EMBEZZLEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 427, 9 February 1909, Page 7

EMBEZZLEMENT.

\- Ci-i|sl)MS OFFICIAL'S CRIME; ;' V 9 AN UNFORTUNATE CAREER. : EIGHTEEN MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT^/; ' .;,.' (pi TEIEpBAPHTrPSBSiI ■■■■..-■-■; ;.': ..'; ■ a ■ - ~:; Auokland, 8.; ■■;■ :? i young-mai,- Bfoyi whoi; ; , pleaded'guilty.'iither'more 4iiari\ v C fort night.lk ago. to,having ( from VHie ; - Majesty's jDustoinsi/was"brough't.up bofore i Mr'.' 'Justice Edwards for sent^ce.thjs :: ing at : .the.'Supreme' Cojirt; ! ;_'',y ; i v ; : '"-' ■'■;. :-.- .'■ : '-i Mr!' : 'Ea'rlj tor;:the defence, -y " ; said he recognised that tho case was a most : i Kseiioiia it ,^onHJßiS- -futile to.' .: talk about probation, but r tli<sre !i were oircum. •,' :stancos that stamped prisoner in many-waya l ;■ ras.,a.yictiin .of,.misfo j i'tune, v i ,ha % ! advance 'in" asking for some measure oi ■■■'■:- ! leniency from.his honour. "Barry had■.beon.. : -; :.-av»ipsli.naf6^uia^' ; maH'. : EllVh6l|?e.*-VBeidnß-;';;'-A ing to a ,: family 'inwhioha love for athletics -::. was strongly: grafted, he wf.B, when a lad at.:-! ..-.', ■sfliopl,, afllipted'-jvithfbkpd^ppißpning,.:which :: v not'only cuf'SliOrt , ap'-his hopea of renown,.. v . .in the field of athletic sports, but cost: him : ; ja leg,: .which had; to be. taktjri off nt the hip . -; ~ and: replaced by" an artificial limb. -Hardly:. .-;;■ had this been effected, when, the poison ex- •- j jHeftded'ftdlTiis left-arm, which m consequence;. : had /.also to be partly: ■•-In. spite • of .'tljis .harassing.'handicap, however, -young: .■' Barry/:steadily\strovevto-egnip;himself- for:a "■-'■■: career,-.and passed 'tteACiviF Service. Examin-v"■';' ■ "ation.-iritli"' great -credit. Ho entered the' : ; Department seventeen years 'ago,; anp];- 1^% r gomejHme > , ;^a( s^stj.tipned i .at: Ohrist- ; .'■"•;. oh'urcK, where h© was ■igonorally,esteeined by t ".:. f all who knew him, ''Labouring- under: the . ■ handioap that he-'did,'', which disabled him: - from many of the ordinary, duties of. a Cus-. ; . tomshouse official, he found promotion neces- : : steadily ? : ) .and about ;-&&■ .years.,ago he,:-jvas. sent "'"to 'Aucklah'd'ilio'^talcß^Aip'tbe'position "'or-wareV •: house-kefepe'f ■ there'..* He serve 1 !! 1 under :Mr. '>: • Rose for about : _four years, and: was .found ;{- by i : his; .: superior,. -'• ,to '■,- ;■ be r , ;-an- r .- r «fficient':.: and ■p'ainstaking''6ffioer. v Then; hHout .three'-.-', : .years .ago,:": "being at -...-,•.-that '.'.■. time: ■'.■'■''.■ inreceipt.of, a v salary r ;ofr-£220. c ar r year, he bo- ; : :.'oanie. mam^'';:Up ! 'W v ■ he:hadv,■;'■:■ ;a ; ssis'tfed l 'to'''s'tippoHi:Kis^widowecF"mother ahel" .,;!. his sister, and after his -marriage,. even to'-,'.-"'. the.present;.time,-he pontinued^tp-'Oontributa ; :'towai'tls.r,Kil'Mother's'."'mamtMancbT' "■:• Sooii: ; . - :after m'Srrtagei-lioweVe^,-%e c "fo'i{M ;;unequal:to.keeping the.lady.»Wiljhad marriedl .':" Hn the. stylo, to. ; twhipb,. sho-.-.haclybeen". acous-.'. , ;Gradually.'-ho'.beca'nfe'.''inv6lved' : in- debt,■■".'and--' iat .last had-recourse; to. negotiate for- a £100 :v'.; jloaa a'-.prpnusspry-.--aiotO;.;.tq- c reHeve'. hi 3-.-■ ,:: ■ pressing 'diffioiiltioß/' : a' ; friend"^backing "■ tho' ': bill for. him. It became duei:he:.was able;..; ;to; pay" off :; a;,little^ andrihe^.biUj.^pas"; ; re--: ' -J .new.od.;y"'Again"'{his'beburfed;''arid'then; the 'friend: ,Va"s"p.u"t. to. financial stress: by. .boing''■:-■• ro'alled; endprsement..: It:' : : ■^as : (ibput 'tt.i? ■■ Barij, ■ who '-was , .! -y 'nowr'a fcillec'toir of^' : p6rt.duoSj-'felT-"into-.'tenip-;;;:'■/.'. tation. .He abstracted money in 'the. first ~' place'to pay off the debt due on tho "'pro-' >J.missory note,, arid afterwards continu"advi6:v;'.: take ■ sums.:, Mr v Earl .had .Doeh..unable. toVy .olipit., any v - suooirict .statement. as ■ to; where:.',■;■ ; Ithesp : mpneys had disappeared,: but the peou^-I:.'.;■' ■ la'tibhs- about 15 "piontha ago. : '.",'• ■ ■'.':. ■■~'u-',;. . : : His Honour pointed'out that it was statedU >: in«..the charge that .the defalcatipn. - ..ppcurred-j .7 between . May and Decombor.of last year. .'-].., ■That was •60i'ngreed':Mr; Earl, but *the-»l irregularities had, as a matter of;'fact,- : gun. cabout-^-fifteen mpnths/ago,-:and .appa'r-;' \o ehtlyr'Bariy/CJiad beW 1 frpm.,time,:tp..time,so-^astormake".J.he. theft 3-- -•- ' i appear''asV"thtogh'j,the'y..ha.du|)egup. in May, last. r ; " • •■-■".-• : -. -.- '.::--:'W.'-\..'r.:-:'-:- r }':-'.

