substance of it was that ¡ he was a clever impostor, and one of some experience, who on the strength of his story had borrowed from credulous intimates, and with that money "bolstered" up the tale; but suspicion being aroused by the absence of papers or other confirmation of the romance, the advances stopped and the crash oame, Ernest Arthur Moore, or "Stephens," disap- pearing in London. He was discovered employed as a waiter in a third-rate restau- rant, brought back to Bristol, and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment. Released some time in the following April, the Y.M.C.A. authorities, with other charit- ably-disposed people, in the hopes of giving him yet another opportunity in life, sent him away to Canada; but the latest report shows that it was in vain, and his "romantic" nature has once again led him astray. Arrived in Canada, he obtained a situatio-n with the Winnipeg Consolidated Stationery Company as collector, at which business, as he wrote to one who knew him, he "Was Doing Very Well!" So it has proved, for, arrested a few weeks ago for theft and forgery, it was stated that his defalcations amounted to something like 1,000 dollars, or, roughly, L200. The story of the corning legacy was repeated almost identically, a.nd the firm with which ha was employed gave every oredenoe to it, till one day he was missing, and immediately it was discovered that practically everything in the shape of money, postal orders, cheques, Ac., which had been sent to the firm had been appropriated by him; whilst com- munications from other firms showed that he had been carrying out his defalcations on a generous plan. The police took up the case, and he was arrested when about to leave by train for the west. Amongst the many sufferers by his perfidy waa a florist, who said that Moore had spent about zEl5 in flowers at his estab- lishment, these supposedly for presents to members of the Pollaird Opera Company, to whom he also sent costly gifts—perfumes, fountain pens, bonbons, and expensive soaps —in fact, everything in that shape or of pre- sentable kind, and seemingly regardless of cost. Almost all of this," says a, Canadian journal, "was sent to the children of the opera. company, who thought they had fallen in with A Santa Claus who operated in July as freely as in Decem- ber." Boxes of cigars were also sent to members of the orchestra of the theatre, and his scheme all round was most lavish. The disillusion came as the result of a com- munic.atioll between the Winnipeg and Bristol Y.M.C.A.'s, the authorities of the latter institution, on being appealed to, re- counting what had occurred in this city—a story which was almost identical with their experience, and with the same outcome, except that up to date his sentence is not known.

To Combat Consumption I THE PERMANENT SANATORIUM AT ALLTYMYNYDD A meeting of the general committee of the West Wales Branch of the National Society for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis was held at the Guild-hall, Carmarthen, on Monday, Sir James W. Drummond, Bart., Lord-lieutenant of Carmarthenshire, presiding. There were also present:—Lady Drummond, Miss Lewes :Llanllea,r), the Lord-lieutenant of Cardigan- shire (Co]onel H. Davies-Evans), Sir James Hills-Johnnes, G.C.B., Y.C., Sir Lewis Morris, Dolonel Mayh6w (Aberglasney), Colonel Morris (Ammanford), Mr. R. M. Thomas (town-clerk of Carmarthen), Mr. John Francis (Myrtle Hill), Mr. P. J. Wheldon (National Provincial Bank, Carmarthen), Mr. E. Colby Evans (Car- marthen), the Rev. D. D. Evans (Llangunnor), Dr. Bowen Jones (Carmarthen), general secre- tary), and others. Dr. Douglas Reid, of Tenby, was unable to be present owing to indisposition. Plana of a permanent sana,torium building of concrete, to be erected at Alltymynydd were presented by Mr. Ernest Collier, archi- tect, Carmarthen, to accommodate twenty beds for poor patients and eight beds for paying patients. It was deoided to refer the plans for final adoption to the building and sites com- mittee, several gentlemen being added to that body, and power was given to the com- mittee to advertise for and accept tenders, with the view to an immediate expenditure not exceeding £ 5,000. Tenders will be asked for the main block and for the annexes for paying patients separately. The committee will meet on Wednesday, the 30th inst., to fix upon the plans.

JUVENILE CRIMINALS I To Be Judicially Mesmerised I H. _to c _1 Hypnotism as a means to reform" juvenile criminals is to be tried as an experiment at the forthcoming session of the Denver (Colorado) Courts. Judge Benjamin B. Lindsey, who has studied hypnotism for several years, is now prepared to test its efficiency in the Denver Juvenile Court. His method of hypnotic reform is simple. A. boy suffering from -the cigarette habit will be placed in a, Iligh-baeked chair facing the judge, who will put him into a hypnotic sleep, and then say to him: It is injurious for yon to smoke, and you must stop. You do not care, anyway." If successful, the method will be tried upon all sorts of criminals.

At Cardiff Police-court on Monday John Harris, 35. was charged on bail with steal- ing 10d worth of nails from the Dowlais [ron Works, the property of Messrs, Guest, Keem, and Nettleioids. Mr. T. Evan Jones iof ended. Prisoner was employed aJt, tihe works; exactly similaa* nails, it was pawed, miightt have been purchased in itihe town. Tito aaae was diamiseed for want of evidence.

