ONLY A PUN!

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 1106, 10 February 1910, Page 4

ONLY A PUN!

A BURNING PLEA IN THE CON-

SPIRACY CASE

[BY BLEOTBIO TELSGBAFH —OOPYEIQHT.]

PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION

Sydney, February 1)

In the Newcastle miners' conspiracy eases, each of the five accused made a .statement in defence.

Peter Bowling claimed that lie never said a word to encourage the men to strike, but always did his beet to keep them ivorking. As to a con.dpiracy, any action taken was entirely on nis own responsibility, -without consulting; anyoi) r >

The other four—BroniWn, Burns, Lewis, and Gray—disclaimed conspiring to bring about a strike\ and asserted that they acted innocei? .fly and on their own initiative in ca\,- r ying out their duties as the minors\ o ffr_ cials. \ .Burns, referring to certain evidence at the trial, said that when, in repuV. ing to a question, he had stated that-, he had advieed the wives and children of the steelworkers to steal bread, ho meant "steel" it. He intended it to be taken as a pun.