Testimonies

Hughes, Edwin | Day 19

Witness Type: Briber, Petition witness

Party: Conservative

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 20

Witness Testimony:

• 19658.

  The whole of that money was taken by Horne to Olds ? — Yes, I believe upon the Monday. I am told so, though I knew nothing about it at the time, and I did not want to know anything about it.

• 19659.

  In addition to that£1400, was any other money paid to Olds ? — £1100, that is to say, £600 and £500.

• 19660.

  The £500 that came down first was kept separate ? — Yes, as separate as it could be.

• 19661.

  It was never paid into any bank ? — No. Olds would get that £1100 as the result of these cheques upon the Deal bank about the 18th May: £150, £175, £350, £65, £354.

• 19662.

  I see £150 payable to Johnson. Then there is a cheque drawn, “Cash, £175,” another cheque for £350, another cheque, payable to Fraser, for £65, and a cheque payable to “T H, £354” ? — Yes, that makes £1094, as nearly as possible £1100, paid to Olds.

• 19663.

  These cheques were all drawn upon the Monday ? — Yes.

• 19664.

  And the proceeds paid to Olds ? — Yes.

• 19665.

  That is how the £1100 is made up ? — Yes, clearly.

• 19666.

  That, in point of fact, was made up of the £500 drawn payable to Hoare upon the 5th, and £600 drawn from the Deal bank in addition ? — No, £600 drawn payable to Hoare upon the 11th.

• 19667.

  It all comes out of the Deal bank, but the Deal bank had been fed by cheques from Crompton Roberts ? — Yes. I do not mean to say that the particular proceeds of those two cheques for £500 and £600 went to Olds, because there was gold besides taken down, and more or less of that was left, but I mean to say that those cheques amounting to £1100 were cashed, and out of that and money in hand Olds had £1100. The total sum that Olds had was £2500.

• 19668.

  You say the £500 drawn payable to Mr. Hoare upon the 5th, had been appropriated in making certain payments ? — Yes, and replaced. Altogether Olds had £1100 out of those two cheques for £500 and £600.

• 19669.

  Making altogether the amount that Olds had, £2500 ? — Yes.

• 19670.

  And that money was paid to Mr. Olds for the purpose of being distributed ? — Yes, upon the Monday, for the purpose of counteracting the £2000 which Sir Julian Goldsmid distributed upon the Tuesday.

• 19671.

  It was for the purpose of being distributed amongst the voters ? — Yes, to pay it to those who had promised us, and whose names were upon the bringing up lists that had been prepared some time before.

• 19672.

  I want an answer to my question: it was for the purpose of being distributed amongst the voters ? — Amongst certain voters.

• 19673.

  Amongst the voters at the election ? — Amongst certain voters whose promises already had been given, and it was not for the purpose of influencing any new person at all. It was not for the purpose of getting votes, but for the purpose of paying those who had already promised us.

• 19674.

  You are quite sure that Mr. Olds had the £1100, in addition to the £1400 ? — I am quite certain. In fact I think he had £50 besides.

• 19675.

  Do you know how the money was distributed ? — 850 voters at £3 apiece; he really had £2550.

• 19676.

  I see the first of the cheques paid to Mr. Olds, out of the £1100, is a cheque payable to Johnson ? — Yes, that is imagination. They had got a Johnson upon the other side, and I made the cheque payable to Johnson in order that they might think that we had a Johnson upon our side, or that their Johnson had split and come upon our side.

• 19677.

  It was a fictitious name ? — Yes.

• 19678.

  (Mr. Jeune.) It was a synonym for the man in the moon ? — Yes.

• 19679.

  (Mr. Holl.) Who got the cheque cashed ? — My clerk, Thomas. All of it.

• 19680.

  And paid over the proceeds to Olds ? — Yes. I never paid Olds anything.

• 19681.

  Then the next is “Cash, £175” ? — Yes, that is the same thing.

• 19682.

  That was a cheque drawn to cash ? — Yes, certainly.

• 19683.

  Was that cashed by Thomas ? — It would be cashed at the bank by Thomas, I should think.

• 19684.

  Then the next is “Ditto, £350.” Would that also be cashed by Thomas ? — Yes.

• 19685.

  And the cheque payable to Fraser ? — No. That may have been cashed by some other person.

• 19686.

  It would be Thomas who would pay over the proceeds to Olds ? — Yes.

• 19687.

  Is Fraser a fictitious name ? — No. It is somebody who cashed a cheque upon a Sunday, the bank being closed.