The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-01-24 00:00:00

A STRANGE FREAK

At the Mansion-house, In London, on Monday, Laurence
Anderson, 35, of respectsb:e appearance, residing at Clap-
haw, wee charged before the Lord Mayor with stealing
ascurltles of the value of £5,0(0.

.
Captain William Henry Davies said he was the
managing director of the Exchange Telegraph Com-
pany, 17 and 18, Combat, London. The prisoner was
a clerk and accountant in the service of the company'
and had been so eintilpyed for 18 months or more.
Oa Monday, the 12. h of January, witness being
unwell mid linable to go to the ofb as of the com-
pany, sent a relative with the key of his desk
there to get some papers. In a drawer in the
debit two duplicate keys of the safe were kept. The
prisonei had the outer door key of the safe, but witness
alone kopt in Lis desk a duplicate key of the part of
the sale containing securities.. On Wedne,day morn-
ing, in last we, k, about half-paat eleven, witness went
to tie olliue. Toe prisoner wao not there, and wiinese'e
desk was unlocked. Afterwards a cabman came to
the dike with a boodle of securities belorging to
witne,s, and amounting to between £lO,OOO and 212' Of 0.
Those securities were gale in his desk wren he last
Yesked it en the Saturday evening. On going to the ,
safe le missed 'United Slates Rim& for the payment of '
21,000 (luls. Fund."! Loan, which wore equivalent in
value to nearly £5,000, They were in 24 bonds of
1,000 dole, each, and being payable to bearer
were transferable from hand to hand. Ile a!so
missed a onlan bag containing from £35 to £45,
partly in aold nal partly in silver, and two
crossed checio, one for i40.-s) odd and the other for
£l2 10e. The check for £4OO he afterwards found in
the waste-paned basket ; the other had not since been
Lund. W itnese cotoimitnioated with the directors, who
held a meeting on the subject, offered a reward of £350
for the prisoner's apprehension, and adopted other ,
measures for bringing him t' justice. On Saturd ey
evening last a relative of the prisoner called upon wit-
WWI with the stolen bonds in so envelope, addressed
" Jo2eph Cookson, Esq., Post-office, Havant, Hemp-
shire. Till called for." He went with the visitor to
his house, and tin-we raw the prisoner, who had de-
livered himself up ta he brotherin.law. Witness
thereupon to. k the prisoner in • cab to the heed-office
of the City Police, and gave him into custody. Being
asked by witness why he had behaved so cruelly to him,
the prisoner replied he was drunk at the time and now
that he was sober he bad returned.
' Robert Gibbs, 11, Alma townie., Lleadow.road, Ken.
ningt ,n, a whitesmith, deposed that the prisoner had
lodged with him since about the second week in August
lest On the 13th of January he saw some papers in
the prisoner's possession between twelve and one a.m.
The prisoner, who had come home veiy much intoxi-
cated-, took the papers from his Docket and threw them
down, saying as he did so they were worth many thom
sands of pounds. He also threw some money on the
mantleshelf. He left witness's house next morning and
did not return.
Detective sergeant Fennell, who had held the Lord
Mayor's warrant for the prisoner's apprehension, and
who had proceeded to Liverpool ti keep watch for him
there, spoke to receiving him into custody on Saturday
night in the Old J awry, and to finding on him £9 odd
In money, some postage steams, and • receipt for a
registered letter, addressed, "Mr. Cookson, poet•citoe.

Havant, Hampshire." The prisoner, addreasing the
Lord Mayor. said he would plead "Guilty' at once;
but the Lord Mayor, understanding the prisomr had
been drinking the night before, said he did not wish
him to be taken at a disadvantage. He therefore
remanded him.
Mr. Lewis (who conducted the prosecution) deeired
to state publicly that no few as Captain Davies and
the directors of the company were concerned, they
never saw the prisoner the least the worse for Mink,
nor linew him to be guilty of any impropriety until
now during the whole time lie had been in their ser-
vice.