The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-13 00:00:00

SERIOUS EMBEZZLEMENT.

MANCHESTER? WEDNESDAY.—An old man, named
Sidney Wroe, whose head had grown grey in the service
of his employer, was brought before the borough magis-
trates this morning, charged with committing a series of
frauds upon that employer under the following curious
and extraordinary circumstances. Mr. Beswick, chief
superintendent of the detective police of the borough,
said the prisoner had been for many years in the employ
of Mr. Richards, the extensive hat manufacturer, of Tib-
lane, Manchester, and had been always supposed to be
an honest and exemplary servant till very recently, when
a matter, trifling in itself; led to suspicion, and an in-
vestigation, which discovered him to have been carrying
on for years past an extensive system of fraud. The
circumstances were these. The prisoner was. a clerl,
and " putter out" of work in the employ of Mr.
Richards, who employs from 150 to 200 hands, not on
his premises, but residing at various distances around
Manchester, in country places, where they do work
for him by " the piece," and on bringing in their work
at the commencement of each week, properly finished,
receive payment, and another allotment cf the work on
hand. It had been usual for the hands to receive a bill
from the prisoner on coming in with their work, certi.
Eying the quantity done and the amount they were en-
titled to receive in payment. This bill or certificate they
then took into the counting-house to Mr. Richards,
who paid it without .demur. The manner in which the
prisoner had Succeeded in defrauding his employer was
this—he had been in the habit of putting down more
work in the bills than had been dime, with correspond-
ing increase in the money column, and then as each
servant withdrew from the counting-house, he would
pretend to have discovered " the error" in the interim,
and obtain from him the overplus, on the supposition
that he would return it to Mr. Richards. The sums Mini
obtained were chiefly small ones, of from one to eight or
nine shillings, but extending over a long period, and
practised with so many workmen as had been employed
in that period, the aggregate, from the, investigation
which had been already made, was supposed to be an
embezzlement amounting to nearly 2,0001. Mr. Beswick
said he was not prepared to go into the whole of the
cases which.he should be able to bring forward, but he
called two witnesses, whose evidence gave a tolerably
correct idea of the manner in which these extraordinary
frauds had been carried forward.

The prisoner, who had no counsel, did not ask any
questions.
The Magistrates immediately ordered the prisoner to
be remanded till Friday.
Mr. Beswick was understood further to state, that the
prisoner was charged with having put at various times
into the hats of workmen quantities Of beaver used for
" napping" hats, which they sold or p!edged, and after-
wards gave him half of the amount obtained by this kind
of plunder upon his employer.

Loss OF LIFE ON THE RlVER.—Wednesday after-
noon, about four o'clock, a boat on the river opposite the
Thames Taiinel steam boat pier, in which were three
youths, named George Somers, William Hawkins, and
Edward Brotherson, run foul of a heavily laden coal
barge, and was instantly capsized. They were conse-
quently immersed in the water, and neither of them
being able to swim, they struggled violently for a con-
siderable time. The watermen succeeded in recovering
Somers and Hawkins, but their unfortunate companion,
Brotherson, sunk and disappeared almost directly after
the accident.

SHIPWRECK ON THE COASP OP HOLLAND.---We
have already mentioned the heroic conduct of some
Dutch sailors on the occasion of the shipwreck of the
English ship Helen, Captain Orfair. We are now in-
formed, that besides the 101. sterling granted by Lloyd's,
the town of Yarmouth has sent, through . the Engli'sh
Consul at Rotterdam, the sum of .501. sterling, which
has been distributed among the four Dutch sailors who
' saved the whole crew of the Helen.
A MAN ON FIRE IN THE STREET.—Wednesday a
very singular occurrence took place in High-street,
Newington, to a man named John Davis, aged thirty-
two years, a carpenter, residing in Francis •stroet, Wal-
worth-road. About twelve o'clock he was on the way
home to his dinner, and whilst passing the Fishmongers'
Almshouses, several foot passengers were suddenly
alarmed at seeing smoke issuing fiom his left-hand
pocket, and before they could reach him his clothing
was found to be on fire. He instantly pulled his coat
off and threw it on the ground, where the flames were
extinguished. The accident was caused by placing a pipe
of tobacco, which he had not thoroughly extinguished, in
his pocket.
LIBERALITY OF LOUIS PHILIPPE. The Canter-
bury Journal states that a French brig, lying at Erith,
is taking in a cargo of 4,000 barrels of gunpowder, of
English manufacture. It is, however, the intention of
Louis Philippe (a certain event occurring) only to bor-
row.the same; as he hopes to be able to return the gun-
powder to the English, with the additional compliment
of lead.—Punch.
THE COBDEN NATIONAL TRIBUTE FUND.—The
usual weekly meeting of the Manchester committee was
held on Tuesday evening, Mr. William Shuttleworth in
the chair. Mr. George Wilson, one of the joint trca-
surers, and late chairman of the Anti-Corn-law League,
reported that 3181. 16s. 2d. had been received in the
amount of subscriptions since the last wet k ; and that
the total contributions to this fund now amounted to
6,938/. 6s. 2d.
" It was arranged that certain districts
i
should be more strictly canvassed, and that deputations
should hereafter he appointed for that purpose. The
subscription of 101. from the firm of Messrs. Richard
Johnson and Co., wire workers, Dale-street, was an-
nounced, and entered upon the books. It wns reported
that the total increase on the week's contributions in
Manchester, Bury, Oldham, Burnley, Preston, Denton,
Hyde, Stalybridge, Patricroft, Knutsford, and the ham-
lets thereto ailjoining, amounted to the sum of 2,299/.
17s. 9d., and the result of the woek's canvass, in small
sums, was 3271. 9s. B,l.—Manchester Guardian.
GENERAL THEATRICAL FUND ASSOCIATION.—
Whea Mr. Abington was:kw° of the Queen's Th at-e,
Tottenham-street, a few months sines, he very km fly
allowed the usc of the theatre r,r a benctit in aid f the

funds of the above excellent Institution, but the rec e

being so small on the occasion, he very generously made
up the sum of ten pounds, which he has handed to the
sectetary, Mr. CuHertford. •