Cambridge Chronicle 21 Nov 1834: William Bebee imprisoned for debt to Thomas Badcock

A court for the relief of Insolvent Debtors was held in the Shire-Hall, in this town, on Monday, last, before William John Law, Esq, one of the Commissioners.

William Bebee, baker, of this town was opposed by Mr. HUNT, on behalf of Mr. Wm. (sic) Badcock, miller, &c. of Trumpington. The principal ground of opposition was that some time ago the insolvent gave Badcock a bill for £30 payable at Messrs. Mortlocks, (where he had no cash) but when due, on the 24th of June last, it was dishonoured, although he represented to Mr. Badcock that he should be able to pay the amount at the proper time, as he was laying up money every day, and thereby induced Mr. B. to let him have more flour to the amount of £9. 4s. The insolvent now states that the reason of his neglect was because he had to pay Mr. Tabram upwards of £18 about the same time, for expences incurred respecting a watch that was lost from his house. There was no mention of this circumstance in the schedule. Upon further examination it appeared that Mr. Haggis, of Slaughter-house Lane, was indebted to the estate a small amount, which the insolvent had also neglected to notice, and when urged by the COMMISSIONER to account for omission he acknowledged that he expected to have received it for himself. There were likewise several other inaccuracies in his schedule. — The COMMISSIONER said, there was a very strong suspicion of unfairness in the insolvent’s conduct towards Badcock, but the transaction respecting Haggis’s debt was an evident deception, because he had left out the mention of the bill, which should come to the creditor, because he expected to be afterwards paid himself. Such conduct he could not overlook, and therefore adjudged that he should be imprisoned two months from the date of filing his petition, which was the 15th of October.