Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-16 00:00:00

me to do. I don't knov
I wrot

..,e samples, and was to be
2s 6d the first night, and 2s each ott,
a memorandum of all I got from him,
services to the prisoner. (Read all the sums lie had

catspaw

from the prisoner.
the Crooked Billet

I get mong_to pay for my sleeping at

o that I might get the letters &reeled
there to " Samuel Goodere.". I slept there. I
wrote three letters yesterday, from two till half-,
Cross-examined by Mr. Cobb : All the
in this [a memorandum book] is all my handwriting.
Mr. Cobb said, at this stage of the proceedings, he would

past three

writin

not as:

the fellow any further (

A- clerk in the

Bank of England proved that the notes were bad. Thomas
O'Donnell, a hatter in Hatton-garden, said he knew
Davidson by sight, and also the prisoner. Davidson bought
a hat from him, and the prisoner was with him. Miss M.
A. Westwood, of the Crooked Billet, proved that Davidson
took the letters directed to " Samuel Goodere" at the
hotel. To Mr. Cobb : She said he did not open the
raters at all, but took them away. He left a rug
there, and it was subsequently found in Lambert's
house. Mr. Clough asked for a remand, in order to have
Mr. carrell's son present, who opened the letter with the
notes. Mr. Cobb asked, would his Worship take substantial
bail, as Davidson was the guilty party. His Worship
refused bail. Mr. Cobb then asked to have Davidson put
into the dock on a charge of forgery, but this was refused,
and the prisoner was remanded for
-even

CHARGE OF EMBEZZLEMENT

AGAINST
MR. CARVER'S MANAGER.

-
Yesterday, at the Police-court, before Mr. Preston, James
Ferguson, late the head cash-keeper and manager of Messrs.
Carver's business, in this town, was brought up on remannd,
charged with having embezzled large sums of money belong-
ing to his employers The accused was out on bail, and
before the case was proceeded with his conduct attracted
general attention. His apeing of aristocratic manners, moving
from place to place, taking notes, and the like. His manner,
too, was impertinent, and one would have imagined (who
did not know him) that he was a person of great consequence
in authority, instead of a person charged with felony. The
court was crowded by mercantile persons to hear the case.
Mr. Almond, solicitor, appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Bretherton for the prisoner, who was arrested by detective-
officer Scott, in a house in Netherfield-road, after his
return from America. Whilst sitting at the table, his wife
came to speak with him, and a very unseemly scene of
"embracing" took place, that would have been "more
honoured in the breach than the observance" in a public
Police-court. Indeed, all the movements of accused were
very strange, and he seemed to enjoy his position in a very
laughing and careless manner.

Mr. Arnold stated the case briefly, and said the prisoner,
Ferguson, was charged with embezzling certain sums of
.money belonging to Messrs. Carver and Co. For some
years previous to January last, he was chief clerk and
manager of the business of Messrs. Carver, in Liver-
pool. On the 22nd of January, in this year, he
left the employment in a very abrupt manner, and
absconded. It would be proved in evidence that, for some
days previously, he had collected several sums of money due
to the firm, and in place of returning the money or
accounting for it, he had appropriated it to his own use.
On the 22nd January, the prisoner went to America, and
after that it was discovered, that he had been guilty of the
offence. However, he did return from America, and then
he was taken into custody by officer Scott, on the charge
of embezzlement. There were several eases that would he
brought forward against him, and the first that would be
proceeded with was one for £43 19s. It was the
duty of the prisoner to receive and open letters, in the absence
of his principals, and on the 15th or 16th of January, a
letter was received from London, from Messrs. WArthur
and Co., containing a cheque for the above amount.
Instead of remitting that cheque to his employers, in
Manchester, or in any way accounting for it, he got it
cashed and appropriated the proceeds to his own use.
He did not enter it in any regular book, but
acknowledged the receipt of it in a letter written by
himself, but that letter was not copied in the usual
way. He (Mr. Almond) would proceed with this
case first, the others were ordinary cases of embezzlement
to a large extent, and, if he proved them, the bench would
have only one course to adopt, to send the prisoner for trial
at the assizes.

Mr. George Walker examined : I remember, in January,
cashing .a cheque (identifies it), and on the 20th January I
handed the money over to Mr. Causon. I did not hand the
money to the prisoner.

Mr. James Andrews said : I recollect the prisoner coming
to me in January about this cheque, and asked me if I could
get it cashed, or cash it myself ? I gave it to Mr. Causon,
and he gave me the cash, less the discount. I gave the
money to the prisoner on the 18th, as I think. (Identifies
the cheque.) That was after the date of the cheque.

Cross-examined by Mr. Brethcrton : I got the cheque
from the prisoner on the same day that I gave
him the cash. I gave him the cash, less the
discount. I had not the cheque when I gave the money
for it. It was out of my hands for three hours. It had
not the endorsement of " Geo Walker and Co." on it when
I gave it to Mr. Causon. I can't say if Mr. Causon cashed
it for Geo. Walker and Co. I gave him £43, and I asked
him (Ferguson) to lend me £5, so he only took away £3B.
I gave him an 1.0. U. for it.

itverwood, one of Messrs. Carver's clerks, proved
endorsement on the cheque, and also proved the
letter of acknowledgment of the receipt of the cheque was
written by him, but it was not copied in the usual way.
The prisoner left on the 22nd January, under the pretence of
going to London to see his brother, He left a letter, saying he
was gone to London, and he would be back on Monday, but he
never came back. The witness should have received the
letter and cheque, but he never got them. The letters
received and going from the office were all registered in the
office-. Ferguson was the manager, and I was cash-keeper
under him. He (Ferguson) signed the cash balance-sheet
every quarter. This M 3 19s. has not found its way into
the books of the establishment.
Croce • • -

Ferg.uson's

...iss-examined by Mr. Bretherton : Registers all letters,
except from Mr. William Carver, of Manchester. (A small
book produced.) I have seen him make entries in this
book, but the general cash book was not made up from
it. There was an entry in that book of the sum, and we got
this book in his drawer, after we picked the lock, when he
The cash-book represents all that is
I,}o •

went a waN

correct,

We carry by the Lancashire, and send to Dublin. I don't
know of any drawbacks being charged that were never
paid. lam not aware of such. The cash-books are made
up quarterly. (Book up to the 31st December produced
along with the witnesses cash-book.) The witness was
examined at some length as to the way the books were
kept and balanced. There were accounts current rendered.
Produced a book with copies of the accounts current.
In cases of disputed accounts, I asked him to colleetaccounts,
as he was *my superior officer. We have a collector, but
Ferguson had some accounts to collect. The 'general cash
book shows all wages, salaries, &c. The cash balance
against Ferguson, on the 31st December, was £1,300 odd.
He siomed the cash balance, but had gone *away before it
was settled. After some discussion on the point, the case
was adjourned until one o'clock on Wednesday. The bail
on the defendent was doubled from one to two hundred
pounds in two sureties each, and himself in £4OO as his
Worship said it was a serious charge of felony.