Emmerson, Richard Joynes | Day 1

James Barber Edwards testified that he received £1300 from Charles Ross Foord of Rochester who had brought £1500 in gold sovereigns to Sandwich by train. Emmerson met him with James Barber Edwards and they split the money between them. £1300 went to Mr Edwards and £200 to Mr Emmerson. Mr Emerson received two further amounts of £210 and £350. The latter was paid by Messrs Lewis and Lewis.

Witness Type: Briber, Freeman, Treater

Party: Liberal

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 2 | Day 14

Witness Testimony:

  • 657.

    Was any promise made to them ? – No, I think not.

  • 658.

    You did not know who they were ? – I knew them, but I had not seen them myself.

  • 659.

    Why did you put down 5L. If they had got a fly over here and back it would not come to more than IL. ? – There may have been 7 or 8 of them, or 10. I cannot say how many there were, but they have not been paid, and there was no promise made to them that I am aware of.

  • 660.

    Are you quite sure that no promise was held out to them that they should have these sums of 5L., 6L., and so on ? – Yes.

  • 661.

    Then we have Denne, bill poster, 2L., where did he come from ? – He is at Ramsgate, and when we had any bills they were sent over to Denne with instructions to post them, and to wait upon each freeman and leave a copy.

  • 662.

    That is not his travelling expenses to come over and vote ? – No, he is a kind of agent, and it is payment for his services.

  • 663.

    Then watchmen 16L. ? – That is a sum which Mr. Coleman had for paying 16 men, for watching the night before the election, I think it was, which was considered necessary at the time. Some of them are voters and some not.

  • 664.

    How many of them were voters ? – I am not prepared to state that, but Mr. Coleman can tell you.

  • 665.

    Did Coleman pay them ? – Yes, he had the money from me, and it has gone into the agent for election expenses.

  • 666.

    What were they employed to watch ? I do not quite understand it ? – We will say that a certain number of poor voters had promised to vote for us, and the other party were endeavouring to get them from us, and these men were appointed to watch certain houses and to take care that they were not extracted from us during the night. Some of these WATCHERS were voters and the others were not, and they each had 1L.

  • 667.

    Most of them were voters I suppose ? – No doubt the majority of them were voters, but I think they were employed without reference to that at all ; they were selected as the best and most appropriate men for the purpose.

  • 668.

    Do you mean that they watched all night ? – Yes, all night.

  • 669.

    Has Coleman got their names ? – Yes ; I think you have a list of them in his voucher.

  • 670.

    Then printing, 15L. : register of electors, committee clerk, and assistant, 10L. and 5L. Who is the committee clerk ? – Mr. Woodruff.

  • 671.

    He could not have been engaged more than five or six days. Sir Julian Goldsmid does not come down till the 10th and the election is upon the 18th, and there is Sunday to come out ? – The whole week before that he was engaged running about, and even if he had only been engaged three or four days he would have had his 10L. He has always had his 10L. whether he has been engaged three or four days, or three weeks.

  • 672.

    Is he a voter ? – Yes.

  • 673.

    Who is the assistant ? – A young man living with Mr. Woolnough.

  • 674.

    Is he a voter ? – No.

  • 675.

    Is Woolnough a voter ? – Yes.

  • 676.

    Who got the 5L., Mr. Woolnough ? – No, the assistant clerk.

  • 677.

    What was he doing ? – He was assisting in directing circulars,

  • 678.

    Now, in your judgment, did you really require two clerks ? – Yes, I think so.

  • 679.

    Then messengers, personation clerks, and so on, 35L. ? – You have a list of that I think ; that was handed in to the agent for election expenses. There was a personation clerk to each booth.

  • 680.

    There were two booths ? – Yes.

  • 681.

    And therefore that would be two clerks ? – Yes.

  • 682.

    (Mr. Turner.) That was upon the polling day ? – Yes.

  • 683.

    (Mr. Holl.) How much did they get ? – 1L. 1s. each. You will find it all set out what each of them had. They were to get the names of the voters when they came away from polling and to communicate it to the committee room.

  • 684.

    Then Walter Simmonds, 2 guineas; James Gray, 6L. ; Nazer, 4L. Who was Nazer ? – Nazer was an attendant upon the committee room during the whole of the election, and I think he also delivered bills. Gray was an attendant messenger also.

  • 685.

    Nazer and Gray are both voters ? – Yes, both voters.

  • 686.

    Then we have Walter Simmonds and W. C. Simmonds; one gets one guinea and the other two guineas ; what were they ? – They were doing work in the committee room at the time of the election.