Postwar career Horatio Bottomley

john bull advertises bottomley s victory bonds scheme, 12 july 1919.

in july 1919 bottomley announced victory bonds club , based on government s latest issue of victory bonds. normally, these bonds cost £5; in bottomley s club, subscribers bought units minimum payment of £1, , participated in annual draw prizes—up £20,000, said—funded accrued interest. contrary bottomley s public statements, not money subscribed used buy bonds. had ambitions become press baron, rival such lords rothermere , beaverbrook. in october 1919 used war bonds funds buy 2 obscure newspapers, national news , sunday evening telegram. papers not financially successful, , in 1921 bottomley closed telegram , changed name of national news sunday illustrated. bolster fortunes, transferred sunday pictorial column illustrated, , mounted expensive promotional campaign, little benefit. paper languished, while bottomley lost large income , readership went pictorial. fortunes declined further when, in 1920, odhams revoked pre-war partnership agreement , took full control of john bull. bottomley made editor life, year later odhams terminated arrangement final pay-off of £25,000, ended bottomley s connection paper.

meanwhile, dogged poor administration , inadequate accounting, victory bonds club sliding chaos. public unease grew, , hundreds of subscribers demanding money back—slipshod record-keeping meant repaid several times over. bottomley s position worsened when fell out bigland, after refusing finance former associate s scheme turning water petrol. 2 had quarrelled during war, when bigland had attacked bottomley in print. had later reconciled, after second dispute bigland turned vengeful. in september 1921 published leaflet describing war bond club bottomley s latest , greatest swindle . against advice of lawyers, bottomley sued criminal libel, , brought other charges against bigland of blackmail , extortion. preliminary hearing, @ bow street magistrates court in october 1921, @ bottomley s methods revealed, proved disastrous credibility. nevertheless, bigland committed trial @ old bailey on libel charge, , shropshire assizes on charges of attempted extortion. libel trial began on 23 january 1922; prevent further damaging disclosures in court, bottomley s lawyers offered no evidence, , bigland discharged. extortion case went ahead in shrewsbury on 18 february 1922, @ end of took jury 3 minutes find bigland not guilty. bottomley, himself under police investigation, ordered pay costs of trial. few days afterwards, summoned appear @ bow street, on charges of fraudulent conversion of victory bond club funds. after brief hearing committed trial @ old bailey.