Evening Express

NOTES. BY "OBSERVER CARDIFF, Wednesday Morning. It has been said that the man deserves well of his fellows who succeeds in producing two blades of grass where only one grew before. It may also be taken for granted that the man who can raise a smile and cheer the heart, and make people more joyous than he found them, can only be considered in the light of a public IxnefafJjor. Parturiate then w Mr. Oswald Stoll. who i3 not only one of the ablest pro- vincial entertainers of the day, but who has brought the concerns under his control to a high pitch of excellence, and a proverbial degTee of success. The Cardiff, Newport, and Swansea. Empires are monuments to Mr. Stoll s biisiness mpar bilities, no less than to his skill as an emperor of varieties. How many thousands—nay, how many tens, hundreds of thousands- -have for- gotten their carea at these places of entertain- ment, and come away with light hearts and merrv ooulat-eiianceo i To a large section of -?- the population the closing of either of the tliieo Empires would come as a public cala- mity. There is the Cardiff Panopticon, again-a. bold idea, and one that at the commenee- m entpeople shook their heads at, vowing it would never take. And how stands the Panopticon to-day? Why, it has given innocent amusement and conveyed information to immense numbers of the oommunity, who would be distinctly the losers if its doors were closed. Some of us have special recollections of the Panopticon, because, a portion of our offices was removed there at the time of the fire, land we did our work in the midst of wax models in process of construction, with arms, legs, trunks, and heads scattered about in eerie fashion. Well, now we find that. as nothing succeeds like success, so success itself is but the ladder to further triumphs. A company is being formed to provide Cardiff with a variety theatre, evm more in keeping with the growth and importance of the place than the present Empire. Mr. Moss. of Edinburgh, famed as an entertainer wherever English is spoken, is acquiring from; Mr. Stoll't'ne placee of amuse- ment just mentioned, on -the understanding that Mr. Stoll acts for a term of years as managing director of the new concern. The outcome of all this will be a great and distinct gain to the variety-loving public at large, for the present Cardiff Empire will be doubled in size and its attractions also indefinitely increased. We have been talking of an able man who hna carried forward his ideas to a triumphant suc- cess. Here is another idea for somebody, which originates in Chicago. It concists of a. circulating picture gallery, starting with fifty filmed pictures. Tho arrangement (we read) is that each picture may be taken out for two weeks nt a time, and the privilege may once be renewed. By this means the member is able to add a little change to the mural adornment of his walls, and the idea is said to have "caught on." The circulating picture gallery seems a method of bringing art to the people; but it can only apply to lower-priced paintings, or the subscription would be so high that it would be prohibitive. How is Mr. Gerhold's zoological gardens gat- ing along? We have not heard anything of it for a long while. Perhaps, now that there is a general move forward in the amusement line, the genial member for Canton and his pet notion will come strongly to the front. Why shodd not Cardiff 1lave such a. show as well, say, as Clifton, which possesses one of the most perfect little zoos in the kingdom ? Some one has suggested that the idea misrht be worked in connection with the Roath Park and the botanical gardens. If 80, a beginning might be made in a small way, and a keeper en- gaged to commence with. Presents of animals would quickly follow, and, at a stretch, there would always be the borough council to fall back utjon! Steps are being taken to arrange for this year's Lifeboat Saturday demonstration, which will take plaoe at the end of July. This is a movement which appeals to the kind- hearted everywhere, especially denizens in a seaport town, to whom the perils of those who go down to the sea in ships and do business in the great waters, come home with special force. Heavy rain fell during the last procession; we must all hope that thi'1 year's will be very much more success- ful in point of weather. A correspondent writes:—Some of our tram conductors are like Ishmael, their hand being against everyone, and everyone's hand against them. The other day I boarded a stationary car, only to find (as I thought) that there was no room either upstairs or down. I was stepping off the oar-I had only been