Outwin, John Thomas | Day 3

In his testimony he admitted that apart from hiring committee rooms in numerous public houses he also hired rooms in one or two private houses. George Hayward the hairdresser at 123 (now 81) Beach Street was one such although he wasn’t called as a witness.

Witness Type: Briber, Treater

Party: Liberal

Witness Testimony:

  • 2541.

    (Mr. Jeune.) You are a wine merchant, I think ? — Yes.

  • 2542.

    Now when did you first begin to have anything to do with this election ? — I should think about the 10th May ; the 8th or I0th May.

  • 2543.

    Was that the day Sir Julian Goldsmid came down ? — No, he came down some days after that.

  • 2544.

    Two or three days afterwards, was it ? — Yes.

  • 2545.

    How did you come to have anything to do with it ; who employed you ? — No one employed me ; simply, when Mr. Hugessen was raised to the peerage a vacancy was created, and we called the Liberal Association together to consider what would have to be done.

  • 2546.

    You are a member of the Liberal Association ? — Yes.

  • 2547.

    Is there a committee of the Liberal Association ? — Yes.

  • 2548.

    Is not the Association a standing thing ? — Yes, it has been a permanent thing for some years.

  • 2549.

    And there is a standing committee ? — Yes, a committee appointed from time to time.

  • 2550.

    Who are the members of that committee ; first of all, who is the president ? — Mr. Cottew.

  • 2551.

    And who are the members of the committee ? — I cannot remember the names at this moment ; I can give them to you, if you want them.

  • 2552.

    Is there a little book of them ? — Yes, there is, but I have not it before me now.

  • 2553.

    You can get it ? — Yes.

  • 2554.

    Then let us have a copy of it, please ? — I will.

  • 2555.

    You were one of the people that met Sir Julian Goldsmid, I think ? — No, not in the first instance ; I met him at Deal. I was one of those who met him at Deal, but he was at Sandwich before he came here.

  • 2556.

    Now, you acted in the election in Deal and Walmer, did not you ? — Deal only.

  • 2557.

    And you engaged some PUBLIC-HOUSES, did not you ? — At Deal.

  • 2558.

    Who told you to engage them ? — I forget exactly ; I am not quite sure whether it was Mr. Edwards. It was an understood thing we should engage them. I think Mr. Edwards told me, to the best of my recollection.

  • 2559.

    You engaged the Foresters’ COMMITTEE ROOM ? — No.

  • 2560.

    Well, the “Foresters’ Arms” ? — No, I did not engage that.

  • 2561.

    I see there is down in the Deal account, ” Foresters’ COMMITTEE ROOM, 7L. ” ? — I did not engage it, but I daresay it would be a committee” room. I did not engage it myself.

  • 2562.

    Now the “Port Arms,” what about that ? — That was a COMMITTEE ROOM.

  • 2563.

    And you engaged that ? — Yes.

  • 2564.

    When did you engage it ? — Some time during the week prior to the election.

  • 2565.

    Was there a COMMITTEE ROOM there ? — Well, it was called a COMMITTEE ROOM ; of course it was not required ; we did not want a COMMITTEE ROOM.

  • 2566.

    Who is the landlord of the “Port Arms ” ? — There is no landlord there ; it is kept by a female.

  • 2567.

    16L. 10s. I see is what you paid ? — I did not pay anything.

  • 2568.

    Has not that been paid yet ? — Nothing is paid ; I never paid anything at all.

  • 2569.

    That claim has not been paid ? — No.

  • 2570.

    Did you arrange with the people at the “Port Arms ” what they were to be paid ? — Yes, 2L. 10s. simply for accommodation ; we had a lot of voters round the neighbourhood, and we might perhaps want to see them occasionally, and we arranged we should meet them there ; they were in the habit of meeting there.