Chapman, William Ashby | Day 5

Was one of 80 on the Conservative committee. His draper wife supplied flag materials to Mr Usher to the value of £47 6s 9d. The election was worth about £96 to him altogether. Overwhelmed because the orders were so numerous, he had to pay Mr Solley £5 5s. for special rosettes for the Committee which were made by his draper wife. Costing 1s 9d, these were sold for 2s each making him a small profit. Each committee member was given 6 rosettes.

Witness Type: Other

Party: Conservative

Witness Testimony:

  • 4950.

    London or where ? — Mr. Baldwin was one, a Liberal DRAPER here.

  • 4951.

    (Mr. Turner:) I thought you said you had to go outside for it ? — I got as much as I could here. Some of it I got from London. I got it where I could. I got some from Mr. Franklin, a DRAPER, and Mr. Hunt, a DRAPER.

  • 4952.

    (Mr. Holl.) You cleared out the whole town, in fact ? — As much as I could get, and I telegraphed away for what I could get ; I was to get as much as I could.

  • 4953.

    Where did you get the rest from ? — Some I got from London, and some I bought of private individuals that had bought it ; they might come to my shop and buy, perhaps, 50 yards of ribbon, and if they had three or four yards left, I bought it, and got everything I could.

  • 4954.

    (Mr. Turner.) The election was worth 96L. to you ? — Worth 96L. ?

  • 4955.

    That is what you got ? — Oh yes ; the bills come to that together. I think there is about 60L. worth of bills showing what I bought and paid for.

  • 4956.

    (Mr. Holl) These 500 ROSETTES you supplied ? — Yes.

  • 4957.

    Did you deliver them to Mr. Hughes himself ? — Yes, at his private residence. ‘

  • 4958.

    33L. How much is that a dozen ? — I charged them the same, 12s. a dozen. It did not pay as well as what it ought. The expenses were so much in getting them and getting them made.

  • 4959.

    500 at 1s, would be 25L. What is the other 8L. 6s. ? It is 33L. 6s. ? — The bill will show it. That is on a bill I expect that you have not got.

  • 4960.

    There are “ 80 ROSETTES, special,” 8L., I see ? — Yes.

  • 4961.

    That was 2s. each ? — Yes.

  • 4962.

    And 500 ROSETTES, 1s. each ? — Yes.

  • 4963.

    So that the committee themselves had special ROSETTES at 2s. each ? — Yes, and I paid 1s. 9d. each to get them made for me, and I got 3d. on each. I got a pound off the committee ones. The bills will prove what I paid for them. Being so many on the committee, Mr. Hughes wanted a special rosette, so that he might know a committee-man when he met him.

  • 4964.

    (Mr. Turner.) Was it special in its size ? — Yes, in every way. He wanted me to get a silver button to put in it. I went to every shop in the town, and I could not get it, but I got a little spray and different things.

  • 4965.

    (Mr. Holl.) What is the total of these bills you have handed in ? Have you added them up ? — Between 50L. and 60L., what I have there.

  • 4966.

    Are these all bills for the materials that you paid ? — Yes, everything.

  • 4967.

    Do they include any other materials at all ? — Yes ; there is one bill there for Baldwin, a pound and something added to the bill; but Baldwin’s bill is 8L. 18s. 4d, The total is 10L something, I think. It was about 23s. or 24s. more than what was supplied for the election.

  • 4968.

    I make this ” Bills paid for which I took receipts,” coming up to as near as possible 50L. ? — Over 50L., I think.

  • 4969.

    Well, 51L. ? — You see, of course, I did not think they would be wanted, or else I should have kept a lot more. Lots were paid I had not receipts for at all. I gave the list of what names I could recollect from memory. Mr. Hughes wanted all I could get, and told me to get all I could.

  • 4970.

    We will hand you the bills back (handing same to the witness) ? — I am much obliged.

  • 4971.

    (Mr. Turner.) Is that all you had to do with the election ? — I was one of their working committee.

  • 4972.

    Did you get paid for that at all ? — Not one farthing.

  • 4973.

    (Mr. Jeune.) You were on the Conservative committee, of course ? — Yes.

  • 4974.

    I suppose you expected an order of some sort or other, did you not ? — Well, no doubt I expected the same as the rest, but still that was not my intention in going on the committee. Anybody could have got an order.

  • 4975.

    “The same as the rest,” you say. I suppose pretty nearly every tradesman in Deal and Walmer got an order of some sort or another in this election, did they not ? — Yes, every tradesman, and everybody else too I think, men, and boys, women, and everybody else, it gave them all a job ; pikeys, and everybody else.

  • 4976.

    I thought so. Were these 500 ROSETTES for the canvassers ? — They were for the committee to have six each. The committee were to have their special rosette, so that Mr. Hughes should know them, and to have half a dozen others to give to their friends because they could not get any. And they did have them ; each committee-man had his half dozen.

  • 4977.

    So that each committee-man had half a dozen to give away ? — Yes ; for those 2s. rosettes I paid 1s. 9d. to get them made, and I agreed with Mr. Hughes before they were made to be 2s. ; so I got 3d each off them for all the bother and trouble. These bills show that.