Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-17 00:00:00

His Worship in

broken • and the rep]
His Worship said :

lamps for the purpose of getting into gaol, but he would
prevent one of his objects in going there namely, that of

getting meat to'eat. He senicnced him to one month's
imprisonment for each lamp, in default of paying the
damage, and said : TheSC are four successive month's

impriionment, so you will not get any meat whilst you

are in gaol

IMPORTANT. TO ,SOPIE'TIES. AND COLLECTORS.—
Detective-officer John Scott brought up a rather

respectable-looking person, named Thomas Scaife, who
lived at 11, Martin-street, West Derby-road, on a charge
of having embezzled certain- sums of money belonging. to
the Royal Liver Benevolent Society, of which Mr. John
Lawrence is the secretary and head officer, 16, Prescot-
street, in this town. Mr. Bluck appeared for _ the
_ .

prosecution, and said : I appear in-this case on behalf of
Mr._ John_ Lawrence, the secretary of the ,Royal Liver

Burial and Benefit SC)ciety,— one of the largest and most

respectable societies in the town, having also branches in
all the towns in England, and a very extensive
establishment in London, and over the three
kingdoms,—who is compelled to prosecute the
prisoner at the bar for. a selies of embezzle-

ments of the monies belonging to the

society

and its members

The prisoner Seacte was employed by - - - -

Mr. Lawrence, in February last, as one of thecollectors'
of the society, and his salary.was 6s. a week, • and 4s 2d
in the pound commission on all he collected. The
prisoner was either at the time, or some time after,
acquainted with a person named John Whittington, and
his wife, and ho solicited them to become members of the
society, arid it would appear that he had received money
from theni on behalf of the society, but he never paid it
over to Mr. Lawrence or the society, 'for him. Indeed,.
the case was so clear that the only course left to the
prisoner was to plead guilty, and he had already written
a letter to Mr. Lawrence, fully admitting his guilt, and
pleading poverty and distress as the cause, but that was
no excuse for such conduct, and although Mr. Lawrence
had no vindictive feeling towards him, nor did he wish to
punish him—yet he had a public duty to perform, and that
must be done for the protection of the society and the public.
generally. Ido not want to compare the respectability

of this society, and its excellent Management, with that
of any other, but I cannot help referring .to a case that I
was employed in last week, against the Victoria Society,
for a poor old lady, and the conduct of that society, as•
contrasted with the Royal Liver Society, is very remark-
able. Mr. Hutchison, one of the magistrates who heard
the case against the Victoria Society, was one of its•
patrons ; and although he was obliged, by one of the
rules of the body, to decide against me, he spoke in very
strong language indeed of the conduct of the society, and
he has since written to the president; of that body, to.
have his name erased from it as a patron, and thatif after
the notice, they used his name in any way, he would take
law proceedings against them. That • letter
has also _ appeared _in the newspapers. Now,

the Royal Liver Society, is not . One of that
nature ; and I will show the fairness which they practice
towards a person who might be out of benefit, but who
had been previously a member. Rule twenty-six. is as
follows :—" The committee may grant to relatives of any
member, that has died out of benefit, through. want 'of
employment; sickness, or any loss whereby the weekly
subscriptions could not be made good, any sum from ten
shillings to'llve•pounds ; providing, at all Oink, that such
member has not lost his benefit throug •

his own iiezlect!

And, in order to show you the respectability. Of this
society, and its great prosperity, after paying enormous
sums during the year, they have cleared, for the past
twelve months, no.less a sum than £2,426 45.. 3d. Mr.
Scott has himself examined the books, and finds. his
statement perfectly correct. (Mr. Scott said it, was
quite correct.) The accounts have been duly audited
and certified. They have large branches of business aver
England, Ireland, and Scotland, and although. it was not
the wish of Mr. Lawrence to punish the prisone4 yet
for the protection of such an extensive society,. and for
the purpose of being an example and a warning to others,
there was no alternative but to proceed against him.
Mx, Mansfield said, there was no doubt. of the• respecta-
bility of the society, and he thought it most advisable,
in all cases where collectors behaved. dishonest, that
they should be prosecuted, and when it became known
that no mercy would be shown to them,, they would
then act cautiously and honestly towards the
society. Mr. Bluck said, lam very glad to hear that
expression of opinion from the bench, I have no doubt it
will have due weight with the public ; it is not for the
sums received, but for the principle Mr. Lawrence con-
tends. Mr. Mansfield : is quite right he is doing
his duty very properly. John Whittington, was then
called, and said, I am a car-driver„ I know
the prisoner • he solicited me to become a member of the
society in February last I was to pay a penny a week,
each, for. myself and my- wife-Ba. a month. I paid him
since that time ; paid him 14d. on, the 15th Feb., and
paid him Bd. three times since, and tux wife paid' him
the remainder. MT wife died on 'Wednesday last.,
I applied to the society before she died, and then I
was told that the prisoner was not a col-,
lector. -Mr. Black said Mr., Lawrence had the power of
appointing collectors,, and he did appoint the prisoner.on
the usual terms, but Mr. Lawrence would tell his Worship
how the prisoner had acted. Mr, Lawrence said the.pri-
soner was appointed, and, got a collecting book, &e.,, but
all the money he paid, into the society was threepence,
and since that time he (Mr. Lawrence) never saw
the prisoner, nor the book. He should pay in what
money he received every Thursday night. Mr, Mansfield
(having read the letter written by the prisoner to Mr.
Lawrence) said, it is admitted in this letter, that the
prisoner did not pay any money that he. received, on
account of the society, to Mr. 'Lawrence, and it becomes
quitenecessary that Mr. Lawrence sh ould protect the society.
It is his duty to save the funds intrusted to his care, and
as the secretary of a large and important society like this,
lre is'acting very properly by prosecuting the prisoner.
The body, as a public one, are obliged to do what, per-
haps, they would not do in their private capacity as indi-
viduals, The prisoner must he committed for
trial, I am glad Mr. Lawrence has taken this very
proper course, and I trust it will be a warning to
oollectors. The prisoner was then committed. Mr.
muck said, it was right to state, that from the commence-
Mont of the society up to the present moment, there -never
was a. summons issued against it for the payment of any
claim, nor was there any dispute with them. Mr, Mv,s_
f;eld was very glad to hear that of the society,