The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-02 00:00:00

CHARGE OF FRAUD BY A CONFI.
DENTIAL SERVANT.

At the Guildhall police-court, in Loudon, James Pi
respectable looking luau, was charged on ',nand
bezzkinent and obtaining money by false preten,s.

It appeared from the evidence which was very
lengthy, that the prisoner had teen in the service of
Messrs. Gregory and to., of 15, Aliermanbury, ware-
housenum, for about 25 years, and now held the respon-
sible position of superintending foreman of the manu-
facturing department. It was his duty to give the
work out to the work-people, receive it when he came
home, enter it in the workpeople's books, and price it.
EVely. Friday they gave up their books to him, and it
was his business to ascertain how much each one had
earned, and carry the totals into a book called the
"workbook," winch he sent to the prosecutors, toshow
the amount of work that hail come in during the week.
On Saturday he had to obtains chise f Mill the prose-
cutors for the gross amount in the ''work book," and
ply the workers according tsn that book. Every Satur-
day morning each worker Lel her book placed upon
her table, so that she might see if it lunl been made up
correctly before she received her money.
Eliza Cumbers, one of the witnesses, said that on
several occasions during the last three months she
noticed that its. or 12s. were put down in her book
more than she done work for. On each occasion she
went to the prisoner and pointed out that he had
made a mistake, and given her credit for work that she
had not done, and he every time imule an excuse that
this worker or that winker had come without her Isuok,
and in order that she might receive her money on
Saturday lie hail put her work down in witness's Look.
He had never paid her more money than she was
justly entitled to,
On Satorday, the sth instant, Mr. Gregory, having
bean! something to arouse Id: strrivions, told the
prisoner to send the workpeiple down to the counting.
hi is' paid. Big:lmre suggested that they shotdd
be paid that day as usual, and that the propiiasl
alteration should take place on the following Satur-
day, but the proposal was not listened to. Subse-
quently the prisoner met Miss Cumbers in the ware-
house, and asked her to take whatever money WM in
her book, but she replied she would take what she had
earned, and no more.
•He aftemards met another
worker named Enima Milford, and told her there was
104. in her les& belonging anotlwr wother, and
asked her to take it and bring it to him. lihe accord-
ingly received from the clerk 15s. , aniong which was
an Australian half-sovereign with a hole in it, which
site ti k to the prisoner. When taken into cu,bsly
the half wercign was forAel ut,on -
4,!, inn newsy, two gAd watches, end ,undey other
articles.

Mr. Gregory was recalled, and stated that a fcw ,lays
after the first remand he received the following extra-
ordinary letter from the prisoner :--

Gaol of Newgate, Augwit S,

Sir, --I am anxious to confess to you every particular and
to make ample, and if necessary, double compensation, but I
bey you will wit judge me to be a defrauder to a heavy
aniount, as this. I assure you, if it were my last words, is not
the ease. Will .on, for the sake of your lorokewbearted
servant of lk", years' standing, anti also for the sake of his dear
wife, who has scarcely rec..vered from Bi% lielg 11101101S'
of an afflicted Mile!, arel I was compelled to. pay lin ltlzt.i.liiy
£5 to continue seeing her, out if a £l7 and now £l5 new
bill I would willingly give you books for Not. 55, and alsn.
another to pay any eXpeleie you may have gone to, but I
cannot, fir the sake if my poor boy and wife, be stripped
of every shilling. as well as lose my character and sitna-
thal, wldeb wouhl be also worse than unjust to take
from me them. I purchased those houses a little after I lett
Luton w ilk cash which I brought from the Luton Melte:,
bank—over £lOO, all hard earned, tont carefully put by El
and £2 at a time for a term of ten years. I only paid down
£2O each from theta, and then commenced to. pay for them
with the rents, which has nearly paid them to the present
time. I leSee it to your kind and serious considendion tO
rAieve ine from this place, tso I have spoken the truth, and
have never wasted my cash either ill !hint k and billiards,
which I do not understand, nor yet on llosbler, as it seas for
him I signed a bill not yet paid. I leave it tit your mercy.—
Yours obediently, .1. Itionolik."—P.S. We let tor four 'Agora,
and were paid ref. each per week, and received the rents to
meet the extra, which left us Ws. per wet. k in hand—fourteen
years' to pay.

_
The references in that letter of the prisoner's were to
some house putperty which he ilea
In cross-examination, Mr. Gregory sail the prisoner
Inn! stated that his deficiency was not more tlian £I4 or
#:l5, but he had found out that in one week, when their
payments were as low as £OO, their deficiency was
between L"..1 aml £lO. The deficiency in twelve months
he wax able to prove would hoover £B5O.
Three cases of fictitious entries in various books were
proved, and John Morley stated that on the 2nd of
August the prisoner told him that lie must make up in
that night or Ile would lose his situation, and asked
hint to receive 30s, from the clerk, which he had put
down in a book for him for work, and to bring it to
him. He did so, and when Mr. Gregory questioned
him on the following Tuesday he confessed it.
The prisoner was then et inmate,' for trial.