The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-25 00:00:00

of the competitors, the Snider rifle with the Boxer
ammunition, was first in three, and second and
third in the other. Its remarkable performance at
500 yards, at which range Corporal Andrews, of
the 26th Kent Rifle Volunteers, succeeded in firing
50 shots in five minutes, of which two only missed
the target, and making a total of 133 points, has
already been notified in The Sun. A report has been
circulated that Andrews had continually practised
the use of the Snider rifle ; it is right to state that
he had previously to the Wimbledon meeting used
the
arm
and only five times—viz., thrce times at 200
yards twice at 500 yards, and that be had, in
these trials, fired altogether only about 300 rounds.
Any handy man could obtain the same rapidity of
fire with the Snider rifle in a week's or a fortnight's
practice, when the number of points obtained is a
mere matter of accurate shooting. It should be
pointed out that the very satisfactory results of the
trials of the Snider rifle at Wimbledon are due in a
great degree to the Boxer ammunition, which
throughout the meeting has performed admirably,
as regards accuracy, facilities of loading and extrac-
tion, and certainly of ignition.
The Royal Engineers at Woolwich have been en-
gaged for some weeks past in tunnelling ant prop-
ping up the outer walls of the Herbert Hospital,
consequent on the yielding of the foundation, which
began soon after it was handed over to the Govern-
ment for use. The rent—the cause of which was
discussed at the time in Parliament—was cobbled
up, and somewhat obscured from any but close in-
vestigation. Nevertheless, an order has been issued
to proceed with inquiries, and the Royal Engineers
are now seeking the real cause of the defects.
The Commander-in-Chief has approved the an-
nexed arrangements iu connexion with the camp at
Colchester :—Capt. Westley, 2d battalion, 16th
Foot, to be sent home for duty with the depot, vice
Capt. Helyar, promoted to be Major in the lat bat-
talion, 16th Foot ; Lieut. Johnson, 100th Regi-
ment, to join the depot; and Lieut. Nicholls to
join the service companies. The Commander-in-
Chief has granted leave of absence to Lieut. Powys,
Ist battalion, 16th Regiment, pending his retire-
ment from the service; and to Lieut. Gillespie, 96th
Regiment, to August 31, when be is to be prepared
to embark for the service companies of his corps.
The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Captain W. R. Rolland to the
Lord Warden, commissioned; Captain J. 0. John-
son to the Liffey, commissioned ; Josh. G. Dathan,
navigating lieutenant, to the Cumberland ; Albert
Gain, navigating lieutenant to the Fisgard, for the
Rosario ; J. G. Fowling, navigating sub-lieutenant
to the Speedwell ; E. M. Stone, paymaster, to the
Liffey ; E. P. Rimell, assist.-paymaster, to the
Liffey; J. G. Card, assist.-paymaster, to the Vic-
tory ; J. K. Bell, assist-paymaster, in charge, to
the Speedwell ; J. E. Dvas, surgeon, to the Doris ;
J. Fisher, surgeon, additional, to the Cambridge;
J. B. Creagh, clerk, to the Liffey ; W. B. Clark,
assist. clerk, to the Liffey ; W. B. Stephens, chie f
engineer, to the Sphinx ; P. Richmond, engineer, to
the Speedwell ; and W. Hopkins and W. T. Searle,
first class assist. engineers, to the Speedwell.

THE EXTENSIVE EMBEZZLEMENTS BY
A STOCKBROKERS' CLERK.

