The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-02 00:00:00

DEFALCATIONS LN THE BIRMINGHAM

POST-OFFICE.

Considerable sensation has been produced within
these few days in Birmingham by the suspension of three
clerks in the money-order department of the postoffice,
whose places are supplied by three others from the bead
office in London. The names of the three suspended clerks
are Holberton, Bakewell, and Charnock ; but the more
immediate cause of their suspension is somewhat veiled in
mystery, although sufficient has transpired to show that
there must have been great laxity of duty, to say the least,
if no graver charge can be sustained against them. The
following particulars are mainly correct, and may be relied
upon as a true outline of the case. The duty of Holberton
WW4 to receive moneys and write receipts, while
that of Bakewell was to pay the orders presented from
other offices • but these 'duties occasionally were re-
ciprocally performed by both, which in some measure
has led to the defalcations in question. How Charnock is
mixed up in the matter, or whet were his precise duties
we are not at present enabled to state. Holberton has been
in the office upwards of eight years, and has had passing
through his hands, in trifling amounts, from eighty to one
hundred thousand pounds a year, while Bakewell, who has
been longer employed, has paid out, upon the average, one
hundred and fifty thousand pounds during the same time.
The" outs "of the Money-order-office of Birmingham are
consequently almost double the " ins," a fact which has a
curious bearing upon the peculiar industry of the town, as
it clearly indicates that there are a number of small manu-
facturers who live from hand to mouth, and who
regularly depend upon their customers remitting
them the trifling proceeds of their industry. There is also
a manager, who is appointed, we believe, -by the heads in
London, and upon whom devolves the duty of inspecting
the accounts weekly, if not nightly, either personally or by
delegation. The machinery, therefore, of the money-order
department of the office is exceedingly simple. Whence,
then, the defaleationt ? It appears that there is a consider-
able amount, which may be called a floating balance,
always in the hands of the clerks—at least, if it is not
always in their hands, it is simply transferred after busi-
ness hours to the post-mistress fur safe custody—sometimes
sealed but more frequently not, and handed back to them
in the morning. A word or two upon that respectable
functionary the post-mistress, against whom not a shadow
of blame can rest. The appointment is a sinecure, and
dates back as far as the good old times, as they arc
rantingly called, of George the Third ; it was
given lift certain services, not strictly defined, reedered to
that blind and bigoted old monarch by one of his German
attendants, whose widow, we believe, the present func-
tionary is. Have the wet-nurses from London, under the
recent improvements in Post-office management, materially
obviated the inconveniences which that fag-end of monopoly
has entailed upon Birmingham ? That fustian is answered
by the da,nottenteiat which we are now describing. We
have said that a considerable balance—sometimes four, five,
and six hundred pounds—has been left in the hands of the
clerks, and seldom, if ever, balanced up nightly. Here has
arisen the error—here we may trace the germ of the defal-
cations, which have become swollen to their pr sent dimen-
sions from positive negligence, if from no graver error, and
which ought to call down the severest reproof upon those
who have so slovenly performed their duty. From the pres-
sure of business, which may be estimated oy the "ins" and
" outs " already cited, it will readily be imagined that
errors frequently occurred under such incompetent manage-
ment, either by taking had money, by paving too such, or
by making out the receipts wrongly, all of which have been
the case occasionally, and one or other of them frequently.
Why have these Inches been permitted? One word will
answer the question—negligence or incapacity. Yet this
• negligence or incapacity, or both combined, 111, been mani-
, fest for a long period, and several complaints have been ut-
ter ed, if not formally made to the authorities ; still no effort
was made to obviate it; the accumulation of the defiles-
thins grew up under the noses of the officials in Binning-
, ham; and however inconvenient, if not positivelyalishonest,
to the community at large, it was blindly overlooked until
it became too palpable fur even the most purblind vision
to miss it. The precise amount of the defalcations has not
' transpired, as the matter is yet Bab judice ; nevertheless,
' one party acknowledges a deficiency of abut forty pounds,
which he states has arisen from sometimes receiving too
• little, at others paying too much, or taking had money.
. These deficiencies are mails up out of the salaries of the
, clerks themselves, and not from a general fund, as is generally
that ease in banking establishments, where they fall coin-
wariftively light upon the individual. Now, had these clerks
• been compelled to make up their deficiencies nightly, in-
stead of has Mg a large balance left perpetually iu their
• !iambs upon which they cuula draw ad libitum, even taking
this liberal view of the case, the error would have been
checked in its germ, and the defaulter. themselves would
most probably have been spared the pain of either standing
I before the world in a criminal attitude, or as slovenly,
slitiacring, and incompetent oltieials. Here we have
another exemplification that most of these appointments are
made to fit the individual, not the individual to fit the Lim.
',ointment ; hence the inconvenience which the public have
1 to endure, and the scandal of official incompetency.

