Sheffield Independent September 26, 1840
Embezzlement
John Hague was brought up on this charge, preferred by Messrs Charlesworth of Kilnhurst Colliery. The prison was of respectable appearance, and has held a very confidential situation, as agent or superintendent of the colliery.
Mr Brown, solicitor, of Wakefield, appeared for the prosecutors; and Mr Joseph Badger for the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence of Charles Forest, bookkeeper of Messrs Charlesworth, that he was acquainted with the prisoner, whose duties were to keep an account of the coals sold and received at that colliery, and the monies arising from such sale. It was also his duty to forward to Forest, at the end of the week, an account of all the coals sold, and the monies received during the week.
He produced four books kept by the prisoner, and regularly forwarded to him, containing entries of all the coals sold by Kilnhurst colliery, and of all the monies received by the prisoner between the months of March and June 1839. From these books, Forest made out in the month of July following, an account of coals sold between Mr Joseph Twigg, of Kilnhurst pottery, which amounted to £17 10s 11d. Forest sent that account, along with others, to the prisoner to collect.
In the month of September following, the prisoner accounted for it as paid to the same amount as the account.
The account for the succeeding half year delivered by him in January 1840 and amounted to £104 18s 6d. At two different periods the prisoner accounted for this as paid to the amount of the accounts.
Forest also made out an account of coals from a book kept by the prisoner, to Mr John Shaw, of Mexborough, for the first half year in 1840, in July last, which amounted to the sum of £13 8s 4d which he delivered to William Sellers, another agent of Message Charlesworth.
Forest had examined carefully all the books kept by the prisoner, and could find no entry of the prisoner having received that sum of Mr Shaw. In July last, Forest applied to Mr Twigg for payment of the coal bill, up to mid-summer of 1840, when Mr Twigg produced two accounts from Messrs Charlesworth, and one of them was from June to December 1839. They were both in the handwriting of the prisoner, and not the accounts furnished to him by Forest.
In all of the books kept both prisoner, there was an account of course furnished in this kind of reporting, in February last, for which credit was given to the amount of £5 7s 10d, but no entry was found to be made in the weekly receipt books furnished to Forest. About three weeks since, Forest called upon this content for payment, which he was told that it had been paid to John Knapton.
Knapton proved that he was employed at the colliery as staithman, and knew the prisoner. He remembered weighing 20 tons 10 cwt off coals for Miss Kent in February last. They were not paid for at the time, that in a few days afterwards, the prisoner sent him to Miss Kent for payment. He went on received the money, on the same day paid it over to the prisoner. He never collected any money in his life for Messrs Charlesworth by their orders.
Mr B Twigg, of Kilmacolm produced an account delivered to him by the prisoner for coals, from April to June 1839 amounting to £34 17s 2d. He examined it, and found several miscalculations, which he and the prisoner afterwards rectified. The account then amounted to £36 14s, which you have to take to the prison. He also produced a call account delivered to in either prisoner, from July to December 1839, amounting to £124 11s 6d. That amount was paid to the prisoner at two separate periods.
Mr Shaw, vessel owner, of Mexborough, produce a receipt given him by the prisoner, which was written with a black lead pencil, for 53 tons of coal, amounting to £12.
The prisoner was ordered to be committed to York, Mr Joseph Badger apply for him to be admitted to bail.
This application, we understand, has since been acceded to, but the required sureties have not yet been found. The amount required is; the prisoner himself in £500, and to sureties in £250 each