Ralph, John James | Day 5

Gave 40 men £3 and paid 3 others out of own pocket

Witness Type: Briber

Party: Conservative

Witness Testimony:

  • 5270.

    When you got this money did you go round to the different parties to pay them ? — Yes, I paid some that night and some on the Tuesday morning.

  • 5271.

    Did you pay them all before the election ? — Before they voted, every one.

  • 5272.

    You say you had 120L. ? — Yes. I paid 6L. out of my own pocket. I have not received that yet.

  • 5273.

    You paid 40 3L. each, and the other two you paid 2L and one IL., that is 3L. out of your own pocket ? — That I have not received.

  • 5274.

    I see that the great majority of them are labourers ? — Yes, they are all labourers, pretty much.

  • 5275.

    (Mr. Turner.) What class of labourers ? — Some work in the brick-fields, and some are fish hawkers.

  • 5276.

    (Mr. Holl.) Two are put down as blacksmiths. I suppose they are working men ? — Yes, they work for me.

  • 5277.

    Then there are four blacksmiths I see ? — Yes, one works for another master in the town.

  • 5278.

    There is a wheelwright. I suppose he is a working man ? — Yes.

  • 5279.

    And two bricklayers ? — Yes.

  • 5280.

    Did you receive any other money besides that ? —I received 1L. 10s. or 1L. 16s., I don’t know which it was, for a FLAGSTAFF. I paid some men at the North End opposite the ” Norfolk Arms.”

  • 5281.

    Is that all ? — That is all.

  • 5282.

    Is that all the money you received or distributed ? — Yes.

  • 5283.

    Did you pay anybody else anything ? — No.

  • 5284.

    Did you hear that there was anything of that sort going on on the other side ? — Yes, of course we did, and it was no use our canvassing unless we did the same. They always told us as Conservatives, which I have always been, that we never knew how to work on the election, but we had one, as they always had, who had the money, and we showed them what we could do. Mr. Knatchbull-Hugessen and Mr. Brassey at the last election got returned, while Hallett and Baily were there, with 300, but Hallett and Baily would not spend anything, we were not on the ground with them, but when we got a man with some money, like Mr. Knatchbull-Hugessen and Mr. Brassey had, we showed them what we could do.

  • 5285.

    A few days before the election did you hear that there was money on the other side ? — Yes.

  • 5286.

    You heard that ? — Yes.

  • 5287.

    Do you remember whether you heard that on the Friday or Saturday before the election ? — It was on the Monday night I heard that ; I should say Monday in the early part of the day.

  • 5288.

    How did you come to know Mr. Olds had got the money ? — He paid us our canvassing money, and that like.

  • 5289.

    It got about, I suppose ? — Yes, it got about in the room, and I did not know until quite four o’clock in the afternoon that we were going to get it.

  • 5318.

    (Mr. Holl.) Do you know where the person of the name of Elliot is ? — No ; he went away and he has not been heard of since. It was thought that he had gone to America.

  • 5319.

    You do not know where he is ? — No. We liked him very well.

  • 5320.

    (Mr. Jeune.) Elliott was a man who lived here ? — Yes ; he had a greengrocery business, and he was a market gardener besides.

  • 5321.

    He has disappeared. Has he left a wife here ? — Yes ; his wife and five or six children.