NELSON MAGISTRATES' COURT.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 731, 1 November 1870, Page 2

NELSON MAGISTRATES' COURT.

Peidat, Oct. 28. (Before H. E. Curtis, Esq., A Sclanders, Esq, and D. M. Luckie, Esq., Justices.) Francis Harris was this afternoon brought before the magistrates in the gaol, charged with altering a certain receipt for money, and putting off the same knowing it to have been altered, viz., a receipt signed by J. Powell and Co., dated 30th June 1860, for the sum of £l6 4s 3d. Mr H. Adams appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Fell for the prisoner. V

In this case the charge was that in one of the duplicate vouchers sent in

for this amount the date had been altered from 1869 to 1870, thus making it appear that twice the amount, for which the receipt was given, had been paid by the prisoner as SubTreasurer.

The Provincial Auditor stated that the prisoner had been credited with the amount specified in the voucher in his monthly statement for June, 18G9, and that a couple of monthe ago he had sent in another voucher, the date of which appeared to have deen altered from 1869 to 1870, for a precisely similar amount, purporting to have been paid to the same man.

James Powell stated that he had supplied certain goods to the value of £l6 4s 3d to the Provincial Government in June, 1869, for which he had been paid on the first of July, and by way of receipt he had drawn out, and signed, vouchers in duplicate. The vouchers produced were the Ones he had signed. The alteration that appeared in one of them was not there when he signed it. Hh had received no such amount in June or July, 1870. Prisoner, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial at the next aession of the Supreme Court. Two other charges of a similar nature, one referring to a receipt for the payment of £23 13s to Messrs Bull and Bond, and the other for £4 15s to W. H. Forder, were brought against the prisoner, and in which similar evidence was given, for the prosecution. The prisoner reserved his defence and was committed for trial on each charge at the next session of the Supreme Court.