CLEVER FRAUD BY A GOVERNMENT CLERK.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 30 August 1880, Page 2

CLEVER FRAUD BY A GOVERNMENT CLERK.

(From the Sydney Morning Herald* August 9). A clever fraud on the Lands Office hns; been perpetrated by means of a choquo | entrusted to Mr. J. T. Erans, ono of the* clerks in that department, a youth about. 19 yeara of age. It seems that it was th© custom every month for Evans to draw 'out the cheques for the payment of the [salaries of permanent officers of the Lands Department, to take them to the uudeB 1 - secretary for his signature, and then, in company with the accountant, to lodge" them in the banks to the credit of theofficers in whose favor they were drawn. The usual course of procedure was followed on Thursday last, so far .as that th» | batch of cheques, amounting to abewrf LB4O, were drawn up by Evans, passed on, and duly signed by the under-seore-tary. The particular cheque by which, the fraud was effected was made payable to one of the country appraisers, and was; for LlB 15s. After the name in the body of the cheque, and before the words: " eighteen pounds fifteen shillings" there* was a considerable space, no doubt left purposely* and this Evans appears to havefilled in with the words "(Commissioners; (and others) eight hundred and," andt : inserted <c 8" before " LlB 15s" in the* usual marked space for the figures, thusi 'leading to the inference that the proI ceeds of the cheque were to pay commissioners and other officers, though a P a J* tioular appraiser's name only appeared. About noon, Evans left the/Lands Offiw? as was supposed, to lodge all the cheques; but instead of doing so, he the altered cheque to the oashier of the Bank of New South "Wales. /The cheques having ordinarily been Imaged, and nob paid, and Uvans not being accompanied as usual by the accountant, the bauk: cashier asked hov<* it was that tho cheque* was to be cashed. Evan.s at once replied that on this occasion the salaries; ware to be paid to the officers al the! Lands Office*, and as the cheque was jjnorossedy as it in* dicated that proceeds wore for mora

officer, and as a memorandum how it was to be paid had been £SS to» ont Evans the tank «r paid the amount without inquiry-. nfrSarned to his duties in the Lands S about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Tthns averted any suspicion of his , j Kelt day, however, ho was misP" H before the close of the office his had been discovered. On the n? bein? examined, it was clearly «nfc the words and figure inserted ? P ?<T in' lighter ink than the original Si? on the cheque. The police Unties were communicated with, j the detective force speedily obtained which leaves little doubt that vLs took his departure from Sydney Fridav morning by the ship Cambrian afnnarch" for San Francisco. It has also that on Thursday a young be 6„ went to a bank in the city and "warned a draft on London for LG4O, but 7' _ ay3 t Ie in San Francisco. It may be fehr isumed that the Government will ir»irraD"ements with the bank by which Soent of the draught will be withheld Jmtil something more is known of the 0 n i n whose favor it is drawn ; and as >isalmost certain that it was Evans who \ r t he draft, the Government will no Aabt recover this pcrtion of the money. The necessary steps to secure the arrest of A calprit will at once be taken. The l r departure of the San Francisco mail timer will afford ready means for his Duisnit and capture if it is necessary that Jo much expense should be gone to to faing him bacL