Rhondda Leader Maesteg Garw and Ogmore Telegraph

Prisoner Committed for Trial. Remarakable Evidence. The Funereal. Ail inquiry was held at Nazareth Chapel, Williamstown, on Friday last, into the circumstances attending the death of Geore Arthur Young (16), who met his death through being stabbed to the heart with a penknife by his younger brother Sidney. The district coroner, Mr. D. Rees, conducted the inquiry, and Deputy Chief-Constable Cole and Inspec- tor Hole, Tonypandy, were present on behalf of the police. Prisoner, who was present, was not legally represented. The evidence given was of a very amazing and contradictory character, the jury, in respect of the evidence of one of the witnesses, expressing their opinion that witness had been "got at." The jury returned a. verdict of Man- slaughter," and strongly recommended the prisoner to mercy on the ground of his extreme youth, and as the act was done under great provocation.

Police Court Proceedings. Hundreds of persons had foregathered early at the entrance to the Ton-Pentre Police Court on Monday morning with the hope of hearing the proceedings, but only those directly interested in the case were admitted into the Court. The case was heard in the Juvenile Court, and the magistrates sitting were Mr. T. P. Jenkins and Alderman E. H. Davies. The case for the Crown was conducted partly by Mr. W. P. Nicholas, and later in the day by Mr. G. K. Jenkins, of the same firm. Prisoner was represented by Mr. Harold Lloyd, Cardiff, and was given a seat by his advocate. All the witnesses were ordered out of Court. Mr. Nicholas said that it was his pain- ful duty, on behalf of the Crown, to prose- cute this youth-Sidney Young—who ap- peared on the capital charge of having murdered his brother under circumstances which he would relate. It appeared, said Mr. Nicholas, that prisoner and his bro- ther were in the neighbourhood of Peny- graig Road on the night of 21st April, and that deceased was larking with his brother (the prisoner), who was accom- panied by some other lads whom lie would call before the Bench. At the time they were near premises known as Palferman's shop on the main road near the Gethin Hotel, Penygraig. Prisoner and two other boys were with some girls in A gully opposite the hotel, when they seemed to take offence at some action of the deceased, with the, result that there was a disagreement, and prisoner got upon the shoulders of deceased. There was some rough and tumble play between them, and they then proceeded down a gully. Here some high words passed between prisoner and deceased, and, he regretted to say, prisoner threatened to do some- thing to deceased and made reference to a knife. The deceased said" Come out to the light and do it," and, unfortu- nately, it was done. He was not going at great length into the facts of the case they were too painf ul-but, after hear- ing the evidence, their Worships could only come to one conclusion—that prisoner deliberately did this act which resulted in the death of his poor brother. The fact of death would be proved before them, and he would submit on the evidence brought forward that it would be their duty to commit him to trial on the capital charge. There was now an Act of Parlia- ment passed which prevented the extreme penalty of the law being carried out, but that was a matter for another tribunal, and did not concern that Court. He sub- mitted that the only duty of that Court- however painful it was to them, as it was gainful to him—was to commit prisoner to take his trial on the capital charge. Charles Young, father or deceased and accused, said that the former was 16 years of age on 1st October last,-whilst prisoner was 15 years of age on 26th March last. Both boys lived at home and were on friendly terms. He identified the clothes produced as those worn by deceased on the night of the tragedy. Mr. Nicholas thereupon handed to the Bench a copy of the new Act of Parlia- ment in respect of which prisoner could not be punished with the extreme penalty of the law, adding that this was the first case under that Act.

Eye-Witness' Version. David Jones, collier-boy, Hendregwilym, Penygraig, said that he knew the two brothers, George and Sidney Young. He remembered being in Palferman's shop, Penygraig, on the night of April 21st. He had not been in work that day, and prisoner had come out at 12 o'clock. Wit- ness, prisoner, and Willie Sansome were playing with three girls. The latter went down a lane, and witness, and his two com- panions followed. Witness saw deceased following them, and asked him why he did so. He replied We are only follow- ing for fun." "Witness replied It isn't fun to follow us. They got back to the main road again, and deceased sprang upon Sansome and struck him on the head. Sansome asked prisoner to come and help him, and deceased said: Will you help him? and struck his brother (prisoner). Sidney then gave his brother a. kick, and went down the road. Deceased followed, and picking up a. stone, hit his brother in the back. Prisoner then ran into a gully, deceased again following him. Witness went down as far as the gully, and saw the brothers fighting. Witness told prisoner not to play with his brother, as he was too rough, and prisoner replied "I don't want to play with him," and addressing his brother, said: You are too rough," adding, If you won't leave me alone I will stab you with this knife." Deceased replied: Come out into the light and do it." Witness added that it was quite dark in the gully. Both bro- thers then went out to the main road, and witness saw Sidney take out a knife and hold it in his left hand against his hip. George then rushed at him to strike him, and went up against the knife. Deceased, added witness, was a much bigger boy than prisoner, and lie (witness) could not say how the knife got to his heart. I only, saw him hold the knife like this," added witness, indicating the action, but I didn't see him strike him." Witness, in reply to further questions, said that Sidney did not move from his position, although his brother fell against him with sufficient force to get the knife into his heart. Immediately after this, witness ran to prisoner, aiid asked him what he had done, and prisoner replied that his brother had run against the knife. George said, Oh," and fell back into Richard Scott's arms.

