HIS SECRET HIDDEN IN MISSING DOCUMENTS

NZ Truth, Issue 1080, 12 August 1926, Page 8

HIS SECRET HIDDEN IN MISSING DOCUMENTS

Cyril Mosley Helped Himself While Showing Struggling Clerks

The Quickest Route to Big-Money Jobs

COMPANY CUTS UP LAND AND THE. SECRETARY CUTS INTO PROFITS

(From "Truth's" Special Christchufch Representative.) a number of enterprising gentlemen met m Ohristchurch six years ago, and finally blossomed forth as Seafield, Ltd., for the purpose of exploiting a block of land at Brooklands for residential purposes, "Boost" became their watchword.

"^D VANCE, beautiful Canterbury" would appear to have been 1 their popular slogan. And then they got down to business. What about a secretary? A real live man — m short, a "booster" seemed indicated. ,

THEY found him m Cyril Tonman Mosley, the smart, debonair city accountant. Mosley filled the bill nicely. He believed m all the boost slogans there were, but unfortunately for the company— and for Cyril— he practised another slogan, quite a personal one m its application. It was apparently: "Feather your own nest, my boy."

E did so at the company's expense, and the firm is bemoaning • th,e fact that it has been stung to the tune of £1800. Cyril also is far from happy today. For he is to interview a judge for sentence * on his plea of guilty to a number of theft charges;

Mosley has something of a flair for organization, and is not the' sort to allow the grass to grow under his feet when it comes to making money. One of his little, commercial ventures was the ChHstchurch Coaching College, where budding Com- . . pany. directors were made into the , genuine article arid struggling clerks shown the path to the bigmoney jobs. ', A man of ideas is Mosley; not lacking m brains and the ability to Use them. Unhappily for him, lie allowed his talents to lead him into dark and stormy courses of peculation,, and It was when he took to crime th'afhe showed that the equipment of the real crook was not his to command at will. More Fool Than Knave He is, apparently more fool than knave! and the bungling manner m which he went about his thefts merely set the seal on his ultimate ruin and disgrace. ■ Not only, was Mosley secretary to Seafield, Ltd., and controller of the Coaching College, but he Was a public accountant, and as such he enjoyed the esteem of the business community. It was m July, 1920, that a company to be known as Seafield, Ltd., blossomed out m Christchurch for the purpose of exploiting a block of land at Brooklands which was to be cut up into sections for residential purposes. Mosley was appointed secretary to the company, and part of his duties was to collect money paid by purchasers of the sites. Something of a mild land boon? set m, and the sections were sooii selling like hot calces on a foggy night.

Cyril did his bit m getting rid of the sites and sold a number of them m the years that followed. He was also accepting: cash from buyers, who, apparently, Were allowed to purchase on the time-payment system. Unfortunately for Cyril, he got his Own pocket mixed with the firm's bank account, and quite a substantial sum went down south and stayed there. Cyril Mosley 's Secret , • There was the little sum of £336, paid on behalf of Miss E. M. Heyward, which was not accounted for, not to mention sundry other sums paid by other people. ' In all, Mosley was called upon to answer eight charges of failing to account, involving a sum of £571. This was quite enough to go on With, although the firm reckoned that the total amount of the misappropriations was m the vicinity of £1800. . Just what he had m mind when embarking on his series of thefts, was not divulged. ' '< . x . Easy money was no doubt his mark, and it was surprising how easy it fell- into his hands. . A purchaser of a section would call In to maice the monthly payment and Cyril would give him a receipt. Suspicious Director That was all very Well for the purchaser, but when the cash failed to swell the bank account of the firm it was obvious that Sooner or later there was bound to be a serious draught. But it was not until last August that the firm's auditor began to think that all was not as it should be. The annual balance takes "place, oh August 31 of each year, and when that 'date came round oh the last occasion Cyril Tonman Mosley was a very worried man indeed. He did not want those books to see the light of day. » ' But .Valentine Davis Hewer. % auditor, and a director of Seafield, Ltd., had need of them, and said so. . Without being unreasonable, Hewer said he would naturally expect 'the books to • be available early m October. As it happened, he had the utmost difficulty m getting hold of "them. From August until the following"Feb-

ruary, Mosley had a most anxious time. Hardly a day passed but what Hewer was brt to him about the books. And the only refuge the defaulting secretary had was m promises to hand them over later. Time went on and still the books did not show , u i>. Mosley explaining that he was too busy. . '. • But he was not the/ only man .who Was busy. Hewer and 'his fellowdirectors were by this time satisfied that something wanted looking into, so a meeting was held and a resolution to seize the books was passed. And on February 4 that was done. But still Cyril was not out to surrender the evidence of his guilt if he could avoid it. v miiimiiiiiiimmmm iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiHuiimiijmiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiii 1

Cyril Mosley snapped by "Truth's" photographer as he hurried from the ■' . Court.: . .•" - •;* ■ J

It was almost as difficult for .Hewer to get those books asUt is for a novice to pull a tooth* However, after some delay and explanations, Hewer marched off With what he could find and immediately commenced to. look through the books. And then he received the shock of his life. The defalcations were '•extensive. • Mosley looked m later on Hewer- as he was trying 'to unravel the mystery of the books and offered to assist him with the job, but there was nothing doing, as no authority had been given by the directors. A Hopeless Muddle Finally, at Mosley's request, a statement was prepared . setting out his position with the company. That statement showed the defalcations at £1900, and Mosley only took exception to one or. two items, said Hewer. A further statement cbmpiled later set down the defalcations at £1821 6s\ 10d, but it Was conceded that as^a setoff to this m favor Of Mosley there was the sum of £485 paid back, £270 as Credit Oil commissions oh sales and a sum of £56 US lid which had been accounted for. Altogether it was a hopeless , mess m which "the defaulting ac- ' countant found himself. , . Side by side With these troubles was the anxiety df the Coaching College. ■"■■•. A lengthy roll of students-^all Of them involved with Mosley m contracts for instruction m various subjects—was .worrying him considerably. How was he to adjust the muddle there? ; , . , - • Just what was to happen about the uncompleted courses of study and, more important still,- the money that had been paid by pupils? > Dramatic Arrest — — : — : • ■ , ;. # j Mosley had no option but to file his petition m bankruptcy, and. those little, troubles have been unloaded on to the broad shoulders of the Official Assignee. . ' ,-'..'■ - ' ■ ' In spite of all, Mosley is an op- , timist. The last thing he thought of was arrest. When Detective Sergeant Young called upon .him at his Office m Hereford Court and told Cyril i that . he had a Warrant for him, •; Mosley was taken aback with astonishment. ' "Surejy, Mr. Young," he exclaimed, "they have not- issued a war- .. rant for my arrest ? Why, I had arranged with them to fix up the whole matter." Which was where Cyril Tonman Mosley was m error. The game was up and he knew it, and in -a statement to the police later he admitted having failed to account for various sums belonging to the firm. He had nothing to say and pleaded guilty, A judge will decide his future movements. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiititiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiitimiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiuii