Brown, John Marsh | Day 10

Invoiced £4 for preparing canvass books etc. A letter shown to the court showed that the bill was subsequently changed by Mr Edwards to £14 on account of the amount of work involved in preparing the books. His son, Walter Penfield Brown who prepared the invoice was called to testify as to the amount on the bill.

Witness Type: Other

Party: Liberal

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 6 | Day 9

Witness Testimony:

  • 11769.

    (Mr. Holl.) We are told that about three weeks ago you had returned to you a receipt that your son had given for 14L. ? — Yes, a stamped receipt for 14L.

  • 11770.

    Is that so ? — Yes.

  • 11771.

    A receipt for 14L. which your son had given ? — It was my son’s signature.

  • 11772.

    How was it you did not mention that to us before. I understood you to say that you knew nothing whatever in regard to this — not only that you did not know that the bill had been altered, but that you knew nothing about its being increased in any way ? — My explanation is this — my son had been engaged as check clerk or something of that sort, and my impression was that this bill was for some other services. I intended to go up and visit him at Sutton, and if it had not been for this Commission I should have gone before, and I should have asked him what it meant. When he came down after he had given his evidence I said to him, “What does this mean, this 14L.” and he said, “Down at the office they told me that if I signed I should get my money, and that other charges were included in the bill,” that is the first I knew of it.

  • 11773.

    How was it that you did not say anything to us about your son having signed a receipt for 14L., and your having it returned ? — I do not know.

  • 11774.

    You said nothing about it at all ? — I had no particular reason. I did not know what it was for. I was entirely innocent of anything that had taken place, and I said to him last night, “Walter, a receipt was left at my house for 14L., how was it you signed that receipt for 14L. ? ” and he said, “They told me at the office that other work had been done, and I should get my money if I receipted the bill for 14L. — that Sir Julian Goldsmid would not pay any BILLS without their being receipted.”

  • 11775.

    (Mr. Turner.) Your son has left ? — Yes, he was compelled to go last night, and I am only sorry he is not here, because I know nothing about it at all.

  • 11776.

    He signed a receipt for 14L., and did not say a word about it yesterday ? — After he left the court, and when I got home, I said, “Walter, a receipt was left” here for 14L., how was it you signed that receipt when you knew that our demand was 4L. ? ”

  • 11777.

    Your son was here yesterday and never told us a single syllable about having signed such a receipt ? — Was the question asked ?

  • 11778.

    (Mr. Holl.) And it is the more extraordinary that both of you, knowing that the whole question was whether this charge of 4L. had been under any circumstances altered to 14L., should say nothing about it and appear to know nothing about it, and your son comes all the way from Surrey in order to explain that he had no knowledge of the alteration of 4L. to 14L., and does not say a word about this receipt yesterday ? — That is my answer, I knew nothing about it. I asked him last night, and said, “Walter, a receipt was left here by Mr. Hammond with your signature for 14L. ”

  • 11779.

    (Mr. Turner.) You did not mention that to us and it was in your mind when you were here, because you knew of the receipt ? — I did not know what the receipt was for. I thought perhaps the receipt was given for some other circumstances. Mr. Hammond told me at the time that he had got a lot more receipts in the same form, and was going round with them.

  • 11780.

    You did see Mr. Hammond ? — Mr. Hammond called at my house, and he had got a lot of receipts, and said to me, “I am going round with all these receipts signed in this way.”

  • 11781.

    What have you done with this receipt that has been returned to you ? — It is at home, I think.

  • 11782.

    Be so good as to go and fetch it ? (Mr. Edwards.) Perhaps I may be allowed to explain why these receipts were returned. Mr. Hammond had been spoken to about one or two not being paid and my having the vouchers, and as I was going away I said to Mr. Hammond, “Perhaps you had better retain the ” receipts,” and they were returned.

  • 11851.

    (The Witness,) I cannot find the receipt, it was there last night, but whether my son took it away or not I do not know. It was a very short one, “Received for election expenses the sum of 14L.” I recollect the amount very well indeed. (Mr. Turner.) Signed by your son ? — Yes, in his handwriting, and lots of such receipts were signed by different tradespeople.

  • 11852.

    (Mr. Jeune.) You are sure that you saw that receipt last night ? — Yes, quite sure, because I wanted it explained to me. I knew it was a wrong thing to do to give the receipt and he explained it.

  • 11853.

    How do you explain the fact, that, if you knew all this, you said nothing about it and your son says nothing about it, and Mr. Edwards does not say a word about it in his letter to you ? — I had a respect for my son, and did not want to let the public see that he had been guilty of anything of that sort, and I also thought it was due to him that he should come and give you an explanation.

  • 11854.

    Your son was asked this yesterday, “You never did receive and never had, until your father wrote to you, any intimation whatever that the bill had been increased or altered in any way,” and he said he had no intimation whatever.

  • 11855.

    (Mr. Holl.) That must be deliberately untrue, if what you say is correct ?-— He had no intimation, I never wrote to him about it. (Mr. Turner.) He had signed a receipt for 14L. ?

  • 11856.

    (Mr. Holl. ) It is impossible to suppose that you did not know it was important to tell us that that receipt had been given ? — I knew nothing about the bill being altered, and the first intimation I had was that receipt Mr. Hammond brought. Mr. Hammond had a lot of them, and left this receipt at my house, and I directly consulted with Mrs. Brown and said, “It is a strange proceeding. I am going up to see Walter and perhaps he will explain it.” The impression on my mind was, as he had been check clerk, he had given a receipt for the whole amount, but my bill was 4L.

  • 11857.

    That does not, to my mind, in the least degree explain the fact, if what you are now stating is correct, that neither of you said a word about the receipt yesterday when you were called ? — That is the only explanation I have to make. I know nothing about it, and I should not have come here and complained if I had not seen in the paper a statement to the effect that I had made a demand of 14L. I was as innocent as a child of it.

  • 11858.

    (Mr. Turner.) What puzzles me is that you should not have brought it all out, and said that you had seen the receipt for 14L. ? — l have stated why I did not say so.

  • 11859.

    (Mr. Holl.) What astonishes me is that you should have thought it worthwhile to come forward and deny that your bill was 14L., if what you are telling us now is correct ; or that your son should have come from Surrey to contradict it ? — The bill was 4L.

  • 11860.

    (Mr. Turner.) You have told us that 20 times ? — Mr. Edwards and all know that the bill was 4L.

  • 11861.

    (Mr. Jeune.) Had you, when you first came before us, seen the receipt ? — Yes, I had seen the receipt.

  • 11862.

    You knew that your son had given a receipt 14L. ? —Yes, but I did not know what it was for. I knew it was not for my bill and I had not seen my son.