The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-06-06 00:00:00

TFIE ALLEGED EMBEZZLEMENT BY THE
EARL OF SHAFTESBURY'S STEWARD.

Tim Sherborne magistrates were engaged on
Tuesday and Wednesday last, in inquiring into
several charges of embezzlement preferred against
Mr. Robert Short Waters, by the Sari of Shaftes-
bury. The evidence presented no features of special
interest. Mr. Cole, at the conclusion asked the
Bench to commit the prisoner for trial conclusion,
embezzle-
ment of several sums, amounting to upwards of
£lO,OOO. On being cautioned, prisoner said : "I
am perfectly innocent of the charges; but 1 reserve
my defence by the advice of Mr. Lewis."

-Mr. Lewis said: The course taken was very
; convenient to the bench, for if he had had to go
into the accounts he should have had to detain them
two days longer. When the accounts came to be
investigated, Mr. Waters' advisers felt that he
would have nothing in the world to fear from the
accusation made against him. In tbe course of
eight or ten years during whioh these large soma of
money had passed through his hands, it would be
monstrous to suppoee that a mere omission to
account for a cheque, either by himself or through
the neglect of his clerks, was to be treated as a crime.
In that very case where £l4B 2s. 6d. was charged
&shaving being embezzled, they bad it in evidence
that Lord Shaftesbury wrote for Mr. Waters to send
it to the L account at Hoare's, and Weetcott's
letter, instructing it to be so sent, bad been read. No
doubt there had been omissions. No man in the world
with £400,000 or £500,000 passing through his
hands could he free from them. The matter had
been thoroughly investigated for Mr. Waters by an
accountant, and he had no doubt that on a full
investigation Mr. Waters would be thoroughly and
honorably acquitted.
Mr. Goodden : Of coarse we give no opinion at
all as to the guilt or innocence of the party, but we
think it a case for a jury, lead we commit the
prisoner.
The accused WAS admitted to bail, in £5,000, to
meet and answer the following charges, at the en-
suing Assizes at Dorchester :—obtaining, by false
pretence, £27 13e. 7d. from Mr. Targett, ( other
charges varied this )—embezzling £1,122 4s. Ild.
in January 1860-273 on the lit of October 1860;
£412 on the 22nd December, 1860-156 on the 16th
October, 1864—£103 13e. 6d. on the 9th May, 1864;
£l3O la. 6d. on 10th Deoember, 1856—£148 28. 6d.
on the 13th December 1860—£2,452 Si. Scl. on the
accounts of isBi—S667 16s. 3d. on the account of
1857—£671 16a. Id. on the account of 1858, and
£8,303 15e. 11d.—between 1856 and 1863. At the
commencement of the proceedings on Tuesday, Mr.
Cole referred to the fact that several private lettere
had been published in the Standard. He charac-
terized the proceedings as most unjustifiable, and
improper. The reporter of the Standard said the
letters were taken from the table, and denied that he
had any animus in using them.
24, Grosvenor-sonar., April 7, 1865.
. . .

„
Sir,—l observe in the Reciting Standard of this day
a report of the proceedings before the Sberborne magis-
trates relating to the prosecution of Mr. Robert Waters
by my father. A letter of mine dated January 24, 1864,
is there inserted at fall length, although it was not read
In spurt. and is evidently produced with Use intention
to imply that my father was in the habit of enocuraging
his sons to borrow money of Mr. Waters. I never
borrowed but one sum of £5O through Mr. Waters.
This I did without the knowledge of my father on
Yebruary 7, 1869. It was in my first year as an under-
graduate at Cambridge, when I foolishly outran my
income. Mr. Waters did not lend me his own money,
as you will see by his letter, which I enclose, but under-
took to get me £5) from another person on my note of
hand, charging me 5 per cent. On Jane 30, 1864, I
paid him his charge of £65 12s. 63., being at the rate of
nearly 6 instead of 5 per cent., and he then returned me
my note of hand. L. ASIILEY.