Testimonies

Hughes, Edwin | Day 19

Witness Type: Briber, Petition witness

Party: Conservative

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 20

Witness Testimony:

• 19808.

  You have to account to Mr. Crompton Roberts for £900 ? — About £850. There is not a balance owing to him of that amount, because it has been diminished by payments made since the petition.

• 19809.

  What are those payments ? — There is cash to myself, £10 with regard to the petition. Then, paid Bent £20 8s expenses; press cards £3 8s 5d; paid W G Thomas £4 11s 1d; Usher £3; trustees of the funds of the Bank of England £10 each; postcards 10s; paid Cloke balance due to him £95 15s; cash per cheque 13 guineas; that is some private expenses of my own, and I think it was a hotel bill at the time of the petition. Then paid Hayman £150; Simmonds £5. That is Simmonds’ father, who lives at Deal, who said he canvassed and did a great deal for us, which I beg to doubt. Then Foster £16 17s 4d. That was a hotel bill for me or the clerk. Then Usher £25; I had not settled up with Usher altogether.

• 19810.

  That is over and above the £30 ? — Yes, it was a further account which came in late. Then Olds £27 13s 4d. That is made up of sundries, cab hire, and a lot of little payments that I have not got in the account. Then Hooper £12 12s 8d in final settlement for odds and ends of various kinds. Then Foster £9 10s. That would be at the Royal Hotel, and possibly a cheque in change for cash. Then Olds £30. That was money given for his own services. Wythes, making boards, £5, and Jordan, a man who made a plan of some proposed harbour at Deal, £5. Then there is £47 10s 1d upon an old account due to me, because you see I had not got £900, but £800L. odd. Altogether now I owe Mr. Crompton Roberts £347 9s 3d.

• 20042.

  Recalled and further examined. (Mr. Jeune.) I daresay you directed this £1000 to be placed to the credit of Mr. Olds at the bank of Bellairs et Fils ? — No, I knew nothing about Bellairs; it was Glyns’ that suggested Bellairs.

• 20043.

  It was to be drawn on Bellairs by Olds’ cheque ? — Yes.

• 20044.

  You wrote to Olds and told him ? — I did not, but another party did. It was the same thing. He had a letter to say there was money there to his credit. He had a letter from Paris to say that the money was there to his credit.

• 20045.

  Did you tell Mr. Horne that he was to meet Mr. Olds at Dover ? — Yes, I wrote to him. Mr. Horne is mistaken about meeting me first at Glyns’. That memorandum which Mr. Crompton Roberts wrote to his partner in pencil I put in an envelope, which I addressed at the Cannon Street Hotel, having previously telegraphed to Mr. Horne to meet me there. I did not meet him at Glyns’.

• 20046.

  You wrote a note, and sent it to Mr. Hoare ? — Yes. I suggested the amount, £1400. There was no amount mentioned in Mr. Crompton Roberts’ note.

• 20047.

  (Mr. Holl.) You enclosed the order together with a note from yourself to Mr. Hoare ? — Yes.

• 20048.

  It was Glyns’ that suggested Bellairs ? — Yes; nobody knew anything about Bellairs. Glyns’ are Bellairs’ correspondents.

• 20049.

  You wrote to someone in Paris ? — Yes, I wrote to my agent at Paris, and told him to write to Mr. Olds, to say there was £1000 to his credit, and one great object in sending it there was that he should not have it too soon. I am quite sure it was on Monday that Mr. Horne went down. I wrote to him something about cashing the £350 cheque, and I am quite satisfied that Mr. Horne did not come down till the Monday, otherwise I should have had him dancing about Deal with that money. Whatever day Mr. Horne came down, Mr. Olds did not have the money till the Monday.

• 20050.

  (Mr. Holl.) We have Mr. Horne’s testimony as regards that ? — Yes, he ought to know better than I do. It would have frustrated everything if the money had been had upon the Saturday. Our object was to get the last coat of paint, so it is impossible to have been upon the Saturday.

• 20051.

  (Mr. Jeune.) Did Olds go alone to Calais ? — I believe so.

• 20052.

  How did they identify him ? — By signature, which signature I obtained upon a separate piece of paper, and which was sent through Glyns’ to Bellairs.

• 20053.

  Olds, when he gave you the signature, knew for what purpose it was given ? — I do not know about that. I did not tell him much about money, because I knew it would be talked about. If he knew he was going to have £1000 it would have been talked about, and instead of £1000 being enough we should have wanted £10,000. What I said was this:— “Olds, I want your name upon this envelope,” and he gave me his signature, and I sent it up to Glyns’, and after that Olds drew a cheque, and they identified the signature, and Olds got the money. I did not let any of them know till as late as possible that any money was coming at all from us. Adjourned to Wednesday next at 11.30.