Evening Express

TEMPICR*TDBE. RAINFALL. Max. Mill jMea».|9 a.m.|9 p.m. Total f Friday 2l! 52 46 {49 0 -03 *03 "06 Saturday 22 52 48 50*0 "00 *00 "00 i Sundar |23i 50 42 46* "00 "00 '00 Monday !24| 47 42 1445 *00 -00 -00 Tuesday i25! 46 44 45"0 00 "00 "00 Wednesday.;26| 46 42 44*0 '00 "00 00 Thursday.271 | I 1 *00

Telephone: National. 502; Post-office, 95. Telegrams: "Express." Cardiff.

THE MAYOR, Take him in all, you have a very useful man. Alderman Joseph Ramsdale has created more stir in a short time and shown greater personal activity in the discharge of his duties than many a chief magistrate we can recall. Knocked up during the first few weeks of his mayoralty by a painful illness, he started at a dis- advantage, but has quickly made up for time involuntarily lost—and more than made up for it. The mayor has thrown himself so ener- getically into every movement initiated in the council chamber that these works seem to be more closely associated with the mayor than with the council. However much we may de- plore the mayor's partiality at the town's meet- ing over the Town-hall site, we cannot but admire the genius he exhibited for engineering a public gathering, and the ardent fashion of his support to the council. Alderman Ramsdale throws his heart and soul into his mayoral work, and, though he may be identified with some un- popular measures, he bids fair to be one of the most popular mayors Cardiff has ever known. He has gone a long way towards that happy honour already, and the first quarter of his office has not quite passed. His cheery voice was heard to great effect at last night's Llandaff meeting—aaother excellent specimen of the heartiness which he throws into his work. The duet with Mr. Shirley was a great example of his worship's happy faculty. Here is a bar or two of the music — Mr. Shirley: What possible benefit can Ely derive from being associated with the great borough of Cardiff ? "The Mayor: Many great facilities. Take the electric trams- "Mr. tsliirley: We don't want 'em. (Laughter.) "Mr. Mayor: It does not lollow that. because you keep up a large establishment, and have ever so many horses, that the working men of Ely will Lot be benefited by electric trams. (Ap- plause.) We can't all maintain studs, and we want to cater for all classes. (Applause.) I tell you, you can't lose anything, but you can gain a lot." We can't admire the mayor's advocacy of the Cathays Park scheme, and we believe, and hope to prove before the poll, that he has nnd.) a great mistake in that matter as a business man and ratepayers' representative, but as a mayor and man he sometimes takes our breath away, and compels respect if only for his man- liness. The duet with Mr. Shirley ought to go a very long way towards educating the district ratepayers in the question of the boundary ex- tension. It will be observed that large property owners in the district are against the Bill, and no better specimen of their one- sided reasoning than that exposed last night by the mayor could be wished for as an eye-opener. Property-owners, possessing every advantage which money can procure, would naturally see very little advantage in the boun- dary extension scheme. The scheme is designed to confer boons principally upon the. classes which possess no great property qualification. Its favours will be principally enjoyed by the working man. The improved lighting, the elec- tric trams, the sanitation scheme, more nearly aftect the life of the working classes than the landowners, who can drive in and out of town in carriages, whether the roads be lit or not. The advan- tages. Cardiff contends, will be purchased at a rate described at the bargain counter as "dirt cheap." If the property-owners do not need them, that has nothing to do with the rank and file of the electorate, and in no way has this reasoning been more happily illustrated in few words than in the very significant passage of arms between the mayor and Mr. Shirley. One little point last night told against the mayor. This is an educational process; you must form your own judgment!" he remarked, alluding to the boundary scheme, of course. That is all well and good. but it prompted the natural question, Why do you not extend the educational process to the other great corpora- tion scheme—the Cathays Park purchase I-1'' When that clause came before the Cardiff rate- payers no educational process was hinted at, or even allowed. Argument was howled down, and the corporation are evidently trying to ram their scheme down the throat of the unoffending ralepayer. The mayor preserves a discreet silence over the municipal buildings site, and the whole question will be allowed to go to the poll practically unreasoned if the policy of cor- poration silence (which suits them best in this matter) be allowed.

POWDER AND SHOT. Stone's Justices' Manual en aspic was a dish at last night's legal bankewet. < The Rev. Bailiie is going to the Holy Land. Wo are pleased to hear it. Seems so reasonable, somehow. We have mentioned it before some- where. Cardiff solicitors wooed the gods and joddesaes yesterday, and had high jinks. The afternoon was spent in solemn conclave with Minerva: at eventide they called in Bacchus, and in the wee sma' hours tripped it lightsomely with Venus and with Terpsichore. < That new coon song, "Shine on," which we mentioned yesterday, came off at the Grand last night. Miss Grahame fang it very effec- tively. The melody is quaint and dreamy and tender. It is a composition that should become popular. New song-hunters can hear it sung by "Aladdin" to-night and to-morrow, and judge of the, effect. Bill Banter is getting up a Calathumpian deputation from the Lovng Ghost to visit Llan- iaff. The deputation will urge on Llandaff resi- ients the necessity of entering the Cardiff County Council for the sake of improving the sone and general mental condition of that pliocene body. < We cannot help thinking of the rumoured de- parture of the Rev. Bailiie to the Holy Land. We must repeat the news. The rev. gentleman will be remembered as the one who scotted the stage the other day. iss Florence Jones, a young lady. but an old police-court pigeon, was very penitent wlicm brought before the bench this morning. She shaded her eyes and wept, whilst a scalding tear dropped from the eye of the bench and rolled xway towards the prisoner's dock. The end et it was that, Florence consented to an experiment —she allowed the bench to send her to a home "or inebriates. She has established a record is the first inebriate from Cardiff to test the nonie cure. < The C Squadron of the Royal Gloucester- shire Yeomanry Cavalry are holding their mnnal ball as usual in Newport his year. A movement is 0:1 foot. however, through Bristol, Cardiff, and the district to form a squadron cf Cardiff and Newport. There are over twenty of the regiment in Cardiff. The great festive function vill probably be obtained for Cardiff next year. • « • • His many friends in Wales will be sorry to hear that Lord Brassey has been kicked in the forehead by his boatswain. The apparent out- rage is modified, however, by the fact that both had fallen into the water an dthe kick was only delivered, so to speak, by the submerged tenth the boatswain and net by he whole boat- swain. It is calculated hat Bob Crusoe, at the Royal, has drawn already over 30,000 spectatdrs. Those who have not handed in their checks had better do so during the next week. • • The beautiful wire-walker at the Theatre Royal has spent a great part of her life in South America, where she was almost a goddesis amongst the populace. The poet Higgins sings: — Fair Atalanta. Captured instanter Tho heart of the planter- Won in a canter. The Spanish Infanta, Swcot Atalanta-'

