The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-16 00:00:00

TRIAL OF WILLIAM CPRISTIVIAS.

Yesterday William Christmas, aged 29, by profession a
clerk, was put to the bar, on an indictment charging him with
embezzling, in the City of London, ten Exchequer 13i1ls, value
1001. each, the property of Henry Merrick Hoare and others,
his employers. There was also a detainer lodged against him
for embezzling a Bank note, value 301., the property of Henry
Merrick Hoare and others, his partners, on the 22d day of
September last, at the parish of St. Dunstan-in-the-West.
The prisoner, who was very genteelly dressed, entered the
Court, accompanied by a professional gentleman. He held in
his hand a bundle of papers, and pleaded " not guilty" in ra-
ther a faltering tone.
Mr. I..Aw opened the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Serjeant BosaxcwET stated the case to the jury, and
called the following witnesses :
Mr. Henry Merrick Hoare examined from the Bench.—l am
one of the partners in the house of Messrs. Hoare. They con-
sist of Henry Hoare, Charles Hoare, Hugh Hoare, and Henry
Merrick liceue. The prisoner was intrusted as clerk to receive
sums of money. It was his business to carry the Exchequer-
bills to the office, for the purpose of their being exchanged. A
notice was sent from the office, and he then made out a list,
which he took with the bills to the Exchequer-office. The bills
in question were accordingly made out in September last. lie
left the employment in June last.
By 31r(IIRODEltrcx.—The bills were deposited at the Bank
for security, and the partners had no right to use them, The
prisoner had been in the house many years, and bore an excel-
lent character. He came when sent for.
By Sir. LAM—The house has the power of exchanging the
old for new bills, as they are paid off.
Mr. Hugh Richard Hoare examined, 1 am the nephew of
the last witness. In September lest I looked out the Exche-
quer-bills, for the prisoner to take them to the Exchequer. I
did not take any account of them, as that was the prisoner's
duty.
liy the RECORDER.—I had no list; I looked out all the
notes of September 22. I merely handed the. Exchequer-bills
to the prisoner of that date. Many of them had been deposited
in the house by the customers.
Sir. Holmes Snelgar examined by Mr. Law--I am an
officer employed in the Audit-office, Somerset-house. I pro-
duce a list of Exchequer-bills transmitted to our office from
Messrs. Hoare. The amount of the two lists is 475,400/. ; the
lists specify the number and date of the bills. The manner in
I which a demand for new bills and interest was made, was by
the person whose hand-writing appeared at the bottom of the
list signing a receipt ; the words were, " Received the 22d of
Sept. the bills as specified within, with interest."
111 r. Merrick Hoare again examined—The list of the old as
well as the new bills is in the hand-writing of the prisoner.
John Henry Latham examined by Mr. Serjeant Bosal.r-
QuET—ln the payment of Exchequer Bills, he paid off a
number in September, to the prisoner. He gave him new for
old ones. The amount of the principal was 475,400/. ; of the
interest 14,262/. For which the prisoner received :-165 bills for
1,0001. each ; .129 5001. each ; 116 2001. each ; and 227 for
1001. each. Witness did not compare the Exchequer Bills
with any account, but he had every reason to believe them to
be the same. lie gave the prisoner all that he demanded.—
The book now produced is one in which all new bills are
copied. It contains err eon t of all the bills issued and to

tho
whom. It also contains an account of those delivered sad
prisoner en the 22d of September last for Messrs 11,""-

