THE ROBBERY OF BANK NOTES.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 76, 19 April 1879, Page 3

THE ROBBERY OF BANK NOTES.

At the Middlesex Sessions, on Nov., 10. William Ohrannn Stafford, 27, was indicted for embezzling ami stealing £15,000, the property of the Governor and the Direotors of the Bank of lingland. The prisoifcy>leaded guilty. Mr. Poland, who prose Mcd, stated the circumstances under which the robbery was effected, as already reported. Tho prisoner had been for six years in the service of the Bunk of England, four years rathe chief branch and two at the Liverpool establishment. On October 3 two rif the customers paid in £15,000, in two sums of £IO,OOO ond £SOOO, and tin- accused absconded will: the whole of this money. The prisoner when called upon to say whether he had anything to urge in mitigation of punishment, said that he hud been induced to commit the offence by tho witness Macbeath, and that if it had not been for his evil counsels he should never have thought of committing such an offence Mr. Justice Hawkins, in passing sentence, told the prisoner he had no means of knowing whether the statement he had made about tho man Macbeath was true or false,; but even supposing it to bo true, it did not afford tho slightest justification for his conduct. He was placed in a position of great trust, the greatest conHdonce was reposed in him, and ho had abused that confidence most grossly. He was, however, a young man, and he had shown some contrition by pleading guilty : he had restored a great portion of the money that,was stolen, and looking upon these facts to some extent as an extenuation of his conduct, he (Mr. Justice Hawkins) hoped he was not passing too lenient a sentence when he ordered him to be kept in penal servitude for seven years, and this would give him an opportunity, if he choso to avail himself of it, of letrieving his character.