The Flight to the Coke Ovens. Me, Sidney, and Sansome then went up the road," continued witness, and a little girl—Gwladys Jones—ran up to us and told us that George was bleeding streams. We then went up as far as Rees Martin, and he told us that George was bleeding and that he had found blood on his shirt. We then went across Tynycae, Sidney leading. We went through the brook and came out of the gully about

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Another Version. Richard Vernon Scott (15), engine- driver, 8, Tynycae, said that he was with the prisoner and the other boys on the night in question. He saw the quarrel between the brothers, and noticed a knife in prisoner's hand. When they got to the main road after the, quarrel in the lane, he saw prisoner strike deceased a left-ihanded MOW in the chest with a knife. When his clothes were opened he began to faint and when Mrs. Baker came on he fainted in her arms. Deceased, added witness, did not fall against pri- soner, but the latter made a movement against his brother. Under cross-examination, witness said that it was not true that deceased caught prisoner by the neck. Prisoner had the knife when he came to the road, and he ran towards his brother and deliberately struck him. He could not say whether deceased saw the knife in prisoner's hand, and he made no attempt to defend him- self. Witness denied that there was a struggle on the road, and that the stab- bing took place at the end of the struggle. He did not hear deceased say that it was his fault and that he was as much to blame as prisoner. It was true that pri- soner was provoked a great deal, and that deceased had knocked him and Sansome about. William Sansome (13), collier-boy, also described what took place in the gully. He said that he, prisoner, and David Jones were playing with the girls and went down to a cot. Deceased followed, and when he reached the cot, he said We've got you." They then went back to Palferman's shop, and when deceased came on, witness! told him that if he followed him again he would throw a stone at him. Deceased then struck him; and prisoner jumped upon his brother's back and they commenced fighting. They went together into the gully, and when they emerged again, witness heard pri- soner say: "If you don't leave me alone I'll run this into you." Prisoner held something in his hand against his side, but he could not say what it was. Cross-examined, witness said that he did not see deceased put his arms round prisoner's neck. He saw deceased strike his brother, and it was after that he met with the accident. George (deceased), added witness, was very provocative that night, and kept on. provoking his brother after the latter had threatened to stick him." Walter Humphreys, one of deceased's companions on the night of the tragedy, said that he saw prisoner aiming a blow at deceased's chest, but could, not say what he had in his hand. Aiier being struck, he said: Leave me alone; leave me to go home." Further evidence was given by Augustus Thomas, a youthful engine-driver. Under cross-examination, witness was very reticent, and declared that although he stood within A yard and a half to the brothers, he, could not say what was the conversation that passed between them. Mr. Lloyd: Come, what were they talk- ing about?—I cannot say. Were they talking about the weather, or the next General Election or what ? (Laughter).—No answer. P.S. Thomas gave evidence as to the arrest of the prisoner near the llip-cast shaft of the Penygraig House Coal Com- pany. He charged him at T'onypandy Police Station with the wilful murder of his brother, and cautioned him. In reply he said: "I didn't have a knife, sir." Dr. Spencer Watkins said that he saw deceased at 9.25 p.m. on April 21st. He was then dead, and lying on the sofa, fully dressed, with his chest exposed. There was a small oblique wound J-inch long in the fifth rib interspace. Witness probed the wound and found it passed upwards and inwards. Witness made a post-mortem examination on the following Friday, and found that the wound ex- tended to the heart, about Hin. from the apex. In reply to Mr. Jenkins, witness said the wound could have been caused by a penknife, but not by a nail, and con- siderable violence must have been used.