Affairs of a Cardiff Timber Merchant. EXTRAORDINARY ALLEGA. TIONS. • SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS, Mr. \V. S. Ogden, late a timber merchant, of Cardiff, came up for his public examination at the Cardiff Bankruptcy-court on Friday morn- ing. Mr. Ivor Vachell appeared for the debtor, and Mr. A. Ingledew appeared for the creditors. In answer to questions by the Offic;al Receiver, debtor said that he succeeded to the business of Bland and Co., and had been in business in Cardiff for over 30 years. He had put his assets down as being more than his debts, and did not admit that he was insolvent. There waj only one petitioning creditor now, the others having withdrawn. He was originally a member of the firm of Bland and Co., but quitted it under an arrangement. He had become respon- sible for the debts of Bancroft and Harris (in which he was a partner) and of Clutterbuck and Co. Those debts to the firm of Bland and Co. amounted to £8,000 or £ 9,000. Each firm had made an arrangement with its creditors, and he firm of Bland and Co. had taken over the estates through Mr. Dovey, who was appointed as the trustee. The other members of the firm suggested that he should retire from the firm in a friendly spirit, and re-join after he had settled the debts for which he had become responsible. He did so, and lodged with them as security 29,350 £1 shares, giving them power to sell up to £21,000, the balance of the proceeds to be paid over to him. He was not connected with ny other busireis. The National Provincial Bank had held some of his property, but it had been realised to cover an overdraft. But for the action of Messrs. Bland and Co. he would not have been in the court now. In answer to Mr. Ingledew, debtor sa:d that ho believed Mr. Aiken bought the house, upon which the bank had a mort- gage; he had a second mortgage on it. Messrs. John Cory and Sons had advanced JE2,000 to him on £5.000 worth of shares. He was at present a director in a lead mine, into which lie had invested £ 700. The scrip was held by the bank, as security for his share of the guarantee with reference to an overdraft, and he did not know what the prospects of the mine were. As to the shares held by Messrs. Bland and Co., they had power to sell "after giving him notice," but they had not given him the notice, although they had sold. He considered that Messrs. Bland and Co. owed him money. He had had dealings with several life assurance policies, but held none now.. He had retained the scrip of 325 shares in Messrs. Bland and Co., which he had given to his solicitors as security for costs. In the course of an examination by Mr. Vachell, debtor said that he had been in busi- ness in Cardiff for 32 years, and not long ago was worth £ 50.000. Now. through the action of Messrs. Bland and Co.. everything was gone. He was formerly in partnership with the late Mr. John Bland, whose daughter he married. On his wedding day Mr. Bland gave him the whole of the business. In 1886 he converted the business into a limited liability company. Mr. John Gunn became one of the directors, debtor was chairman of the directors, and Mr. S. A-ken was managing director. When he became responsible for the debts due to the firm on account of the two firms named, and retired, he lodged with the firm shares to the value of £ 21,000, and they afterwards pad off other people to whom he owed money, and gained possession of shares standing in his name to the extent that brought the total up to £ 29,326. They afterwards set up a claim for E8,000 or £ 9,000 against him. and he allowed judgment to go by default. He believed that the shares were sold by auction at two separate auctions, in lots of jElOO, and were really bought in by members of the firm. Mr. Morgan, a Cardiff solicitor, bought some. but they were not registered in his name. Lloyds Bank was the house which the firm banked with, and lie had ascertained that some of the shares were regis- tered in the name of one of the managers of the bank and a clerk employed at the bank. He had also found out that shares were entered in the names of members of the staff under Messrs. Bland and Co. Ten thousand were in the name of Mr. Stuckey, of the bank. A thousand of the shares in the name of the bank clerk had since been transferred to the names of some of Mr. John Gunn's children. The shares realised a.n average of 8s. 7d. each. They had been quoted at 14s. 4^d. and 14s. 6d. in the open market. Since the sale there had been two dividends— one of 5 per cent. and an interim dividend of 2g per cent. That was on the full nominal value of the shares. He was not prepared to make any offer. Mr. Ingledew Have you been told that the shares in the name of Mr. Stuckey and Mr. Cul- lum were bought by Mr. Marcus Gunn ? Debtor: No. Mr. Vachell: This is the first I have heard about it, and I am surprised that Mr. Gunn should have done such a thing. Mr. Ingledew: Don't you know that prior to this sale Mr. Marcus Gunll did not hold any shares?—Yes. In answer to further questions by Mr. Ingle- dew, debtor said that he did not know that Mr. Marqus Gunn banked at the Docks branch of Lloyds, where Messrs. Stuckey and Cullum were engaged, and that the firm of Bland and Co. banked at the town brafich. Whether they banked "up town" or "down town" was imma- terial to him; the two men named were in the employ of the bank. Don't vou know that if Messrs. Bland and Co. had not taken up those other people's securit'es you would have had a much larger number of creditors?—No, I should not. Do you know the value of the shares at the time of the sale?—No. Do you know that a large number realised 9s. 3d. and 9s. 6d. at the sale?—Yes. Some were bought of the general public?— I say they were not. Do you know that the highest bid made by the general public was 7s. 6d. ?—I do not. Do you know that Mr. James Morgan bought these others at a higher price than the general public were offering?—I know he bought them. Higher than the public were offering?—1 say that is not true. Prior to the sale, did you have any conversa- tion with the auditors?—No. Do you know that the auditors reported while you were a director that the position of the company was critical ?—No, I don't. They never did. At the time of the meeting, when you did not seek re-election, did not the auditors refuse to certify any dividend until your debt was cleared up?—I do not. Did you know that one of the firms from whom Messrs. Bland and Co. bought refused credit ?—No. And that Mr. John Gunn had to give his per- sonal security?—No. The Official Receiver: You say in your state- ment that you let judgment go by default by arrangement. WTiat do you mean ?—That they promised that they would never make me a bankrupt if I let judgment go by default. The examination then closed.

