THE CHARGE AGAINST A CHRISTCHURCH COMMISSION AGENT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3180, 7 September 1881, Page 3

THE CHARGE AGAINST A CHRISTCHURCH COMMISSION AGENT.

William Wombwell Charters, aged 28, of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, described as a commission agent, was charged before Mr Flowers, at the Bow Street Police Court the other day, on a warrant signed by Mr J. Ollivier, a justice of the peace for New Zealand, and endorsed by bir W. V. Harcourt, for forging an acceptance to a bill of exchange for £147 12s sd, on July 28, 1880. The prisoner was further charged with converting to his own use on December 9, 1880, £250; on January 10, 1881, £150 ; and a second sum of £120 belonging to the Christchurch, Sydenham, and Suburban Building Society. The evidence of a police constable of the New Zealand force was taken to prove the arrest of the prisoner at Bristol, where he had arrived by the steamship Orari from New Zealand, the officer having been despatched after the prisoner. The depositions taken in New Zealand on the application for the warrant were put in, and these showed, as to the first charge, of forging and uttering a forged bill of exchange, that the prisoner had been agent to a Mrs Margaret Ohaproan ?

of Oparra, and that he handed to Mr Law, manager of tho Bunk of New Zealand, Chrisrehrch, a bill of exchange purporting to be accepted by "M. Chapman" £1-17 12s sd. Mrs Chapman being a married woman the prisoner, in answer to the manager, explained that it was accepted by her, as she held property in her own right The bill, which wa3 at six months, was dishonored at maturity, and Mrs Chapman denied having accepted it or authorised its acceptance. On the second charge, of having converted to his own U3e monej belonging to a building society, the depositions showed that the prisoner was manager of that society at a salary of £250 per annum, that a portion of his work was to draw necessary cheques and obtain the signatures of directors to tho same, he countersigning them. On December 6 he presented to Mr Stewart King, a director, a cheque for £250, and on January 10 last another for £150, both of which were signed in the ordinary way, and returned to the prisoner. On the same day, the 10th, Mr E. W. England, another director, signed a cheque for £120, sent by the prisoner to him. The cheques were afterwards found to be unaccounted for in tho society's books, but they had been cashed at., the bank. It appeared from the evidence of Mr Eesfcall, accountant, that all the cheques had been drawn to number and signed without any account of the purposes for which they were drawn being sent with them, whereas the rules of the. society required cheques to bear their purpose on the face of them. The prisoner was remanded. —European Mail.