The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-24 00:00:00

EXTEISrSIVE FRAUDS.

Some extensive defalcations by the secretary of the
London United District Foresters' Society have just been
brought to light, the amount in question being about
C 3,500. On Thursday night the third adjourned general
meeting of the delegates of the society was held at the
Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell-green ; Mr. Morley in the
;hair. One hundred and thirty-seven delegates were
present. The first business transacted was in reference
to the accounts of the secretary, Mr. John Stimson,
late of No. 16, Essex-street, Strand, and managing
clerk to Messrs. Mayhew, Salmon, and Whiting,
solicitors, of Great George-street. He absconded on
the Ist inst. The funds of the society, consist-
ing of subscriptions from 57,192 members, nearly all of
the working classes, were deposited in the London and
Westminster Bank, and the secretary, who had the con-
trol of the money, had been found to have kept a second
bankers' pass-book, by which means he was enabled to
carry on a system of fraud for a long period, and he was
looked upon almost as above suspicion. On the discovery
of the fraud information was at once laid at Bow-street,
and a warrant for his apprehension was granted,
but instructions were not given that he was to be
apprehended until the matter had been discussed by
the society. Sergeant Kerby, 10 F, into whose hands
the affair had been placed, had stayed the publishing
of the reward bills, &c., and the apprehension
of the runaway, until the meeting of the society had deter-
mined how to act. It was found, as above stated, that he,
was deficient in his accounts to sums amounting in the
aggregate to £3,500. He hall a salary from the society of
about £350 a year. The first business of the meeting
was the reading of a letter from Messrs. Mayhew,
Salmon, and Whiting, expressing their willingness to com-
promise the matter, and offering to pay the stns of £l,OOO
at any moment, and to give a security for £5OO mor
within a space of three months if the meeting would
forego criminal proceedings. The consideration of eels
letter and the proposition contained tirerein raised a
discussion which lasted for more than two hours. The
chairman then put the question, when there appeared—
For the acceptance of the letter, 63 ; against it, and for
prosecuting the fugitive, 58. It was accordingly agreed
that uo criminal measures should at present be adopted.
The meeting, after it had appointed a deputation to wait
upon Messrs. Mayhew, adjourned for two hours. Upon
the re-assembling of the meeting, the trustees, who had
waited upon Messrs. Mayhew and informed them that
they had agreed to accept their proposition, stated that
they had received a cheque from Mr. Mayhew for £l,OOO,
which had been deposited in the London and Westminster
Bank.

ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
New Management.
Sole Lessee, Mr. B. Webster; Manager, Mr. H. Wigan.
THIS EVENING, HEN AND CHICKENS: Messrs. Ashley,
Stephenson, and G. Vincent; Mesdames L. Moore and Stirling.
After which, USED UP: Messrs. R. Soutar,Vincent, Vaughan,
and C. Mathews; Miss E. Farren.
To be followed by IF I HAD A THOUSAND A YEAR.
To conclude with BETTY MARTIN : Mr. Geo. Vincent and
Miss E. Farren,
Commence at Seven.