jr. The Judge': r 'l'he're.. -must , ■ have' <i)een an:.': -auiiit,' I's'up'poßo." !How is it that it. was V ,not mecover.ed, Jμ thev.auditingA ;. i v "■.'■.' : ■•'. •■{ ; M.r: Earl;. ;VVeH, it apf e|ts- thkt he was. bo: '.'. 'placed as to'bo'able tpring'thechaßges. At ~ ,ajl ; ;e?ents«th9 j.JJegan,,twelve -,'qi;- ... 'fifieeai-jnonth's agb'.'-'^'"^ 1 ; ■;: ;'^ ! ; ..']■',.' ■-'/-.■ . "CounseJ.'.went .on, ..with; reference ..to the' , .:; •misfortune; that 'appeaM ; doggod ■ ■ •Barry's ■'life;''tarjeby, that ,th"e' day*after: his ■■' 'arrest'. his ;wif ei' g&yej'-birtli $>-1 - child, while :;■-: ?hfl : himself had beDTi.sufiering fromvga'stritis,'-.;:' .whiph/sq stomach, that he was ■ ' "absbjufelyunfit^i'fprywort.':''Added to this'./; was the faot'that,hisj,goneralhealth had;e,n■tir«ly,:.brokeit;: 5 had been some V , hope;'of Yreceiying;|elp . from'.a relative at'■■■';' Home, :.and : lie.'had"'written sometime ago ' ':• •asking r : f6r- ! £loQo=with::which .to niato com-": . .plate■'restitutiori, ibut';: that 'hope was killed ;.:; ' by: tho 'death of the relaiiive just before the ; : ' ;lettetU' reached :England. Finding -himself in : despbrate straights,. oontinued. Mr. sEarl, the'. ; .. unfortunato'man "resorted _to the equally desperate expedient of ■gambling ; hoping thereby : to- retrieve'his;finacial "position,..and make;':.. good .-his .defalcations. ; rroviouslj', he had , ' never Tieen a" drinker' ffor a'gamblfT. At the-'. present.timo the prisoner was a'o'soliitely pen- ,, '■■• -rely-upon>the;*sharity of,:/ .•:l;i.Si'broj;h.or;;t6ikeep his wife and:child. Not-';' ;ono penny of the money stolon had, he puti•'awa.v,;''ahd'for twelve or fifteen months his ... been:a;perfeat..liell,i l eyfr.|ri constant:; .'dread or what ho knew must' come,- bank-',.' : "/rupt in;health, pqqket, and reputation. Barry' : Was nqw: in position; and'he asked,;. : ■that,, some" little' ifthsideration, be taken ;■: : of '■'■ this, fact when sentence was paased,-:. w-j A numberof witnesses were then called byf? :irr"."Earr,'"'airQf "whom. tcstifisd-:to-the/high':■■. charabtey. preyiousjy.liejd-by the. prisoner. • His, Honour/ in"'passing' Sentence, ft'wai 'mpst'i.unfp that Bar?Jf ; should; : .\ have' taken 'to ; gambluig~with ■ the,"money of.. .the Croflii i's a - , riiearis-''or'relieving.himself , 'from tho financial position in:which'4e had • /pimishmen.tjvof.course, .was ; neccssa'r^'.^'a}t.hpugh;--he':-tfould not. -be soi : -;. .undb"r«the oifcinh'stances, as an able-bodied offender would have been, : It . / .could_noi:.bkilkEsd-,t2-Jj§- »§I I BE. ose 4' -.:^?t. :: ■'■' under great itempta'tion'Tnen'couTdTo'b.their,;... iemplbyerßi'fjUid go'on.robbing them consequences.,.'. That :would -.'' Ae.encouraginK others who might be'similarly.,. '-. ■pjaced to "yield to temptation, but.Eeoing.the"-."■;. 'peculiarly h&rd position'in which tlio prisoner ■. ; .wduld. be i'PlqcedrfWhen, released, being a. man ; •'.. iobljcedj.;tp; rely "upon .clerical employment,which iri'such cases-was alwars;niQre' difficult .-;.-. ■'to obtain than manualiaboiffi ho:.'felt: inclmed:. to deal muchympm.jknienfly with- : the'pri&." : oner than ; b.uld v Have dorio."' .Punishment Ibad''fffwinnicted ) howQver l not ; lso > ttiiS > ofFen < der','as to make . ■jt live in.: lo'nToriths , imprison- .: : mentwaiVp3aseiif(J;s{-T^ ; ;^|;;;";: -, -~- ;.;^:\