The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-10 00:00:00

THE HISTORY AND MYSTERY OF A ONE
HUNDRED POWND NOTE.

At the Liverpool Polige-court, on Saturday, Mr.
Mansfield was occupied for five hours in investigating
the following strange case, which arose solely from the
groan carelessness of four different persons, through
whose hands a bark-note passed, the value of which
none of them could tell to this day. At the north end of
the town Mr. Thompson. an extensive railway contractor,
has an office situated in Blackstone-street, and in the ad-
joining Flighfield-street is the shop of Mr. Jas. Kelly, a
wholesale and retail provision dealer. Mr. Thompson's
clerks and Mr. Kelly have frequently been in the habit
of changing bank notes and gold for one another. On
the 16th of November Mr. Drensfield, Mr. Thompson's
cashier, sent an Irishman, named Brady. also in Mr.
Thompson's employment, to Mr. Kelly's with a 201.-
note to be changed, and to pay out of it to a Mr. Lumb,
who accompanied him, about 161., and then to purchase
Rome tools. He did not mention to Brady the value of
the note, and the latter, having been frequently in the
habit of changing large notes at Mr. Kelly's, never looked
at it, but walked into Mr. Kelly's shop, and slid, Please
change me a 100/.-note." Mr. Kelly, who knew Brady
well, was busy at the time with two customers, so he,
Brady
yupt
al
looking
some moneyokingat enote, handed Brady 1001. in gold.
to
pur-
chases, and took back to fr.MDr' ljsensufirnb
eld' made his
, in a bag,
3s. On seeing this, Mr. Drensfield said, "How did you
bring me so much change 1" " ft's out of the 1001.-note,
82
1.
said Brady. On this, Mr. Drensfield looked at his pocket-
book, and found that he had a 1001.-note ; but supposing
that Mr. Thompson might have given him a 1001.-note
fora 201.-note, he altered his cash-book, and determined
to wait and ask Mr. Thompson about it. We must
here state that c,n the day in question Mr. Thompson,
before leaving the office, gave Mr. Drensfield what
be considered 1401., in one note of 100/., and two
notes of 201. each ; but neither he nor Drensfield looked
carefully at the notes, and neither could swear exactly
as to what they were. On the night of the aforesaid 16th
of November Mr. Kelly balanced his cash, and could
find no 1001. note, but discovered that he had a 201.-
note over. This puzzled him exceedingly. He searched
everywhere for the 100/ note he supposed he had re-
ceived from Brady, but he could find nothing of it. He
communicated with the police, and, in company with
Detective officer Sullivan, waited upon Mr. Drensfield
and Mr. Thompson on the afternoon of the 17th ult.
To these gentlemen Mr. Kelly said be had lost a 100/.-
note, but mentioned nothing about the extra 201.-note
in his possession, while Mr. Drensfield and Mr. Thomp-
son, feeling assured, from Mr. Kelly's statement, that he
had really lost the 100/.-note, said nothing about the
821 3s. they had received from him, believing that, in
mistake, Mr. Thompson, who passes hundreds of bank
notes through hands, had given Mr. Drensfield a 100/.-
note for 201., neither of them being able to tell either the
numbers of the notes or their amount. So matters went
on till last Thursday, when a man named O'Grady, liv-
ing in the same house with Brady, and having heard
him talk about the change he got from Mr. Kelly for
the note, gave information to Mr. Kelly, and the detec-
tives immediately took Brady to the Bridewell, where
he was closely questioned, and almost frightened out of
his life, by Mr. Kehoe, inspector of the indoor police.
He did not get to bed till twelve o'clock, and having to
be at the office before six o'clock on Friday morning,
and feeling a " sinking " after his fright at the police
office he took a glass of whisky and a pint of ale before
breakfast. At the office a dispute arose between him
and a Mr. John Thompson, a nephew of his master, in
the course of which Brady's face was rather damaged,
Smarting with pain, he rushed off to the police court,
and told a piteous tale to Mr. Mansfield, who granted a
warrant for the apprehension of Thompson, and a man
named Maud, a timekeeper in Mr. Thompson's service.
In the meantime, Mr. Kelly and the police considered
that this would be a good opportunity to investigate the
mystery of the 1001. note, and Mr. John Yates, jun., was
engaged on the side of the complainant, and Mr. As-
pinall on behalf of the accused. The above facts were
evolved in the lengthy speeches of the advocates, and
the voluminous evidence of the witnesses, after hearing
which Mr. Mansfield said that the whole case had arisen
from the gross and culpable carelessness with which busi-
ness men managed their money matters, and which was
almost incredible. He thought there could be no impu-
tation upon the conduct of Mr. Drensfield ; and, with
respect to the assault, Brady, who appeared to have been
the aggressor, had not sustained injuries which called for
special notice. He must, therefore, dismiss foe case.
Mr. Aspinall said that Mr. Thompson was thoroughly
convinced as to the honesty of all his servants, and Brady
need be under no apprehension of losing his situation.—
Liverpool paper.

THE AMERICAN MAIM—LIVERPOOL, Saturday.—The
British and North American Royal mail steam-ship Asia,
Captain Edward G. Lott, sailed from the Mersey to-day
with the usual mails for the United States and British
possessions in North America, 130 passengers, and a full
cargo of valuable merchandise on freight.
GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION.—SOUTHAMPTON, Sunday.
—The Violet is in the inner dock, awaiting the arrival
of her emigrants. The Maitland, for Sydney, arrived
here this morning. She will bail for her destination the
latter end of next week. The Robert Small will also
sail for Sydney on the 21st of January. This vessel was
chartered by the emigration eommissionera this week.