Axon, James | Day 5

Looked after poles. Money received was in 3 payments of £9 and one of £27. Edward Kynaston testified to giving him £18 but he claimed that would have been part of the £54 received.

Witness Type: Briber

Party: Conservative

Witness Testimony:

  • 4587.

    Have you got any list of the 17 men who worked with you ? — No, but I know the names. I have no list.

  • 4588.

    Can you write the names down ? — I can tell you the names as I stand here.

  • 4589.

    Give the Christian and surname, and where they live ? — I cannot tell you the street, there is only one street in Walmer, and it is in so many divisions.

  • 4590.

    Were they all boatmen ? — Yes.

  • 4591.

    If you give the Christian and surname that will do ? — John Mercer, Joseph Mercer, James Bushell, John Wood, Arthur Wood, James Simms, John Elsden, Thomas Smith, William Smith, George Redman, Richard Stokes, Henry Stokes, John Elliott, Edward Coleman, Richard Heard. I cannot remember the others.

  • 4592.

    Perhaps you will be able to remember them presently, are these men voters ? — Yes, I believe, nearly all of them are voters.

  • 4593.

    You are a voter ? — Yes.

  • 4594.

    Did you select these men yourself, or were you told to employ them ? — No, we joined together to get a job.

  • 4595.

    Did Mr. Hughes say anything to you about the men you were to select ? — We went and presented our- selves to Mr. Hughes, and told him we wanted some work to do.

  • 4596.

    When you first went to Mr. Hughes, and he told you he would employ you to look after the POLES, did he tell you to employ any particular men ? — No.

  • 4597.

    What did you tell him ? — I told him we wanted a job. I told him there were a good many of us out of work and we wanted a job, and that we should like the job of looking after the POLES, as most likely someone would pull them down if they were not looked after ; and he gave us the job at 5s. a night to look after the POLES, and that was 12 days before the election came off.

  • 4598.

    (Mr. Holl.) There were 18 who wanted work ? —Yes, there were 18 of us who had been talking the matter over, and he gave us the job, at 5s. a night, to look after the POLES.

  • 4599.

    You 18 had arranged amongst yourselves before-hand ? — Yes, we had had a little conversation over the matter ; we were like the rest, we wanted a few beans out of the sack. +++

  • 4600.

    Tell us what the conversation was, as near as you can remember ; the substance of it ? — It was not much, only that everyone that was there wanted a job.

  • 4601.

    And they deputed you to go to Mr. Hughes ? — We see Mr. Hughes up the road, and stopped him, and formed a bit of a ring round him, and he gave us the job ; and they selected me to go and receive the money, and I had to come down every second night to get the money.

  • 4602.

    I suppose he knew you were boatmen at Walmer ? — Yes, he could see by our rig that we were boatmen.

  • 4603.

    Did you give him the names of the men you were going to employ ? — Yes, I did.

  • 4604.

    At the time ? — Yes ; I wrote them all down and gave it to him. It is not likely he was going to pay me for a man if he did not have his name.

  • 4605.

    (Mr. Turner.) Can you think of the other two men ? — No, I cannot. Alfred Turnbull was another.

  • 4606.

    Did you or your comrades do anything as canvassers, or did you act as messengers ? — No, not that I am aware of.

  • 4607.

    You were not employed in that way ? — No, only to look after the POLES at nights.

  • 4608.

    (Mr, Jeune.) When you saw Mr. Hughes did he make any difficulty about it ? — No ; we met him on the road publicly and talked to him, and told him we wanted a job ; and, these POLES being erected, we said they would want someone to look after them. He said, “ How many are there of you,” and we said “ 18 of us ;” and we told him our terms, and he agreed.

  • 4609.

    It was you who suggested that the POLES wanted WATCHING ? — Yes, me and the rest ; we all had a say in it ; it was not me alone who spoke.

  • 4610.

    It was you who suggested to him that the POLES wanted WATCHING, and not he to you ? — Yes, we suggested it to him ; not me alone, but me and the rest.

  • 4611.

    Did you name the terms, or did he name the terms ? — He named the terms, 5s. a night ; he said he would give 5s. a night.

  • 4612.

    You asked him what he would give ? — Yes.

  • 4613.

    And he said, “ I will give 5s. a night ?”- Yes ; the 18 of us, as we all wanted a job, and I had to take a list of the names to him.

  • 4614.

    That was about 12 days before the election ? — Yes.

  • 4615.

    There were some POLES up, I suppose, then ? — Yes, a great many were up then ; and they kept putting them up every day afterwards.

  • 4616.

    Can you tell me how many there were up then in Walmer and Deal ? — I should think 60 to 70 in Walmer alone, both sides.