THE HARPER CASE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9126, 10 June 1895, Page 2

THE HARPER CASE.

ACTION BY THE GOVERNMENT. Our Wellington correspondent telegraphed on May 16th aa follows :—" Cable advices have been received to-day announcing the arrest of Mr Leonard Harper, late chief of the firm of Harper, Harper and Maude, of Christchurch, at the instance of the New Zealand Government, upon warrant from Scotland Yard. He will be detained under the Fugitive Offenders Act, and charged at Bow street with the larceny of money of a client. One of the most experienced and capable members of the police force will be despatched to London to bring the accused who, it appears, has been living for some time past in apparently comfortable circumstances in Jersey. From outside sources 1 gather that as it had become apparent that the creditors of accused did not intend to proceed against him the Government have had him shadowed for some time pa3t from Scotland Yard. In the absence of Mr Gully, the Crown Prosecutor, the services of Mr Skerrett have been retained for the Crown, and thet gentleman is in Christchurch now, collecting evidence for despatch to London. The officer selected for the task of going to England and bringing Leonard Harper out to the colony was Inspector Pender, formerly of Christchurch, and now of Wellington, in both of which places he has tbe respect of all classes of the community. The evidence io tbe local cases on which proceedings are to be instituted was taken before Mr H. W. Bishop, Stipendiary Magistrate, in Christchurch. Inspector Pender left Lyttelton for London by the Doric, on May 30th.

Messrs G. Harper and T. W. Maude were adjudged bankrupts on 9th March, 1895, Mr L. Harper having before that date left for England. On the 13th March, on the application of Mr Wilding for.the Trustees, Executors and Agency Company of Melbourne, as executors of the will of the late Mr W. R. Scott, of Levaka, Fiji, Mr L. Harper was adjudged bankrupt also.

The statement of liabilities and assets in the estate of Harper and Co,, _s filed, showed aa under—Liabilities—.Unsecured creditors £201,325 7s sd, secured creditors £48,112 2s 8d (estimated value of securities £55,000). other liabilities £4195 3- LI, making the total of debts £205,520 10s 6.1. Tho assets were stated as being £_2,639 17s 4d, leaving a deficiency of £132,330 13a 2d. The real estate was put down as valued at £5052, and the shares held by the firm at £4310. In Leonard Harper's estate tho liabilities were stated to be:—Unsecured creditors £5000, secured do £41,812 10s. less estimated value of securities £32,589, other liabilities £16,650 18s sd. Total debts £31,084 8s sd. After deducting the assets the deficiency was £50,484 8s SJ.