The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-05 00:00:00

THE FRAUDS ON THE UNION BANK.

XLAXINATION AT THE MANSIONHOINSE.
(Continued from yesterday's Express.)
Theme John Preston-I ant clerk in the private dry-
ing-office at the Bank of Faglead. Oa the 12th of April
Let it was part of my duty to make up the account of the
Union Bank in the reasbook produced, which correctly im-
plements the sums paid in to the credit of the Urea Hank
as that day. There is no entry of a nun of WM. as
paid in.
Mr. Giffard-That is the ore on this ?
charge, my lord.
The Lord Mayor-Have you any questions to put pet-
some
Primer-My lord, my intention la to plead guilty.
The Lard Mayor-But you might wish to pat some ques-
tions.
Primmer-No, my lord, I do not wish to give any nar-
row, trouble.
The depositions were then read over end signed, and the
. primer was committed for trial on the specific charge of
3501., the property of the Union Bank, on the
tint.
The prisoner Lyttleton was then brought up and placed
bride inger, 111 order that a joint charge might be pro-
ceeded with.
Mr. Oiffard-It will probably be convenient for Mr.
Lewis, who appears for Lyttleton, as well as for the court,
if I explain the circumstance, of the joint charge. The
object appears to have been to get poesemiou of a gm of
3,0001. to meet the pressing wants of Pullinger ; and the
way in which it was effected was this. The mere physical
diMculty of oogg away such a sum as 3,0001. woad
have been considde stile, and so entries were made in the
books that on a certain day notes were exchanged for gold
over the counter. The notes were then handed to Pala-
ger, who was able to carry them off, while they were '
entered in the book se being paid into the Bank of Rag-
land. Pullinger was Lyttleton's superior ?Meer • but the
circumstances of the case ere such as wall, I asir, show a
complicity between the prisoners • but, at the game time, I
have to gay on behalf of the direct:ors, that if those circum-
stances can be made to appear consistent with Lyttleton's
innocence, no one will rejoice more than the directors.
John Arthur Barton, deputy manager of the Union
Bank, seid-The prisoner Lyttleton was • cashier in the
bank, Pullinger being chief cashier. I produce the counter
cash book, and refer to entries made on the 25th and 27th
Aril, 1859, which are in Lyttleton's handwriting, whose
book it is. In the current account column for the 26th
April, he debits 3,000/. as paid in Fold into the Bank of
. The document produced is in Lyttleton's hand-
ling. (It read thus :-April 25, '59. Debit Bank of
England 3,0001. gold.") On the same day there is an entry
S. and M., 500 t." as an exchange, which according to the
ordinary comae of business would represent an exchange of
notes for gold to that amount. We have customers named
Samuel and Montagu, who are bullion dealers. On the
27th April I find two exchanges entered, one being
"E. C. R." (Eastern Counties Railway), for 1,5001. ; the
other being • sum of 1,0001. "S. M.," which we should
presume to be Samuel and Montagu. The gold on the
25th professed to have been given in exchange fora 500/.
note, No. 37,984, dated 27th January, 1859 7 and the notes
for the exchange of the Eastern Counties Railway Company
were one of LOOM and one of 5001., the note given in the
second exchange for Samuel and Montagu being also a
1,000/. note.
Creme:amine:l by Mr. Lewis-Lyttleton had been at the
bank 13 or 14 yearn, and Pullinger about 21 years. It gag
LAU/Ares duty to obey Pulhnger, as chief cashier. It
wee one of Lytilroe's duties to pay over to Pulliam say
sum of gold which might accumulate in his hands over what
he required for his WI from time to time. That would be
very much at his own discretion. On the 25th of April
the 3;0001. which according to the book was paid IVlt.tle-
ton to Pullinger, wee to be paid into the Bank of
That rum, if paid in, should appear in our ledger end
in the bank passbook. Lyttleton made out the ticket for
the 3,0001., and the payment to Pullinger appears in our
took ; but I have no proof that the payment was ever made.
Mr. Lewis--What do you mean by ',tying that you have
no proof. Did you see it !
Witness-No.
Mr. Lewis-Would you see it in the case of another
clerk ?
Witness-No.
Mr. Lewis-Then do not hazard a surmise as to its not
having been paid. The payment appears in your books.
Was there anything that Lyttleton could have done which
he did not do to make the payment more clear?
Witness- No.
Mr. Lewis-He was expected to do nothing more ?
Witness - N o.
Mr. Lewis-It was no part of hie duty to see the 3,0001.
paid into the Bank of land !
Witness-No ; that was s duty. It is usual to
pay coin into the Bank of Engin/Ad before 12 o'clock in
the day.
Mr. Lewis-If the head cashier brought Lyttletoo 6001.
in gold, as represented on the 25th of April, to exchange
for Samuel and Montagu, would it not be Lyttleton's duty to
give Pullinger 5001. in notes ?