on it seven seconds—when the conductor demanded his fare, and when I, of course, refused, began shaking his head a.nd putting on an injured air. Of course, he didn't get his penny; but I wonder how many people have paid for the privilege of getting on and off a stationary car? The Great Western might very well extend to Cardiff what they are giving Bristol. Thus the "Mercuiy" of the latter town:—"The Great Western Railway Company's experimental Saturday half-day trip to London, with speed quickened to three hours and twenty minutes between Bristol a(nd Paddington, proved a gratifying success, especially for the first attempt, as no fewer than ÓOO passengers were booked by it.. The company consider this so satisfactory that they will run further trains of a similar character during the summer, as there is little doubt that the number of pas- sengers will be still further increased as the half-day long-distance train becomes more and more known to the Saturday half-day holiday folk." The "Western Mail" has some sensible obser- vations this morning, which I cheerfully com- r-end to every clergyman and minister. Their pertinence is their recommendation:—"Expe- rience over and over a.gain has taught us that clergymen and ministers make very poor busi- ness men. The cure of souls and the art of finance have nothing in common, and should not be attempted by one and the same in- dividual. Much to the discredit of the cloth, we sometimes read of clerical gentlemen who hove transactions on the Turf or on the Stock Exchange, or, what is worse, who fall into the clinches of the money-lender. Invariably they come off only second best. It may be a Chris- tian duty to combine the innocence of the dove rmd the wisdom of the serpent, but it is more than doubtful whether building society's of the Liberator type more than the Turf or the Stock Exchange are the proper field to exercise such wisdom, especially in the case of a Chris- tian minister?" Some weeks ago I ventured on the prophecy that we were in for a period of drought. I did so with considerable diffidence, well know- ing that my previous efforts in this direction were not exactly crowtied with success. How- ever, I can proudly say that this time the pre- diction has proved a correct one, for if this isn't drought what is it! Already farmers, gardeners, and others are seriously complaining, and the Taff has dwindled to a tiny stream, whilst rain seems as far off as ever. The question now comes Are we in for a scorching summert It is well known that our library authorities do not favour the plan of displaying books so that the public may consult them without the presence of an official; and that the great bulk of the volumes a.t Trinity-street are be- hind counters or wire netting. However, since the dismantling of the old reference room, thousands of valuable books are placed on shelves wholly accessible to the public, and with neither glass nor wire between. It will be interesting to inquire by-and-bye how the experiment thus unwittingly made turned out, and whether the result was such as to encourage the authorities to extend it. Our infirmary is at present overcrowded, a.nd the doctors have their hands full. Patients and' medical men alike are being put to inconvenience for the lack of furni- ture, and the cry is daily for "More beds." Indeed, patients have to be turned away for the lack of accommodation. New furniture is earnestly needed but the question arises —has the great subscription question any- thing to do with this. Readers, espeeiaily in outlying districts, would do well to make a note. The current number of the "Sketch" con- tains some capital photographs of her Majesty's ship Renown, as she appeared at the time of her launch at Pembroke Dook. A tremendous bulk she looks in the water, more especially as she has neither machinery nor guns on board as yet to weight her. The Renown, when complete, will cost a million of money; but if she is the means of assisting in maintaining our honours and integrity amongst the nations, it will be a million well and chea.olv spent.

