BETTING AND ITS CONSEQUENCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1688, 15 October 1887, Page 3

BETTING AND ITS CONSEQUENCE

The following report la from a recent London papei : — Augustus A. Peake, cashier to Messrs W. H. GhapTi and Co., wine merchants, was charged with em bezzlement to the extent of £250 from his employers, Mr W. H. Chaplin said the prisoner bad been In his employ for about ten yearß. He bad acted as cashier for six years, and his salary was £150 s year with prospects of an advancement. On Jily 9th the prisoner told witness that he had been embezzling money from time to tima for betting purposes, and the total amount he had taken was row £250. He begged tint the announcement might not be made at the time because his wife was just recovering from a confinement. Witnesß went into the aocounta and found that the fraud had been committee by increasing the balances m the pettj cash account. Theee frauds had been going on for about fifteen months : and ac prisoner said he knew the; would be found out at once, he made confession of them The prleonei observed thai he worked aa hard as he could for eight or nine years, and v?ae honest during that time. Then, m an evil moment, m order to make up a small sum m home expenses, he took a few shillings and invested them m betting. He won a little thtn, but from a few shillings ha prooeeded to lake pounds, and once having started it was impossible to atop. He always had before him the vision of getting all the money back again In one grand coup, Instead of whioh be never won ; and st last, when he saw that he waß hopelessly Involved, and there was a half-yearly balance which would expose him, he told Mr Chaplin, and pleaded for mercy. Mr Vaoghan . I wißh that all the olerks m Mercantile houeea of London would come to this court and pee what I ccc and hear what 1 hear. Thfe is only one of a multitude of cases where prisoners placed m your position have confessed that their robberies are entirely due to betting. 1 It is most lamentable, this betting. I regard it as a curse to the country, because I see bow young men are lured until they fall into a etata of misery and wretchedness. The prisoner must be Imprisoned for three months.