- •

Yesterday the investigation of a case cf embezzle-
ment, which from the first had excited considerable
interest, and which was altogether extraordinary,
eras resumed before Alderman Carden, at the jus-
tice room of the Mansion-house. The prisoner, a
respectably dressed man of 38, was William John
Hurst, and he was charged with embezzling and
stealing moneys to the amount of nearly £12,000.
Mr. Besley was for the prosecution ; Mr. Sleigh
for the defence.
The prisoner had been senior clerk and cashier to
Messrs. Seymour and Elwyn, stockbrokers, Throg-
rnorton.street, and great confidence had been placed
in him. He had been nearly 17 years in the service
duty, among others, was to keep the cash-books of
of the firm, and had a salary of £3OO a year. his
the firm. They had two banking accounts, one at
Messrs. Glyn's, and the ether at the Loudon and
County Bank, and they had a cash-book with refe-
rence to each account which he kept. One of his
duties was to receive sums of money due to the firm
from stockjobbers, to enter them in the cash-book,
and pay the money into either of the banks. lie was
now charged with embezzling, on November 4,
1864, a banker's check for £175; on the 3d of April,
1865, a check for £902 10s. ; on the 6th of April in
that year, a check for £2OO ; on August 16, in the
same year, a check for £1,507 10s. ; on September
1 a check for £lOO and £lOO inbank-notes ; on Jan.
16, 1866, a check for £6lB 15s. ; and on April 21st
in that year a check for £l3O. The evidence went
to show that the prisoner had received all those sums
from different stock-jobbers from time to time, and
had appropriated them to his own use. In the sum-
mer of last year he absented himself from the ser-
vice of his masters for a week and then returned,
when they accused him of having robbed them. He
replied, first, that his defalcations might amount to
£l,OOO ; but on being pressed he said they might
amount to £2,000, but certainly not more. After
that interview the firm received £2,000 from the
prisoner or his friends by way of restitution, as the
firm alleged, of property in the shape of shares
which bad been bought with their money. me pri-
soner afterwards went to America, and on returning
lately was met by the prosecutors in the Strand by
chance, and given into custody, a warrant for his
apprehensioni he
principal
having been issued some time before.
witness
yesterday was Mr. Win. A.
Stone,who id—l
ama partner in the firm of
Stone,Ed-
accountants, King-street,
wardg,
James,
essa,a and
Cheapside. The books of Messrs. Seymour and
Elwyn were put into my hands for examination in
August, 1866. I have gone through the accounts of
the firm from Jan., 1861, to June, 1866. The exa-
mination occupied six or seven months, the transac-
tions being very large. I produce the cash-book. I
do not find in it any traceof the £175 check of Nov.
4, 1864, paid in any other way than is alleged by
the prosecution, nor of the check for £902 10s. of
April 3, 1865, nor of that for £2OO, or its payment,
on April 6, 1865, which is treated as 4.:,10 10s.
throughout the books; nor of the check for £1,507
10s. on Aug. 16, 1865 ; nor of the sum of £lOO in
cash, or £lOO check, on Sept. 1, 1865 ; nor of the
check for £6lB 15s. paid on Jan. 16, 1866 ; nor of
the check for £l3O, paid on April 21, 1866. These
sums are not accounted for in the books of the
prisoner in any other way than is alleged by
the
prosecution. I reported the defalcations as they
were discovered from time to time to Messrs. Sey-
mour and Elwyn.
I found in September, 1866,
that they were considerably more than £2,000.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sleigh—l cannot say what
was the amount I discovered in Sept., 1866. I ex-
amined the ledger for the years 1864 and 1865, and
found in it an
-- account with " W. J. Hurst" (the
prisoner), commencing in January, 1864, and end-
ing in December, 1865. The account shows tran-
sactions to Lha extent of several thousands of pounds
—between £B,OOO and £lO,OOO. I cannot find any
other amounts paid in by the prisoner to Messrs.
Seymour and lei
---wYn's account than are mentioned
in the ledger.
I find this account is credited with
about £1,300 in cash received from the prisoner
during the period the account runs over. In an-
other ledger there is an account in 1866 between
him and the firm. It commences in May, 1866,
and contains only
six or seven items. The aggre-
gate Itransactions amount to about £2,700. The
amount of cash paid to the firm in this account is
£2,600 odd. There is an item of cash, £5OO, on
the 11th of July, 1866, and bills £1,500 ; and £5OO
in cash on the 10th of November, 1866. This ac-
count is in the handwriting of a ?l r. Watson, in
Messrs. Seymour's em ;lo went. p y
There are credits
in the banker's pass book of sums of which I do not
find any entries in the cash books, nor who paid
them in.
They amount to £1,700, and are as fol-
lows : of On the 15th September,lB64, £l5O to
Messrs. Glyn and Co., as received of the London
and County Bank ; on the 19th of May, 1865, £4OO,
pail in as from Messrs. Glyn to the London and
County ; and on the 10th of August, 1865, £7OO
credited by Messrs. Glyn as received from the Lon-
don and County. In April, June, July, August,
and December, 1864, there was £4,896 15s. 7d.
credited in various sums, against which there were
debits to the
amount 01 £4 369 Q. 2d. The diffe-