The Express.
London, England, 1864-05-07 00:00:00

A "BENEFIT" SOCIETY.

At the Worship-street Police-court yesterday
111 r. Jam Lawreooe, of the Triangle, Hackney, appeared
bases Xr. Choke to show muse why he should sot pay the
sum of ltlL 10s. to am Margaret Fordo, widow of .iohn
Fords, that bang the amount of insurance upon the life of
her dammed husband in the Royal Victoria Sick and
gammons Society, the defeottant Shut at the time ow
men secretary sad treasurie of such society.
Mr. Bury Hutchinson appeared for the complain:it.
The defeedasit, on bang called, said that he had Botha,'
whatever to do with the association, sod had not bad far
considerable time.

kr. Hebehineee said that wee exactly the questioe in
dispute. The deeseeed man, Feeds, insured his life in
this sick sod thermoses society for 18/. 101., of which at
that time the defendant was secretary and treasurer, and •
thrice 'aimed Hopkias was the mallow, and a card was
gives the man with the &feedlot's name 05 it as the
officer of the society. The man died in November, and
two &ea before he died the collector called at the
house for !napalms, two weeks' payaroi, which ins all
that was owing, and as the man was then ill in bed, the
wife saw him and handed him the sixpence. The woman
unfortunately mentioned to the collector that her poor
husband was dying, on which the collector returned
her the sixpeoce, and told her it was • mis-
take, as there were in relit. nine weeks owing
altogether, amountiog to 2s. 3L The woman bad two
cards of payments, one for an insurance in a society called
the Pearl, and the other in the Victoria; and when the ap-
plicant told the collector her husband was dying, he sa'd to
her, "You have nothing to do with the Victoria. as I
TOO into the PearL" He took her two cards from lairtsul
ithorned her only one, sod in the corner of that heappeared
to have inserted the sum of ls. 94. He thee declind to
receive the 2. 34., telling her another collector would call
the next week, but no one had called. He (Kr. Hutchio-
son) then thenninniciated, on behalf of the widow, with the
defendant, who appeared to be eseretary, treasurer, and
everything she in the association,- but he said he had
nothing at all to do with it, that be bad retired from the
the society, and that a Mr. John Monk, who
belonged to it, was the person he should apply to.
He aooordingly next applied to Mr. Monk, but he fared no
better, for Mr. Monk WA him that he also bad oohing
whatever to do with the society, that the defendant was •
great swindler, that he had swindled him out of 8001., and
had all the books and everything. There was a clause for
the appointment of arbitrator in the society's rules in came
of dispute between the usenthers and the society, and he
served the defendant with notice to bring the matter to an
arbitsrmon, but that be had also refused. Under them
clinometer:lose he had been obliged to mammoth the dries-
' dent, who if he now proved what he said, that he had nothing
to do with the society, had been guilty of obtaining money
under fraudulent pretence*, for he should be able to prove
that within the last three weeks be had received money on
behalf of the society, and gives receipts for it.
Mr. Cooke sad—Well, this appears to me to be just one
of those societies that the Chandler of the Exchequer must
have had in his mind when he made his speech the other
day on this subject in the House of Commons. This man,
the collector, takes the woman's 2s 3d., counts it over,
gives it her back again, saying another collector will call for
it, and no the ever does call. The counexion of the de-
fendant with the society after his alleged resignation had
not bees proved.
Elisabeth Davis, of Ebeneser.place, Londen-delds, was
called. She had paid her money, she said, to the Vic-
toria Society up to last week, and it was entered on
several cards she produced. On one of them the defendant's
some appeared, but be said the reason it did so was that it
ma for a twelvemonth. Mr. Moak collected front her now.
end his name wee on the other cards, which were headed
" The Prince of Wales Society." This, she said, was quite
right ; they weirs one and the sacs society as the Victoria.
She was told the " Royal Victoria" was goon to be changed
to the " Prince of Wales," and that she would have new
cards given her in that name. end not charged for, as the
policy was the same, and she had paid to the Royal Victoria
thu year under the new

,
Mr. Hutchinson said Mr. Monk had acknowledged to him
that ha did beloeg to another society, bat denied connexion
with the Victoria.

Mr. Cooke said it seemed to him there was an amalgama-
tion between two societies, one of which seemed to be an
exieteot aocietr, while the other was defunct. It was cer-
tainly very desirable that these societies should be placed
.andcr the control of far more responsible persons than they
NOW wan.

Hutchinson—Perhaps, under these circumstances,
the defendant will furnish me with the names and pardon-
Ims of the trustees and others, that I may see what can be
bomb with them ?

-711-r.l;;CnimiL-Certainly I will ; I mill give everything.
and am willing to render every ambiance I ma. I have
only to say that I here bad the misfortune to below( to
several societies. and my experieoos is that they are nothing
but a swindle upon the public, and that if the government
does not interfere that swindling will p on.

GARIBALDI PERMANENT INCOME FUND.