MURDER NEAR TRURO.

(From the Exeter Flying P. 4.)

It has happily been some years since the frightful
crime of murder has been perpetrated in Cornwall ; hut we
are sorry that we have again to add to the catalogue of
heinous guilt, a murder committed in this county on Satur-
day last. The locality where the deed wit: perpetrated is
called Silverwell, near the Chiserton Arms, on the road be-
tween Truro and St. Agnes, and about five miles front the
former place. The murdered man, William Kendall, occu-
pied a small farm, and lived in the house with his wife
alone. This was his second site, to whom he had been
married about four years. Her former name was l'eague,
and she had a son by her fin.t husband, called Elijah
Teague, and now about seventeen years of age. 'lbis
son lived with his mother and Mr. Kendall until
January last, when he went to lodge at a neigh-
bouring house with Henry Grose ; but lie still occa-
sionally worked on the farm for his father-in-law, who was
about 72 years of age. His father-in-law had on Saturday
last ridden to Chacewater, and the young man was on that
day working on the fano, employed in threshing and
boiling turnips. His father-in-law was never more seen
alive ; but was discovered on Sunday morning dead in his
own house, sitting on a chair in the parlour. There was a
large wound over the centre of his forehead, of an irregular
oval figure, two inches and a half in length and two inches
in width. The mortal blows appeared to have been given
with dreadful force the bones were broken in, and the
surgeon who was calbsl inserted his finger on the right side
to the depth of nearly an inch. Sixty-one pieces .if hone
were extracted, and the lioness* were driven an inch and a
quarter below the surface of the skull. A hammer was found
on the ganlen hedge,end this hammer fitted into the wound in
the man's forehead. A w hite hair was found attached to She end
of the hanainer, and the surgeon, on a microscopical exami-
nation, believes it to be a human hair, and that in all pro-
bability it was torn from the deceased's eyebrow. An in-
quest has been held on the body, before Mr. John ('arlyon,
county coroner. The inquiry commenced on Monday, at
11 o'clock, was continued on Tuesday, and did not ti rmi-
nate until late on Tuesday night. The result was, that a
verdict of " Wilful murder " was returned against the de-
ceased's son-in-law, Elijah Teague, who was apprehended
under the coroner's warrant, and has been committed to the
county gaol at Bodmin to take his trial of the next assizes.
The evidence ou which the jury grounded their verdict
was of a singular character, and wholly circumstantial.
The son-in-law was examined at the inquest, as will as
other witnesses. Ile states that he found deceased,
who had returned from Chacewater, about eighty
I yards from his own house, lying on the ground in-
sensible, with a large wound in his head, caused by
kick from his horse ; that he then lifted hint up, and car-
ried him into his own house, his heels dragging on the
ground. There do not appear, however, to be any marks
of the body having been thus dragged over the ground.
Deceased's wife was absent at this time, having gone to
Henry Grose's (Elijah Teague's lodgings.) On her re-
turning and asking for her hu baud, league said Ile
was in the parlour, but he would not allow her to go in, say-
ing the horse had " thrown" to him, and it would Hurry
her. She did not go in, but went back to Geese's house,
who called one or two neighbours, and with them end
his wife proceeded to deceased's dwelling. When they
got there they found deceased's wife walking up
and down before the house, she having left Grose's
house in the interim, and gone there. The neigh-
bour* found the door locked, and could not find the key
where it was usually placed when no one was at home. As
they could nut get in, deceased's wife proposed that the door
should be lifted from its hinges, but this was not done, and,
strange to say, no entry was made into the place until the
next morning, when the old man was found in the parlour,
as before described. The surgeon, Mr. Moyle, does not ,
conceive the wound in deceased's forehead could have been ,
caused by the kick of a horse, as stated by Elijah Teague,
but that the injury was inflicted by two or more blows
from some heavy instrument. Another circumstance wa
the fact of Elijah Teague having been about three hours,
absent from home to call a surgeon (according to his own
statement), and an explanation of which he was called on
to give in his evidence. Ile also pointed out five spots of
blood at the place where he says he found deceased's body
before he took it into the house ; but the surgeon gives his
opinion that the spots are not blood that had flowed from
a recent wound. I 1
The prisoner's own statement of the circumstances hay-
ing been heard, and the evidence of the surgeon, as well as 1
that of Mary Grose. Henry Gnaw, and Edward Mitchell. I
of Tregavethen, the jury, at the adjourned inquest held on I
Tuesday, returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder against I 1
Elijah Teague," who was committed to the next ensile for
trial. There does not appear in the evidence anything to I
show a motive for the committal of the act, but it is stated 1
in the neighbourhood that there were frequent disagree-
meats between the deceased and his eem-in-law.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

