Alleged Serious Forgeries. Ll0,000 Said to be Involved.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 207, 18 June 1887, Page 5

Alleged Serious Forgeries. Llo,ooo Said to be In volved.

Henry Hart Lazarus is being charged before the Waier Police Court, Sydney, with uttering forged promissory notes. It is paid that LlO,OOO is involved in these forgeries. In the first cases taken, Chai'les Mark Palmer, manager of the Bank of N. S. Wales, deposed : Had known the accused pome time as a customer of the bank. Ho was accustomed to discount bills." Witness produced three pi-omissory notes for L 375, L 375 Bs, and L 362 Bs, which he had discounted for him. Tho bills were signed by Harrison and Attwood, in favour of H H. Lazarus. They were discounted by the bank for the accused, and the pi'oceeds passed to his credit and were operated on by him. From some information witness he sent for the accused on the 26th or 27th, May ; drew his attention to the bills purporting to have been given by Harrison and Attwood. He assured witness thc^C were genuine, and said he would go to Harrison and Attwood's offico fort With about them. On the following Saturday, from what witness heard, he wrote to tho accused. Afterwards saw accused on Friday, wont to his office in Hamiltonstreet, and asked him if he had been to Harrison and Attwood's. He replied no, but that he would go during that forenoon. Saw Harrison and Attwood, and then saw prisoner in the afternoon. He said he had seen Mr Watson, who would

call on witness on the following morning. N, e\t morning witness saw Mr llae, another partner of Harrison and Attwood's. About noon on Tuesday witness sent for accused* and Ue came about 2 p.m. (Mr Holmes, the sub -accoun tan t,, having brought in all the bills of aceusod's under discount). We asked him to* let us know which were genuine bills and which were fictitious bills. Amongst the bills he pointed out were two ot thos) that he; (witness) produced in court. The third "bill was not in the bank at the time. In consequence of the atntomcnfc made by accused, and from other information, these charges were laid, as shown in the informations of May 31st, Juno Ist, and Juno Oth respectively. Witness made independent inquiry about the bills, and a number of them witness believed were genuine. John Watson, a member of the firm of Harrison and Attwood, carrying on business at 231, George-street, as general merchants, deposed that Mr llae and himself were the only two members of the firm. Witness denied that the signature of Harrison and Attwood was like the firm's signature ; neither did it bear any similarity. Witness knew accused, and had occasionally had dealings with him, but always bought for cash. Never had bill transactions with him. Accused came to witness's office on the evening of the 30th May, at 5 p.m., and said, "1 suppose you know what I have come about?" Witness replied, "I can guess ; I suppose you have come about those promissory notes to which you have forged our signature, and which are at the Bank ot New South Wales." Accused replied, " Yes ; because I was a fool." He also said, " Because I was in a desperate state and desperate diseases require desperate remedies." Ho asked, as witness had known him for some time, that witness would take- no steps for his arrest. Witness said, if the bank did not take action on the following morning, he would. Accused said he would be dead before they could catch him, and left the office.