Children of Sarah Jane and James Henry Chamberlain

REGENCY STREET WIFE'S SAD CASE.—Henry Angus Chamberlain, of 1a Charlwood-place, Pimlico, was summoned by his wife Nellie, who sought a separation on the ground of his neglecting to maintain her.—The defendant admitted the offence and said that they had agreed to separate, and only wanted the magistrate to make the order.—The complainant, who gave her address as 2 Regency-street, Westminster, said that she was married to the defendant in 1895 and there were three children. They last lived together at his address on December 6th, but she then left him because she did not care to carry on the life had been carrying on lately.—The chief clerk: What was that?—Complainant: I have to go on the streets to help myself, the children, and my husband.—Continuing, witness said she had bought everything for the house and had kept her husband for some time. He had been out of work since February and had not brought home any money. All she required was a separation and  the custody of the children. She did not want any from him at all. Her two sisters were to take one of her children each and the other one was earning 10s. a week.—The magistrate, remarking that it was lucky that the defendant had not been charged with living on his wife's earnings, granted a separation order.

INSURANCE STAMPS AT THE

ARMY CLOTHING DEPARTMENT.

BATTERSEA MEN'S EVIDENCE.

At the Westminster Police Court before Mr. Horace Smith on Saturday, Henry Angus Chamberlain (38), a clerk, 7 Moreton-terrace, Pimlico, was charged on remand with stealing, between July 1 and September 29, from the Royal Army Clothing Department, Grosvenor-road, Pimlico, National Health Insurance stamps to the value of £l 16s. 8d. and 18s. 4d. cash, the property of the Committee of the Tea and Dining Fund connected with the department.

Mr. J. D. Cassels prosecuted, and Mr. Cleur defended.

ln his opening statement, Mr. Cassels mentioned that through the fund 150 to 170 luncheons were provided daily to employees of the department. The prisoner worked there, and in addition to his ordinary duties the committee of the fund appointed him on May last to act as their secretary. He had charge of the staff, kept the accounts, and was to stamp the National Insurance cards of the staff weekly. At the end of September he was requested to attend before the committee to be asked a certain question, but he did not do so, and left the department altogether. His books were inspected. An

EXAMINATION OF THE INSURANCE CARDS

of the staff showed that these had not been stamped for the past twelve weeks. On July 3 prisoner was handed 18s. 4d. to purchase stamps for the cards, but did not do so, and on September 2 he was given stamps to the value of £1 16s. 8d., but did not use them. He was communicated with by letter and asked for an explanation as to why he had not returned to business, and also asked about the keys belonging to the committee, which he had held as secretary, but he did not reply. On October 2, however, the keys were sent back. On October 8 prisoner wrote to a Mr. Butler, who worked at the department, and enclosed in the letter insurance stamps to the value of £1 17s. 2d., which was a trifle more than the value of those issued to him in September. No doubt prisoner would defend his action in keeping the stamps by saying that he had no felonious intent, also that the stamps could not be negotiated by him.

William George Sidey, 22 Tipthorpe-road, Lavender Hill, Battersea, deposed that he had held the position of assistant secretary temporarily. On July 3 he handed prisoner 18s. 4d. for stamps for the insurance of employees of the fund, eight in number, and at the beginning of September left in the cash box for him stamps to the value of £1 16s. 8d. Prisoner was supposed to stamp the cards weekly, but it was found that this had not been done.

Cross-examined: Witness was quite certain of the date when he gave him the 18s. 4d., for he entered the amount in the book produced. He disagreed with prisoner if he said he did not receive that sum. On September 2 there was in the cash box in the safe £8 9s. 3d., and if prisoner had chosen he could have taken that or any part of it. Witness did not think there was any great obligation to stamp the cards weekly, although he thought permission had to be obtained to do the stamping at the end of a longer term. He was not aware that the prisoner left the department as he did because of getting other employment. The former secretary

USED TO STAMP THE CARDS WEEKLY,

but if this had not been done witness did not suppose anything of a serious nature would have been said to him.

