THE UNION BANK ROBBERY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 137, 24 April 1862, Page 5

THE UNION BANK ROBBERY.

William Joseph Brutton was charged, on the information of Alfred Jackson, manager of the Dunedin branch of tlie Onion Bank of Australia, with having, on the 10th August, 1861, at the office of the Union Bank of Australia, and while clerk to Alfred Jackson, feloniously embezzled the sum of £115 i 10s;, and ;at divers others times, divers other sums of money had feloniously embezzled.

The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and was defended by Mr. Soutli. ! " ' : The examination in this case was conducted in such. a suppressed tone as to.be scarcely audible. Mr. T. B. Gillies, on the side' of the prosecution," called— , ' ' . , :. '': '.'■■' '■

Alfred Jackson, who, being sworn, deposed that he was manager of the branch Bankr of the Union Bank of Australia in Dunedin. 'Witness knew the prisoner, who 'was teller in the- bank on rthe' 10th August last ; v His duty was to pay money on cheques; and to receive Jcash' on deposits. It wtis prisoner's duty to enter the moneys received into a cash book, 18n^~to~ririitiM-rTthe"^lierßs""J)ald'"-"i'n' r""thS~ bank ledger. The money received by'* him in the capacity, of, teller, it- was his duty to place in : the bank safe.' 'The accused'was not at his post on the 12th August.. , [On leaving upon Saturday, the 10th,, prisoner stateU that he was going into the court try, ', and that lie" might be late at the bank on Monday. When witness reached the bank oh Monday morning^ the 12th August, his" suspicions were aroused by a person named John Ulmer,.of Port Chalmers, enteri' ing, and reporting that he had seen the accused, William Joseph Brutton, on board the Oineo, steamer, on Saturday. Witness remembered a cheque bein^ presented ,at the bank on the afternoon of the 12tli August, and drawn; by one John Mann for'• £75; Witness did not honor that "cheque; refusing to do so on thegrounds"of therei not' being' sufficient-funds;' Afflnn, the drawer of the cheque, called upon.witness during the same evening, and exhibited his bank pass book (produced.) In this book witness observed an entry made'in ithe handwriting' of the prisoner',1 and opposite to 10th August, 1861, for £113 10s. There was no corresponding entry made' in the bank book. No other person but the teller was authorised to receive money'on'the; 10th August. Witness also recollected Mr. .Jonesi' of the firm of Jones and Williamson, calling upon him and stating that they had lodged £56 in the bank on the 9th August, which sum hadnotbeen accounted for. There, was no'entry on the bank books in favor •of Jones, Williamson, & Co. There was no entry in the bank books made on the 10th August, 0f,£136, being credited to Wil-. son and Wade. - ' : • The examination at this stage of the proceedings was conducted in such a low tone as to be_hardly audible. ■. ■ : ■•..■■. • ;■ Witness proceeded to say that there was no entry of £60 paid in by A. and W. Shannon, on the 10th August. There was no entry of £70 in the name of Donald Coutts on the bank books. There was no entry on the 27th July of £400 paid_ into the bank to the credit of William and W. Pantlin. Witness re-' membered James Kilgour,bringing certain doi'uments to him, and representing that they had been found at North East Valley. They were handed to witness on the 16th August last: . They purported to be vouchers, made out on the deposit of money, and ought to be passed; from the. teller to the ledgerkeeeper. Tho initial letters "W. J. 8.," on these vouchers were in the' handwriting of the prisoner. Tlie object of having these slips issued -was to show that the tellers received the money. None of the money had !>een credited in the bank books to the parties who had deposited it. "When witness felt convinced that a fraud had been committed, he took steps for laying, an information against the accused now before the Court. On the 10th August, which was Saturday, the accused delivered up his key. to a person named JeiTeries iii the bank, stating that he would.most, probably be late at the bank on Monday: morning. .;, It. was the duty of the prisoner to balance his cash every night, and if there was any discrepancy he ought to have made a memorandum in his book of the same being either short or over. There was no such memorandum. It was riot until Monday night, 12th August, that a' balance was struck, and a slight discrepancy was then detected, which* has since been corrected: but there, was no surplus to cover the gums abovermeiitioned. ■ Witness had various other claims against him, and principally on deposits made on the 9th and 10th August. ' Mr Gillies: To what amount ? ' : ■ Mr. South : Really, as.l am watching the case, for accused, I cannot see what that has to do with it. Mr. Jackson : Is.it absolutely necessary that I should state the amount? Mr. South : I am instructed by the defendant to say thatever since^this accusation was made, he has done all in his power to forward every facility with reference to the accounts- I understood that there were three or four specific accounts to be epteredinto; on which, the accused would plead " Guilty ;" : and that on these accounts my client would be committed, for trial.... 