The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-05 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP THE !EPROM

Slll,—Your columns, I know, are always open to
the discussion of matters of public interest, nor can I
invite your attention to one of greater importance than
the question whether the people of this country, proud
of considering themselves free in all things else, shall
have perfect freedom in that which mainly concerns their
right conduct here, and their best hopes hereafter. All
who desire to maintain our national church as the church
of the people may well rejoice to see this principle now
advocated by those who know how to push it to practical
results, and who are resolved to pursue the good work
until a great evil shall have been redressed, and • sad
reproach removed.
The council of the National Association for Freedom of
Worship earnestly invite help in the canvass for subscrip-
tions in Lyndon in aid of the necessarily large expenditure
attendant on their operations. They suggest that • memo-
rial shall be circulated for signature in every populous
metropolitan district in which a new church is proposed,
for making it wholly free and unappropriated and for the
adoption of the weekly offertory. Circumstances will
decide as to whom such memorial should be addressed. A
suggestion of vital importance is, that wherever pew appro.
',nation is found to have its natural tendency to keep a
church not half filled, the same memorial would serve for •
requisitionto the proper authoritiestoconvene • vestry " for
considering the propriety of restoring the church to the
free use of the parishioners." It is proposed that a local
society shall be formed in every rural deanery, co-operating
with the parent society. Another form has been prepared
for signature in the he that such a demonstration of
opinion may be obtained as to secure the application of
the Bishop of London's Fund to those churches in which
no invidious preference is given to • " few regular wor-
shippers" over the many "lost sheep" for whose recovery
the clergy are ordained, and to whose attendance at church
the pew system is systematically and injuriously opposed.
The small and reluctant aid to the national movement
for freedom of worship during the eight years of tentative
and anxious struggle, on the part of the National Associa-
tion, afforded by London churchmen, is most discouraging.
Can they fail to see that their duty is not done by simply
" having their churches free ;" that the use of the offer-
tory is one of the best means of helping on the movement
for its general revival ; or that thoee who have the
great privilege of • free church themselves should
be the last upon any pretext of debt or local calls
to refuse their share of that pecuniary aid, without
which this great work could not have been done as it has
been done, and cannot go on as it ought? With the object
thus explained, • systematic animas is now being prose-
cuted in London, and not without encouraging result.
Notwithstanding the political excitement emoting at the
present moment, and likely to be increased and to con-
tinue, the importance of having oor places of worship
wholly unrestricted as to access imperatively asserts itself
and it seems advisable to employ the temporary lull
afforded by the parliamentary holiday to cell genteel
attention to the subject.—l am, Sm.,
B. R. T. IdAYER, Resident Sec.
London Association for Freedom of Worship,
13, Norfolk-street, Strand, Apnl 3.

SOUTHAMPTON, APRIL 4.—The Hamburg Ame-
rican Company's steamship Sammie, Captain Meier, Naffed
at 2 p.m. to-day with the usual mails for New York
direct. She took out a full complement of cabin and
steerage passengers and • large cargo, including French
jewellery from Havre, value 134,441 beam. The next
departure belonging to this company will be the Alla-
mania, on the 17th instant.
CRYBTAL PALAU& —ONI SEuumra DAT.—WID-
NYRDAT, APRIL 4.-AMMIAODI On payment, 4,238: ditto
by season tickets, 1, ; total visitors, 6,698.
LONDON GINRRAL OMNIBUP COMPANY
...Trak receipts for week ending April 1, U. 61. 14e. Id.

