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:

  • 357.

    Are there any manufactories in Walmer ? – No, I am not aware of any manufactories. There is a very large brewery. Mr. Thompson or Mr. Matthews is the brewer.

  • 358.

    Besides the brewery, what industries are there ? – There is nothing there.

  • 359.

    Nothing but retail tradesmen ? – Retail tradesmen. There is a little fishing. They send some fish to London from there, but that is not very much.

  • 360.

    To which class do the greatest number of voters belong, the tradesmen or the boatmen ? – I should think the greater number are the gentry and the middle class.

  • 361.

    Middle-class tradesmen ? – Yes, there are a very great many gentry.

  • 362.

    Are they more than the boatmen ? – I should say so ; a great deal.

  • 363.

    (Mr. Turner.) Are the gentry resident ? – Yes.

  • 364.

    (Mr. Holl.) You acted as agent for Sir Julian Goldsmid, at Sandwich, I believe ? – Yes.

  • 365.

    Had you anything to do with the election at Walmer ? – No, nothing; not in the acting part of it. Mr, Edwards acted at Deal and Walmer, and myself at Sandwich.

  • 366.

    When were you first appointed Sir Julian Goldsmid’s agent ? – Immediately after I first saw Sir Julian Goldsmid.

  • 367.

    When was that ? – There was no regular appointment, but I became his representative. Perhaps I should save your time by stating that at an early period Sir Julian Goldsmid wrote to me to ask me whether I thought he would be acceptable as a candidate by the liberal party. I replied to him at that time that we had not heard of Lord Brabourne’s elevation to the Peerage, that nothing had occurred in the borough ; but it was reported so, and that immediately anything did occur I would communicate with him. After that we were searching for a candidate. I then went to London, and called upon Sir Julian Goldsmid, and he returned that evening from London to Deal.

  • 368.

    When was that ? – That was on the 4th or 5th of May. It was just the week of the election. He came down with me on the Monday. The nomination was on the Saturday, and the polling took place on the following Monday. It was all very quick. Of course Mr. Crompton Roberts had been in the field a week before we arrived.

  • 369.

    Was it on the 5th of May that he came down ? – No, it must have been later than the 5th of May. It was on a Monday that he came down. It was on the 10th of May. I went to London that morning.

  • 370.

    He came back with you ? – He came back with me in the afternoon, and he began the canvassing on the following morning.

  • 371.

    I presume from his writing to you that you occupy a position amongst the Liberal party ? – Yes, I am known as the person perhaps who represents the Liberal party to a great extent in the borough of Sandwich.

  • 372.

    Do you represent them in registration ? – I attend to it myself, and my name also is filed at the central Liberal Association in London, therefore if there are any communications I generally receive them.

  • 373.

    Kindly give us the whole account. When did you first hear from Sir Julian Goldsmid ? – It was a week or 10 days before that.

  • 374.

    Do you know how Sir Julian Goldsmid came to communicate with you ? – I think very likely, I am not certain, through Mr. Brassey. We heard that Sir Julian Goldsmid was one of the selected candidates at the University. Sir John Lubbock, and others, were also selected. We did not communicate with Sir John Lubbock, but we fixed upon Sir Julian Goldsmid, simply because we heard that Sir John Lubbock was certain to be the selected candidate of the University, and we thought it was more certain that he would come down. We were anxious to get a candidate. We had lost a week or 10 days.

  • 375.

    When did you first communicate with him then ? – Immediately, in reply to his letter. I have not that letter here, but I can find it. It was before Lord Brabourne’s elevation to the Peerage, and before he came down. Sir Julian Goldsmid had heard of the report through the papers, and he immediately wrote to me to inquire whether I thought he would be an accepted candidate, if he came down, by the Liberal party. Then I wrote to him that we had heard nothing whatever of the matter, and communicated with those who I thought had any interest in it, promising that I would let him know again.

  • 376.

    I daresay you can find the letter ? – I think I can. I will endeavour to find it.

  • 377.

    Was there any further correspondence between you in writing ? – I think I wrote to him once afterwards, but I am not certain, reminding him that I would let him know.

  • 378.

    I will ask you to produce the letter from Sir Julian Goldsmid, and copies of all letters that you wrote to him ? – Yes, I will endeavour to find them.

  • 379.

    Were there any negotiations previously to that ? – With Sir Julian Goldsmid ?

  • 380.

    With other people ? – Yes; I will not say negotiations, because we had none, but I think it was on a Tuesday (I cannot tell you what date that was) that I received a letter from Lord Brabourne, stating that Sir John Adye was desirous of getting into Parliament, and at the moment I received my letter he was on his way down here, and that I should receive a communication from him. I met him at the Sandwich Railway Station, and came down to Deal with him, where there were a few friends who had assembled – not more than half a dozen – and we then told him that Mr. Crompton Roberts had been in the field for some time, and that considerable expenses were being incurred. He immediately said he was not prepared to spend any money upon the election, and that he had been led to believe it would be an uncontested one. Under these circumstances I at once said, “You had better go back again,” and he returned to London immediately that night. There was no communication with him before, and there was nothing more than I have related to you now which passed at that meeting.

  • 381.

    Was any sum mentioned which it would be necessary for him to expend ? – In all probability I might have told him that perhaps it would be necessary for him to be prepared with 2,000L. or something like that I think there was a sum of that kind mentioned.

  • 382.

    Was it not more than that ? – No, I think – not.

  • 383.

    Was he not told that he should be prepared to spend 4,000L ? – No, I do not recollect hearing that stated. I did not state that, but he might have been told so.

  • 384.

    Who were the parties who were assembled to meet him ? – There was Mr. Edmund Brown, who is the agent for election expenses, and Mr. Edwin Cornwell.

  • 385.

    Cannot you recollect any others ? – I can give them to you by referring or thinking upon them and the time, but there were five or six perhaps.

  • 386.

    You cannot remember anybody else at the present moment ? – No, but there were several others. I can give them to you.