Embezzlement by a Hospital Secretary.
At the Mansion House,on Wednesday, Alfred Nixon, aged 47, of Beckenham, was charged, on remand, before the Lord Mayor, with embezzlement.
The accused had been secretary of the North Eastern Hospital, Hackney-road, for about 17 or 18 years, at a salary of £250 per annum and a small commission. In consequence of some little irregularities he was allowed to resign, but when his books came to be examined it was found out that he had received considerable sums in subscriptions to the hospital without accounting for them. Only one or two small items, however, were gone into, but Mr. Godley, chairman of the House Committee and treasurer stated that in 1892 the prisoner embezzled £263 15s. 1d., and in 1893 £237 12s. 6d.
The prisoner had an office at 27, St. Clement’s-lane, where he received subscriptions on behalf of the hospital. Mr. Eldridge said the prisoner would plead guilty, and throw himself on the mercy of the court. Prisoner owed his position not to gambling or anything of that kind, but to extravagance of living.
The Lord Mayor sentenced him to three months’ hard labour.
It is understood that the prisoner was the first man to ride from the Land’s End to John o’ Groats on a bicycle.
... Mr. Goldberg, solicitor, appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Eldridge, barrier for the defence. From the evidence of Mr. J. Lister Godlee, barrister of 3, New-square, Lincoln's-inn (chairman of the house committee and treasurer of the Hospital) and others, it appeared that the prisoner... had received considerable sums from subscribers without accounting for them and that the prisoner had habitually misappropriated cash received. In February, 1893, he received donations of £10 10s and £5 5s from City firms, and entered the amounts on the counterfoils of the receipt books under fictitous names as 10s and 5s. The same week the matron of the Hospital handed him £15 and for that he subsitituted the two cheques for £10 10s and £5 5s.. Mr. Goldberg said that the Hospital committee had no wish to press the charge harshly. The Lord Major, consenting to deal summarily with the prisoner sentenced him to three months' hard labour.
Editors notes
Alfred Nixon was appointed secretary of the North Eastern Hospital in October 1876 (The Globe, 13 October 1876)
As published in the Coventry Herald, Friday, 1 September 1882
JOHN O'GROATS TO LAND'S END ON A TRICYCLE.
Mr Alfred Nixon, hon. sec. London Tricycle Club, writes to The Times of yesterday:- It may interest many of your readers to know that I have just succeeded in accomplishing this long journey on my 'Premier' tricycle, the first time it has ever been attempted on a tricycle, in 13 days 23 hours, 55 minutes.
I left John O'Groats on Wednesday, 16th August, at 11 a.m. and reached Lands' End, Cornwall, on Wednesday, the 30th at 10:55 a.m. My machine weighs 95lb and luggage (all of which I carried with me) 10lb. Distance 995 miles.
There is a lot more information about Alfred and his cycling exploits here.