The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-12 00:00:00

22--.--,

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 megis.
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 hat; 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 clerk
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 of 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.
lying 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—be had been in the habit of putting down more
work in the bills than had been done, 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 overplue, on the supposition
that he would return it to Mr. Richards. The sums thus
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 bats of workmen quantities of beaver used for
" napping" hats, which they sold or pledged, and after-
wards gave him half of the amount obtained by this kind
of plunder upon his employer.

Loss or LIFE ON Tax RlVER.—Yesterday after-
noon, about tour o'clock, a boat on the river opposite the
Thames Tunnel 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 COAST OF HOLLAND.—We
have already mentioned the heroic conduct of some
Dutch sailors on the occasion of the shipwreck of the
are now in
Lloyd's,
formed,thshaitpbensiedleesnihCe alpOtta sinte°rlirnfgairg.ranWteed
the town of Yarmouth has sent, through the English
Consul at Rttterdatn, the sum of 50/. 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.—Yesterday 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-street, Wal-
worth-road. About twelve o'clock he was on the way
horns to his dinner, and whilst passing the Fishmongers Almshouses, several foot passengers were suddenly
alarmed at seeing smoke issuing from his left-Land
pocket, and before they could reach him his clothing
was found to be on fire. He instantly pulled his ccac
off and threw it on the ground, where the flames vrere
e
extinguished. The accident was caused by phi clunigaeS of tobaccp, which he had not thoroughly extinguished,
his pocket.
00 barrels of gunpowder, o
at Erich,
Journal states that a French brig, lying f
The Canter-
bury
4 0
is taking in a cargo of ,
is,f'
LIBERALITY OF Louts Pnirarprf.—.
English manufacture.
bor-
row the same; as he hoped t
s th_ theo be able to return the gun-
'
additional compliment
d
powder to the English, with e
Louis Philippe (a certainlt however, the intention o
(-vent occurring) only to
of lead.—Punch.
Toe CoBDEN NATIONAL TRIBUTE FUND.--The
-
usual weekly meeting a the Manchester committee was
Tuesday evening, 11Ir. William Shuttleworth in held on
rers, and late chairman of the Anti-Corn-law League,
the chair. Ilfra George Wilson, one of the joint try a-
rs:pOrted that 318/. 16s. 2d. had been received in tin"
amount of subscriptions since the last we: It ; at.d that
the total contributions to this fund now amounted tc
76,9381. Gs. 2d. It was arranged that certain district
should be more strictly canvassed, and that dcputatie
should hereafter be appointed for that purpose.
subscription of 101. from the firm of Messrs. Richard
Johnson and Co., wire workers, Dale-street, n'aa 471-
nounced, and entered upon the books. It was rt.ported.
that the total increase on the week's contributiot,s Manchester, Bury, Oldham, Burnley, Preston, Denton,
Hyde, Stalybridge, Patricroft, Knutsford, and the ham-
lets thereto adjoining, amounted to the sum of 2,299/.
17s. 9d., and the result of the week's canvass, in smail
sums, was 327/. 9s. Bd.—/17anJtester _Guardian.
ANOTHER BRIDGE OVER THE THAMES.--Yester-
clay notice was given to the public, that al.ptcation is
intendvd to be made to Parliament in the ensuing
s.,sshin for leave to bring in a Bill for making and construe
bridgt, ,y,er or across the river Thames, at from, ur
aear E;=,,,x-atieet, Strand, to the- opposite shore at or
near to Dowsen's wharf, in the Marsh and Well liberty.
Also for making and maintaining a market at or near
the south-end of the proposed bridge • and slag to ob-
tain powers for the compulsory purchase of lands and
houses, and to levy tolls, rates, or duties in respect of
the said bridge and market.

The

Thomas Serle, CB., ditto. •
Henry Hope, C. 8., gives up aide-de-camp to the Queen.
Sir Thomas Ussher, K.C.H., ditto good service pension.
Sir S. J. B. Pechcli, L. 8., ditto aide•de-camp to the
Queen.

