The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-14 00:00:00

The Unity Bank Frauds.

The charge against Thomas Wakefield Terry and
Thomas Burch, the manager and secretary of the Unity
Joint-Stock Banking Company, for preparing and circulat-
ing a false statement of the affairs of that bank, with intent
to deceive and defraud the shareholders and members, was
yesterday again resumed before the Lord Mayor.
Mr. Lewis, jun., again appeared on behalf of the liqui-
dators of the Unity Bank, who are the prosecutors ; Mr.
Watson was present to watch on behalf of Terry ; and Mr.
Wontner, jun., appeared to watch for Burch. Mr. Hum-
phreys were again present to watch and give information
on the part of the directors, and Mr. Howell was also
present.
It will be remembered that on the last occasion Mr.
Lewis intimated that his case was completed, and the pri-
soners' counsel addressed his lordship on their behalf, but
inasmuch as the depositions, which were very voluminous,
would take several hours to read over, the defendants were
remanded for that purpose.

The depositions having been read and signed by the wit-
nesses, Mr. Lewis proceeded to put some additional ques-
tions, and he said he was subpoenaed to produce the security
book of the western branch of the Unity Bank, but he had
not it in his possession. It was given up to the liquidators.
He saw it with the books that were to be taken by them.
It was lost in one moving, and found in another. He was
also summoned to produce the bank securities, but he had
not them in his possession. He had given them up to the
liquidators. He could not recollect whether he had ever
told Mr. Terry that the security book was lost.
Mr. Lewis said that was the case on the part of the pro-
secution, and he should ask the Lord Mayor to commit the
defendants upon four charges—first, for conspiring to pub-
lish and represent to such of the shareholders as were igno-
rant of the affairs of the Unity Joint Stock Banking Asso-
ciation, that the bank and its affairs had been during the
half-year preceding the 30th June, 1862, and then were in
a sound and prosperous condition, producing profits divi-
sible amongst the shareholders, the defendants well
knowing the contrary, with intent to deceive and defraud
such of the shareholders as were not aware of the true
state of its affairs, and to induce them to continue to hold
shares therein, and to become or continue customers and
creditors of the bank ; secondly, that they, being respec-
tively the manager and secretary of the said bank, did
concur in making, and circulating, and publishing a written
statement of accounts, knowing the same to be false in
material particulars, with intent to deceive the share-
holders of the said bank; thirdly, conspiring together to
commit the offence ; and fourthly, conspiring together to
cheat and defraud such of the shareholders as were ignorant
of the true state of the bank by inducing them, by false
pretences, to purchase and hold additional shares in the
bank, the defendants knowing the bank to be in a bad and
dangerous condition, and approaching insolvency, and that
the shares were unsafe, and might be ruinous to the holders.
The Lord Mayor, addressing the defendants, said they
had been placed in positions of great trust and confidence,
and he was sorry to find the strict line of rectitude had
been departed from, and it was quite obvious that a false
balance-sheet was made, and he had but one duty to per-
form, which was to commit the defendants for trial.
After having received the usual caution, the defendants
were formally committed, and were admitted to bail in a
total sum of 8,0004 as before.