THE

THE .IPRAbps UPON THE CREDIT Assnar

AT VIENNA:

It is not long ago that the public eras startled by
the soooluit that the cashier of the Credit Anstalt in
Vienna had defrauded the establishment to the amount of

many hundred thousand florins. But people grew still
more astonished when it came to light that the systematic
robbery had been going on for years. How this was pos-
sible in a banking establishment where from time to time
at short intervals the books of the officials were examined,
asieetud taken of the notes in band, and a balance drawn
to show that all was right, is what no one could under-
, stand. But the trial of the delinquent—that is to say, of
the actual thief, for as to delinquents the evidence shows
that those in authority were hardly a whit lee• blame.
worthy than be who robbed the eash-box--bas shown how
gross was the dereliction el duty on the part of the con-
trolling officers which made—and which alone could
make—such frauds possible. The breach of trust on
the part of these men is in nowise lees flagrant than in
him who is now suffering a felon's punishment. The wish
naturally arises that those directing and Inspecting officers
who, by their budness and negligence, brought about the
catastrophe, were also sharers of the felon's
When men of 'tending accept a post of trust.-men who
by their social position are supposed to have a claim to
public confidenee—the abuse of that confidence is a far
greater crime than when some underling cheats the este.
blhhment of thousands, for these men take upon them.
selves not only to act honestly, but oonstitute themselves
the watchers of the others, to see that they also perform
their duties with strictest probity. They put themselves
forward as guarantees, and are acoepted by the public as
such. A glans, at the evidence on the trial will show how

they performed their duty.
The first unwise step was to make a young man of only
21 years of age cashier of such an establishment. The whole
was carried on in a sort of happy-go-lucky style. This ser-
rant of the company had Jiro written instructions twil-
-1 gating what forms were to be observed. All that was left
to him, to do much as he liked. Every half-year
there was a nominal audit ; that was the controL
It was the acknowledged duty of the head cashier
to examine the cash-box from time to time, but he
never did it. When the prisoner was sated if he knew
when the audit would take place, he said," Two or three days
beforehand hie attention was always galled to the einem.
dance that an examination would be made." So he had
time to prepare comfortably. The delinquent had first a
deficit of 9006. for which he could not account. To cover
this he played in the lottery. The deficit grew to 80,0006.,
a year!: later it was 90,0006. In the course of the year
following it was 270,0009. ; and finally it amounted to
420,0006. When asked how he managed to escape discovery
at the audit, he said "he knew it would be very super.
finial—eo, though he had bat 12,0006. he wrote down
91,0006., and the packets containing the coupons were
fabiely. docketed. Herr Biedermann made me read to
him the separate inscriptions, and I then counted before
him a packet which was all right while the larger packets
were all false. He was then satisfied of the correctness

of the whole, and signed the paper to that effect,"
On another occasion when the audit was undertaken by
Herr Westerhols, the fraud was managed in a different
manner. In the cash-box was, it was asserted, 6,54385.
This sum was found right. The prisoner said that after-
wards, when he got the paper with the account of the exa-
mination into his hands, he put 27 before the sum, thus
making 276,543d5., which was really the sum that ought
to have been present. On being asked what was done with
this forged paper he said, " Herr Westerhole took it."
President—" Did he look at it more Glumly r Prisoner—
" Possibly he looked at it." President—" But if he had
looked in the book it must have struck him that the sums
' did not agree." Prisoner—" His examination was no doubt
very imperficiaL" ♦nd the year after the same scheme
was adopted ; though it is ineoseeivable that the paper
which was to determine the amount of moneys in another's
hands, should be left signed in that individual's poems-
sion, and then aeoepted again unexamined.
On one omission he had scratched out figures in his
books, and to this the president alluded. " That was, in-
deed, an unnecessary act," said the prisoner, who now
knew that whatever figures he wrote the revisory would
not look at them.

The prisoner's account of his gambling transactions are
curious. Altogether he won one million of florins, but he
lost 1 million, and so he always went on hoping to corer
his loss.