LIBERATOR CRASH, Welsh Victims and Their Losses. A MODERN JUGGERNAUT. Old People Hurried Into Their Graves, and Other Victims Reduced to Beggary and Want. To-day we present our readers with the results of investigations made by our corre- pondents in different parts of South Wales into the widespread misery occasioned b) the Liberator smash. The high rate of interest paid and the punctuality with which the attractive dividends were despatched to the thousands of unsuspecting investors, coupled with the fact that the claims of the societies were urged by a large number of Nonconformist ministers (themselves victims of the gigantic fraud), rendered the now cele- brated Balfour Group an exceedingly popular investment in the eyes of people with small incomes, and even won consider- able favour with the well-to-do on the look- out for a good return for their money. The extent of the suffering which followed upon the Liberator failure has been referred to in a general way from time to time, but a perusal of the details whidh we give below will serve to bring home to our readers in a startling manner the widespread misery caused by the catastrophe in South Wates. In the larger towns the Liberator Molooh seems to have had comparatively few victims, but in the smaller centres of population and in rural villages and agricultural district? families have been ruined and invalids, and old and middle-aged persons have been re- duced to beggary and want. In the district of St. David's alone the losses are estimated at about JB58,000, while at Ystradmynach, notwithstanding the sparsity of its popula- tion, a sum of at least jB4,000 has been swallowed up. Dowlais, Merthyr, and the Rhondda and Aberdare Valleys also felt the blow severely, and there are many melan- choly oases, particularly in the ironworks town on the northern borders of Glamorgan- shire. Where agents for the Liberator had located themselves there were to be found the greatest number of victims, but the agents, we have every reason to believe, were fully persuaded that the Liberator was a sound and a solid ooncern which could never be shaken from its foundations. Terrible as was the financial ruin wrought, still more terrible were the cases of mental i wreckage, and in some cases absolute death was directly attributable to the anguish which followed in numerous instances upon the now famous collapse. LOSSES AMONG MONMOUTHSHIRE MINISTERS. In the town of Newport, as in most other towns of considerable size, there does not appear to have been very many or any very heavy losses from the failure of the Liberator Society and its kindred ventures. The operations of the famous group of financiers did not "catch on" to any great extent at Newport, but we hear of some serious blows struck at the savings of people in the outside district. The Rev. W. Jones (Baptist minister), now living at Main- dee, but who at the time of the winding-up lived in the hills, lost JB800. It is stated that the Rev. S. R. Young (Baptist minister), of Aber- gavenny, lost JBl.500, and so great was his con- fidence in the management up to the time of the smash—confidence induced by the prompt and regular payment of dividends—that he would, if he could, have invested more. The Rev. J. Parish (Baptist minister), of Bargoed, lost about LSOO the Rev. J. D. Rees (also Bap- tist), Pontrhydyrun, about B100, and a station- master at a station near Newport lost heavily. Two maiden ladies at an adjacent town who had invested about JE700 in the "bubbles" were left in a very distressed condition, and one of them waa so appalled that her reason temporarily gave way under the strain, and she had to go under control. We hear that the Rev. E. D. Wilks (Baptist), formerly of Oswestry, and recently living at the Mumbles, who died at Cardiff some few months ago, lost about £ 3,000. SOME PONTYPRIDD AND RHONDDA VALLLEY CASES. In Pontypridd and the Rhondda Valleys, like other places, the victims of the Liberator and its allied concerns a.re to be found mostly among the quiet and unostentatious folks, who did not parade the amount of their savings before the public, and who do not now care to discuss their losses. Still, some of them 'have suffered irreparable losses, and others who have not been by any means rum-oa have been "hard hit." An instance of a praiseworthy attempt to distribute the savings of a family-but. alas! with only a very poor result—was that of a widow in business at Pontypridd. Although her loss of CS20 is a serious matter, she feels thankful tilings are not worse. Now, one daughter had JB120 in the Liberator and JB100 in the London and General Bank, while another had d3100 in the London Bank, and the father had L200 in the Lands Allotment. All the money has been lost. THE SUFFERERS AT CARMARTHEN. The losses sustained at Carmarthen and neighbourhood are considerable, but no cases of acute suffering have come to light. Many of those who have fallen a prey to the smash try to keep their losses from their neigh- bours. Most of the investors were people of but small means and invested their all. They include such people as schoolmistresses, &c. One person, a retired tradesman, now