BABY FARMING. USEFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR PHILANTHROPIC WOMEN. SPECIALLY sa roFt THE EVENING EXPRESS. What can be done to eliminate the iniquitous baby-farmer from society? Parliament has already passed an Act regulating baby-fanners, but Miss Frances H. Low, whose philanthropic work and experience give her an authoritative position, suggests that a good cieal more is necessary. In the current "Fortnightly Review" she urges a "remedy for baby-farming." "Solie months ago," she writes, "upon the occasion of some peculiarly horrible baby-farm exposures. I took the opportunity of pointing out that not only were the public respons.bie fo- the existence of these institutions, but that their existence was an inevitable necessity so long as no proper asylums were provided for the reception of illegtitii-ate infants whose mothers are compelled to work for their support. I briefly proposed a scheme which would in time tend to the elimination of baby-farm establish- ments, and that. necessitating ne'ther drastic legislative changes nor complex machinery, depended for its successful execution upon the concerted action of philanthropic women, carry- ing on their work in conjunction with lying-in hospitals, parish doctors, and midwives." The suggestion was received with apathy, but since then Low has found that an identi- cai organisation is working in Berlin. Having remarked upon the helplessness of Illany girl- mothers, she suggests that a central committee of ladic<s and members ;n every town and dis- trict. whose services and knowledge and counsel would be available to the inexperienced, ignorant young mother, anxious to work for her infant and utterly at sea as to any safe refuge where it can be placed. She concludes: One need not cherish an un- duly optimistic faith to hope that a scheme, which at least promises to diminish, if .t does not wholly banisL, the evil of the baby-farm system, will commend itself to Women of means and leisure.

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The Seizure of Arms. HOW THE TRADE WITH NATIVES IS CARRIED ON. Cases of Rifles Declared to Have Been Despatched from London, Manchester, and Cardiff. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. The seizure of arms on board the Baluchistan off Muskat by a British gunboat (says the "Morn- ing Post") seems to have come as a surprise to the public. It is no surprise to those who are at all behind the scenes, and who are aware of the way arms, good and bad, are supplied by Birmingham and by Belgium to native tribes. The arms are naturally not purchased directly by the natives from the manufacturers. They are collected by a merchant, who in his turn con- signs them to someone else, who probably dis- tributes them to local dealers. Such, at any rate, used to be the method not so many years ago, when guns with deal stocks, locks of the most inferior description, and barrels which could certainly not be trusted not to burst, used to be purchasable for a few shillings to: transmission to the West Coast of Africa. The weapons have, doubtless, improved, but there is no reason to suppose that the traffic has changed its character. How, indeed, could the Arab sWe dealers of Africa obtain modern weapons and ammunition if it were not for a traffic which becomes illicit as it proceeds r How could the Afridis have obtained their Lee-Met- fords and Martini-Henris? Even the skill of Patlian thieves would not have enabled them to acquire all the weapons they possessed unless it had been supplemented by the smuggling of rifles and ammunition. The destination of the Baluchistan's cargo seems to have been as un- certain as its source. We are told that some of the weapons came from St. Petersburg—which need not be believed—and that they were in- tended for Ccunt Leontieff in Abyssinia--a destination merely a little less heinous than the Persian Gulf. But this is a minor matter. The importance of the occurrence is that it calls attention to the illicit traffic in arms of precision, and shows how necessary it is that that traffic should be stopped. It should be impossible for private greed to enable savage or barbarous races to acquire the means of assailing civilisation. It is said that, for the past three years, there has been <11 extensive trade in arms and ammuni- tion despgtched from Birmingham to the Per- sian Gulf, and that one manufacturer alone has supplied each week a hundred rifles and a ton of cartridges to one merchant who sent them to that part of the world. The cases have been despatched alternately from London, Manches- ter, and Cardiff, and the firm in question esti- mates that it has supplied over 10.000 rifles. Doubtless many of these have found their way into the hands of the. Indian Frontier tribes, and have' been used against us: and in any event it is quite time that we adopted stringent measures to put an end to a traffic so nefarious and so opposed to civilisation.

