Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Wednesday 04 February 1903
Misappropriation of Relief Funds.
Miner Sent to Prison
Yesterday, at the West Riding Court, Doncaster, before Major Dove, Mr. W. J. Huntriss, and Mr. G. W. Laughton, Isaac Cooper, miner, Conisborough, was charged with stealing £13 3s. 9d., money collected from the Hickleton Main Collieries on behalf of the Denaby and Cadeby miners now on strike.
Mr. G. W. Andrews appeared for the prosecution.
It was stated by James Casey, treasurer of the Denaby branch of the Yorkshire Miners’ Association at Cadeby, that about the middle of July a relief fund was formed in connection with the branches of the association. A president, secretary, and treasurer were appointed, Geo. Hy. Hurt and Geo. Smith being appointed joint secretaries. Henry Bangham and witness were joint treasurers.
Other branches of the union were written to asking for assistance for the strikers, and Hickleton Main branch was one of the branches communicated with. Prisoner was authorised to receive contributions on behalf of the miners, and was first appointed to the duties on July 26. Witness knew that the collections received by the prisoner on July 26 and August 2 had been entered in the book given to the prisoner, which bore the stamp of the fund. The moneys should have been handed to witness for him to distribute amongst the financial members and Cadeby branches in equal shares.
Prisoner was a financial member of the Cadeby branch, and, therefore had a right to an equal share of the money. Prisoner’s wife is a sharer in the collection received on August 2. George Wallet, another miner, was appointed to accompany the prisoner when he went for the money from the pithead collections, but as he had no book he was not authorised to see receive any money.
It was the prisoners’s duty to sign the sheets containing entries of the sums received, and also to obtain the signatories of the person from home he received the money. The totals on the sheets should agree with the totals in the books handed to the prisoner. Witness saw the prisoner on August 3 after the collection at Hickleton Colliery. Prisoner should have accounted for the money he had received on the Monday owing. Witness, in the course of a conversation with the prisoner, saw his book, which showed that he had received £13 3s. 9d. Prisoner remarked to witness that it was a very good collection and said he did not like to carry so much money about with him, but said that had he known he was going to meet witness he would have brought the money with him. It was arranged that the prisoner should attend at the Lodge room at Conisborough on the Monday morning. Prisoner failed to appear, however, and witness took out a warrant for his arrest. The money had not come into the hands of the committee. Witness did not see the prisoner again until the 31st of January this year. Prisoner had no authority to retain the money, which was payable to witness. In reply to the Chairman , witness said they were £13 3s 9d short of the total, in consequence of his seeing prisoner’s book.
Geo. Hy. Hirst, of Conisborough, Sergeant ner deposed he apprehended prisoner on the Friday previous. When witness read the warrant over to him he replied, Yes, that’s all right,” and afterwards said, “I took the money with me to America.”
In reply to the charge, prisoner pleaded guilty, and said he was very sorry for what he had done.
The Chairman said that the prisoner had been guilty of a cruel form of robbery, the object for which the money was tribe green for the benefit of the wives and children of the miners, prisoner being in a sense appointed a trustee, been entrusted by fellow workmen with the collection of these moneys.
Prisoner was committed to gaol for three months with hard labour.