The Herald of Wales. — 1887-01-29 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

CHEQUERED CAREER. STRANGE REVELATION AT THE SWANSEA COUNTY COURT, On Wednesday afternoon at the Swansea County Court, His Honor Judge Gwilym Williams, had to listen to a long tale of a very chequered career, in which the ills of which flesh is heir to were more frequent than the jove. The ease was one in which Emily Mann, (whom our readers will remember as the we man who attempted to commit euicide on the Swansea Sands last Autumu) claimed from Mr. Jones, of the Clarence, the poesession if certain goods and chattels or as an alternative their value which had been estimated at tit). Mr. Robinson Smith, in opening the case for the plaintiff, related 80Ille curious facts about her history. Sixteen years ago the had been judicially separated from her husband, and her lot previous to that event had not been quite a rosy one. For several years she had lived in London earning her livelihood creditably. One day she received a letter from a man tamed Tucker, better known as 'Swansea Jack," whose acquaints nee she had made in London. In this letter Tucker said he had procured a situation for plaintiff, and shortly afterwards she received a telegram from him urging her to come down to Swansea at once. She came to Swansea, and here she lived as Swansea Jack's wife. When she mime down Tucker was an assistant to Mr. Abbott, hairdresser, College. street, but with the heir of plaintiff's money, he was able to set up a business on his own account. For this purpose, they took a shop in Waterloo-street, No. 37, of which the defendant was landlord. There they lived together for some time, until one Saturday Tucker's wife suddenly turned up, and a scene ensued. The result was that Tucker went away with his wife, leaving the key of the shop with the plaintiff. These circumstances seriously affected the savings of Mann, and one day she attempted to commit suicide by drowning herself, whilst bathing on the fivianees. Sande For that offence against the law she had been arrested and sent for trial to the Quarter Sessions, where she was, however, discharged on the plea of insanity. Soon after her release she warn again arrested by &detective from Landon on a charge of having stolen certain articles of jewellery before she had left the metropolis. Upon being brought before the Worship-A: set magistrates, they were at once satisfied that the wrong person had been arrested, and gave the plaintiff 25e., out of the Poor Box I to pay her fare back to Swansea. Reverting to I the case of the present action, Mr. Smith I said that his client had remained in possession of the premise. in Waterloo-street for some days after the departure of Tucker, until at last she was forcibly ejected by the defendant. For this conduet the Swansea magistrates were applied to and granted a summons for assault against Jones, but the cane was never heard, as in the interval between granting of the summons and the date of heariue. Mann made the attempt upon her life to which reference had already been made. Since then she had made several applications to the defendant for the goods and chattels belonging to her at Waterloo-street, but had always been refused. The plaintiff, who was respectably dressed gave her evidence in a very intelligent and circumstantial manner, bearing out the statement of Mr Smith. In cross-examination by Mr Frank Lewis, who appeared for Jones, she said she had lived with Tucker in London as his wife. Bor the defence it was contended that plaintiff had never been a tenant of the defendant. Tucker had rented the shop, but the bedroom, where the things were, had been sublet by:a person named Clews, who managed a place called the Waterloo Club, part of the premises, and Clew's wife was the daughter of ' the defendant. Defendant did not let the bedroom, but the manager of the club was prepared to give up the plaintiff's goods providing he had a receipt for them. If it had not been that defendant's goods were there, they could have let the room. In crossexenninatMn Mrs. Clews admitted that the room had been used since Mann had gone away. A dead body from the workhouse had been brought there and laid out. Mr. Smith, at this juneture made an application that the name of William Wilkin defendant's eon-in-law, should be added as defendant. His Honour granted the application. _  In the course of an eloquent speech Mr. Smith characterised the conduct of the defendant as being most heartless and cruel. He seemed to have determened that, although he knew the plaintiff to be penniless, to leave her without food or clothing except for the charity friends granted her. His Honour gave judgment for the plaintiff for all thy goods in the bedroom, and most of the articles in the shop, including a timepie-e, pictures, etc., to be delivered to the plaintiff by Saturday next, or, as an alternavive, that the defendant pay her the sum of LSO with costa.