LOANS AND llISSES. A BAYSWATEB GIF.L AND HER NEIDY LOVER. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. The story of an alleged breach of promise was told at Westminster Police-court on Thurs- day, when Harry N:cliolson, 29. clerk, of Wood-street. Westminster, was placed in the dock (before Mr. Sheil) charged with obtaining money by false pretences from Sophia Hitclien, a young woman in service at Queen's-road, Bays- water. Prosecutrix has been keeping company with the prisoner, and said that lie had promised to marry her next month. At Christmastime ha was discharged from his employment, and com- menced to obtain sums of 10s. and a sovereign from the girl by representing, so she alleged, that he was going to obtain furniture for their hom,? Various letters were put in evidence showing that some of the money was unconditionally lent, the prisoner having begged loans and subscribed himself with many crosses to repre- sent kisses. Mr. Sheil thought' there was not evidence suf- ficient to suslain a criminal charge, and dis- charged the accused.

BOUNTY MUTINEERS. LATTER-DAY STOIRY OF PIT- CAIRN ISLAND. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. In pursuance of a suggestion made to the Admiralty in 1879 by Admiral de Horsey, the iinnuil visit of a British ship of war to Pitcairn Island was made in November last by the Comus. which took out a. vast number of presents—a sewing-maniline, a box of books, a picture of the Queen, &c.—supplied in pursuance of the admiral's report that "if the munificent people of England were only aware cf the wants of this most deserving little colony, they would not long go unsupplird." As the "munificent people of England" have no desire to visit the sins of the mutineers of the Bounty upon their children and grandchildren, year by year a ship -is detached from the Pacific fleet to go upon what has hitherto been considered an errand of mercy. s An officer of the Comus, however, writes home saying that his visit quite disillusionised him. He details the circumstances of the visit in the fol- lowing words "We had scarcely anchored be- fore a boat came off, bringing the 'chief magis- trate' (who also holds the onerous posts of pastor and schoolmaster), and about a dozen men, most of them of good height and physique, and varying from very swarthy and dark faces to quite fair. They had not been on board more than half an hour, when they commenced—as we had been told they would— begging for any and everylhing-soal), flannel, serge, medicine, &e.: in fact, anything they could think of. They informed us that a voung gentteman on the island, rejoicing in the pecu- liarly inappropriate name of Christian, had three riiontlis previously broken tho even tenor of life ill Pitcairn by taking his young lady oub on the clift's and beating her to death. He nad been in prison since committing the act, and they seemed anxious to know what to do with him as the relatives of the unfortunate girl had vowed vengeance, while the relatives of the murderer had sworn to protect him. Un- fortunately, there was no evidence beyond the man's own confession and the disappearance of the young lady, so we were unable on such scanty grounds to take him away. "A large party 0f us went ashore in the one boat the island boasts of, and were not enchanted with the scenery. The inhabitants squat at the doors of their wooden shanties, and re ugly and uninteresting to a degree. Thousands of fowls were running about, and the few natw?s who were showing any signs of life were busy w in catching rrosters to send off to us, together with bananas, potatoes, yams, and rotten eggs. What struck us particularly about the islanders was that not one of them asked a single question about the outside world, or be- trayed the slightost interest in its going 0'1, th High several have been in England und the United States; nor did they express any thanks for our gifts or the presents we had brought from various misguided philanthropists in Hono- lulu. and England, and the United States. In f..ci, we were all disappointed in the extreme with these people, and were more so a few day;; afterwards when we got to sea and discovered the quality of some of the provisions we had purchased, particularly the eggs, which might have been relics of the Bounty."

STRUGGLE WITH A MADMAN BRITISH RESIDENT'S MIRACULOUS ESCAPE IN THE RIVIERA. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. The "Daily Mail" correspondent at Nice says: —A tragic incident, which has caused a sensa- tion in the Riviera, and which easily might have resulted in a double tragedy, happened on Thursday at Cagnes, between Cannes and Nice. While Mr. Edward Bourne Shaw, an English visitor, was waiting on the railway platform, an eccentric Italian, named Antonio Giglio, without warning, rushed on Mr. Shaw and forced him in front of an advancing train. A terrible struggle took place, and both men rolled between the rails. By a superhuman effort Mr. Shaw got free, but the Italian was run over and died in an hour afterwards. The Italian is believed to have been insane. Mr. Shaw, whose escape was almost miracu- lous, is a regular winter resident at Cagnes, and passes the summer at Dieppe. He is a bachelor, 40 years old, an ex-Cambrielgemaii. well known in Brighton, and is the founder of Smith's Bank at Monaco, and an enthusiastic cyclist and auto- mobilist to boot. His aged mother also resides at Cannes.

AX OUTSPOKEN M.P. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. Mr. Munro-Ferguson, M.P. is the latest victim of the ant-Sunday goif crusade. At a meeting at Musselburgh recently, this port entous question was put to him "Do you still believe in Sunday golf?" "Weil," said the M.P. with daring hardihood, "I should play Sunday golf whenever I choose to." Whereat the quest-oner irately declared, "Well, if you come again to stand you will be kicked out of Musselburgh."

