Testimonies

Emmerson, Richard Joynes | Day 1

Witness Type: Briber, Freeman, Treater

Party: Liberal

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 2 | Day 14

Witness Testimony:

• 447.

  You think there was not an excessive number ? – No, I think not.

• 448.

  With regard to the expenditure for messengers we will take that when we come to the accounts. May I take it from what you say that in your opinion there was no excess in the employment of persons in any kind at Sandwich on the part of the Liberal party ? – No not as messengers.

• 449.

  Were there any class of people ? – No, not in employment, certainly.

• 450.

  There were a considerable number of public-houses, were there not ? – Yes, there were.

• 451.

  How many ? – Do you wish me to say anything with regard to public-houses ?

• 452.

  I should like you to do so ? – With regard to the account, which to a great extent I am answerable for to Mr. Brown, the election agent, it is a fact he did not give any order during the election, or at any time, but what expenses were incurred I am responsible to him for, and there is one item in particular which refers to public-houses. There are two sums of 20L, which I gave to Mr. Coleman ; one 20L. was given at an early period of the election for the expenses of the election, and more particularly he was directed to keep down the number of public-houses. You cannot prevent the treating ; it is an impossibility ; but my direction to him was to every morning visit those public- houses, and prevent bills being incurred. He will show you by details that he followed those instructions, and 20L., 40L. altogether, was also expended, as the account will show you, in paying for rosettes and things of that sort.

• 453.

  To pay for rosettes and colours ? – Yes. There were some bills incurred for banners and rosettes which have not been paid for now. I am only speaking now of the actual payments, but inasmuch as there were two 20L.(40L.) which will appear in the expenses which were recognised by the agent for election expenses at my request, I simply thought it was right to explain to him how it was expended. That was in the hands of Mr. Coleman.

• 454.

  And that was actually expended you say in rosettes ? – No, a portion of it. Some of it was expended in keeping down the treating in public-houses and paying the morning scores, the morning bills, and the other was, as I say, spent upon these receipts, and so on.

• 455.

  Some portion of it was spent in having at different public-houses scores run up by persons, by our own friends, the evening before, or something of that kind ? – Of course, there were instructions given not to permit treating at public-houses, but, notwithstanding that, it was impossible to prevent it, and in order to prevent the bills at the termination of the election, I took this money to pay them every morning, so that we should have no public-house bills ; but after the election we had public-house bills delivered to us to the extent of 89L., which have not been paid.

• 456.

  Can you give me the names of the public-houses that he went round to ? – Yes, he has prepared and can give you a list, showing the details of his expenditure.

• 457.

  You cannot give it to us, I suppose ? – No, I have not it here.

• 458.

  What is Mr. Coleman’s Christian name ? – Benjamin Longden Coleman.

• 459.

  What is he ? – He is a farmer, market gardener and so on, and a greengrocer at Sandwich.

• 460.

  In what street ? – In King Street.

• 461.

  Then there were certain public-houses, of which he will give us the names, where he went to ? – In order to prevent the very thing which occurred afterwards.

• 462.

  He went down with the view of paying whatever was incurred ? – Yes, but, notwithstanding that, we had these bills delivered afterwards, amounting to 89L. (handing the same to the Commissioners). I have brought those bills. Those bills were not handed in to the Judges, because we had not them at the time ; they were in the hands of Mr. Lewis. That is a list of the public, house bills as they were delivered, but those bills have not been paid, none of them whatever. That is the 89L. Those are for some of our own voters, and no doubt any friends of theirs who went into these public-houses in the evening to sit down.

• 463.

  These, I understand, have not been paid ? – No, these have not been paid, but the particulars of the items that have been paid at the public-houses Mr. Coleman will give you the detail.

• 464.

  Are these the same houses that he went round to when he paid the bills ? – Yes.

• 465.

  Then, Cork’s public-house, that is the name of the party who keeps it, I suppose ? – Yes.

• 466.

  At these public-houses he went round from day to day and made certain payments on account of bills that had been incurred by different voters or their friends for refreshments supplied at these houses ? – Yes.

• 467.

  To what extent do you know that he expended money in that way – paying scores run up by voters at these houses ? – I should say between 22L and 23L.

• 468.

  (Mr. Turner.) That is out of the 40L ? – Yes, there were 22L., and the object was to prevent the bills running up.

• 469.

  (Mr. Holl.) The balance was spent in rosettes ? – Yes.

• 470.

  I do not quite follow you ; how would that prevent bills running up ? – If we had not paid the small items, and let them go on for 7 or 8 or 10 days, we should have had an enormous sum delivered, and we should not be able to control it.

• 471.

  But supposing you intimated to each of the landlords of these houses that you would not pay anything ? – That might have been done, of course.

• 472.

  (Mr. Turner.) On whose account was it paid ? – It was paid on Sir Julian’s account.

• 473.

  For the election ? – Yes. All these public-houses, no doubt, had their little coteries during the evening previous to the election, and the publicans themselves necessarily had very great influence over those that frequented the house, and, no doubt, were generally appointed canvassers, and have their committee meetings at a certain number of these houses which are known to be friendly.

• 474.

  You say Coleman was instructed every morning to go round and pay these bills ? – I gave him those instructions.

• 475.

  It was a direction to pay for refreshments supplied by these houses to different voters ? – Yes, and it was to prevent having bills that would afterwards come in.

• 476.

  At the time Mr. Coleman was making these daily payments, were the publicans running this other charge of 89L ? – No, I think the large items were incurred upon the night of the election, that is my own impression. Some portion upon the day of the election and the other upon me evening of the election.