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COUNTY MAGISTRATES' - COURT.I

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COUNTY MAGISTRATES' COURT. I MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1867. Before Simon Yorke, Esq., and Captain Barker. MAKING A FALSE CHARGE FOR LETTERS. Thomas Williams, a letter carrier from Wrexham to Vron, was in custody, charged with the above oftence. —Mr Actonappeared for the prisoner. Mary Batten said I am the wife of James Batten, a lead miner. We live at Coedpoetb. My husband came home on Saturday week from America, where he had been about ten months. During that time I have been living here, and have been in the habit of receiving letters from my husband-one every five weeks or two months. The prisoner was in the habit of delivering letters in our neighbourhood. Our house is about three [ miles and a half from Wrexham. The envelope produced was delivered at our house by the prisoner two months this morning. (The Wrexham post-mark was found to correspond.) He delivered it between nine and ten in the morning. He said, There's eighteen-pence to be paid on this letter." I said nothing, but paid for it. (The clerk took down the address on the letter.) .There was a letter inside from my husband. There were two small coins inside of it. That is the last time he brought me a letter.—Cross-examined: On the following Wed- nesday prisoner called upon me and asked me to take the eight-pence back. He wanted me to say that I had not paid him. He left the eight-pence, but I told him I could not tell a lie. He left it on the table. He did not say anything about it being a mistake, but he said he had not paid it in. I don't remember anything about the word mistake being used. I have not seen the envelope since I left it at the post-office, two months to- day. Richard Joseph Howson said: I am postmaster at Wrexham. The prisoner was employed as a messenger to Vron, six days a week, until he was suspended on the 27t.h of August. There was nothing payable on the envelope produced. It shauld have been delivered free. If any party stated there was a charge of eight-pence on that letter, it was false. I went over to Mrs Batten's house, after which I called upon the prisoner for an expla-iation in the office. I asked him why he charged vght-pence on this letter. I had the envelope. He aid he had made the charge, but had not had the money. Mrs Batten had no money. This was on the evening of the 13th of August. I reported 1"1e circum- stance to the post-office authorities. There was another case-that of Mrs Woodward. I have here a statement in his own handwriting, signed by him on the 14th of August. It was brought to me in its present state. I believe it to be his handwriting. Witness here read the contents as follows :—" To the postmaster. In answer to inquiries concerning the letter addressed to one Batten of Coedpoeth, I wish to say as it contained coin I thought I was doing my duty. I did made the charge. If I had received it I should have paid it at the oiffce, although not charged to me at the office, but I thought it was an oversight, and if I have exceeded my duty I humbly beg pardon, and promise sincerely it shall never happen again. The 8d. was paid to me to-day, and I ten- dered it at the office, and it was refused. I am very sorry it has happened so, but I had no idea I was ex- ceeding my duty. I promise such a case shall never happen again, from your humble servant, THOMAS WIL- LIAMS." Each letter carrier has a bill every morning of every money he is entitled to receive that day, and he must account for that or return the letter charged for. He must make no demand cr charge except what is on his sheet. I have his sheet for the day in question, which I produce. His signature is to it as having received it. The sheet contains no entry of moneys to be received by him. I produce another sheet of the 13th. This is a sheet of the Vron messenger. I cannot tell how the name David Jones Comes on that sheet, except it is forged. This letter was delivered on the morning of the 29th.-Cross-exa mined There was no charge for letters containing coin at the date of the delivery of these letters, but there is now. He wrote the letter received in consequence of my calling upon -him for an explana- tion. The envelopes have since been sent to London. Margaret Woodward said: I am the wife of Robert Woodward. We live at Coedpoeth. I had a daughter in America, who came home last Saturday week. I know the prisoner. He is the letter carrier to our dis- trict. He has brought a number of letters to our house. I have paid him money for more than one. I remember the last he brought was about three months ago. I paid him eight pence for it. He told me there was eight- pence to pay, and I gave it him. When I opened the letter he asked me for the envelope. I never saw it again.—Cross-examined He mostly asked for the en- velopes back. The envelope produced I found ia the house. William Lewin said I am assistant surveyor of the post-ofifce. In consequence of instructions I came down to investigate these charges on the 27th August. I had an interview with the prisoner in the presence of the postmaster. I produced two envelopes to him—one directed to Mary Batten, the other to Robert Woodward. I asked him whether he remembered delivering them. He replied that he did. I asked him if he made a charge on either or both of them. He said he made a charge on Mary Batten's letter, but at first he denied making a charge on Woodward's letter. I told him to be careful what he said to me in reference to Woodward's letter, as I had made it a subj ect of investigation that day. I repeated my question, and he then said he had made a charge of eight-pence on it. I then asked what he did with the money in each case. He said that in Batten's case he tendered it at the office, but it was refused. In the other case he had taken the monev to buy nails for his boots. I then rang the bell for the postmaster. I then asked him to tell me again what he had done with the money from Woodward, and he repeated the state- men. I then suspended him from duty till I corre- sponded with the authorities in London.—Cross-exa- mined He was very much agitated when I spoke to him. He cried and got on his knees, and said he would never do such a thing again. Mr Howson (re-called) rhe prisoner made no tender of the money till after I had been investigating the charge at Coedpoeth. I made the investigation on the morning of the 14th of August. H3 made a tender on the same night when he returned from that locality. He made the tender to the clerk, not to me. Mr Acton submitted that there was no case so far as Woodward's letter went. The envelope was given back to the prisoner and not produced. Mrs Woodward was the re-called, and stated that the envelope produced was one that she gave to Mr Lewin. Prisoner was then committed to take his trial at the next quarter sessions, bail being accepted.

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