deceased, lost, however, about £ 1,700. There is an instance of a widow near Carmarthen who has lost her little fortune of JB300. In this, as well as other cases, the sufferers have been left badly off. On the whole, however, matters are a good deal worse elsewhere. Our correspondent sends us a list of 24 victims of the Liberator crash. Among them axe many present and retired tradesmen. TALES OF WOE FROM LLANELLY. Our Llanelly correspondent writes:—In the course of my inquiries I was made acquainted with the facts of real tales of woe, but in each instance I was solemnly enjoined not to use any names in whatever I might write for the "Western Mail." Of course, I cannot dis- regard the wishes of those silent sufferers who are averse from preaching from the housetops the story of their troubles. About the worst case that came under my notice was that of an old gentleman who was known throughout the town as a man of the strictest integrity and high principles. He had been in business, and fortune had smiled upon him. He brought up a large family, but one by one his sons left the parental roof for other towns, where they are now occupying good positions. Feeling the marks of age beginning to make their ap- pearance, he retired from business, and about twenty years a.go, on an evil day, he invested the proceeds of hie business in the Liberator Society. He had placed some money, too, in other concerns, but these were not so prosperous as the Liberator, and he, therefore, depended for subeistenoe upon what were once the "fat" dividends of the Liberator. When the crash came, it bore heavilv upon the venerable gentleman, and, of a truth, it might be said that "he never smiled again." His health now began to give way, although up to that time he had been a splendid specimen of well- preserved age. His spirit, too, was sadly broken, and towards the end of last year he died. There can be no doubt that his death was hastened by the financial disaster. Equally sad, too, is the case of another old resident of Llanelly, who placed a thousand pounds in the keeping of the Liberator Society. Here, again, death has overtaken the unfortunate victim, but he has left daughters behind to whom the loss of their father's savings has meant, the difference between independence and daily labour. INTERVIEW WITH A LLANELLY VICTIM. I was fortunate enough to secure non interview (continues our Llanelly correspondent) with another sufferer in the person of a young lady who was left an orphan a few years back. "I was recommended," she told me, "by an old friend of the family to invest a, sum of £ 300 ( in the Liberator Society. I joined the society in March or April, and, by the way, I may say that it cost me about £ 7 to become a mem- ber. I received the July dividend, but never another penny did I see, for, you remember, news of the crash came in December of the same year. You will believe me when I say that I was very much upset at the news, but even then I found consolation in the fact that it might have been worse. Let me explain. Just at that time I liad a sum of JE800 on my luuids, snd it was nothing short of an intervention of Providence that I was prevented from investing the whole sum in the ill-fated society. A mem- bei of our family advised me not to put all my eggs in one basket. I follov ed his advice, and was to discover some montlis later how valuable was that advice." "Well," I interposed, "are there many sufferers in Llanelly?" You can put them safely down between twenty :.nd thirty. One case now occurs to me whero a father lost £ 500 and his son a similar amount. A well-known Nonconformist minister in the town, who died not long ago, was also a heavy depositor, as were his son and daughter. Luckily, however, they had other means to fall back upon. Then, again, there is another family in the town which has been in deep waters owing to the crash. Looking for a safe investment for several hundreds of pounds, they took their minister into their confidence, and he, innocently enough, of course, recommended them to put the money into the Liberator. This they did. but in less than six rccnths they were horror-stricken to find that every penny of their hard-earned savings was gene beyond recovery. Since then these good pecple have had to exercise the greatest thrift and deny themselves many a little luxury in order to keep the wolf from the door. To my knew ledge there are other cases of suffering in the town, but it cannot be said that these are attended bv real distress. YSTRAD MYNACH HARD HIT. Even so small a place as Ystrad Mynnch was hard hit, and our correspondent has supplied us with