Bottomly Convicted.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1922, Page 3

Bottomly Convicted.

SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CARLE ASSOCIATION. , Received this day at 11.80 a.m.) ( LONDON. May 29. . Justice Salter, in summing up, advis- , ~,[ jury not to consider whether Rntta.iiVv was patriotic, whether he l li'ad done much for the country or in pursuit of private gain. If the jury were convinced he did dishonest things it should convict. There was no excuse for to sav he would make restitution. Referring to the evideme, counterfoil boohs were used in Conner- | lion with certificates issued, lhe Judge asked "here are the counterfoils. . This is not the case of an uneducated j person who had a few pounds entrusted to.him and got muddled. It is a <asc of an able, efficient business man, who ’ received important sums of money Irom people, who trusted him, a man who appreciates, like any business man in London, the importance of correct ac- | counts. Any honest account, however kept, would have rendered it impossible for Rottumley to appropriate great sums without immediate detection. '\ ne thing 'had come to light through , the Bighuid proceedings cabled oil 1" >• j 18th. The Judge said the charge of I appropriating fifty-seven thousand, j drawn for the purpose of buying newspapers was the most important trnnsae- | pon embraced in the charges. At that tme the Clubs did not owe Bottomley I money, yet when he did not succeed ■>■ j borrowing one hundred thousand Irom | ' the Hank, in the clubs name he raised through a solicitor by means ol bonds' the money used to buy newspapers. Bottomley was convicted, and was sentenced to seven years penal servitude. THE LAST STAGE. ! (Receive l this day at 12.25 p.m.) 1 LONDON. May 29. Ciowds outside aujl inside Old Bailey awaited the conclusion of the Bottomley trial. Bottomley at the outset sat at the solicitors table. At the termination of the proseciitois speech he rose ( ami said- “I now go to the place where an accused sually goes.” and cm j tered the dock: I liuttamley was nnmoved by the ver-I diet except that his face (lushed. He j commenced questioning the Judge and "hell told it was unusual to allow prisoners in cases of m.sdcmcniiour to speak before sentenced lie retorted scornfully ll»d it been so, I should have had something rather offensive to say about your summing up. Subsequently Bottomley collapsed. 'Hu, crowd were excited and astonished at the seventy of the sentence. HISTORY OK THE CASK. In 1919. when the Government uas issuing Victoiv Bonds toward tlie expense'of the war, Horatio Bottomley. m that time editor of “John Bull, suggested that his leaders might like to participate in a lottery tor money | at the same time help the revenue. Every subscriber to this ictory iioml C lub” "ould. in buying a Government Bond Enough the intermediary of thi club, possess through the same purchase a ticket entitling him (n puticipate in a luttey lor nionet prizes, which were to be supplied by the inteiest accruing on the total o', bonds purchased by the club. It "'as stated that there was one prize drawing in -accordance with the project, and then the authorities intervened cm the ground that it was a lottery. B ttoinlev contends that eveiy eftoit was made to return their subscriptions to those who so desired, while with the consent of the others their money was passed to kindled purposes - notably the purchase of French Rentes in connection with a lottery to be held in France. There began to be complaints , at the end of 1920 and the beginning of 1921 from subscribers, who said that they had not been aide to obtain the : return of their subscriptions. Early m 1921 these complaints were referred to in the public Press. In Septemhei. 1921. Reubon Biglaml, who was stated ! to ne a printer, of llandsworth. Biimigliam, issued a pamphlet entitled ' “Tin. Downfall of Horatio Bot'tomlev. M.P.” attacking the management el the Victory Bond Club. On October 11 Reuben Biglaml was summoned at Bow Street at cue instance of Bottomley on a charge of criminal lihcl. Bigland was acquitted. A fortnight later, at the Shrewsbury Assizes, Biglaml was clanged with inciting persons to extort money from Bottomley. This ease resulted also ill the acquittal of the accused. Mr Justice Darling, when summing up, pointed out that though Bottomley was in Court, he made no attempt to deny Bigland's extraordinary stories of fraud. A few days later Bottomley challenged the Public Prosecutor. An answer to this challenge was not Eng forthcoming. At the Bow .cot Police Court, on March 8, Bottomley appeared on a summons issued by the Public Prosecutor charging hint with converting to bis own use £SOOO, part of tin 1 ' property of the Victory Bond Club. After the ease for the prosecution had been outlined, lurthor hearing was adjourned.