Company.
TThhee as
ammoeu ndtenwoa he
ms
inartei
01
ni a no de d
i.
no
tiens.
were el%a•etirsefidedfor with
the
ones as were sent in. The prisoner wa
amount he had received. Witness would not give six tive°L ~
74
dred pounds Exchequer Bills for three for 1,0001: ; Prea'"
the same description would be given.
dssiwnd.hl
Mr. Win. Wood sworn.—Was the paymaster of his 511.14„
ty's forces in September last. A paper now produced WO
in witness's hand-writing. It was copied from the original
draught. Witness examined it at the time. Thinks he hasseen
the prisoner. Never paid hi.ui any money on his own authoritY•
aNneverptatacsit.
without
paid himproperoutttieby di
vouchers,r,ughts onie Bank.contslistin
gofdprenausgo
iolish
and "affidavits.
were in course of payment in September last, and remained so •
up to the present nine.
Mr. Henry Whiting stated that he was in the service of the' •
Bank of England—in the public drawing office_:'check in my own hand-writing, ordering the parnc„n';a.
14,295/. Os. lid. by Mr. Hetherington to the qrisoner.
was another draught connected with the above for the Par.
ment of 331. 6s. Od. The order was ;lot made particulai:ll
to Mr. Hetherington, to whom the prisoner presented
and received the money. 1 did not see the money Paid' bs .
never knew, during the thirty years I have been In t
office, but two instances in which the draughts have not
.Ig,„
been signed ; I cannot with certainty say that he Pal" j
abeplaieyverwsote.
was presented to him for
draught over to the prisoner, but from all the circumstance'
Hetherington,William
a,notni
eedofotvheer
eypnacy:oemnrkeeysn.ta:
siitihgnenecß‘ntbilkyg,
Pri-
soner by the name of Christmas. or
Mr. liobert Cottle produced a book, in which an entTY e
In
Exchequer bills, to the amount of 374,4001., had been ia,"o
in the hand-writing of the prisoner, being 1,0001. short. ."
Wood's account had been marked as paid off to 1824, but al
new bill was entered to her account. The interest on that
would be 301. The prisoner ought to have brought the inter,';',
check and Exchequer bills to Messrs. Hoares, but he had no'
done so.
In his cross-examination he admitted that he had written to
two of the public prints, announcing that a public exatnifs.ll,-
Lion of the prioner was to take place In the evening at lio..ja
street. If the money had been paid to Miss Woods, it W°l‘
have appeared in :he book.
theMbri.lisG,eaonrgaefo3ulneldrotsleie.—olyd uitnndesnseliviadolelexatrno itnaleityl,thweiathecthoughte:!:
ception of ten for 1001. each; which were wanting.
Mr. John Turner Watts, n
a bill-broker, stated that he if,lsa
sold for the prisoner one 100/. bill to the umber of ten. ,""cr,
the 22d of June he sold three; on the 25th of June woo
more ; and on the 14th of July four more. He understood
prisoner acted as an agent for other persons. sir
Mr. Melrose was again called, and swore that there tit so
entry of 1,3651. 6s. Ott., in which there ought to have bef^woa•
entry of three Exchequer bills for 30, but in which titer'
only two entered.
The case closed for the prosecetion.
nd d tbsi
Mr. ADOLPHUS and Mr. BnonEntcx conte e
no case had been made out. There might be vague. snlio,"—r
that the ten documents might have come to the possess.nta
the prisoner ; but there was no proof of the fact, and,
this, there was not evidence to go to the jury.
was c 1 ear
Mr. Serjeant BOSANQUET contended, that it
wroved that the prisoner had received the identical hills bvs
ere wanting. The Learned Gentleman went througn..
merical statement of the accounts, and contended that 11' ,
dictinent was made out. .
The RECORDER said, with respect to the 30/. Ban , to
he was of opinion there was not evidence; but with resl7oA,
the 100/. Exchequer-bills, he was-of opinion there was ;
dence to go to the Jury.
Tfromhe a•
prisoner
written i‘-apasnow p
a mustcalledon forciblefor his d
appeal,
fetitii
alluding,
conduct of his. past life. It had gone abroad that his pnr,
ties had been occasioned by his connexion with a cert,t.Lni7;as
and that he had been by her led into extravagance. .-t.ttes bad
a most cruel and heart-rending aspersion. ,His eaPen,_*,wws,"
not exceeded more than 30s. per week, and his tailor's nitiii •
beneath 201. per annum. He read several letters, sfnt „rigel,
Sir. Henry Hoare, and other highly respectable peltolldt
He solemnly denied that there was the slightest particle o_„„ees
itnhatthteheclrandeyl satlolruydeedirctuolawtasedwohfohlliym, and called God to
the Gentlemen who attended for the public blameless.pr
this act of justice; and concluded by imploring the. 31,00
carefully eXamine•into the case—trusting they would, Or
verdict, again restore him to society. IIP. ttil
Mr. Iheir, the prisoner a very excellent character,
the present tune. ati
the jury, 11.
The RECORDER summed up the evidence to
arateria•
minutely dwelt on the peculiar circumstances that ch
ed the present case. and taut Jtiff
At a quarter after 12 his Lordship concluded ;
_ea
turned round, and were occupied in consultation for
minutes, when they found the prisoner Guilty.
The RECORDER immediately ordered the prisoonrereourtaan
essHvievtortilti;7o..trtio
judgment, and sentenced him. to be transported f
years. joint
the trial.
The lady alluded to by the prisoner,
was in Conrt

