Testimonies

Hulke, Frederick Thomas | Day 21

Witness Type: Briber

Party: Conservative

Witness Testimony:

• 20400.

  That was out of your own pocket ? — No, not that £5, because just at that moment I happened to see Mr. Simmons. I had no money with me, and I said to Mr. Simmons, “Can you lend me” or “Can you advance me a little money?” and he said, “I cannot; I have only a little in my pocket, which is for a charity.“ Then I said, “What have you got?” and he pulled out his purse and gave me £7, and he said, “What am I to put that down as?” I said, “Well, anything,”; “Charity begins at home,” or some such casual remark as that, because I did not want him to know anything about Mr. Ralph.

• 20401.

  Mr. Simmons has said that you said you had paid for some champagne; is that so ? — Yes, I paid for some champagne, but not out of that money.

• 20402.

  Did you tell Mr. Simmons that was what it was for ? — The next morning he asked me how he was to account for that money, because he was not content with my previous answer, and then I told him that I was money out of pocket myself, and, more than this, I had paid for champagne, and damage to a cart, and so on.

• 20403.

  You did tell him that you had paid for champagne ? — Yes.

• 20404.

  And you also told him that you had paid £3 for damage to a trap ? — I did not tell him I had paid that, but I told him that the trap was damaged to that amount; that was merely to gammon him.

• 20405.

  I understand. As to the champagne, was it true that you had paid for some champagne ? — Yes.

• 20406.

  What champagne was that ? — I paid for some champagne the night of the election at the Royal Hotel; three or four sovereigns.

• 20407.

  Who had the champagne ? — The reporters and various others that were waiting for the result of the polling to be declared. I drank some of it myself.

• 20408.

  That was the champagne you meant, was it? — Yes.

• 20409.

  What was the trap ? — It was a carriage of my own that was run into upon the afternoon of the polling day by someone, and the wing was smashed off, and the iron work damaged.

• 20410.

  Did you tell Mr. Simmons that a carriage of your own had been damaged ? — Yes, I did, and that is the trap evidently he was alluding to.

• 20411.

  Mr. Simmons says that you asked him for about £10, was that so ? — No, I did not ask for that. I think it was £7 or £8 that I asked him for.

• 20412.

  He said expressly that you said to Mr. Simmons, “Will you give me £10?” and he only gave you £7 because he had only got £7 ? — No, I do not remember that. He had a sovereign or two more in his purse, I know, when he gave me the money.

• 20413.

  Besides that £2 to Mr. Jenner and £5 to Mr. Ralph, what other sums did you pay in connexion with the election ? — I do not know that I paid any at all.

• 20414.

  It does turn out that you paid £3 or £4 or whatever it was, for this champagne drunk upon the polling day ? — That was out of my own private purse.

• 20415.

  I dare say. Did you pay anything else out of your own private purse ? — I really cannot say that I did. I do not call anything to mind. I may have spent a shilling or two, but anything like £2 or £3 for champagne I am positive I did not pay that.

• 20416.

  Did you not give anybody anything to drink before the polling ? — No, not to a soul that I know of.

• 20417.

  You were pretty liberal with the champagne at the end ? — Yes. I said, “We have been dry the whole time, and now we will have a wet.”

• 20418.

  Before that are you quite sure there was no other champagne ? — No, I cannot call it to mind.

• 20419.

  Or any other less aristocratic refreshment ? — No.

• 20420.

  Did you go about canvassing ? — No, I never asked for a single vote. I object to canvassing, upon principle.

• 20421.

  Did you employ anybody else to canvass ? — No, I did not employ anybody to canvass.