Witness-Yes, it would.
Mr. Lewis-And the game with regard to the 1,5001. for
the Eastern Counties Railway Company ?
Witness-I should say not, without reference to the
manager.
Mr. Lewis-Why
Witnese-On account of the largeness of the amount.
Lowir-The directors of the bask had very great
confidence he Pullinger's honesty aid general character,
had they sot ?
Wiren-Yee.
Mr. Levee-And you also!
Witmer-Yes, I hod.
Mr. Lewis-You would not have thought him capable of
tells hhehood in connection with the bank!
WidfNo, I should not.
Mr. Lewis-And the same feeling pervaded the clerks
geosielly?
Wilma-Yea
Mr. Lewis-And yet you mean to say that if Pullinger
went to a subordinate clerk, and asked him for moor.
notes for gold, it was not the duty of that clerk to give it?
Witness-Not without reference to the manager.
It was entirely out of the question in the case of the
Eastern Counties Railway, who never do such a thing,
and although there is no rile onthesubject, the traneaction
was so entirely out of the ordinary course, that he ought-to
have inquired first. There were several transactions of the
kind with Samuel and Montego but it was no part of my
duty to know about them. I "(DOW about them. I know
of them by the books. If Samuel and Montagu sent in
1,5001. or 3,0001. in gold and asked for notes it would have
been Lyttleton's dot y to make an observation on the extra.
ordinal', nature of the transaction. Not to do so would be
a want of discretion rather than • failure in duty. In ordi-
nary oases he was bound to obey Pnllinger but the irregu-
larity of this transaction ought to have attracted his atten-
tion, although Pullinger was in the habit of receiving mil-
lions at the bank.
Mr. Lewis-1/ Pullinger brought Lyttleton 3,0001. in
sovereigns in exchange for notes the bank would not be
harmed; and why, therefore, should Lyttleton have referred
to the manager?
Wirer-From the unusual nature of the transaction.
Mr. Lewis-The correct numbers of the notes exchange
were given?
Witness-Yes.
Mr. Lewie-And you find he did give the notes to
Pnllinger?
Witness-I believe they have been traced to Pullinger.
Mr. Lewis-And yet you give this poor young man in
custody on such • charge. How lung have you been deputy
manager?
Witness- Eighteen years.
Mr. Lewis-And you know nothing derogatory to Lyttle.
ton's character?
Wirer-No, nothing.
Mr. Lewle-Do you trace by the books that Lyttleton
received a single shilling of the 3,0001. •.
Whases-Ne not that I am aware of.
Mr. Lewis-I hope the directors will be satisfied now.
Since he was in custody have his accounts been examined ?
Witness-His books have.
Mr. Lewis-And have been pronounced faultless!
Witness-They appear to be kept quite straightforward.
Mr. Lewis-So there is nut one single entry that can be
charged as a false entry!
The witness shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing.
Mr. Lewis- Don't shrug your shoulders-but answer the
question.
Witness-I can only my that there is an entry of 3,0001.,
and it is not in the hank.
Mr. Lewis- But it was Pullinger's duty to pay the money
into the Bank of England?
Wither-Yes.
Mr. Lewis-Then, how can you charge it upon Lyt-
tleton? And how can you call it a false entry?
Wittier -I call it • fair entry because the sum is
in his book, and the Bank of England doesn't give us
credit for it.
Mr. Lewis-But that does not tasks it • false entry, as
you have treed the notes.
Witness-Well, I only presume so.
Mr. Lewis-It is only • presumption, and we'll have your
answer written down. Has Pullinger received money from
other clerks?
Witare-Yes.
Mr. Lewis-And has he always paid them into the Bank
of England ?
Witness-Always, go far as we have been able to trace
them up to to-day.
Mr. Louie-1 call for the banker's peas-book.
Mr. Giffard-Well, you may calL
Mr. Lewis-I say again, I ask for the banker's par-hook.
Mr. Odiard--Well, you shall have it.
The book wee handed to the learned gintlernan accordingly.
Mr. Lowle-ls this the only book purporting to be a book
between yen:waves and the Bank of Eoglend ?
Witness-No : there is another.
Mr. Lewis--Where is it ?
Witness-It is not here.
Mr. Lewis-Where is it ?
Wiesses-I think it is at the Bank of England.
Mr. Lewis-Then we must have it.
Mr. Oteard-fitop a minute. Is that the book made by
Pullinger ?
Witneas-Ye•
Mr. Olffard-Then, perhaps, Mr. Lewis will show how it
is to be made evidence
Mr. Lewis-Ia it not here ?
Witness-No, it is not.
Mr. Lewis-Will year swear it
Wirer-Yee ; to the best of my knowledge.