the names of many tradespeople and working men who have lost considerably through the smash,. Two of the sums he returns amount to £ 1.000 each, a.nd there are other amounts of B700, £ 400, £ 350, JE200, L60, 280, and £ 20. Altogether our corespondent was able to trace losses amounting to nearly 24,000, Eland there may be many others. The list is as follows:—Mrs. Davies, Tabor-road, Maesy- cw miner, £ 4-00; Mr. D. Davies, Tabor-road Maesvcwmmer, LZOO; Mr. Lewis Morgan. £ 20; Mr. Thos. Jones, grocer and draper, about £ 1,000; Mr. Evans, Sirhowv House, Maesy- cwmmer, £ 1,000; Mr. Richard Edwards, Cwmdu Farm, Maesvcwmmer, £ 700: Mr. Thos. Wililams, Gradfa Farm, Ystrad Mynach, £ 350; Mr. Wm. Williams, Royal Oak Inn, Ystrad Mynach, £ 200; Mrs. Jenkins, Ffynon- y-Gwaed Farm, Maesycwmmer, 260; and Mr. David Lewis, oollier, Ystrad Mynach, B80. TWO THOUSAND POUNDS GONE AT LLANSAWEL.—TOUCHING CASES. Particulars of some very sad rases reach us from Llansawel. Anne Richards, late of Lly- gadyrych, Llansawel, widow, an old woman about 70 years of age, lost her husband, and, being too old to manage the farm, sold her live and dead farming stock, and afterwards in- vested the whole of her receipts in the Liberator Building Society, thinking to live comfortably on the interest given by the society, but, un- fortunately for her, lost the whole, and she has had to fall back on the parish for relief, whereas if all was well she would be all right. David Jones, George, Llansawel. retired farmer, an old man about 70 years of age, retired from farming about twelve years ago, and lived on the interest of the capital made in selling out the stock of his farm, but, seeing that he could get twice as much interest on his capital by investing in the Liberator Building Society, he- withdrew his money from the bank and in- vested it there. Now he has to depend entirely on his children for a living. Anne Davies, Old Red Lion, Llansawel, a single woman, invested the whole of her savings (savings made through working out on service), and is now a confirmed invalid. Captain Joseph Evans (Tally) invested all he had, and he and his wife died just in time to be saved from asking relief, as they were getting too old to earn any more. Magdalen Lloyd (Talley), retired dress- maker, a single woman, 73 years of age, in- vested JB50, and lost her health in lamenting her loss. PITIFUL REVELATIONS FROM CARDIGANSHIRE AND CARMARTHEN- SHIRE. Liberator victims are numerous in and around Llandyssul. Mr. Thos. Evans, Camden House, St. David's, in answer to our corre- spondent, said: 'q,Unfortuiiately, I have lost J6245 in the Liberator. I was born at BrYll- golau, and went to work on a small farm, called Rampin. After spending many years there I went to London, and was employed as a car- man and coachman for two years. By being industrious and economical I saved a little money, a.nd deposited it in a bank, but I was persuaded to transfer it to the Liberator, as I could get 4 per cent. on deposit and 5 per cent, for shares in that society. I was in London for nearly 21 years, and had my money in the Liberator for almost the same length of time. Some years ago I returned to Cardiganshire to enjoy the rest of my days in peace, but this loss has troubled me somewhat. My brother Evan, who is a bachelor like myself, and has an oil and colour business in London, has lost about JB600 in the Liberator a.nd E200 or f300 in the London and General Bank. You know that some other St.. David's people have been hit. There is Mr. David Evans, draper, Lon- don, who was born at Derlwyn, he has lost £ 700 and James Williams, Troedrhiwgoeh. has lost about B150 in the London and General Bank, which belonged to the same group. Williams is a carpenter by trade, but he has forsaken his old craft, and has gone to London, where, in conjunction with his two sisters, he keeps a dairy establishment." Another victim in the district of St. David's is Mr. John James, of Waunmartin, on the Waunifor Estate, belonging to Mr. C. Lloyd. John James is a hard-working carpenter, has a wife and three children. Having married rather late in life, he feels this loss the more keenly, as "the little sum" was -out by for a rainy day. Mr. James lost B120 in the Liberator, and trusts he may yet get "something baok"—a universal wish—but will hardly be realised, inasmuch as his chances are marred by is being a shareholder and not a. depositor. In the town of Llandyssul, David Williams, Pen-Pwll, a sober, hard-working collier, has lost JE25. His health has been impaired, and he has returned from the Rhondda. to recruit on the banks of the Teifv. and under the roof