The following is ebareetetiatie. On being asked who
counted the coupons in the packets at the audit the
prisoner said that he did. There were generally thirty or
forty such. " Were all counted !^ asked the president.
Prisoner—" No, only one which was designated for the
purpose." President—" And who designated it r Primo-
ner—" The auditor.* President—" Then it was only a
chance that the auditor would choose the right packet?"
Prisoner —" I was sure he would choose the smallest
packet. It always was so." President—" Was this in
order to get the business over more quickly r Prisoner—
" Probably." President—" How long then would it take
to count such a packet carefully!" Prisoner—" About
three minutes."
The highest sum he put into the lottery in one day was
42,000 Bs., which in Vienna is an unusually large amount.
His constant playing attracted attention, it seems, at the
lottery office, and when information was given that an
officer of the Credit Anstalt staked very large sums in the
lottery, it was not thought worth while to inquire about
it, or for the directors to see which of their servants it was
who had turned gambler, and learn if they and their este-
blishnent might not be suffering from this paaaion for play.
The discovery of the fraud was occasioned by the ill-
ness of the prisoner, who, unable to attend at his office,
had to give up the keys of his drawers and cash-box. But
for this he would have pursued his simple system of decep-
tion probably for years to come. Nominally three parties
exercised control over the cashier—the auditors, the head
book-keeper, and the directors ; but the examination of
witnesses at the trial proved that none of the parties
troubled themselves about the matter.
Since the discovery there is no end to the diligence, and
care, and attention to duty of all the officers of the Credit
Anstalt; and it has been jocosely remarked that the gain to
the institution through the delinquency of the cashier is
worth much more than the 400,000 florins stolen. They
ought, people say in Vienna, out of gratitude to let him
keep every florin of the money, and procure for him the
order of the Red Eagle, third class, into the bargain for
his services.

THI FORTHCOMING EARTIR TERM. Yesterday
on the re-opening of the law offices, the lists of arrears of
rules in the three common law courts were exhibited. In
the Queen's Bench, of new trials there is only 1 for judg-
ment and 26 for argument ; in the special paper 1 for
judgment and 46 for argument, and 11 enlarged rules. In
the Common Pleas there are 14 new trial rides and 4
matters awaiting the decision of the court ; 17 demurrere
have been entered. In the Exchequer there is 1 error and
appeal for judgment and none for argument ; only 2 rules
in the peremptory paper ; 10 in the special paper, and of
new trials 1 for judgment and 7 for argument. The Lord
Chancellor will receive the judges on Monday, the 16th
instant, Easter Term is fixed by act of parliament for
the 15th inst., but happening this year on a Sunday
Monday will be the commencement of the term. It is
understood that the question respecting the opening of St.
Martin's-hall on a Sunday for lectures will be discussed
on • special case in the Court of Queen's Bench in the course
of the tern. The lists will be increased by applications
arising from the spriniyircuit.
EXECUTION AT W EXIORD. —Yesterday morning
Patrick Power, who was convicted of the murder of his
father with • pitchfork, at Newtown Barry, oounty Wex-
ford, on the night of the 13th October, was executed in
Wexford, at eight o'clock. He died without • struggle,
having previously confessed his guilt. Very few persons
were present.
THE WITS MURDER BY AN ITALIA-N.—Yester-
day an inquiry was held by Mr. Richards, deputy coroner,
at the London Hospital, relative to the death of Mrs.
Elizabeth Moretti. aged 21 years, whose throat was out
her husband, Francisco Moretti, on the 9th of last
May. The Coroner, in summing up, said that it having
been decided at the Central Criminal Court that Fran-
cisco Moretti was insane at the time he cut his wife's
throat, he was not answerable for the result of the act,
and, therefore, • verdict of wilful murder could not be re-
turned against him. The jury returned a verdict " That
Elizabeth Moretti died from spaces, arising from a wound
inflicted on her throat, on the 9th Mar, 1865. by Francisco
Moretti, her husband ; the said Francisco Moretti being at
the time in a state of unsound mind."
TiH MURDER IN InimAND.—We understand
that the murder of Mr. Jephson is attributed to • vindic-
tive feeling on the part of Beckley. It appears that he
was a pooer, and. after reesiviVias usual payments
was in the habit, it is said, of open the amount in die-
eipation, and when his means were e tinted applying to
the union for relief. An application was made to the
military authorities to stop the pateion, and pay it ever
to the union, and this aroused • spirit of
whisk subsequently found an opportunity fir C=
tiated in the blood of the unfartanate pentleasan.--Theiiits