AN UNUSUAL FRAUD.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1921, Page 8

AN UNUSUAL FRAUD.

LEAVES FROM BIBLE GWEN AS BANKNOTES. London, Nov. 20. Extraordinary allegations of haying substituted leaves from a Bible for one-pound Treasury notes were made against Austin Hughes, a young man formerly employed as cashier in the Coventry branch of Barclay's Bank, who was charged at Coventry with stealing the notes in October, Ifils. It was alleged that he handed to the chief cashier of the Coventry Ordnance .Works, who visited the bank to draw £30,000 for payment of wages, a number of packets purporting to contain Treasury notes. Some did contain notes, but the others had in them leaves from a Bible. The matter remained a mystery until after defendant's discharge from the bank last June. Inquiries then led to the suspicion that defendant had altered entries on cistomers’ paying-in slips from Bank of England notes to Treasury notes, and then it was found that lie had paid Bank of England notes into accounts which he opened with banks at Crewe and Stafford. When asked to account for the possession of the bank notes he said they were the proceeds of football betting business, but refused to give any further information. '