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

SERIOUS EMBEZ

LEMEN T.

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,lwhen
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-
fying 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 overplus, 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. Bcswick 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 07 LIFE ON VIM RlVEL—Yesterday after-
noon, about four o'clock, a boat on the river opposite the
Thames Tunnel steam-boat pier, in which were threo
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 sucoeeded in recovering
Somers and Hawkins, but their unfortunate companion,
Brotherson, sunk and disappeared almost directly after
the accident. _ _

-----
SHIPWRECK ON THE CO•SF OF 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 10/. sterling granted by Lloyd's,
the town of Yarmouth has sent, through the English
Consul at Rotterdam, the snm of 50/. sterling, which
has been distributed among the four Dutch sailors who
saved the whole crew of the Helen.
A MAN ON FINE 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
home to his dinner, and whilst passing the Fishmongers'
Almshouses, several foot passengers were suddenly
alarmed at seeing smoke issuing from his left-band
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, n
his pocket.
LIBERALITY or LOUIS PHILIPPE. -- The Canter-
bury Journal states that a French brig, lying atdErrithoi
is taking in a cargo of 4,000 barrels of gni!
English manufacture. It is, however,th
Louis Philippe (a certain event occurring)
pr oo ww
derth e omnPliwnttoieo
bor-
row ro-f
tsoanathee;Easnghlise
of lead.—Punch. hh,owpeitshtothbee aabdldeittioonraeltucronnithpeliinguenot-
TRIBUTE FUND. The
THE COBDEN NATIONAL
.
usual weekly meeting . of tuherlklivanilclhiaemstesrhcuotmainewitote n
rtehwi
held on Tuesday evening,as
.eGh
aeiorrmgane `'N of
the c ortoh-el a jwoiLnteatgrcua-e
sthureercsh,aainr.dlate
reported that 318/. 16s. 2d. had been received in the
amount of subscriptions since the last week ; and that
the total contributions to this fund now amounted to
76,9381. 6s. 2d. It was arranged that certain districts
should be more strictly canvassed, and that deputations
should hereafter be appointed for that purpose. The
subscription of 10/. from the firm of Messrs. Richard
Johnson and Co., wire workers, Dale-street, was an-
nounced, and entered upon the books. It was reported
that the total increase on the week's contributions in

Manchester, Bury, Oldham, Burnley, Preston, Denton,
hentaom.
n,
Hyde, Stalybridge, Patricroft, linutsford , and th
lets thereto adjoining, amounted to the sum of 2,299!.
17s. 9d., and the result of the week's canvass, in small
sums, was 3271. 93. Bd.—Manchester Guardian.
ANOTHER BRIDGE OVER THE TaAmEs.---Yester-
day notice was given to the public, that application is
intended to be made to Parliament in the ensuing
session for leave to bring in a Bill for making and construe' -
ing a bridge over or across the rive: Thames at from, or
near Essex-street, Strand, to the opposite shore, at or
near to Dow son's wharf, in the Marsh and Wall liberty.
Also for making and maintaining a market at or near
the south-end of the proposed bridge ; and also 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.