of his old home, which is still kept by his mother. There are verv pad ca«es in Llanfihangel- ar-Arth and Conwil Elfed. At Blaen- win 11 an William Jones, whose family live there, but who himself is in the Rhondda Vallev was an investor. These are the particu- lars of the investments obtained from the motherHouse and Land. B160 Lands Allot- ment jBZO: Building Securieties. £ 60, making a total of 2480 6s. The mother, who was interviewed, said:—"It is strange that the Building Securities wanted JBX2 more from him; for what I know not. However, Wil- liam has no money now, and he cannot pay any more. The little farm (enough to keep three cows) is my own. and they cannot have that." It seems that William Jones was so cut up when he realised that his life's savings were gone that he could neither eat nor sleep. He used to get up at three a.m. and toil on the farm until midnight. His mother and sister were very anxious about him. Three fields below Blaemllian lies Croes- meen, the residence of Evan and Hannah Jacob, the parents of the Welsh fasting girl. Their niece has lost £ 1.800 in the Liberator group, and her mother was within an ace of losing jBl.500 more, for she intended selling all her property and foods for the sum offered her. viz.. 21,500, and deposit the monev in the Liberator, but before she find completed the sale the crash came, for which she felt thankful. The niece is a widow and has five children, and is now maintained by her mother. A pitiful case comes from Conwil Elfed, a loss of £ 3.000 being sustained. The loss so effected the head of the family, for whom the investments were made, that bl6 lived but a short time after the severe blow, having died, as the neighbours say. from a broken heart. It is a blessing that an agent of the societies was not located in Llandyssul. for in that case doulrt the losses would have been more numerous and severe. HAVERFORDWEST AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. £ 38.000 LOST IN ST. DAVID'S PARISH. The task of investigating the extent of the injury in and around Haverfordwest is rendered sernewhat difficult by the diffidence some of the victims display in divulging any information respecting their losses. This is easily to be understood when it is remembered that many of the sufferers have been so cast down by the suddenness of the financial catastrophe in which they lost their all that any reference to the subject touches a very sore point. Haverford- west and the immediate neighbourhood, when compared with some other parts of the county, have been little affected. The places where the losses are heaviest and the sufferers most numerous are in Western and North-western Pembrokeshire. St. David's, Whitchurch. Trevine Mathrv, Brawdv, and Fishguard people have suffered severely. Indeed, in St. David'e parish alone, it is stated that the sum of the losses has been estimated at no less than £ 38.000. It will, therefore, be seen, from what we have just stated, that the Welsh-speak- ing districts have been victimised to a far greater extent than t.he English-speaking por- tion of the county. The depositors in the oc/untry are well-to-do farmers, workmen, and thrifty labouring folk. The agents were all Nonconformists and Liberationism who worked for the societies they represented, only in one groove. It is a remark&ble fact- that few Church people, if any, have been led into the unfor- I tunate affair. The agents are said to have ob- tained a large commission for any business pro- cured by them. Some of the Liberator repre- sentatives were especially active. As sooa as information would reach them of any person having money to invest they would not leave a stone unturned to got it placed out- with one of the Balfour group of companies. Some of these agents are, however, bitfen themselves, one severely, to the extent of £ 1,800. This fact piewe-3 beyond a doubt that those people must have been misled themselves. No ono, can possibly suggest that any of them knew the real state of affairs. The Rev. J. Johns, formerly minister at Sardis Baptist Chapel, Buston, near Haver- fordwest. is reported to have lost heavily When leaving Sardis lie is stated to have averred that lie left the chapel a poorer man than when he came to it. Mr. David Charles, of Treffgarne Owen, in Brawdy parish. a man of nearly 70 years of age, has been deprived of about B100. which he was induced to deposit about a twelvemonth before the crash came. Mr. Charles had been a butcher, farrier, shopkeeper, and even tried village schoolmastering in his time. and the money so put away by him is said to have been the result of the savings