The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-03-07 00:00:00

EMBIKALIIIILNI" AT WISTMOUTII.

Thomas Shaphy Wu indietod f ombeszliug various
sums of money when in the arvio of Ur. Thomas
Homer, °era and seed merchant, at Woym ,uth.
Ho pleaded guilty to embezzling £2 ti,. 61., and
it was stated that the total was *blot MO.

Mr. Collins instruoted by Mr. It N. Howarl prose-
cuted, Mr. Mortimor defended.
Mr. Mortimer, in asking theJapige to deal leniently
with the prisoner, said that at on time Shipley was
• farmer near Exeter, and occupied a farm which his
father occupied before him, but ho left that and to ik
the Talbot lon, lie was unsuooessful there, and had
to earns to Yeovil, He couli produce testimonials
which showed that he bore the higheit character
doling the whole of that time, an] he had also ra test,
monist from • gintlemao, who hit employe I
him in • rosponsible position, aid who had
written expressing his satisfaotion with all that
the prisoner had done for him up to that time. Ills
lordship would be convinced from this testimonial that
this was a first offmoe. Proseentor is acorn awl seed
merohaut at Yeovil, and prisoner was oinployod by him
at Weymouth, and among other things he hat to
reoeive money. Ile (Mr. )lortimer) would augge.t to
his lordship that there are more ways than one in
which the offense of embersiemoot arises. The prisoner
had occasionally to advance money himself to pay for
labour, although it was against the instructions of his
• nployer. Tho offenco was one not orisinally intended
by the prisoner, but which arose rom the oonfusion of
accounts. ,The prisoner is chirged with having stolen
an amonct of about £2J. He had had occasionally to
pay for employing extra labour to unload goods.
He believed it was not • very large sum; but it pro.
dead a complication of accounts. It TIM easy to see
that the camas WU not like that of deliborately takiog
money out of the till, but arose from the confusion
Into which his affairs had been brought by the coin.
plioation introduced bi his paying money on behalf of
his employer. He (11r. Mortimer) did not at all
exonerate the prisoner on thisaociount ; but he thought
it showed that the offence was • difformt form or crime
from one outatemplated from the outset. Ills Lordship
know that very serious crime had arisen from very
slight causes in the confusion of aceouuts. With
reference to the testimonials, there was one from Mr.
Cache, of Exeter, and smother which was not applied
for by prisoner, but had been got up by a gentleman
who had known him for sometime, and who hal been
at the trouble of himself procuring a natub,r of
signaturts of tradespeoplo and others living at
Ileavitree.

Ur. loollma said he agreed with his friend that up
to the time prisoner engaged with Mr. Homer, there
had bean no defalcations. If he bed not hail a good
character, prisoner would not have obtained the situa-
tion as manager to suoh a budowis as Kr. licinsea.
But ha coon not agree that the defalcations arose
Irons money paid out by the primmer. It was the
prisoner's duty to charge thole amounts regularly to
Ur. Romer, and he would be reimbursed for them.
But certain bills were also given him to collo° and he
seamed to have taloa the money, and not solcuntosd to
the proswator.