BANKRUPTCY REVELATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2119, 6 February 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

BANKRUPTCY REVELATION.

At the London Baukinptcy Court, the other day, an application was made to Registrar Hazlitt to grant an older of discharge to Messis R. and T. G. Ridg .vay, army agents, notaries, and newspaper proprietois, of Wateiloo-jjlace, and the hoyal Exchange, carrying on business as "Ridgway and Sons.' and "Ridgway Brothers." Mr Aldridg* siid that the report of tho Official receiver set out that tlie joint accounts showed gro«s liabilities £07,795, of which £55,679 was unsecured, and assets £8,824. Colonel Ridgway's accounts show total debts £40,067, anc assets £5G,751, of which £33,8*25 is surplus from securities, being freehold properties at Paighton, Blackwater, and Dartmouth, Devonshire, anil elspwhcie, an estimated surplus of £52,5"2 l being shown. The separate accounts of T. G. Rid" way show debts unsecured, £1,482, and assets £1,482. That leport alleges charges of the gravest kind against the bankrupts over-drawing from the firm, rash and hazardous speculations, and, as against one of them, misappropriation of moneys, &c. On behalf of the trustee and committee it was alleged against Colonel Ridgway that he had been withdiawing about £10,000 a year fio:n the firm, when the profits never exceeded £2,700, had purchased a large estate, Sheipleigh-court, Devonshire, had kept a stud of horses, yachts, &c , pp^nt large sums in pictures, had purchased and carried on an hotel, known as, "Bjrtolini's," to which hotel a loss of about £ 8,000 was attributed Hh indebtedness to the firm was £2i),533. With reference to the other bankrupt general charges were alleged, his debts to the firm being £6,000 o<id. Major-g u neral Ka'ffe (retired) was called, •in-l stated that he had been induced by th'i bankrupt to leave his money in the firm, and hi had lost £1,700, in addition to his pay. which was drawn out on the •lay the fir-n stopped payment. — Col. Ritworth (retired) <rive similar evidence. —Mr Smythe, in reply to Mr Reed, said that he had lost over £4 000 which was left in the firm. He had been down to Shepleigh court, which was a magnificient place. The horses had been put up to auction, but had not been sold ; and he was given to understand that the family were using them — By Mr Willis : He was aware that Col. Ridgway's accounts showed sufficient to pay his separate creditors in full with a surplus to the joint estate of £52,821. The Dartmouth and Paighton properties, which were estimated by Colonel Ridgway at £18,000 odd, had been sold by auction, and had reached £17,800.— The further hearing was adjourned.

CIUKOMWCY IN THE POLICE COUHTS. —Among new methods for simplify in? the unwieldy processes of the law, none is more noteworthy and suggestive than the science of chiromancy, which appears to be becoming fashionable in English police courts. It was applied with striking success in two cases the other day In one of these the prisoner, who was charged with begging, pleaded that he had done hard work, but waa now unable to get any; the gaoler then examined his hands, declared they showed signs of hard work, and the man was let off with a nominal punishment. In the other case, the accused said he was a carpenter, but waa out of work. The examination of his hands showed that he had done no carpentering work lately, and he was accordingly sentenced to the full penalty for his offence. Thus by the exercise of a highly nseful but little studied art the truth is at once arrived at, and the trouble and expense of calling witnesses are saved. Chiromaucy, moreover, evidently only marks the beginning of a new Btate of things, and we may fairly expect a time (says an exchange) when every gaoler will be a skilled phrenologist, and he provided by the Government with a copy of Lavater's works, as no less indispensable to his calling than his bunch of keys.

PROOF POSITIVE. "Have you really abandoned the use of slang altogether?" was the question which the Professor asked of the student President of the Wellesley College AntiSlang Society; and the young lady answered in strong and pure Saxon, "You just bet we have."