The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-12 00:00:00

EMBEZZLEMENT AND SUICIDE

We regret to have to state the discovery of a serious em-
bezzlement of the funds of the Steam-tug Company, and the
subsequent suicide, by poison, of one of two individuals con-
cerned in the embezzlement.

On Wednesday, the 30th ultimo, Mr. Andrew Clark, who I
had formerly been a merchant, but who, for years past, had
superintended part of the out-door business of the company,
requested Mr. Arthur, the manager, to give him leave of ab-
sence until Friday, alleging that a friend of his in the country
was seriously ill, and that his friend wanted his assistance to
arrange some affairs. Mr. Arthur said that the steamers
were likely to be busy for the next few days, but that, under
the peculiar circumstances stated, he would contrive to carry
on business without him for the short time he (Clark) would
be absent. Clark, it has been since ascertained, went by the
half-past three o'clock railway train, on Thursday morning,
the 31st ult., to London. On Saturday evening, as he did
not return, Mr. Arthur sent Mr. Harvey, the collector of
the company's accounts, to Clark's house to inquire after
him. Harvey, on his return, stated that Clark had come
back from the country, but that he was ill in bed of a fever,
and quite unable to resume his duties. Mr. Arthur, on
hearing this. requested Harvey to call at Clark's house, and
to say that, as he (Clark) was ill, not to harass himself by
coming out until he was better.
On Monday evening last Captain Lyons, of the American
ship Ohio, called at the Steam-tug-office to order a steamer
to tow his ship to sea next day. Mr. Arthur, who was not
in the office at the time, on seeing the entry, recollected that
Captain Lyons appeared, by their accounts, to be in arrear
for the sum charged for towing his ship last year, and drew
Harvey's attention to the circumstance. Next morning he
himself proceeded to Mr. Grimshaw's office, in the Goree,
where he found Captain Lyons. He told the captain that
the company would be glad to send the steamer, but reminded
him that, according to their books, he owed them for a for-
mer towing. Captain Lyons fired up at this statement, and,
under the supposition that a fraud was intended, used some
rather strong language. He told Mr. Arthur that Clarke
had been paid for the towing at the time it took place, viz.,
in May last, through his consignees, Messrs. Waddington,
Holt and Co. On going to the office of these gentlemen,
the receipt for the amount, with Clark's signature, was pro-
duced. Mr. Arthur now, for the first time, had his suspi-
cions of roguery aroused. He went back to his office ; told
Harvey that he had discovered that Captain Lyons had paid
Clark for the towing ; and that he suspected a fraud had
been committed on the company. On referring to the books
it was found that no entry had been made of the payment.
There could be no doubt, therefore, that Clark had embez-
zled the money. Harvey, in the course of comers stion, said
that Clark was " an old rascal," and that he had long sus-
pected him. " Why, then," said Mr. Arthur, " did you
not tell me of your suspicions ?" " I did not like to do so,"
was Harvey's reply.
One instance of fraud having been discovered in this sin-
gular manner, Mr. Arthur very naturally suspected, that
more embezzlements of the company's funds had taken place.
Sending Harvey after urgent business to a distant dock, he
proceeded to make personal inquiries respecting the accounts
which were, apparently, owing to the company. The result
was, that he discovered, on calling at the offices of mer-
chants who appeared indebted to the company, that the
moneys had been paid ; that receipts had been given, mostly
in Clark's name, but not on leaves cut out of the check-book,
which, if regular, they ought to have been, but on the tow-
ing notes ; and that a considerrble sum of the company's
money had been thus embezzled. Meanwhile, Harvey,
whom Mr. Arthur did not suspect of having been concerned
in the frauds, cl!d not return at the time expected, and Cap-
tain Newton, one of the company's masters, was sent to look
after him. Not finding him about the docks, he went to his
house, in the vicinity of Windsor. Harvey had not been
there since morning, and his wife, the servant said, had gone
out to tea. It was soon afterwards discovered, that he and

his wife had gone to the seawall, taken a boat, rowed to the
British and North American royal mail steamer Britannia,
lying in the Sloyne, paid their passage money on board, and
and sailed in her, shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon,
for Halifax and Boston. Of course, the tale which the
fugitive told, on Saturday, of Clark's return and illness was
found to have been an artful lie.
It was now but too evident, that Harvey had embezzled
moneys as well as Clark, and that, without doubt, they had
conspired together to rob their employers. Captain Newton
was placed in possession of Harvey's house, where he was
ordered to stay till further notice. On Wednesday and sub-
sequently the system of fraud practised by Clark and Harvey
was fully developed. It was very artful; and no plan of
check, no vigilance could, for a time, prevent its successful
operation. Whenever Mr. Arthur spoke to Harvey, who
was the ca ly collector employed by the company, it not hav-
ing been Clark's business to receive accounts, of the small
amount of his collections, the latter always alleged that it
was owing to the badness of the times ; and that, in conse-
quence of the scarcity of money, even the first houses allowed
their accounts to remain in arrear. Of course, having the
fullest reliance on Harvey's integrity, Mr. Arthur never sus-
pected that:he was deceiving him, and received the reason
given as sufficient to account for the smallness of the collec-