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Mr. Harold Lloyd's Plea. Mr. Harold Lloyd, for the defence, said that this was, one of the most distressful cases he had had to do. Here were two boys of respectable parentage, the deceased being only 16 years of age, whilst pri- soner was just out of his schoolboy days, clad in short trousers. If this lad were committed on a charge of murder, it would add to the mental TORTURE already suffered by the father and mother. He did not think that anybody in that Court could honestly convict the prisoner of murder, and if that was so, why commit him ? There had been an everyday quarrel between the boys, and in the middle of it nrisoner lost his temper and used a small penknife, which in 99 times put of a hundred might have only resulted in a small flesh wound but unfortunately in this case the wound had proved fatal. He, would ask the Bench to be courageous enough to say that prisoner was not guilty of murder, as no jury would convict on the capital charge, and therefore he asked that prisoner should be committed on a. charge of manslaughter. Mr. Jenkins, for the prosecution, ques- tioned whether the Bench had any option but to commit prisoner on the capital charge. Mr. T. P. Jenkins: The three points we have to decide is whether it is murder, manslaughter, or anything else. Mr. Jenkins said it was the bounden duty of the Court to commit prisoner on the capital charge, and then leave him to be dealt with by another tribunal. Mr. Harold Lloyd submitted that the Bench had a perfect right to commit prisoner on a charge of manslaughter.

Manslaughter. After a few moments' consultation with his colleague (Alderman B. H. Davies), Mr. T. P. Jenkins said that the Bench could arrive at no other conclusion but that of manslaughter. Deceased appeared to have been the aggressor all along, and prisoner defended himself with a knife. In reply to the charge by the deputy magistrates' clerk (Mr. Taylor), prisoner pleaded" Not guilty." < Prisonel was thereupon committed to take his trial at the Assizes on the charge of manslaughter. Mr. Lloyd, in applying for bail, said that whatever amount the Bench would fix, the money would be found. More- over, if bail were granted, an undertaking would be given that the lad would be sent out of the district to stay with friends until the trial at the Assizes. Deputy Chief-Constable Cole said that he had no objection to bail, providing it was substantial. Prisoner was then bound over to appear at the Assizes, himself in tIO0 and two sureties of 256 each. The curate of St. Barnabas Church, Penygraig, the Rev. Parry, has die- played great interest* in the convicted boy and the family, and haa acted the part in more ways than one of the Good Samaritan. Along with Mr. Danix and Mr. Geo. Clark, the boy's father was motored up to the Court in Mr. Danix's large motor-car, and afterwards was brought home again in same manner. We also understand that the Rev. Parry and Mr. Danix, along with the boy's rela- tives, went by motor to Cardiff Prison yesterday and brought the unfortunate boy back home on Sail, pending trial at the next Assizes at Swansea. -+-

Funeral of Victim. The funeral of the unfortunate. young lad took place on Tuesday afternoon, the place of interment being Llethrddu Ceme- tery. Mr. Lemon, Trinity Chapel, Tony- pandy, officiated. Despite the stormy weather the funeral was an extraordinary large one, and was witnessed by dense crowds of people who lined the roadway to the cemetery. Members of the Sunday School where deceased attended were pre- sent in large numbers, whilst his class walked beside the coffin, with a white band on the right arm, and carrying bunches of daffodils. The scene was most impres- sive; and the silent tribute paid the young victim of an ironical fate evidenced its--If in tear-dimmed eyes. The coffin was of Canadian oak, with silver trimmings, and was covered with wreaths sent by a rela- tive. the Sunday School, and deceased's companions. The undertaking arrange- ments were in the hands of Messrs. J. Griffiths and Sons, Tonypandy.

Blaenrhondda. At the recent examination of the London College of Music, Master J. J. Oakwell, Glanyrafon House, WAS success- ful in passing the Intermediate Certificate in pianoforte playing. He is a pupil of Miss Annie Thomas, A.L.O.M.

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thirty yards lower than where the dis- turbance took place. We then crossed the Penygraig Road and the back road and across the line. We stopped by some trucks, and Sidney asked me if there was any blood on the knife. There was no blood on the knife, and prisoner asked me what was best to do with it. I said, 'I don't know,' and prisoner got up on the trucks and on to the face of the ovens. Prisoner then flung the knife into the ovens. We afterwards went up to the fields, and after staying there a few minutes we went down to the old engine- house. We were not there long before the police came and took prisoner away." Cross-examined by Mr. Lloyd, witness said that he was with prisoner the whole of the time. Deceased had Sansome on the ground, and afterwards threatened witness. There were two struggles, added witness, one in the lane and one in the main road. George, he said, had seen the knife in prisoner's hand, and continued to attack hftn. He did not hear deceased say, Sidney stabbed me, but he could not help it; I am as much to blame as he is."

The wound, he added, could not have been caused by deceased falling against & knife.