Blair Collection > Rhys Lewis, minister of Bethel

EHYS LEWIS. 125
z, lot of collier fellows -vras al-ways a congenial task with him,
for he believed them all to be poachers. Those knew, who
wished to know, that but three of the six prisoners before the
bench had taken any part in the attack on Mr. Strangle.
Morris Hughes, John Powell and my brother had done all they
could to prevent such folly. But then Mr. Strangle and the
two police officers swore that these three were ringleaders in
the scandalous business ; and, although neither overseer nor
constables understood a word of Welsh, they declared on oath
that Bob had instigated the attack, for, they said, they heard
him naming Mr. Strangle when the rush was made upon that
individual by the workmen. The prisoners had no one to
defend them — a fact chiefly due to my brother's obstinacy. He
would not have any one to defend him, he declared, and his
example was followed by the rest. The owner of the Hall
accepted the evidence of the officials with avidity ; and nothing
was too bad for him to believe concerning the accused.
Having heard the witnesses, he asked, as a matter of form,
whether the prisoners had any defence to make. Of course,
three of them had nothing to say, for they were clearly guilty
of the oflfence with which they were charged ; while as to Morris
Hughes and John Powell, they were not the most ready of
speech, particularly in English. After a second or two's silence.
Bob said that, speaking for himself, he was perfectly innocent of
the charge of taking part in the attack on Mr. Strangle. Not
only that, but he had done his best to defend the gentleman,
and it was this he was actually doing when he was struck by
the police officer.
"Do you expect the Bench to believe a story of that sort, after
all the evidence we have heard? " asked the owner of the Hall
with a contemptuous smile.
"I scarcely expect the Bench to believe anything I say,"
replied Bob, " for the reason that it is true. Were it of any
use, I could biing several eye-witnesses to testify to the fact."
"Several who were mixed up in the business, life yourself,-
doubtless," observed the magistrate with a sneer. '* If we
listened to you, you never did anything wrong, you never iu
your life told a lie. But we happen to know something of your
history. You are on© of those who want to make the masters