Lions.
We now return to Clark. When he came back to town
is not exactly known. On Friday night, however, a knock
was heard at the door of the house formerly inhabited by
Harvey. Captain Newton, who, as has been stated, was
in charge of the house, opened the door. " Ah!" exclaimed
Clark, (for he it was who had knocked,) are you here,
Newton ? He then stepped into the lobby, and Captain
Newton quietl Captain the key in the lock. Clarke asked
for Harvey. p Newton told him that Harvey was
not there, and that he suspected that he (Clark) knew very
well where he was. Clark denied all knowledge of Har-
vey or his " whereabout," and pretended the most
perfect ignorance of anything wrong. Newton told Clark
that he must accompany him to the office. Clark said he
was fatigued, and would wait until Newton brought a car.
Newton said he would not leave him, and desired Clark
to come along, and they would most probably find a car
on the road. On reaching a hackney coach house, they
found that all the cars .were out, but that one was expected
back every minute. Clark said he would, in the mean-
while, go to the privy in the yard. Newton told him he
must leave the door open, as he would not let him go out
of his sight. Clark went in on this condition, and sat
down on the seat. About his person he had concealed a
phial of prussic acid. He drank off the poison, and died
instantly. The body, as soon as the suicide was discovered,
was removed to an adjoining public-house. An inquest
was held upon it on Saturday, when the facts detailed
above, in connexion with Clark, were given in evidence,
and the inquiry was adjourned until yesterday, when some
additional evidence was adduced.
The lady with whom the deceased lodged stated that she
had observed a great change in his manner for the last three
or four weeks. He appeared greatly agitated. The con-
ductor of the Grand Junction train also deposed that he ob-
served a " peculiar strangeness" about the deceased when he
travelled on the line on Thursday week.
After a little further evidence the coroner summed up, and
left the jury to form their own conclusions.
The jury immediately returned a verdict of felo de se.®
This verdict renders it necessary that the deceased should
be interred without the rites of Christian burial. In accord-
ance with it the body was removed from the dead-house,
Canning Dock, about half-past nine last night, placed in a
hearse, and conveyed to the parish burial-ground adjoining
the workhouse, where it was interred about ten o'clock.—
The property of the deceased, which, we understand, con-
sisted only of a few personal effects, is, by this verdict, for-
feited to the crown. We have been informed that with the
exception of one son, who is receiving a university education,
all the family of the unfortunate man reside in France. He
was well known to the inhabitants of the Cheshire side of the
river, having lived many years at Holt-hill. We believe his
wife is entitled to some property in her own right.

The British and North American royal mail steamer Co-
lumbia, which would sail from Boston on the Ist and Hali-
fax on the 3d instant, will be due at this port on Thursday

next.
ACCIDENT AT THE THEATRE-ROYAL.—On Friday night,
at the Theatre-Royal, a little girl, who was performing one
of the fairies in " The Midsummer Night's Dream, unfor-
tunately came in contact with one of the stage lights while
she hung suspended in the air. The fire was communicated
to her muslin frock, and she was instantly enveloped in
flames. She was lowered to the stage immediately, and the
fire was promptly extinguished, but we understand she was
injured very severely.
COMMITTALS.—Yesterday, a man of the name of Henry
Wilson was committed by Mr. Rushton, for trial at the ses-
sions now holding, for stealing a handcart, the property of
Mr. Mather, corn-merchant, from Drury-lane, on Friday
laat—Another man was committed for trial for stealing from
the cart of a washerwoman a basket, containing many linen
articles of value. The cart was stationed at the door of Dr.
Brandreth, in Rodney-street, and the prisoner had taken ad-
vantage of the absence of the woman and, decamped with the
property. He was speedily apprehended.
The Rev. T. S. Bowstead, M.A., St. John's College, Cam-
bridge, and incumbent of St. Philip's Church, in this town,
has been appointed to the prepend of Bobenhall, anciently
founded in the Cathedral Church of Lichfield, vacant by the
death of the Rev. John Bowstead, B.D.
NEW BRIGHTON.—We refer our readers to the advertise-
ment announcing that the steamers commence plying to this
delightful watering-place on Thursday next, the 14th inst.,
thereby giving our townsmen an opportunity of having an
agreeable and cheap sail on the Mersey.
lengths'sS just been LIVERPOOL CARTAGE LENGTHS. work of a tabular
form i
cornpilaoti'l en published, showing the various cartage
have atter
this town. If this table be correct—and we see
no rea
to doubt its accuraty—it must prove an useful
uprleeddgheasrdhimselfkteo
htlii:lsitttalteemweonrktspeberifnegctf.aithful,