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St. Neot's Poison Mystery ALLEGED MURDER OF A WIDOW BY HER COUSIN, The History of a Tragedy Which Is Exciting a Quiet Little Hunt- ingdonshire Village. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. It was a strange coincidence that while Jabez Balfour was being examined OIl Thursday in the London Bankruptcy Court, the murder, if murder it was, of Mrs. Annie Holmes was being investigated in the police-court of the quiet little town of St. Neot's, in Huntingdonshire. It is a long way from London to St. Iýot's, and a long way from Balfour's bankruptcy to Mrs. Holmes's poisoning. But in each case tl:3 connection is direct. For poor widow Holmes was one of the obscure victims of the Liberator frauds, and it may be that if Jabez Balfour's wreck had not involved her financial ruin her life would have gone smoothly and honourably without tempta- tion or mischance. Her husband, Mr. Robert Holmes, who was a farmer and corn merchant, died fourteen years ago, leaving her, it is said, fairly comfort- ably provided for. She had two babies in arms—one of them, now a big-eyed girl of four- teen in black with a mass of chestnut nair round her quiet white face, was a pathetic figure in court 011 Thursday. -But the poor woman was young, 110 more than 24, she liad means, aad as is shown by recent photographs, taken when approaching middle age and years of poverty had placed their marks upon lier face, she had all the advantage of good looks. A young widow with good looks and all income has a fairly good prospect of a happy married life, and Mrs. Holmes might have married comfort- ably. But the Liberator had spread out its tentacles into the quiet little Nonconformist circles of the Midlands. All that her husband had left her was clutched by the Liberator, and when the Liberator collapsed, and Jabez Balfour in flying the country committed the act of bank- ruptcy which procured him on Thursday a day's holiday from prison, the young widow's means were gone, and with them her prospects of hap- piness. To a penniless widow with two growing chil- dren a second marriage does not often come, and Mrs. Holmes did not marry again. A year ago, however-th;,rteen years after her husband's death—she had another baby—a boy. And this little baby was lying by her side in bed ori-tile night of Friday, the seventh of the present month, when she was suddenly seized withthefea-fulwrithings and spasms and con- vulsions which are the unmistakable symptoms of strychnine-poisoning. She died, after an hour or so of awful agony. In the little police-court of St. Neot's 011 Thursday a young farmer, named Walter Horsford, of Spaldwick, near by, was placed in the dock to answer the charge of having murdered her. He is her own cousin. Her maiden name was Mash, and it is said locally that the Mashes and the Horsfords always marry one another, so that every Mash is a cousin to every Horsford. Walter Horsford, the prisoner, is a tall, stal- wart young fellow with a hard, strong face. He looked ghastly as he took his place in the dock. His blue eyes were staring wide open with ex- citement, showing deep circles of blood-shot white. His forehead was bloodlessly pale, but below the light red of his slight moustache the face darkened and the heavy jaws and chin showed a deep red. His long, muscular fingers clutched at the ironwork of the dock as. his m- tellectual-looking solicitor. Mr. Spencer, having obtained the necessary permission from the magistrates, he sank upon his uneasy seat. Then Mr. J. P. Maule, the prosecuting solicitor on behalf of the Treasury, narrated to the magistrates the circumstances which had led to the appearance of the prisoner in the (jinck. While the dead woman was writhing in agony she had said that she had taken a powder. After her death, and while her body was lying on the bed, two women neighbours found hidden between the mattresses a packet of letters, a small paper full of white powder, and another paper which contained powder. One of the letters was an unfinished one, in the handwriting of the dead widow, which suggested that she imagined that another embarrassment was likdy to be shortly added to the troubles of her widowhood. Another letter was frcm Walter Horsford. It bore no date, and was as follows: — "Spaldwick. Dear Annie,—Will come over on Friday to see if 1 can come to an arrangement of some sort or other. But you remember that I paid you for what I did. I gave you lielf-a-crown, so if I thought well not to give you anything you could not get it: but still I don't want to talk, and to hear that it is by me, if you are really so. Don't- write any more letters as I don't want Bessie to know.—Yours truly. "W. HQKSFORD." Spaldw'ck is where Horsford's farm is. HEI has only recently taken possession of it. Bessie is the name of his wife, to whom he was oul" married some three months ago. The packet of white powder bore, in what was said to be Horsford's handwriting, the words. "One dose, tako as told." The "white powder proved, on analysis, to be strychnine. The empty papst-, which bore traces of hav?ng con- tained strychnine, bore, in what was also said to b^ the prisoner's handwriting, the directions, "Take in a little water. It is quite harmless." Post-mortem analysis showed that Mrs. Holmes had died of strychnine-poisoning. Inquiry showed that Walter Horsford had lately openly pur- chased a large quantity of strychnine and other poisons from a chemist at Thrapstone. It was further shown that lie had visited his cousin at lie,- house. Whatever the object of the adminis- tration of the stryclillinp-wlietlier -It was for th. purpose of causing death or whether with the mistaken'belief thai, it would serve another purpose-the prisoner, if he were guilty of that, was, Mr. Maule pointed out. guilty of murder. Then evidence was called as to the purchase of the poison and as to the circumstances of the death, and the proceedings were adjourned for a week. But in the meantime the police have other in- quiries to make. For the circumstances of Mrs. Holmes's death have re-called the half-forgotten circumstances of the death of another young woman, a former sweetheart of Horsford's. In the December of 1390 Fanny James, a pretty eirl of twenty, to whom Walter Horsford. at that time only nineteen or twenty, was paving atten- tion, died at Kettering in a strange and sudden manner. She, "t was afterwards proved, had reason to fear impending disgrace. One night, soon after goi"jr to bed. she was suddenly seized with awful writhings a„d convulsions, under which she sank and died after a few minutes of in- tense agony. Poison was not suspected. No analysis was apparently made, and death v:ns thought to have bepn caused bv a quantity of undigested food which was found in the stomach. But, nmv that the symptoms are re-called in the light of the suspicions arising out of the present "ls9, it is remembered that the symptoms of Fanuv James's sufferings were verv like the svmpfnm^ of strychmne-poisoning. "She com- plained of great pains, writhed in agony and had shivering fits," one witness of her denih rnr,iembers; and as she di^d she cied, "Oh, Walter, my darlin?, my darling." Her sister, with whom she was slaepinp\ gives, this descrip- tion. "She had been in bed about five minutes when her legs becran to fldg-et about fs though they ached, and in a minute or two she began to o;et worse. All at olloo slie ov-r to her ritlit side and then her legs began to shoot abo"t and her arms. I ran to the wall to Vnock for a neighbour, and when I got back to Fanny she had srine nearly black, and wis kickmsr about awfully- so th"t, th0 knob on the knocked asramst, the -all. slie shook it po. She kept savins' she would be better in a, whil". lip" eyes starred 11)) to the "eilinf" s--Icl h'1r te-fil wpf3 clenched. She seemed to have three fits. She kent. milli"? the clothes off her. and at last the neighbour had to kneel OIl her." All this, of course, may b" pure coincidence, n" even a" imperfectly recollected account of the poor girl's death. But, in any case, it is engaging the attention of the police.'

