CLEVER FRAUD BY A GOVERNMENT CLERK.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2321, 25 August 1880, Page 2

CLEVER FRAUD BY A GOVERNMENT CLERK.

(From the Sydney “ Morning Herald.”)

A clever fraud on the Lands Oflice has been perpetrated by means of a cheque entrusted to Mr J. T. Evans, one of the clerks in that department, a youth of about 10 years of age. It seems that it

was the 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 under-secretary for his signature, and then, in compaii}' with the accountant, to lodge them in the banks to the credit of the officers in whose favor they were drawn. The usual course of procedure was followed on Thursday last, so far as that the batch of cheques, amounting to about £B4O, were drawn up by Evans, passed on, and duly signed by the under-secretary. The particular cheque by which the fraud was effected was made payable to one of the country appraisers, and was for £lB los. After the name in the body of the cheque, and before the words “ eighteen pounds lifteen shillings” there was a considerable space, no doubt left purposely, and this Evans appears to have Idled in with the words “ (Commissioners and others) eight hundred and,” and inserted “ 8” before “ £lB los” in the usual marked space for the figures, thus leading to the inference that the proceeds of the cheque were to pay commissioners and other officers, though a particular appraiser’s mime only appeared. About noon Evans left the Lands office, as was supposed, to lodge all the cheques; but instead of doing so, he presented tlie altered cheque to the caslder of the Bank of Now South Wales. The cheques having ordinarily been lodged and not paid, and Evans not being accompanied as usual by the accountant, the bank cashier asked how it was that the cheque was to be cashed. Evans at ouce replied that on this occasion the salaries were to be paid to the officers at the Lauds office, and as the cheque was uncrossed, as it indicated that the proceeds were for more than one officer,and as a memorandum showing how it was to be paid had been carefully drawn out by Evans, the bank cashier paid the amount without inquiry. Evans re turned to his duties in the Land office, about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and thus averted any suspicion of the fraud. Next day, however, he was missing, and before the close of the office his forgery had been discovered. On the cheque being examined it was clearly apparent the words and figure being in lighter ink than the writing on the cheque. The police authorities were communicated with, and the detective force speedily obtained information which leaves little

doubt that Evans took his departure from Sydney on Friday morn in;;' V- the ship Cambrian Monarch, for San Francisco. It lias also been ascertained that on Thursday a young man went to a bank in the city and obtained a draft on London for £t!4o, but also payable in San Francisco. It may ho safely assumed that the Government will make arrangements with the bank by which payment of’the draft will be withheld until something' more is known of the person in whose favor it is drawn ; and as it is almost certain that it was Evans who drew the draft, the Government will no doubt recover this portion of the money. The necessary steps to secure the arrest of the culprit will at once bo taken. The early departure of the San Francisco mail steamer will atl’ord ready means for his pursuit and capture if it is necessary that so much expense should be gone to to bring him back.