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The Times
Monday March 9 1891

The Arrest of a Burnley Manufacturer

At the Manchester Police-court, on Saturday, Mr. James Hitchen Whittaker, cotton-cloth merchant in that city, and manufacturer at Burnley and Padiham, whose arrest was reported in The Times of Saturday, was brought up in custody. Chief-Detective Inspector Caminada said he arrested the prisoner under a warrant charging him with obtaining goods by false pretences. He read the warrant to the prisoner, who made no reply. He further told the prisoner that he had been instructed by Mr. Wood, the Chief Constable, to institute proceedings on account of complaints which had been made within the last two or three days, and that he had traced to a place in Milton-street, Moss Lane, Hulme, nine lorry loads of gray cloth, as to which he asked the prisoner whether he could give any reason for depositing the cloth in that place. The prisoner said it was for want of room at his warehouse in Princess-street. Witness then went to the prisoner's house at the Elms, Seymour-grove, and there took possession of two parcels which had been delivered by Mr. Freeborn, who had laid the information against the prisoner. On further inquiries he found at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway station about 1,300 skips of yarn, 150 bales of cotton, and other goods which had been consigned by the prisoner, some of them to the mills he had at Burnley and Padiham, and reconsigned to the care of the railway company. He found in prisoner's possessions a large number of papers, one of which was a cheque on the Mercantile Bank payable to self for £2,000, requesting it to be drawn in three notes, one for £1,000, one for £800, and one for £200. There was a small book, in which were the words:- "Pay nothing. Keep cool. Obey. Sell or slaughter everything. put no money in bank. Say return Tuesday." There was a writ from Messrs. Addleshaw, solicitors, for £13,000, and another in bankruptcy from Messrs. Cobbett, Wheeler, and Cobbett for £200 odd. There were slips from which the headings of the prisoner's firm appeared to have been taken off, and showed the stock deposited in Hulme. Witness asked for a remand, and added that the prisoner said that he was in a position to pay every one of his creditors 20s. in the pound, and had no intention to defraud anybody. Mr. Whalley, for the prisoner, said he had a complete answer to the charge, and applied for bail. Mr. Cobbett, on behalf of creditors, opposed this application, and it was refused, the case being remanded till Thursday. The prisoner recieved in Court the follwoing telegram:- "Workpeople at Whittlefield Shed have had meeting this morning, and offer to forfeit one week's wages towards meeting your creditors. Accept this as a token of sympathy."

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Mel

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The Times
Friday March 13 1891

The Prosecution of a Burnley Manufacturer

At the Manchester Police-court, yesterday, Mr. J.H.Whitaker was again remanded on the charge of obtaining goods under false pretences from an outfitter named Freeborn. Mr. Shee, for the prosecution, called witnesses to show that the goods were paid by a cheque on the Burnley branch of the Union Bank, which was dishonoured. Chief Inspector caminda repeated evidence he gave at the first hearing (reported in [i]The Times[i/] on Monday), adding that among the prisoner's papers was a mortgage of one of his mills to his wife. He also found a letter from the prisoner to his wife. Mr. McKeand, for the prisoner, objected to the production of the letter, and Mr. Headlam ruled that it was not evidence. A telegram was also found in one of the bags addressed to the prisoner at Berlin by his clerk. It was dated February 19, and was as follows:- "Bank refuse to honour Manchester cheques. Have paid in to meet them £1,500. Manager states overdraft must not exceed £1,200." Mr. McKeand said that that was the day after the cheque had been dishonoured. a copy of cousel's opinion was also found. when arrested the prisoner had about £140 upon him. He told the witness that he had intended going to Berlin to see his wife. By Mr. Shee.-He also found a cheque upon him for the £2,000 in the Mercantile Bank. By Mr. McKeand.-When he visited the house at Old Trafford it was undergoing the spring cleaning, and the carpets were all up. Mr. Shee's case having been closed, the only witness called for the defendant at this stage was Mr. Stanley Pearson, of the firm of Halliday, Pearson, and Co., accountants, who said that his firm was appointed by the Official Receiver to prepare the statement of the prisoner's affairs. As far as he was able to see from the books and invoices he found, exclusive of a bill for £600 or £700 which the witness did not think he would be called upon to meet, that his liabilities amounted to £61,182, and that his assets, as far as the witness could ascertain from his answers to the Official Receiver and the witness's own investigations, would amount to at least £65,000. Mr. Cobbett said there were various things laid under the Debtors Act against the prisoner in regard to which he was instructed to appear. He should not be unwilling to let these charges stand over till the debtor's public examination had been held. After discussion, Mr. Headlam fixed the amount of bail at two sureties of £5,000. This sum the prisoner was unable to find, and the case was adjourned till Thursday next.

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Mel

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