STRANGLED INFANTS. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. Some startling disclosures were made at an inquest held at Cheriton. Kent, on Thursday, '•esneetino- the death of an '"fant nbjld whose body was found in a well at Shornecliffe Cflmn. The Coroner for Ea«t Eent (Mr. P. vr". Mercer), in opening-tho inquiry, stated that this was the fifteenth child upon which he had held inquests unde^'snspiP;ous circumstances within a short period. He thought it was quite time that som" further steps ",pre taken to discoyni- the murderer of these infants, and he accord- ingly adjourned the inquest to five the police time to unravel the mystery. The body of a newlv-born ('h;ld was als" found concealed in box at A=hfovd on Thursday. The corp=e when discovered was still warni- and round the neck and mouth was lightly bound a nuantitv of linen. A post-mortem examination showed that death was due to asphvxia produced hy strangu- lation. Inquiries made show that there is no doubt that the whole of ille seventeen infants whose bodies have been found in the district have been deliberately mm'd°red, for in eaeh case death was due to strangulation.

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I Our Football Tips. .'8' GOOD NEWS FOR THE COJI. i FETING PROPHETS. Grand New Scheme Announced For the Benefit of Our Athletic Readers. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EX?HESS. We shall announce to-morrow another edition of our football competitions. In making this new departure for the remaining months of the season we show our appreciation of the hearti- ness with which our readers took the last scheme up. The great success which ha^ attended it encourages us to extend the com- petitions in a direction which should add to the interest of the contest amongst the football prophets, and afford our readers opportunities which we claim to be unique. Variety is charming." Although the constantly increasing number taking part in the present competition shows us that our readers have not grown tired of it, they will wecome something new at this stage of the phophetic season. Briefly, then, the competition which we sha'l announce in the "Evening Express" to-morrow amounts to this:- We shall narrow the number of results to be tipped to four, and thus greatly increase the prophets' chances of winning the large prize of £25. And we propose to increase this prize by adding to it the- whole amount subscribed by our readers. Each competitor will be asked to forward the nominal sum of twopence with his couporf. To the sum thus received (less the expenses of collecting and counting, &c.), we shall add P,25 for the special prize. Thus, if there be 5,000 coupons sent in the winner will receive our J325, and also something like JB25 subscribed by the competitors themselves. We are com- pelled to make a small deduction for the ex- penses we have indicated, because whilst offering a large prize for our readers' gratifi- cation we can hardly be expected to maintain special counting clerks as well. These expenses will be practically immaterial, however, so far as the amount of the prizes is concerned. SI ould no prophet succeed in placing the four teams we publish accurately, with each point correct, we shall still offer a Consolation Prize of -El, plus the amount subscribed by our readers. Tlnls, if there be 5,000 coupons submitted, the lucky winner even of the Consolation Prze will find nearly L20 added to our contribution of a guinea. Ten thousand competitors will naturally double the prizes, and so on, in rising ratio. Should there be ties, of course the money will be divided, following the usual custom of compe- titions. But we offer even more than this. for the remainder of the season. We shall continue to present out supplemental prizes, and the fifteen nearest prophets to the winner will thus parti- cipate, and take the sniallef prizes as an omen of good luck for future efforts.

