VICTORY BONDS CASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18540, 28 April 1922, Page 5

VICTORY BONDS CASE

BOTTOMLEY COMMITTED FOB *f s' TRIAL. - ... ■■ Press Association—By Tak^raph—CcpjrS^t; LONDON, April (Received April 27, at 5.5 p.m.) Horatio Bottomley was committed* fotf trial in the Victory Bonds casel'v'. : When the magistrate intimated thaiKW would commit Horatio Bottomley. thelat? ter requested an adjournment to—enaUi* him to consider whether to call evident ; or to make a statement. The case Wait adjourned until Saturday.—A. andN.Z' - Cable. , - [ln 1919, when the Government was issa* • ing Victory Bonds toward the expenses of ■ , the war, Horatio Bottomley, at that,time editor of John Bull, suggested that" has readers might like to participate in.a lofj- ; tery which would at the same time .help the revenue. ' -„ ■ Every subscriber to this “Victory BonS ? Club” would, in buying a Government Bond < through the intermediary of the dub, possess through the same purchase a ticket entitling him to participate in a lottery Sot money prizes, which were to be supplied by the interest accruing on the total of bonds Y purchased by the ciub. It was stated -that there was one prize drawing in accordance ■; with the project, and then the authorities, '. intervened on the ground that it was- A lottery. Bottomley contended that every -effort was made to return their subscriptions ;tO J those who so desired, while with the:.oath sent of the others their money was passed ; to kindred purposes-y-notahly the purchase''' , of French Rentes in connection with a :] lottery to be held in Frdhbe. . There began to be complaints at the end of 1920 and the beginning of 1921 from subscribers, who said that they had’ not been able to obtain the return of theft ■} subscriptions. Early in 1921 these complaints were referred to in the public presa .* In September, 1921, Reuben Kgland, who J was stated to be a printer, of HambworitU Birmingham, issued a pamphlet ehtitleq “The Downfall of Horatio Bottoml&yi M.P.” ' /; c : 3? This pamphlet attacked Bottomley's nofitf- S agement of the Victory Bond Club,. ans. 5 stigmatised that institution as a swindle;. -2 The document was printed in large hers, and sold by street hawkers.’ OnOOTj- J ber 11 Reuben Bigland was summoned' ai Bow street at the instance of Bottomley on ,'s[ a charge of criminal libel The trial at the Old Bailey ended sensationally in tho collapse of the prosecution, and Biglatid was acquitted. , 't A fortnight later, at the Sfarewrinif; j Assizes, Bigland was charged with iqwtmg i persons to coctort money from BcfraWftyi ~i This case resulted also in the acquittolYbi ; the accused. In tho course of the trial Bjfc -''•i land made grave charges of fraudlSgamst ■ -,-j Bottomley, and Mr Justice Darling; when summing up, pointed out that though Bet- ( tomley was in court- ha made no attempt > to deny Bigland’s extraordinary etudes of ’j fraud. . , A few days later Bottomley wrote to the Public Prosecutor, stating! “Biglaiurs | charges against nae at the Shropshire Assizes cannot be ignored. If they-aid HrW it is your undoubted duty to take-oogjHS; ance of them.” An answer to tm lenge was not long forthcoming/ Althe Bow Street Police Court on March S/BoP : tomley appeared on a summons issued “I the Public Prosecutor charging hrtn (with converting to his own nse £SOOO, Pftrt of the property of the Victory Bond Clnh. After the case for the prosecution ban’been outlined further hearing was adjourned^