THIS DAY. '

M ARLBOROUG 11-ST REET.
Three Irishmen, who gave the mines of Fay, M‘Disifey,
and Carpenter, were charged with assaulting Mr. J. Vinden
and his brother, F. Vinden, No. 5, Great Clapp-street,
Newington-causeway.
Mr. J. Vinden stated that yesterday morning he and his
brother were walking alongside:of the Serpentine, near the
Crystal Palace, when they saw the prisoner and about 50
others pelting a foreign gentleman with mud and
stones. The gentleman expostulated with the mob,
whereupon his hat was knocked off, and himself
rolled in the mud. Witness and his brother ran to
his aid, when they were hustled by the prisoners, and wit-
ness was knocked down by the prisoner Fay, and while he
was lying on the ground the other two tried to force a
handful' of mud into his mouth. His brother, who was
also mush ill-treated, contrived to make his escape, and,
having procured the inisistance of the police, the prisoners
were secured and conveyed to the station.
Mr. F. Vindeu corroborated the evidence of his brother.
The pri.oners, who denied the charge, were each com-
mitted to the House of Correction for sia weeks, with bard
labour.

IV. Pearce and H. Barnett were charged with picking
the pockets of several gentlemen in Ilyile.park.
Lockerhy, 180 8, deposed that yesterday morning he was
on duty, in plain clothes, on the north side of the Exhibi-
tion, when he saw the two prisoners together, and, knowing
them to be suspected characters, he watched fur some
minutes, sad saw the prisoner Pearce go up to • gentleman
who was standing by the water, and take something Irons
his pocket, which he handed to Barnett. Witness, having
learned from the gentleman that he had lost his pocket
handkerchief, went in pursuit of the prisoners, and caught
them in the act of rubbing another gentleman. He took
them into custody, and on searching them found upon
Barnett six silk handkerchiefs concealed next his skin, and
on Pearce he found two snuff-boxes and a handkerchief.

The gentlemen who had been rubbed were not in attend.
1111 CV.

The prisoners, who did not Mier any defence, were cow.
witted for three months.

About a dozen other charges of a similar nature were dis-
posed of in like manner.

MONEY MARKET.

Tills DAY.

Two o'CLow.

The English stock market opened this morning
with a steady appearance at the full rally noticed on
Wednesday, but realizations have since taken place
which have driven prices back a shade below the last
range of that day's market. No considerable amount
of movement is perceptible in the Stock Exchange
generally, and the attendance of dealers is not so
large as usual. Nest week more activity may be
looked for.

Consols opened at 961 to for money, and 961 to
97 for the 13th of May, and are now called worse,
at 961 to and 961 to respectively. The Reduced
Three per Cents. have again been operated in on
public account. The:official business list is as follows :
fliece per Cent. Ccinsols, 961, • ditto for account,
961, 97, 961; Three per Cents. Reduced, 96, I, 93.1;
Sew Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents., 97.4, ; Long
Annuities, 1860, 7: ii-16; ditto 30 years, 1839,
7 1-16. Bank Stock, 210, 211. India Stuck, 261.
South Sea Stock, 1071 ; ditto old annuities, 931.

Exchequer Bins are still quoted at the .depressed
prices lately established. All sizes mark 50s. and
335. prem.; and India Bonds, large and small, 50s.
and As. premium.
In the foreign stock market there is little move-
ment, and the change in price is limited to a fall in
Portuguese, the Four per Cents. having been done as
low as 33. The decline is attributable to reports
which have been in circulation, of some consider-
able successes gained by the Duke of Saldanha
in Oporto. Business is officially reported in the un-
dermentioned descriptions to-day, viz : Brazilian
Old Five per Cent., small Bonds, 89. Dutch Two-
and-a-Half per Cents., 594; ditto Four per Ccut.
Certificates, 894, 3. French Five per Cent. Rentes,
90E, 621 e.; exchange, 23E Grenada One-and-
a-Hulf per Cents., 1%. Mexican Bonds, 3al;
ditto for the account 16th of May, 3.5;,,
4. Portuguese Four per Cents., 33, 4. Russian
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 994, 4. Spanish Active
Five per Cents., for account, 194, ; ditto Three per
Cents., 39'.

The tnittie returns for the last week on the under-
mentioned English lines of railway, as made up to
yesterday, arc as follows:

. -
1841. 1840.
London and NorthWestem £43,964 .... £42,883
Great Western
Midland
Lancashire and Yorkshire-- 16,22:2 .... 12,332
London and South Western 11,127 .... 9,386
London and Brighton
South Eastern
York, Newcastle, and Berwick 12,160 .... 13,234
York and North Midland
Leeds and Think 1,039 .... 791
North StatfOrdshire
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-

, , . -,
couoinirc
7,112 ....
116.40 and Exeter
Manche-ter, Buxton, Matlock,
11111 i ltliill.nulv Junction
Loudon and Blrekwail
Shrewdiury and Chi ster 1,6.1 ....
Liverpool, Crordiy, and South-
..-.

Pori
Shrewsbury and Birmingham 626 ....
South Davos 2,237 ....
Fume.*
Shropahin, Union 6Ol

828
1,311

133
419
1,825
394
474

Bolt' n, Blackburn, Clitheroe,
and Vet Yorkshire 645 .... 379
Great Northern 8,901 .... 2,869
The total receipts on the above lines being
187,3631. in 1841, and 164,7461. in 1830, the increase
is shown to be 22,647/. or 13.7 per cent. The num-
ber of miles in 1631 was 3,6151, and in MO 3,3.57,
showing an increase of 258., miles, or 7.7 per cent
The average return per mile per week was in 1831
au. 16s. 7d., and in Did° 40!. Is. 6d. These results
arc very satisfactory, though it must not be forgotten
that the returns fur the present year include, in most
instances, the Easter traffic.
The return per mile per week on the chief lines is
subjoined:
1851. 1850.
London and North Western .... £91.24
Great Webtern

Midland
Lancashire and Yorkshire
London and South Western 46.54 .... 39.27
London and Brighton
South Eastern
York, Newcastle, and Berwick 41.50 .... 4.5.69
York and North Midland
Great Northern 37.71 .... 20.06