Bankruptcy Courts. "f1 CARDIFF. (FRIDAY.—Before the Deputy-Registrar, Mr. Harry Cousins.) MINOR CASES. Joseph John, late a grocer of Bettws, and publican at Bettws and Bridgend, answered a few questions put to him by the Official Receiver, and his examination was closed. —David Jenkins, tailor, of Tynewydd, said that he had a lot of stock on his shelves, but could not sell it. If he had pattern canis instead of stock lie would have done better, because people thought that the stock was old stuff. He had tost money through bad trade, and also through be- coming security for a friend.—John Morgan, of Canton (for whom Mr. E. R. Payne appeared), said that he had been in business as a grocer at Cardiff, but had lost all his money, and was now a warehouse labourer.—The examination was closed in each case. ADJOURNED. The case of William Henry Matthews, grocer, etc.. of Cowbridge-road. Cardiff (for whom Mr. Lewis Morgan appeared), was adjourned on the Oflicial Receiver's application.—In the case of Robert WTaugh, of Clive-street, Cardiff, the Official Receiver applied for an adjournment. The bankruptcy was due to dealings in accom- modation bills amounting to £2,573. He had asked for particulars, which had not been sup- plied. The Deputy-Registrar adjourned the case for a, month, and made an order for the pro- duction of a proper statement. A COLLIER'S TROUBLES. John Jlees, collier, of Bryncoch, said that he had filed his petition because he was poor and his wife had gone into debt without his know- ledge. His wife had left him with eight children now, and had gone somewhere in the Rhondda. Some time ago she took an old pony to St. Mary Hit: Fair and sold it. She told him that she sold it for £ 3 and a few odd shillings, but did not give Inm the money. He had sold a piece of land at Co ty that was his wife's in the first place. His brother gave lr;'ii £10 for it. He had also pold another piece of iand at Bryncoch for Cl5. His sister drew up the papers when he sold it.—As debtor had not mentioned the land in his state- ment of affairs, the examination was adjourned in order that the statement might be amended. INTERESTED. IN A GOLD MINE." John Nicholas Dobbs, formerly of the Clifton Hotel, Cardiff, said that when he went into the house he put £5,200 into the business. He inherited the money under his father's will. and lost every penny of it. He paid a firm of accountants to keep his books, but did not know whether his accounts showed a profit. He might have been a little extravagant sometimes, and had, probably, drawn as much as E500 a year from the business.—In answer to M,r. W. B. Francis (who appeared for one of the creditors), debtor sa d that he had done some business on the Stock Exchange. He paid jSl.100 for the fixtures when he went into the hotel, but had not received anything from the tenant that suc- ceeded him, as' he was told that he could not claim anything from him.—The Official Receiver You are interested in a ?o)d mine?—Debtor: I had some shares, but sold them about two years ago.—In answer to further questions, debtor said that lie objected to several items charged against him.—The examination was closed. b °

TXTF VALE DIVIDEND. RECOMMENDED TO-DAY AT A MEETING OF DIRECTORS. II ■■ SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS.. At a special meeting of the directors of the Taff Vale Railway Company, held on Friday morning at the Taff Vale Offices, Queen-street, Card:fr. it was decided to recommend that a divi- dend of 3i per cent., equal to 8t on the old stock, be declared, leaving P,4,000 to be reserved for disputed accounts, against £3.000 in the corresponding period of 1897, carrvin? forward a balance of £2.315, ae against £1,816 in the corresponding period, to next account.

DIED WHILE ON REMAND. 8PECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. A curious family story was told at the in- quest at Holloway Prison on Thursday on Eliza- beth Brown, of Walton-on-Tliames. The deceased woman had been charged by her nephew with having stolen from his mother (who was deceased's sister) the sum of JE50. It appeared that Mrs. Brown had been sent for to nurse her sister, Mrs Gold, at Maidstone-road, Islington. The latter died, and on the follow- ing day a sum of R50 which had been in her possession was missing. Mrs. Brown was arrested, and it was while waiting in prison on remand that she died suddenly from bronchitis on Friday last.. A verdict in accordance with the medical evidence was returned.

LIBEL LAW AMENDMENT. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. The Newspaper Society and the Institute of Journalists have drawn up a memorandum on the Libel Law Amendment Bill, which is to be re-introduced this session. Its objects are, as before, to prevent the piling up of needless costs, and to place a check upon oppressive and un- justifiable actions. Upon the latter point the memorandum saysAlthough, as already stated, there remains little or no ground for comphiint as to the main principles upon which comphiint as to the main principles upon which the existing law of libel is established, excerience has proved that, whilst on the one hand the General tone of newspaper writing has within the last fqw years become more moderate and less personal, the liability to attack to which newspaper proprietors :ire exposed has steadily increased. This is inainlv- due to the fact that the profession, especially in the case of a numerous class of solicitors, has realised that libel practice is both o'entiful and lucrative. One of her Majesty's judges in 1883 remarked from the bench that 'Úhp) action" formed the most important branch of the work carried on in the courts': and recently prepared statistics show that there has. been a large increase since that time. It is well known that manv solicitors make a rule of watchins: the newstianers for ner- sorinl allusions fikelv to be productive of libel proceedings, and write to the nersons referred to offering to bring actions on their behalf." The form or the Bill is to identical with that of last session.