IYEOMAN'S HONOUR. CARDIFF MAN CLEARS HIS CHARACTER. 'I Mr. Jobson, whose name was introduced in a case of alleged forgery at Cardiff Docks. is sergeant-major in the 0" Squadron of the Glamorgan Imperial Yeomanry, and also president of the squadron club. Feeling that certain reflections had been cast upon his commercial probity, he promptly asked the secretary of the club (Sergeant Petti- grew) to convene a meeting in order that he might be allowed to make a statement. That meeting was held at the headquarters of the squadron on the club premises, St. Mary- street, Cardiff, on Monday night, and was well attended. Sergeant-major Jobson presided, and said that the Yeomanry, and, he was sure. soldiers throughout the country, possessed an unwritten code of honour. It behoved him, as president of the "C" Squadron Club of the Glamorgan Imperial Yeomanry, to set an example in that respect. He was certain they had read in the papers reports of a recent case of alleged forgery in which hi", name was mentioned. The news- papers gave a faithful report of what actually occurred .at the police-court, and nooody was more astonished than he was at the suggestions and statements made at i the first hearing of the case. Not only waa he charged with paying into his banking account large sums which did not belong to him, but a suggestion was made that he aostraated money from the cash-box. Immediately he saw those statements he offered himself as a witness for the prosecution, and was prepared to refute publicly the statements which had been made in regard to himself and submit himself to cross-examination. For some reason that opportunity had not been afforded him. He wished to tell the meeting that night in the most emphatic mann-er possible that there was not one jot or tittle of evidence to support the insinuations which had been made against him in court, and that he had not been engaged in any trans- action which would not bear the light of day. He was willing then and willing now to go before the court and submit himself to cross-examination in order to deny the suggestions which had been made. (Applause.) No doubt some of them had heard rumours which were floating about at Cardiff in regard to his position. He was not at liberty to say anything in respect of those rumours now beyond the fact that his solicitor had instructions to trace them to their source, and, probably, something further would be heard of them. Under the circumstances, however, and until matters were cleared up, he thought it right to tender his resignation of the presidency of the "C" Squadron Club. Sergeant-major Jobson then vacated the chair, which waa taken by Sergeant-major Howell. A resolu- tion, moved by the Chairman and seconded by Sergeant-major Stallybrass, against, accepting the resignation of the president waa carried unanimously and with applause. Sergeant-major Stallybrass then moved a vote of confidence in Sergeant-major Jobson, a.nd this, after being seconded by Corporal Lougher, was carried. Sergeant-major Jobson, in withdrawing hia resignation at the unanimous desire of the meeting, stated again that the insinuations and suggestions which had been made against him were totally without foundation, and would be publicly refuted.

Massacred by Germans FRENCH FORCE EXTERMINATED An extraordinary story is told of a. massacre of a party of French soldiers by German troops at Miseoum. In a report from the Colonial Administrator, M. Koussaire, d&ted May 9, it ie alleged that the German troops, under Captain Schaumann, drew the French soldiers into an ambuscade and then massacred them without mercy. Paris, Tuesday.—The Eclair publishes a number of documents relating to the Franoo- German frontier incident at Missoum. These tend to show that it was certainly not the German Government which caused Lieutenant ScluaumaiHi to fire on the French native sharpshooters. Responsibility for the act must, it is declared, fall on the South Cameroon Company, and Colonel Thys, of Brussels, vice-president and administrator of the society.

I Cotton Compromise. I SCHEME FOR REGULATING WAGES TO THE STATE OF TRADE The settlement of the grave dispute in the cotton trade brought about last week by the mutual concessions of employers and employes enabled the whole of the spinning mills of Lancashire to start running in the usual way on Monday morning. Mr. C. W. Macara, who presided over the recent con- ference en the wages dispute, being invited by our Manchester correspondent to explain the effect of the settlement, said that by it the employers interested had granted a bonus which would cost them in the three months over which it would extend the sum of £ 40,000; then wages would revert to the old level. In the meantime, according to the terms of the compromise, an earnest effort would be made to secure the priceless boon of a scheme for regulating the rate of wages in accordance with the state of trade. If this plan, which the best friends of the cotton industry had cherished for many years, were put into practical shape, it would for ever remove the possibility of such a national calamity as that which had been just escaped.

EXECUTIONS AS SPECTACLES Seven men were executed by strangulation at Canton (says a Hong Kong paper), and another, whose crime, that of supplying arms and ammunition to the Kwangsi rebels, was considered of a more serious character, had hie head chopped off according to "old" cus- tom. The men who were strangled were Ill"Et of all tied to crosses, and then cords about their necks were screwed up tight. Of the two I should say that this strangu- lation was the slower and more barbarous way of putting a. man out of existence. A large audience turned out to see the new fashion," several Europeans being amongst the crowd. As soon as the affair was over, one of the Europeans immediately stepped into the ring to bargain with the No. 1 executioner for the cords he had used. It is really too bad that while roml Europeans are .writing against these public executions, others, innumerable tourists and globe-trotters, should be encouraging them; and fancy, for instance, the indelicacy of a MY" taking snapshots of such things. I know of one instance of a tourist bribing the executioner to hold his sword in the air, above the condemned man's head, for three seconds, so that a clear picture might be secured. It was a gruesome sight; and after the execution, the blood-bespattered tourist secured the executioner's sword, even pre- venting him from. wiping it.

GALLANTRY IN WALES The completed list of awards for the month issued on Monday by the Royal Humane Society contains the following:- Bronze medal to William Dennis, aged eleven, and testimonial to John V. Powell, aged twelve, of Newport, for their gallant and plucky res-cue of a boy named Bird who got into difficulty while bathing in the Uslr there on July 15. Testimonial to James Connelly, Hill's-ter- raoe, Cardiff, for his plucky rescue of a woman who thr&w herself into the canal W, Hayes Bridge on July 18. Testimonials to W. Young. David Thomas, W. Paddison, and Walter Newell for their exertions in attempting to rescue George Owens, who was drowned while bathing at Swamsea. on July 16. Testimonial to David E. Evans, aged fifteen. Swansea, for his pluck in saving a comrade who got into difficulty while bathing in th oa-nail there on July 7.