of a lifetime of hard work. He has been appointed assistant-over- seer in consideration of the irreparable loss lie has sustained. The small income derivable from this post is said to be all he has to de- pend upon. The Rev. John Thomas, of Treffgarne Villa, in the same parish as the previous case, a Con- gregational minister, also had a small sum in- vested. A FARMER'S DISCLOSURES. Another gentleman in the neighbourhood of St. David's, a very large farmer, when inter- viewed by our representative said, in answer to the question as to whether he, too, had sus- tained a loss "Yes, unfortunately. I have sustained a loss of over £ 500 altogether. Most people know it. and I have no objection to its being pub- lisheel. It was a tremendous robbery, and the only and sorry consolation I have—if you can call it a eonsolatÍon-is that there are thou- sands who have suffered in the same way. A cousin of my wife persuaded us to invest in the societies. It was she said, better than buying land. I remember asking continually at the time whether it was safe. My wife ultimately persuaded me to buy a few shares in the Build- ing Securities Society; this was when a relative of mine died at St. Clears. I cannot say exactly when it happened; perhaps it was fifteen or sixteen years ago. I have three shares in the Liberator Building Society, and all the rest of the money I placed on deposit in the House and Lands Investment Trust. From the House and Lands Invest- ment Trust I got 6 per cent., and for a couple of years before the collapse I was paid 7 per cent. from the Building Securities Society. The interest was always paid regularly every half-year. My wife frequently remarked when I spoke about the safety of the prin- cipal, 'Look how punctual they are in send- ing the interest. And there is no bother and no expense attached to it, either.' We were fairly captivated by the punctuality of these payments. They always arrived on the very day I expected them. I suppose the depositors will first be paid, whatever may ultimately be realised out of the properties. There is, I understand, a block of buildings to be completed. Will anything come out of it yet, I wonder ? The loss will affect my children most. One of my sons left for Canada about six weeks ago. He wanted to see the world, and had a desire to settle in Canada on a farm. He has left his home and country at 22 years of age." OTHER PEMBROKESHIRE CASES. A schoolmaster in Haverfordwest is said to have lost about £ 200, and a widowed lady living in the same town is the poorer by about JB300. and other sases have been mentioned to us in the same place, but certain circum- stances do not admit of our closely investi- gating them. At Solva Captain William Thomas has been relieved, it is said, of about B200. Mr. David Thomas, of the same place, is another victim. and so is Captain Williams, of the Shop, who is supposed to have lost about JB700. Mr. Henry James, blacksmith, Solva, and the Rev. Garibaldi Thomas, Non- conformist minister, Carvoriog, are sufferers to some extent. An old man in Mathry parish, who is now working on the roads, has lost £ 200 which was left to him by some relatives, and which the local agent ineluoed him to put away in the Liberator Societv, which his adviser said was as "safe as the Bank of England"! A gentleman residing in St. David's parish is sa.id to be interested to the enormous extent of £ 3.000. and a captain is reported to have invested as much as ;6700 in May, 1892. This money was some of his savings while at sea. In August, 1892, the London and General Bank suspended payment, and this gentleman's money was gone. Mr. J. M. Williams, solicitor, St. Darid's, is said to have withdrawn his money from the funds some years before the crash came. A Non- con form isti minister in Haverfordwest also withdrew the amount of his investment, upon the advice of a friend, before the end. The Rev. T. Foulkes, Congregational minister, St. David's, now at Aberavon, first worked up a connection for the Liberator in the cathedral city of St. David's, and considerable sums of money were sent from tfliat place and Trevine, through Mr. Foulkes. Cantain Williams acted after Mr. Foulkes left St. David's, and after and since Mr. Williams's death, his widow, who married again, and is now Mrs. Griffiths, became the agent. Through the energetic work of this lady a large amount of business was obtained. Many a poor individual in St. David's has lost his or her all. It is even stated that some of the victims have been forced to seek parish relief. Many working men have lost the hardly-earned scrapings of a lifetime, and which