This story appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post on November 9th 1923.
Families Heartless Crime.
At Carmarthen Assizes, yesterday, six residents of the Glamorgan colliery town of Nantymoel were sentenced for conspiracy to defraud three villagers of Cardiganshire. The prosecution unfolded an amazing story of countryside credulity.
Counsel said the accused journeyed to the village of Tremain, in Cardiganshire, nearly 100 miles from Nantymoel. They told a wonderful story to the villagers of great wealth accruing under a will, but they wanted money to defray legal expenses. On the strength of this story, they secured a loan of nearly £300, not a penny of which had been repaid. The victims were Mrs Margaret Davies & her daughter & son.
The prisoners were Daniel Morris, collier; Maria Morris, his wife; James Lewis Morris, collier; Benjamin Morris, colliery repairer; Daniel Thomas Rees, motor driver; & Catherine Phillips, married woman. The last named had pled guilty.
The Judge said he had not, in the course of a very long experience, had to deal with a case of practically a whole family being found guilty of a serious crime. He characterised the prisoners' conduct as ¨a piece of thieving as vulgar as it is possible to imagine.¨ One doubt he had in his mind was whether the Davies family who were the victims, could really have been induced to part with their money by such ridiculous representations as were made to them. Not only did the prisoners live practically free of expense for about two months on Mrs Davies, but also stripped her & her family of practically all the money they had.
Sentences were passed as follows: Daniel Morris & Benjamin Morris, 12 months; Daniel Thomas Rees, three months; Maria Morris & Catherine Phillips, 12 months.
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