Timeline
1833? – Estimated year of birth.
1855 – 22nd November – Committed to Merythr Tydfil for robbery with violence.
1855 – 18th December – Thomas Louchlin, a single 22-year-old labourer, was tried at the Cardiff Winter Assizes and was sentenced to 4 years after having been found Guilty of Robbery with Violence.
1855 – 29th December – Extract from the Silurian, Cardiff, Merthyr, and Brecon Mercury, and South Wales General Advertiser – “David Lewis (22), Thomas Loughlan (22), Ann Williams (27), and Elizabeth Lloyd (19), were indicted for assaulting and violently robbing William Davies, at Merthyr, on the 14th of November.—Mr. Henry Allen conducted the prosecution. The prisoners were un-defended. William Davies, the prosecutor, said—On the night of the 14th November I went to Troedyrhiw upon some business, returning to Merthyr by the eight o’clock train, at night; I went to the Alfred Arms public house with a purse of foreign money in my pocket; I had not seen the landlord for some time, and we had two pints of beer together; about eleven o’clock I took some cash out the bag pay for the beer, when the money was all right; there was one ten-dollar gold piece, a twenty-dollar piece, and one Chinese coin, which was also gold; there were also about seventeen pieces besides, which were dollars; I had also sovereign and some silver in English money; there were four Chinese pieces; I had just returned from America, where I brought the money from; when I came out the Alfred Arms I went directly towards home, and as I was going up the hill, between eleven and twelve I saw a man and woman on the side of the road, and opposite them another roan and woman; I called out, “Morgan, is it you?” I was three or four yards off, when one of them, David Lewis, said, “You have made mistake” I said, “Yes, I have,” after I had looked them; Lewis and Elizabeth Lloyd then came up and said they were going my way, and asked to go along with me; Lewis went first, I went after him, and the other three prisoners followed; we had not gone far when, coming to an angle of the lane, Lewis turned out the road, and I followed him for some distance before I found we had got out of the road; Lewis said, “You know iho road best.” and we turned back; we had not gone far when Lewis laid hold of me round the waist, and kicked me; the two women then came up, and one searched each pocket; I called out as loud as I could, “Robbery;” there were some houses 120 yards off; Elizabeth Lloyd took the purse out of my pocket; I saw her put her hand and take it away; I laid hold of her, but she escaped, leaving her apron in hand; soon after the women ran away, and the men after them; I ran after them with the apron in hand, but I could not overtake them; I got home about three hours afterwards; I never saw the prisoners before.
Cross-examined prisoner Williams—l did not drink or smoke with you; never went to your house; I do not know where your house is.—The prisoner asked a great many other questions, with a view of showing that the prosecutor had been at her house for an improper purpose, but the prisoner gave direct negative to every question he was asked.
William Nicholas sworn, said— I am landlord of the Alfred Arms, Merthyr; I remember Davies coming house at nearly ten o’clock on the above night; he went away about eleven; all the beer we had together was two pints; the prosecutor was not at all drunk when he left my house; I saw a purse in the prosecutor’s possession when he was at my house.
Samuel Powell, collier, Heol-y-gerrig, said the prisoner lodged bis house; he came home on the night he was robbed about half-past two, and complained that he had been kicked most desperately; he brought home apron, two sleeves, and a piece of print; the prosecutor appeared to have been drinking some.”
John Prosser said he kept a grocer’s shop at Jackson’s bridge, Merthyr; on the 15th of November the prisoner Ann Williams came to his house and told him Loughlan, the man who lived with her, had enlisted, and she did not know what do to get him off; she had some foreign pieces of money, and asked him to advance some money on them; he asked her if they were honest, and she replied they were, and he gave her 22s. upon them; he afterwards gave the money to the police.
The other evidence consisted of the pawnbroker, Barnett, whose shop Lewis bad taken a gold ten-dollar piece; and the statements made by the prisoners the policeman.—The female prisoners said, first all, that the prosecutor stole the things from line near their house, which he said he tore from them at the time of the robbery; they did not deny that the property was theirs; the evidence against Loughlan rested entirely on his identity as spoken to the prosecutor. Lewis asked one the witnesses, in cross-examination, if he did not tell him that he had received the gold piece from Ann Williams. With this exception the only evidence against him was his being identified by the prosecutor. The prisoner Lewis set up an alibi, and called Evan Jones, William Williams, and David Howell, to speak to his character, and the more important fact that he had been at work from eight o’clock at night till three the next morning on the night of the robbery.
Mr. Allen said if the jury thought this evidence was sufficiently precise to negative the fact that the prisoner was present at the robbery, they would, acquit him. The jury retired for some time and then returned into court with a verdict guilty against all the prisoners. David Lewis and Thomas Loughlan were each sentenced to four years’ penal servitude. Ann Williams and Elizabeth Lloyd were sentenced eighteen months’ hard labour each.”
1856 – 28th February – Transferredto Millbank Prison. He is given the prisoner number 2266 and is described as being unable to read or write.
1856 – 15th March – Transferredto Pentonville Prison. He is given the prisoner number 6491 and is described as good.
1857 – 10th May – Transferredto Chatham Prison. He is given the prisoner number 1006.
1859 – 6th May – Removed from Chatham Prison and transferred to Woking Convict Invalid Prison. Prisoner Number 43.
He is described as sallow complexioned with fair hair and grey eyes, his height is 5’3 and body type is slight. He is noted as having a scar on his forehead, an anchor tattooed inside his left arm and a fish on his right arm below the elbow. He is noted as being single, a Roman Catholic and his next of kin is his father, Patrick Louchlin, a labourer living in Merthyr Tydfil.
1859 – 17th December – Released from Woking Convict Invalid Prison.