The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-08 00:00:00

4TIZOCIOUS OUTRAGE AT ABERDARE.

A most villanous outrage was committed near Aber-
:taro on Saturday morning, about sewn o'clock. Tht
scene of the atrocity was a small farm house occupied by
Mr. Richard Thomas Richard. At the time men-
tioned the inmates of the house were thrown into the
greatest state of excitement and alarm by an explosion
on the premises. At the east end of the house are a pantry
and dairy with the roof eloping from the house gable.
Into this dairy a small cask containing gunpowder
seems to have been put through a small window, a train
laid, and then fired. Of the results it is strange that so
little disaster has to be related. The roof of the pantry
and dairy were blown off, and the doors of both places
blown into the former; every domestic article in them,
besides an old table, was also destroyed. The door
apening from the dairy to the kitchen was forced open,
sad some shelves resting ou a dresser, with the con-
tents, were broken. Some articles of clothing hanging
an lines in the kitchen were burnt. The kitchen window
and frame were found in the garden, without pane
broken. The flooring, which was uncoiled, of the room
over the kitchen was forced from the joists, but, strange tc
say, the children that were in bed in the room escaped un-
hurt. Mr. Richard and his wife wero in bed in a little par-
'our, having a door into the kitchen. Altogether ten per-
sons were said to be in the house. The man that perpe-
U.ated the outrages is said to be a "Thomas Moore, living
st Aberaman. He was found by souse workmen not far
from the farm, with his clothes burnt off him, and his
person burnt severely from the breast almost to his feet.
No motive whatever can be assigned for the outrage.
Parris, it is stated, has made no statement, and is almost
Loo ill to be questioned. He lies in his own house in a most
precarious state. Mr. Richards is described as a quiet,
Inoffensive man, and much respected. He does not appear
to know the fellow who thus attempted to take the lives of
the whole household.

A. "RELIGIOUS " SWINDLER AT CARDIFF.

The Cambria Daily Leader gives the particulars of a
;lever swindle perpetrated by a mad called Ashton, on
several tradesmen connected with the Free Methodist
chapel at Cardiff. It appears that some months since
Ashton and his wife arrived at Cardiff, and almost imme•
iiately connected himself with the Free:Methodist Chapel in
:hat town, According to reliable authority, when he first
:ame he was rather badly off, and acknowledged to having
seen somewhat dissipated in his habits. Mrs. Ashton
obtained her living by selling nightcaps. They
both professed to be very deeply impressed with
eligion, and the husband, from his regular attendance
von the various religious services of the chapel, and his
outwardly very pious demeanour, rapidly produced so
favourable an impression upon the minister, the leading
officers of the church, and the members generally, that he
became not only an officer, but occasionally a local
preacher. During the last five months he rose
every Sunday morning at six o'clock, and conducted a
prayer meeting at the chapel from seven till eight ;
returned to partake of a hasty breakfast, attended
the school at ten, the forenoon service at eleven, dined
st one, and returned to the chapel soon after two to
join a class ; next took part in a prayer meeting at
half-past five, again attended public service at six,
prayer meeting after eight, and up to a late hour of the
Sunday was engaged in the most scrupulous way per-
forming his religious duties; Mr. Ashton actively
sharing with him a great deal of his pious" enter-
prise. A suspicion, however, arose in the mind of one of
the congregation that all was not right, in consequence of
the deaths and bequests of several relatives of the Ash tons,
ho, notwithstanding the amount of money left them,
reatinued to borrow various items from their friends.
These sums they forgot to repay. Accordingly
they were deliberately charged with swindling, but the
"infamous libel" was stoutly and indignantly denied by
the martyred " brother." A committee was appointed
to inquire into the charges, and after taking a
great deal of evidence, the committee expressed
their opinion that Mr. and Mrs. Ashton had
been guilty of obtaining money under false pretences.
This opinion, however, was not favourably received, as
far as credence was given to the witnesses—at the same
time it was thought prudent by the congregational manage-
ment that Ashton and his wife should be suspended.
Another inquiry was instituted, and being of
a more favourable character to the accused, the
second committee's opinion was accepted assatisfactory. In
order to clear his character and to blind the eyes of his
dupes, .Ashton, who had taken himself off to London,
declared that he would advance £2,500 to purchase the
building,besides adopting other ingenious stratagems to gull
his unhappy victims. His cleverness succeeded, and on his
first appearance at the chapel after his return from
London the scoundrel had the audacity to state from the
platform to the congregation at the close, " Henceforward
this place shall be used for no other purpose than the
worship of God. My arrangements are all completed,
and the hall for the future shall be known as the ' House
of God.'" So thoroughly, it appears, did the members of
the congregation now feel satisfied all was right, that a few
pounds were collected, a large morocco-bound family bible
was purchased for Ashton—which was purposed to
be presented in the name of the minister, along with an
equally handsome Wesley hymn book. On each book is
the following inscription in illuminated characters :
" Presented to Mr. W. Ashton by the Pastor, the Rev.
W. Watkiss, Committee, and congregation of the
Evangelical Methodist Tabernacle, as a token
of their admiration of his great Christian bene-
volence, and as an expression of their wish for
his future happiness.— Cardiff, November 1865."
Soon after Ashton mysteriously disappeared, without,
it may be mentioned, paying the £2,500. The amount
of money taken with them is believed to be about
£6OO, besides two or three hundred pounds in
jewellery, clothes, and other articles. The great bulk
of the cash was got from the Cardiff tradesmen
and other friends while the swindlers were in London.
Though a reward of £lO is offered by one of the sufferers,
there is little likelihood of either of the swindlers being
apprehended. The length of time that has elapsed, and the
great expense that would be entailed in a really effective
search, must forbid the hope of their capture.