James Ganley, 5 Thirsk-road, Lavender Hill, a tailor's cutter at the department, stated that he was president of the fund. The committee paid prisoner 10s. a week for acting as secretary. Witness requested him to attend a meeting of the committee on September 28. At prisoner's request the committee postponed the meeting until the following day, but he did not attend, so the committee decided to suspend him as secretary until further orders. The next day, September 30, he did not come to the department, and witness did not see him again until after this charge was made against him. The witness having produced the insurance cards of certain employees under the committee and pointed out the unstamping of them, he went on to say that he communicated with prisoner asking him to send back the keys, because not having them was causing great inconvenience to the committee, and he also

ASKED HIM TO EXPLAIN HIS ABSENCE

from the department. He got no reply, but the keys were obtained by the present secretary some time during the week. On October 19 witness received insurance stamps to the value of £1 17s. 2d., these being delivered to him by a messenger of the department in the envelope produced, but that was after the prisoner had been arrested. There was also a letter in the envelope, which was in prisoner's handwriting. It was addressed to Mr. Butler. In it prisoner made reference to his having returned the keys. As to the stamps, he said that as such things could not be traded with nobody would think of stealing them. He could truthfully say that the fund had suffered no loss through him. All he was guilty of was laxity.

Mr. Cleur: You don't think it a reprehensable thing if the stamps are not put on for a month or two?

Witness: No. But I think the Insurance regulations state that the cards must be stamped weekly.

Detective-sergeant Purkiss deposed that he had arrested prisoner on the charge at 101 Denmark-road, Camberwell, on October 15, when he said "I did not abscond. I ought to have attended the meeting and faced it. I have returned the stamps and keys. I sent them to Mr. Butler last Sunday."

THE ACCUSED EXPLAINS.

The prisoner, who had been on bail, gave evidence. He said he was under the impression that it was sufficient to stamp the cards any time before handing them back to the employees. He denied that Mr. Sidey handed him money in July. He did hand him, however, £1 in the previous month, and with this he purchased 18s. 4d. worth of insurance stamps and 2s. worth of postage stamps, and when he returned to the Department Mr. Sidey gave him 4d. to make up the difference. In September Mr. Ganley and Mr. Sidey were away on holiday, so he (prisoner) had to do all the clerical work. He placed the insurance stamps in his pocket book with the idea of placing them on the cards, but after making up the money for the bank he put the book in his pocket and it quite slipped his memory with regard to stamping the cards. If he had wanted to steal he could have taken money from the safe. He did not appear before the committee as requested because he was cowardly, knowing he had neglected his duty in not keeping the cards stamped. He also left his employment at the Department because of being cowardly. Hearing of a better situation he went and obtained it. Some time after that a friend met him and said, "What is wrong with you and the Tea and Dining Fund? I hear you have

STOLEN ALL THE INSURANCE STAMPS."

He replied, "Good heavens! I think I have got them in my pocket book." He looked in his book and saw them, and said he would send them back. He was advised to send them to Mr. Butler, with the understanding that he would hand them to the president. When arrested he had sent them to him the week before, and he had also returned the keys. He afterwards found that the stamps had not been given in at the dining-room. When he obtained the new employment he had to work later.

Cross-examined: Mr. Butler was not a member of the committee, but was a friend of everybody in the Department. He could not account for Mr. Butler not handing over the stamps until after the arrest. He had never read the regulation at the back of the insurance cards that the stamps must be affixed weekly. He believed that the value of the stamps he found in the cash box, and which he put in his pocket book, was £1 17s. 2d. He knew he was cowardly in not wanting to "face the music" before the committee, but he would not do such a silly thing again.

Mr. Horace Smith discharged the prisoner.

HUSBAND TO KEEP WIFE.—Lionel Chamberlain was summoned by his wife, Lily Blanch Chamberlain, of 22, Whitworth Road, for failing to maintain her and her and her two children. Complainant was represented by Mr. A.G. Glanville.—The Magistrates made an order for £1 10s. per week for the wife, and 5s. for each child—£2 in all. In addition, defendant was ordered to pay £1 16s. 6d. costs.