10 OCTOBER

1882 At Nottingham police court today, Edward Robson Morley, formerly clerk to the Nottingham guardians, was charged with having embezzled sums of £39, £3 5s., and £3-5s. In 1874, an imbecile woman named Emma Reynolds had been an inmate of the workhouse, when she was found to be entitled to the interest of £130 under her father's will. She signed an authority to Morley to receive the money, to be disposed of as he thought best. Morley induced Edward Cryer, brother and trustee of Reynolds, to pay him the sum of £39 for his sister's maintenance, and later to forward £3 5s. each half-year in part payment. Out of the £39, £7 had been spent in travelling expenses and in legal charges; but the remainder was unaccounted for, as were the two sums of £3 5s. Morley did not deny the receipt of the money, but said that it was taken without felonious intention. At his subsequent trial, Morley was found not guilty as no evidence was produced that the money in question had been disposed of improperly. Three years later, Morley was found guilty of a charge that while still employed by the guardians he had obtained money by forging a letter purporting to come from the then chairman of the board.