Edwards, James Barber | Day 4

Received three sums amounting to £1820 – of £200 & £320, from Sir Julian Goldsmid and £1300 from Mr Foord. Was called to give evidence at the Petition Trial and asked to produce all bills delivered to him. Found guilty and sentenced to 6 months in prison.

Witness Type: Briber, No Indemnity, Petition witness, Treater

Party: Liberal

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 3 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 14 | Petition Day 1

Witness Testimony:

  • 3407.

    It would seem here that rope is sold by the weight ? — It may be so.

  • 3408.

    (Mr. Roll.) I do not understand that any steps have been taken to at all check these accounts, and to ascertain the correctness of them ? — No, not in the least by myself, whether the parties who sent the claims in to me ascertained I do not know. Some were supplied through Mr. Ramell, and some through Mr. Cromwell.

  • 3409.

    They were not all delivered directly to you by the parties ? — No. I handed a paper in yesterday of a list that came through Ramell ; he got them in and sent them to me.

  • 3410.

    Some came directly to you ? — Very few.

  • 3411.

    Some came through Ramell, and some through Cromwell ? — Yes, and very few came to me direct.

  • 3412.

    Then we have Ramell’s charge for putting up and taking down poles, 118L., and Prince of Wales Terrace 25L., that is only for putting them up ? — Preparing them, rigging them, and putting them up. It is put down there, “Putting up,” but it comprises a great deal more than simply putting the poles up.

  • 3413.

    Then we have, “WATCHERS, 11L. 15s.,” and “Taking down poles, 16L. 10s.” ? — Yes, the WATCHERS were very necessary here, because these flags extended a long way, the whole length of the town. There were some hundreds of poles, and it was an amusement upon the part of the other side, and indeed it might have been so on our own side to cut them down.

  • 3414.

    The other side had WATCHERS too ? — Yes, I should think so ; after certain poles had been found cut down it was found absolutely necessary to have WATCHERS.

  • 3415.

    (Mr. Jeune.) It is possible even you think, that your own side did it ? — Yes, to make another job it is possible, but I will not say it was so.

  • 3416.

    (Mr. Holl.) Then taking down ” staffs, 16L. 10s.” ? — Yes, and I recollect it was thought to be a very small sum.

  • 3417.

    Then, ” Pockett and Hougham, out-voters, 7L.,” what is that ? — Pocket is a gentleman living in London, I think, and Hougham is a man living a long way off.

  • 3418.

    Were these sums that Mr. Ramell paid ? — Yes.

  • 3419.

    Then we have, ” Per Mr. Cromwell, messengers, 124L. 2s” and “61L. 17s. 6d. for clerks and personating agents.” That we shall call Cromwell for ? — Yes, all of which I went through with Mr. Cromwell. The book is not forthcoming, and Mr. Cromwell thinks he sent it to me, but I cannot find it. It is not suppressed for the purpose of keeping anything back, I am quite sure of that, but I think he must be mistaken in thinking that he sent it to me. Some few of these claims were paid upon the Saturday, and the rest were paid immediately after the election, and the book contained all the names and amounts, and, I believe, out of them there was hardly a single voter, because Mr. Cromwell, being an old electioneering man, would not have messengers voters.

  • 3420.

    You say Mr. Cromwell says that book was sent to you ? — Yes, he says it was.

  • 3421.

    Have you seen it yourself ? — If ever it was sent to my house in a parcel I have a glimmering idea that I have seen a brown paper parcel, but I never looked at it, and I cannot find it. I still think he must have it himself.

  • 3422.

    Do you say that you went through the accounts with him ? — Yes, at the time, and in totting up he produced the book.

  • 3423.

    You saw the book ? — Yes, I saw it then.

  • 3424.

    Whether it has been mislaid at your house, or whether he has mislaid it, you cannot tell ? — Yes.

  • 3425.

    Do I understand you in regard to this item of 124L. for messengers there were not many of them voters ? — Very few, if any. He told me of one man in particular who was a voter, and he declined to pay him, and he left the Liberals accordingly.

  • 3426.

    (Mr. Jeune.) You mean that Mr. Cromwell recognised it as wrong to employ voters in such a capacity ? —Yes.

  • 3427.

    He seems to be rather singular down here ? — I do not know, but he had an idea of his own that we ought not to have voters and pay them as messengers.

  • 3428.

    I know it may be an idea of his own, but it is an idea in which most people ought to share ? — And do share perhaps.

  • 3429.

    (Mr. Roll.) As regards the personating agents or clerks, were they voters ? — Yes, some of them.

  • 3430.

    Were the messengers voters’ sons ? — Yes, very likely, many of them were boys. The difficulty was to keep down the number.

  • 3431.

    How many were there to represent this item of 124L. for seven days during the election ? — Mr. Cromwell will recollect more about it. I had nothing to do with the ordering of them, but there were continual applications.

  • 3432.

    These messengers were many of them lads ? — Yes, most of them.

  • 3433.

    One would assume that there must have been nearly 100 messengers ? — Yes, no doubt there were more than 100.

  • 3434.

    That is one for every 10 voters in the town ; that does not look like keeping the expenses down ? — It was, we might have employed a great many more.

  • 3435.

    I gather from you that very numerous applications to be employed were made ? — Yes, a very great many.

  • 3436.

    Everybody expected to be employed ? — Yes, and if not they were offended.