thev had hoped would have main- tained them when age and infirmity made them unfit to work for their living. Die Rev. Lewis Williams, Independent minister at Tierscross, near Haverfordwest, is a loser of E220. This, along with another monetary loss sustained about the same time, has seriouslv affected the education of some of the members of his family." DISTRESSING CASES FROM NEWPOM (PEM.). Taking into consideration its/size and position probably no place has suffered more by the Liberator crash than the pretty little watering- place of Newport (Pem.). The sufferers include almost all classes of the community, from ser. vant girls to others in good jwsitions, and in many cases present features of great hardship. There seemed to have been a clean sweep made by the agents, and wherever it was known a few pounds were saved the society was trotted forward as a means of investment, and as a rule so successfully that oftentimes a family on the mountain side joined their little savings to purchase a share, or two shares, as the case might be. That the great agents were duped themselves is beyond doubt, for they in- vested largely themselves, one (with his wife and sister) to the extent of £ 290, and another to the tune of JE90. They firmly believed in the bona fides of the undertaking, and con- sidered that they were doing a good turn to their neughlxmrs by advising them to invest in it. It appears the society was first introduced to the neighbourhood by Captain Thomas, a retired searcaptain (since deceased), a native of Newport (Pem.), but who then re- sided in London, and afterwards at Cardiff. He was looked upon as the accredited agent of the Liberator for South Wales. He came down occasionally to visit his native town, and in doing so mixed business with pleasure by ad- vocating the claims of the society. The first local agent, however, was Mr. Roch. coal merchant. A for- joined during the early days, but the affair did not take on freely until about seven years or so ago. when Mr. Rocli was joined in the agency by Mr. Thomas Jenkins, who, with his wife and sister, invested B290, and also threw his whole energy into obtaining in- vestors, and investors rapidly increased. The great baits were the high rate of interest paid- from 5 per cent.—and the bonuses, the two com- bined sometimes bringing in interest amounting to 8 per cent. per annum. A question put as to whether pressure was brought to bear to induce people to join was answered in the negative. Our correspondent had conside- rable difficulty in securing details of the losses suffered, the well-to-do who had in- vested in the society being especially reticent. Se.me referred to their misfortunes with stoical indifference, whil3 our correspondent came across many eases of actual want attributable to the smash. Amongst the best-known casea may he mentioned the following, as showing the positions of th" victims :-A well-known doctor lost MOO. A carpei.: r lost to the extent of B210. Mr. Morgan, chemist, took ono share, value £ 30; he thought it would be iou well invested, but now he made it a Present to them, and troubled no more about it. IVass Rees, a ser- vant girl, now residing on .Newport Mountain, had lost' all; s!10 i8 "ovv almost bedridden through rheumatism, and has to be looked after by a sister, who gave up a good situation to do so. David Williams, an old sailor,, invested JB60 and lost it all. and is now very badly off, eking out a scanty existenoe. Mrs. James, a widow, held two shares ( £ 60). She recently lost a son, and has another at home laid up with concvniption. The money she lost, we nnder- atn-nd, was virtually all she had. Two little trirls, the orphan children of a Mrs. Richards, yvhci died ,of cancer six months ago, and who invested 660, appears to have been the only ones In the district w'ho have benefited here by the relief fuud, and that only to a very small extent. There is a movement on foot to get the children, into orphan homes. Ann Evans. Perrog, with her sister and daughter-in-law. Ann and Jane Evans, possessed three shares (J390), the total savings of a lifetime Ann Evans is 75 years of aire and blind. She is looked after by her dsu'ghter-in-law, and their sole income is from letting lodgings during the season, which only lasts two months in the year. Daniel and Ben- jamin Mathias, carpenters, lost j360 each. Martha Evans. Goat-street, a poor widow, 70 years of age, lost JESO. Ann Davies, servant at Spring-gardens, had £ 10 invested, and the servant girls of Mr. Rees, Spring Hill, deposited the whole of their savings and lost them all. In the case of a captain there was on it-"