Robert Elliott, ditto good service pension.
C. F. Daly, C. 8., ditto.
Hon. Sir F. B. Pellew, K.C.H., gives up aide-de-camp
to the Queen.

Sir F. A. Collier, C. 8., ditto aide-de-camp to the
Queen and superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard.
Sir C. Napier, K.C.8., ditto aide de-camp to the
Queen and good service pension.
Richard Arthur, C. 8., ditto good service pension and
superintendent of Sheerness Dockyard.
Phipps Hornby, C. 8., ditto aide-de-camp to the Queen
and superintendent and comptroller of the Coast Guard.
Charles John Austen, C. 8., ditto good service pension.
Philip Brown, ditto.

EXTRAORDINARY ROBBERY.
Among the passengers in the train from Southampton
which arrived at Nine Elms on the 27th ttit-, was a
young Frenchwoman, fashionably dressed,
and
of sin-
gularly attractive appearance, who, on alighting:, re-
quested to be directed to some hotel where she could
reside for a few days. The attendants at the station
accordingly conducted her to Mr. Howse's Railway
Hotel, near the terminus, where she took up her abode,
giving her name as Mdlle. Malvina Florentine de Sau-
marez. Mademoiselle spoke English tolerably well, and
/
stated that she had arrived from Jersey on her way to
l'aris, but intended first 'to see London sights, the
theatres, &c. Before long she had established herself
on the most friendly footing with Mr. Howse and his
family, going out almost every evening, accompanied by
one or other of its members, to some place of amuse-
ment. A day or two after her arrival she consigned a
heavy bag full of sovereigns to the landlord's kc( ping
for safety ; and, in answer to his questions respecting
her connexions, represented her mother as being a lady
in Paris, and herself somewhat self-willed and fupd
.ef _
amusement.
On Saturday evening last she went to Astley's
Theatre, and prior to her going produced a cheque on
the Fareham bank for 99/. 135., the name of the drawer
being Purkiss, which she requested Mr. Howse to get
cashed. Mr. Howse said the readiest mode would be to
give it to one of the railway guards, who would present
it at the bank. This proposition did not accord with
Mdlle. de Saumarez's views, and she replaced the
cheque in her pocket, saying that a day or two hence
would do.

About this time it was discovered that a cash box,
containing upwards of 1502 in gold, two double sovereigns
and a cheque for 991. 135., had been stolen from the
house of a ship-builder living at Fareham. A reward of
201. was offered in consequence, and Mr. Gow, the super-
intendent of the Hants county constabulary, having ob-
tained a clue to the probable retreat of the depredator,
proceeded to London on Monday, and accompanied by
the guard of the train that had brought Mdlle. de Sau-
marez to town, went to the hotel, and on seeing her took
her into custody. The prisoner threw herself upon her
knees, and gave the following extraordinary statement:_
That a few weeks since a gentleman brought her to Eng-
land, and after remaining with him for a few days, left
her at Gosport, where she obtained apartments 13 a
boarding-house. The family with whom she lodged
showed her many kindnesses, and she was introduced
to their cousip, who resided at Fareham. There she
remained a week on a visit, and during that time saw tho
mother of her friend's cousin give him 50 sovereigns
from a cash-box, which she afterwards deposited between
the sacking and the bed of a bedstead. She went to
Southampton, where she purchased a cash-box resem-
bling the one she had seen, and returning with it, com-
plained of her head aching, and requested permission to
lie down for an hour before she left for Gosport. She
then went to the room where the cash-box was deposited,
and substituting the empty box for the fall one, suc-
ceeded in leaving the house without exciting any sus-
picion. She then went direct to the railway station,
and, choosing a carriage in which there as no other
passenger, she broke open the box, and, having ab-
stracted the contents, threw the box out of the window.
She said she had felt miserable ever since, and inclined
to give herself up to justice. Upon being searched, the
cheque and two double sovereigns were found upon her;
and Mr. Howse, upon opening the bag, discovered it to
contain 1461 in sovereigns. The money was given up
to the superintendent, who started with the prisoner the
same night for Fareham. On Tuesday she wa, taken
before a magistrate, and remanded for the attendance of
witnesses from London.