gold
Henry
cslinruyfli:ibuo
Hurd,
,a valuese l.yla-:init. ,olfr from
et the NEW COURT.
( Afore the CilMsrox SERJEANT and a Middlesex Jo',_,' the
Yesterday 77contos Hammond was indicted for stealing 7e *
17th of July, in the parish of St. George, Hanover-vi t'o...
wont, Bart.
the 17th of July, he saw the defendant running in the toter
tion from St. George's Church. At the desire of his rill, hal'
he followed him. Before he came up with the prisoner. 1,,,0pe
stopped, and was speaking to a man. When the win?. l'ilot
up with the prisoner, he collared him, and told 11% pri.
he had something which did not belong to him. '.i'e se
&
soner said he had not. The witness repeated his 01831 'siert'
then the prisoner, after sonic hesitation, produced the pP7
tor's snuff:box. prosecutor, person
o f
Sc: den pG„ : :dr g,
be
' Sir George Beaumont deposed, that on the 17th of 4%111104
Missed his snuff-box as he was coining out of church.
_f;,,ltet
kept it in his coat pocket. He was sure it wader lir; OP'
only a minute or two before he missed it. He re 40 hod I
vant to follow the prisoner, thinking he was the perso° 7'0400,
taken it from his pocket. He had just before felt the' when .
and another man pressing upon him; The p.riselefite be.‘
brought back by the servant, said that he had pickeo
up from the ground. his
:NO.
The prisoner in his defence repeated the statement of
ing found the box. Well, de'
William Henry Smith, a wax-chandler in Clerkeo
0_ woo ..
posed, that on Sunday, the 17th of July, he saw a pasjii;cb be
ethmittf..;
he believed to be the prisoner pick up s-oniething o'l
F aca Al
thought was a snufr-box from the ground. Ile alt n in tb
in consequence of an adVertisement which apPear'
Times of last Monday. h.chigh';
handed up to him. 44 If tb,!:
The Commos SEIIJEANT asked for the Times, whi
eh
VW
The advertisement was in the following ternlie4o st A.'
gentleman who saw a young inan pick up a snntia,.., the Ilsiiii:.
1 corner of 31addox-street, Hanover-square, on 5111 n.
solicitor'2j3To ,at
of July, would call on Mr. Humphreys, his
r egottir
' way, Ludgate-hill, lie would render the advertise A.
pt'service." °
A to the Pri' • e
The COMMON SERGEANT, in his address
.t
__ veil ._,..
~,
served, with respect to the advertisement, tha t Gas
traordinary that the prisoner should suppose thatitt
1,,1.L.!,-i, in "7
individual should have seen him pick up the sn 117L'`' .
crowd.
a Loudon Jag: , ,
(Before Mr. Sergeant ARd , .... ,
BIOAA1Y•
The jury immediately returned a verdict of GoWY•
r_.,,,
that n the adreSl
.3 lied htl( ....„,te.,
Richard Lucas proved that the prisoner to; r.„,,, stfrilth,
news's) daughter Eliza on the 27th of Augns, Itfieither.. '..
Stephen Frederic Reed was indicted for bigaroP • the fiffr
gate Church. After living with her fig a ye.' lie 0'
the P 1
was still living. she had trz°VgLojill'e
Mary Anne Donoghue deposed,
inner upwards of two Years. She was. a servantisms hit aiori.
Mr. Freshtield, the solicitor. The priso. 6134,, It
to her, and represented hilr,;,,elt. as a sinbs ,ii.ct, ... of
him on the llth of Marchlast at Ciriirar uo,
about four weeks._
vered that the prisoner waki married, i ,
0,,
_c,c.
..
eavonted
the ceremony. The witness was 21 years t a.,-; wi11..1-J
• 'lliiirP
....1 1 I s'9
man, aged 28.f0r higarY witne-60.,
r
Thomas Wyatt was also indicted
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty. He vas
rrieu the risoll
miyoner left Abe irt'ope
1820. She had three c,14
ed' that shim',Col About
She is still Hl:Mg.—Sarah Herto.n depOs-
Ira ,A
-d rri,- 4.,bei it' 10
I,Aliefoer,suesiwstaesr
ipnresent when the prisoner,i,rirecii by
i__ol, 000 c:
11 months after marriage,
quainted with the prisoner in 11,21,1ain
The prisoner said he was single.
1 prisot,er* b ritbe
service, and left it to be married to t _.„,,,tted tinsel,it.e le
child by the prisoner, which was now 5.11.12,,e apprfiL first ‘f:
John Garner, a beadle, proved that vil!'i'iri"g witilapl'avatt:g
prisoner on the resent Charge, be W 37.1. „,rdictstubsd notDriu
and three children. The .inry rettannvitike
the last
te
gio
eicstia
The prisoner was 27 years of age, a a ornrice.
__, inter
to boast of on the score of personal ePP,,essed a '‘g
,ory, Pos'
he last married, on the con, .
countenance. _.----- 5111"Pe-
__---------:e ,t the ,
--.Z.L.T.1.11.010N5.M., Ariewmporreawror7rrn: '_, __.--------. --- .1, oli PS 10.
C4olsl'l^
Printed and Published for the Pak_ J. 13. .
OFFicE, No. .1 Strand, Or
and inese;ee'r returneu.sileho
.0.,