At Marlborough street (Police Court) - Henry Baynes of Tracy Cottage, Harrow road, clerk, in the employ of Messrs Rivington, publishers, Waterloo place, was brought before Mr Knox, on a warrant, charging him with obtaining a check for £11 12s 6d from Mr Francis Rivington, by false pretences. Mr Wontner jnr, appeared for the prosecution. He said he should only go into the charge of obtaining a check by false pretences on the present occasion. The system of dishonesty adopted by the prisoner had been going on for some time past; a part of the prisoner's practice being to take the stamp on receipts from old account books and to place them on new accounts. The prisoner's defalcations amounted to something like £300.

Mr Francis Rivington said the prisoner had been about three years in the employ of the firm, his duty being to examine the accounts for advertising in the different papers, and on ascertaining the amount, to receive a check to pay the various clainants. The firm advertised in "Notes and Queries" and the prisoner came to him on the 24th of February with a piece of paper on which was written "Notes and Queries £11 2s 6d". The prisoner left the memorandum, and shortly afterwards he returned with the receipt book under his arm, as if someone was waiting for payment. He gave the prisoner a check for £11 2s 6d. On the 1st March, he received a letter from the editor of "Notes and Queries" and in consequence of that letter, he referred to the ledger, and found this £11 2s 6d appeared as due to "Notes and Queries". He spoke to the prisoner on the subject. The prisoner took up a bundle of papers and pretended to be looking for the receipt. He left the prisoner in the counting house and on sending for him shortly afterwards ascertained that he had quitted the premises. He had not seen him again until that day.

Mr Smith, publisher of "Notes and Queries", said that there was a sum of £5 9s due from Messrs Rivington for advertising. The prisoner called with a check for £11 2s 6d to pay the account and he gave the prisoner the balance £6 3s 6d. He gave a receipt but he believed the stamp on the receipt produced was not the one on the receipt given to the prisoner.

Mr Knox said if persons put the date on stamps it would prevent them being used again. The prisoner was remanded.

To the Editor of The Times

Sir, Will you kindly allow me to state through the medium of your journal that the person named Henry Baynes, charged at Marlborough Street court on Saturday last, with obtaining a check by false pretences from his employers Messrs Rivington, is not a member of my family nor is he in any way connected with or even personally known to me. The fact of his name being the same as myself, which is not a very general one and of his being engaged in the book-selling business, which I may call a sister trade to that with which I was long connected and my father before me - viz stationery - has already given rise to many unpleasant surmises among those to whom my name is known, and caused me great annoyance and might prove great injury to me were the above information witheld.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Henry Baynes (formerly of Clements lane, Lombard street)
Blackfriars Road S March 13

At Marlborough street (Police Court) - Henry Baynes, clerk in the employ of Messrs Rivington, publishers, Waterloo place, was charged with forgery and larceny. Mr Wontner jnr appeared for the prosecution and Mr E Lewis for the prisoner. Mr Knox thought that two cases in addition to those already brought forward would be sufficient. Mr Francis Rivington said on the 5th Nov he gave the prisoner a check for £5 5s to pay the account of the "Press" newspaper. He found the receipt had a stamp with the name of Ives upon it. On looking back to an old ledger, he found some stamps on old accounts had been removed, one of which had evidently been applied to the "Press" account. The proper amount ought to have been £3 5s; the prisoner had appropriated the difference £2. On the 9th November Mr Ives called for £1 10s 6d. The prisoner received a check for £4 10s 6d having altered the bill and after paying the £1 10s 6d pocketted the £3 and placed an old stamp from a previous bill on the account. On the 7th October he paid a check for £5 2s 6d to the prisoner for advertisements in "Notes and Queries" and received a receipt signed R Swan. Mr Smith publisher of "Notes and Queries", said there was no sum of £5 2s 6d paid for advertisments nor was anyone named R Swan in the employ of the proprietors. Mr Ives, publisher of the "Press" proved that in November 1864 the sum of £3 5s was paid by Messrs Rivington for advertising. When he signed the receipt in the ledger the bill was for £3 5s not £5 5s. In December 1865 he received £1 10s 6d not £4 10s 6d as appeared in the ledger. Mr Wontner jnr said in the prisoner's desk was found an advertising account connected with the "Morning Post", which was being tampered with to make the total larger than it ought to be. There were other cases but they were not gone into. Mr Knox fully committed the prisoner for trial.

The Central Criminal Court (before Mr Chambers, the deputy recorder) Henry Baynes, a respectably dressed young man, pleaded guilty to four indictments charging him with forgery. Mr Beasley was counsel for the prosecution; Mr F H Lewis for the defence. The prisoner had been advertising clerk to Messrs Rivington, the booksellers, in Pall Mall for about three years and had enjoyed the confidence of the firm. His defalcations and forgeries, commencing from November 1864 were stated to amount to about £300 in all. The deputy recorder sentenced the prisoner to 18 months hard labour.

At the Mansion House (Police Court), yesterday, Henry Baynes, described as a stationer, underwent an examination before Alderman Sir Robert Carden upon a charge of embezzling and stealing moneys to a considerable amount, belonging to Mr W.B.Whittingham, a stationer, at 91 Gracechurch Street, City. Mr Wontner, solicitor, prosecuted. It was stated that the prisoner had been for some time in the service of the prosecutor, who recently, in order to get rid of him, paid him a months salary in lieu of notice. It was found when the accounts were examined that some stationery which his master had intended to supply to an Insurance Company at considerably below cost price had been charged to them to the full extent, the prisoner, as was alleged, appropriating the difference. He was also accused of stealing a large quantity of stamps. Alderman Sir Robert Carden remanded the prisoner.

(At the Mansion House Police Court) Henry Baynes, a stationers assistant, pleaded 'guilty' to a charge of embezzlement under circumstances reported yesterday, and Alderman Sir Robert Carden, sitting in petty session with Mr Alderman Breffit, sentenced him to four months imprisonment with hard labour. Mr Wontner prosecuted.