AN AUSTRALIAN ABSCONDER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1660, 15 November 1887, Page 3

AN AUSTRALIAN ABSCONDER.

The Alta California (San Francisco) Qn July 9th last John H. Stairenghi arrived in this city from Australia, on the steamer Mariposa. On July 18th the British Consul here, Mr Donohue, received a cablegram from Melbourne requesting the arrest of Stairenghi, if he was still in San Francisco, for forgeries aggregating 5T6,000d01, on the Union Bank of Melbourne. The matter was reported by the Consul to the police, and Stairenghi was soon located by the detectives and put under a close watch pending further developments. As a, despatch was received that a constable with the necessary papers would arrive by the Alameda to take Stairenghi back with him to Australia, it was thought best to make things •ure, so Captain Lees arrested Stairenghi and locked him up in the tanks. It seems from what is so far known about the case that Stairenghi is a member of tbe firm of George Synnot and,. Co., wool brokers, at Geelong. Stairenghi was manager of the firm which is "one .of the. oldest in the country, and rated very high in business circles. This standing enabled him to make overdrafts in the firm’s name at the Union Bank, Melbourne, to the extent of about £12,000, He is also alleged to have negotiated forged notes on other firms to the amount of £3OOO. When the bank demanded a settlement. Stairenghi, to make such settlement, is stated to have given the bank notes, purporting to have been signed ■'by local settlers and farmers. These notes were discounted and the amounts credited to the firm to offset the overdrafts. When the first of these notes was presented it was repudiated as a forgery by Alexander Thompson, of Exford, Melton, by whom it was purported to have been drawn. Adverse speculations plunged Stairenghi deeper and , deeper, and at tbe end of last June he found the game was nearly up, and resolved to leave the country. Sending telegrams to the firms who were pressing him the closest to meet him at a point as far away from Sydney as possible, he left for that port and took steamer for San Francisco, leaving there on June 16. He lived a very retired life in San Francisco with his wife. On the day of his arrest the furniture had been removed to an auction room, preparatory to bis departure for the East. Stairenghi acknowledged that he was in some 1 trouble with his creditors in Australia, but stated that it could be arranged on bis return there. What money ho bad secured from his transactions in Australia must evidently have been engulfed there, for when arrested he bad but a few dollars in his possession. He stated that he only brought some 6Qodol. here with him.”