He opened new branches in Palmerston and Derby, and extended his business to include steamship agencies and the local Victoria Hotel, although Adcock himself remained based in Melbourne.
In 1885, he returned to the territory to deal with financial difficulties brought on by the failure of the South Australian Town and Country Bank, which led to his being declared insolvent in February 1888.
Adcock went to Adelaide on his solicitor's advice and was arrested on 20 December and sent to prison, where he and his counsel, Josiah Symon, continued his dispute with the insolvency court.
Adcock spent four years in prison and was ultimately discharged in November 1893, but his assets were liable to be seized if he ever returned to South Australia.
[1] Adcock returned to Victoria and journalism before travelling to Coolgardie, Western Australia, in 1900, where he established mining interests.