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County Football. THE APPROACHING MATCH AT CARDIFF. Glamorgan Can Put a Fifteen on the Field Equal to Any County in England. SPECIALLY SET FOR THE EVENING EXPRESS. The Glamorgan team to meet Gloucester. shire is to be selected at the Queen's Hotel, Cardiff, on Saturday evening. A few weeks back at Gloucester the locals managed to gain a victory over the South Wales county. It is hardly likely they will manage to do so on the piesent occasion, although the team to repre- sent the West of England county ;s a pretty warm one. On Monday week, however, the visitors will not only have to meet a red-hot lot of forwards-as strong an eight, perhaps, as the country :an produce—but they will have oppc-sed to them a rear contingent that will, with only ordinary chances, make things hum. If he is all right, I suppose Bancroft will be chef-en for custodian. At three-quarter the Cardiff four are pretty certain to go in as a whole. but the halves are somewhat uncertain. The Jameses have been selected on several occasions, ¡:, nel generally failed to turn out. It is time, therefore, that another pair should be given a chance. We shall probably have to look a long way to find a pair equal to Biggs and Elliott. Thare would be the advantage, too. of their knowing'the play of the three- quarters. Forward it will. doubtless, be a case with the committee of not knowing what to do with the talent they have at their disposal. Dai Evans, Bob Jones. Alexander, Cornish, Vigors and Johnson (Neath) are pretty certain of their places. Hopkin Davies (Swansea) played a sound game at Pontypridd, and ought to be ir.cluded. For the eighth place the choice would probably rest between Price (Ti eherbert) and one of the Cardiff pack. In any case. a very hot lot can be got together, and one about whcse ability to give Gloucester a good hiding there cugtu not to be the slightest doubt. Gloucestershire have chosen a fairly strong fifteen to do duty against Glamorganshire on the first Monday in February. As selected, the team includes five Gloucester forwards and two Gloucester -layers behind the scrum, while the position at right-wing three-quarter, which has been left open, will. I believe: be offered to W. H. Taylor. As Champaiu is as likely as not to decline a place at half-back, Cummings, of Gloucester, should figure in that position, and thus there is every probability of the actual team including eight of the citiens' team. 1 he game. I see, is to be played on the Cardiff Arms Park. Just now the county is in none too strong a financial condition, I believe, so that the big jate that is pretty sure to turn up will do much towards putting tbc-m n a sound footing. The Taff Vale, Rhymney, and London and North-Western Railways are issuing cheap tickets by all ordi- nary trains to Cardiff. The Barry Company are doing so from Pontypridd to Cardiff (G.W.R), and the Great Western are running a special from Swansea (High-street) at 8.45 a.m calling at Landore, Neath, Briton Ferry, Port Talbot. Bridgend, and LIantris-tnt. return- ing at 10.45. It is sure to be a big game, and I daresay a large crowd will be present to wit- ness it. A. H. Stephens, the ex-Gloueestershive and Gloucester city half-back, declined to play in the Swansea match owing to his having re- ceived a request from the 'Cestrians' committee to take the trouble to train regularly. Having left Gloucester in the lurch on that occasion, the citizens have since dispensed with his ser- vices, and the place has been filled by G. Hall, a promising youngpter, and brother of the Gloucester city and county forward. For the first time for some weeks Gloucester on Saturday at Llwynypia will probably be represented by a team representing nearly the full strength of the club. The only absentees, so far as I know at present, are Albert Pitt and Frank Stout. The latter is, I am informed, still suffering from carbuncles on his neck, and, in order to recruit his strength will. in all pro- bability go to Torquay for two or three weeks. The match will be the first betwefen these clubs, and there is, naturally, considerable curiosity manifested at Gloucester as to the result. The general opinion is that, notwithstanding the fact that Gloucester will have a couple of good men away, and that the form of the team has been indifferent of late, if they don't actually win, the citizens will go very near to doing so. But the 'Cestrians' visits across the border have in recent years, almost without exception, proved fatal, and in my opinion Llwynypia will follow tha general rule of Welsh clubs by defeating Gloucester, although by only a narrow margin. A judgment summons was heard against Gus Gould at Gloucester County-court on Tuesday, and during the hearing of the case. which has already been referred to. the solicitor for the plaintiffs (the Gloucester Thursday Club) stated that he understood Gould was in a good posi- tion, working for the Brothers Byrne, at Bir- mingham. A letter was produced written by Gould some weeks ago, in which lie stated that he was earning 25s. per week. Judge Ellicott, in committing Gould for fourteen days, said he thought that order would, probably, induce Gould to send the money. The return inter-club contest of six miles cross-country between the Cardiff and Newport Harriers takes place at Cardiff on Saturday. The start will be made from the Half-way Hotel, Pontcanna, at 3.15 p.m. sharp, the course lay- ing through Llandaff, Radyr, back around Fair- water, and finish at the end of the Llandaff Fields. Appended are the names of the men selected to represent Cardiff: -R. C. Brookes (captain), H. Cullum, W. Holt, W. Jenkins, S. H. Thomas, George White, J. Flummer, A. E. Owen, A. Neale, W. M. Jones, W. S. Jones, and. Mat Gray. Reserves: A. Totterdale, Sid Williams, and H. Davies. Trail layers: J. H. Davies, A. H. Webb, and S. Jenkins. It is a long time since I was privileged to witness a real good cross-country race as the one noticed above promises to be. I have not, I am afraid, taken such keen interest in the doings of the above clubs as to warrant my suggesting which side is likely to win. I have noticed the results of the previous club contests sufficiently, however, to cause me to know that form in the race tinder notice is terribly mixed up. For example, the first contest of the season was be- tween Cardiff and RoaLh. Cardiff won some- what easily. Then Newport met Cardiff, and defeated them by twenty points. On that form Roath had no earthly chance with Newport, yet what must they do but defeat the Uskslders. So, you see, "form" is in a terrible tangle. Saturday's match is sure to be a bit inte- resting all the same. Unfortunately, Cardiff are under some disadvantages. Cullum. for instance, has, owing to business engagements, been prevented from training, and so the Car- diff men practically lose the services of the best man ,n Wales. He will rur., of course, but, right cut of condition, is just as liable to finish last as anywhere. I may congratulate him. by the way, on the advent of a little stranger—a daughter-to the family circle during the week. W. S. Jones met with aa accident a short time ago tint will prevent his turning out. whilst Woods, who was second in the recent ten-mile handicap, has by some mis- chance been left cut of the team. The sur- prise packet on the Cardiff side, if one is effected, may be Holt, who I remember, received 100 jards from Brooks in a four-mile race, and, then, after the Cardiff captain had caught him. Ilolt actually ran away from him and won. I have rot seen the Newport team yet, but, I suppose Turner, last year's Welsh cross-coun- try 'jhampian, and J. D. Marsh (Salford Har- riers) will be included. They are both good men, and hound to be well up at the finish. I fancy Brocks will get home first, and he should be followed by Marsh, Holt, Turner, Cullum, and Owan. whilst, as to the actual result of the race, the Cardiff Harriers, on their own course, ought to win by about a dozen points. WELSH ATHLETE.