9 Months Hard Labour for Gunning Bank Clerk

Evening News (Sydney) - 5 December 1905

A short note at the end of a long article about the Gunning Orchestral and Dramatic Society concert caught my attention:

Goulburn Evening Penny Post - 16 November 1905

Some further Trove searches revealed an unfortunate journey that ended a promising career for a young bank clerk.

On 8 November 1905, 21 year-old bank clerk, John Tom Lane, left the Gunning branch of the Commercial Bank and took the train to Sydney after 10 months of embezzlement to support a gambling habit. He was arrested in Sydney on 21 November and, after a full confession, pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 9 months hard labour at Goulburn Gaol.

John started gambling in September, 1904, by letter to a bookmaker in Sydney and had some early wins. In March, 1905, he started embezzling money (£5) to continue gambling. The amounts quickly increased to a total of £1021 before he fled in November. Sadly, he was penniless by the time he was arrested, with nothing but a pawn ticket, a knife and a broken chain.

This story was big news at the time, with articles in newspapers from Charters Towers, QLD, to Melbourne, VIC. Witness statements (The Scrutineer and Berrima District Press, 2 December 1905) and John's confession (Sunday Times, 3 December 1905) give an interesting insight into gambling and banking in a time before modern computing and communications. Unfortunately, the consequences of uncontrolled gambling have not changed.

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