1 apprehend that the statement of any aggregate amount will not affect the case..... . .;■ ; Mr. Gillk's: I adopted that course rather to avoid going into details; but the bank do not wish to press more than one or two cases., .:: , ■ ■'. :■. . .'■■'. Mr. Alfred Jackson's examination was then continued. Examined by the Bench : The accused had been most-attentive to his duties, and his conduct was everything that could be desired. .Of his moral character witness had but little opportunity of judging. Tlie defalcations. appeared to have occurred principally,on tho 9th and 10th August, last./ -There were some in April and May ; but•— r■■ •;. ■ ■-..- ■- ■■• [i he pi-isoner here looked.at Mr. South—and. the, question was not pressed.] . : .■".-•.■'.: Cross-examined by. Mr. South :• Witness had-no cause of dissatisfaction with the defendant. Thenccused had .been in the.employ of the bank for about three years, but witness could not; speak confidently without reference to. the bank books, His. term of. engagement might have been for only two years: but during the time lie had bfien employed witness had. always fonnd the defendant to be a very excellent officer. ..-■.- ...•:■. John Mann, bullock-driver, sworn : stated he re membered..depositing £113 10a. in the Union Bank, of Australia, at Dunedinj on the 10th August last. • \ (Witness identified his bank ,pass book, produced, and recognised the entry made on .the credit - Bide, as having been inserted by"the prisoner..) . '■■'. '.;.-.'"' Jameß Jones, partner in the firm of Jones and Williamson, sworn, stated : that in 'August" last, .he. kept an account with the Dunedin branch of the Union Bank of Australia. . Witness. remembered, on the dth August last, depositing £56 in the bank, on account of the firm. He. gave that amount to the prisoner, Brutton, ■ ; .',;.'. .' .', .'.':".'■ James Wilson was called but did not respond. George Green, a settler residing on the North East Valley, sworn:. recognised sundry documents produced. - Witness had seen them before; sometime in August last, but had not made any' memorandum of, the date! He found them at the further end of North East Valley.about two or three chains past his own house, lying .on the groundj.in the middle of theroad.-. They were doubled up in three folds. He. delivered them up" to Mr. Jamef, Kilgour. They appeared to be now in the same state as'tliey were in when witness found ihem; ; ■'. " Alexander Mcc sworn,; deposed as follows: -1- am sergeant in the police force.1 I remember on the 16th. August last, receiving the warrant produced,' and being instructed by Mr." J. Sheppard and Mr. Gillies,1 to proceed to Melbourne.' On arriving in Melbourne, I received satisfactory information that'tlie prisoner had sailed .for England in the ship Roxburgh Castle,: I was directed by the Sfaiiager of the Union Bank of Australia in Melbourne, and' the Commissioner of Police there, to proceed to England. I did so by the" overland route.. Upon arriving in England I got the' warrant endorsed by the' Secretary of State. I repaired .to' Deal, and placed myself in instant communication witli all the policeoffices along the coast, and the prisoner was apprehended at Southampton, and .consigned to jay custody. I told him when I took him in charge, that I arrested him on a warrant for' embezzling moneys,"- the' property of the''Union Bank of Australia; lie said,; he was very sorry for what happened, but it could not be heljsed now, and lie would go .back to New; Zealand quietly!-witb>-nie.-; He addcd/th'at he woulclrathertoetnedinthe colony/ as he thought he; might stand a better "chance here than in England. He further said that he wbuld like to return, as his affairs with the bank were in a, complicated slate, "and" he would;.like to put them' .."'to . rights."' "He 'alsb 'said that' ■he bad' paid some debts, in Dunedin, 'had spent some- of the money, and leit; a party ""on board ship L4O. Abalaneewas found UDon.Jiim,, JL2OB sterling gold— [the amount was almost inaudible in the reporter's box,but thiswas understood to Tie the figures]-,; a LI note on the Bank of Scotland,' 6s. 6d. in Bilver, a watch/goldring, and watch, guard, all of which arej produced. ,: There wasj a Small -slip of paper in 'prisoner's pocket-book,'hended : —"Parties owing money to me," which; he.wished.the. Union. Bank to receive.' He stated that he had left'LT in an Inn atMelbourne. .' I retainedrhim'.in;my custody,--Bnd brought him back, to this colony, .. ■,r. .' . '■-,■ Py Mr^South : The accused received the visual:

caution from me before' he made any statement, and Safltejme the information v. luntarily. . .TJje.jritnessiltn,si,gned.-,hi§...dep.9gitiqn_paper, and without the contests being read aloud by the clerk. •■ The prisoner reserved his defence, and-was fully committed to stand rhis-trial: before- thenext-Criminal-Sittings of the Supreme Court,; to be holden at Dunctun on the Bth Miiy. ' . . Nuisances.—Mr. James Nunqn reported that in the nuisance! ease -'against Nelson, the- nuisance had been abj'.tcd; and that against George Crowhurst, ' for suffering a quantity of; tilth to overflow from a! pig-stye, was adjourned to Friday (to-morrow)', tlie defendant promising to remove it by that time. : There were one or two summons cases; for recovery and settlement of disputed claims, but the particulars were*utterly devoid bt general interest. '• "■'<■■' - * "-'-'■<'<