Olds, Samuel | Day 2
In total Olds received £2,500, purely for bribing Publicans and voters.
He secured and paid for committee rooms in 88 public houses – 71 in Deal & Walmer, according to testimony by Daniel George Frederick Simmons, plus 17 in Sandwich. Each was paid £5 a-piece. Well over the odds when their annual rent was on average £12.
In November 1881 he was found guilty and sentenced to six months hard labour. Released in May 1882.
Witness Type: Briber, Councillor / Alderman, No Indemnity
Party: Conservative
Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 3 | Day 14
Witness Testimony:
- 1745.
You mean the receipts for all these 41 men ? — Yes.
- 1746.
Were they stamped receipts ? — Yes.
- 1747.
Separate receipts for each person ? — Yes.
- 1748.
Forty-one receipts ? — Yes, and they were put in at the time of the petition, I think.
- 1749.
You are speaking of Deal and Walmer ? — Deal, Walmer, and Sandwich.
- 1750.
Did you employ the canvassers for Sandwich ? — Yes.
- 1751.
Let me understand you so that there may be no mistake ; do you mean that 41 canvassers were employed for Deal, Walmer, and Sandwich ? — Yes.
- 1752.
For those three places ? — Yes.
- 1753.
That you are quite sure about ? — Yes.
- 1754.
I do not want you to be confused, or to mislead you in any way ; you are sure that 41 canvassers were employed for those three places — Deal, Walmer, and Sandwich ? — Yes.
- 1755.
Were there any other canvassers to your knowledge employed at either of those three places by anyone ? — Not that I am aware of.
- 1756.
Did you employ any other canvassers besides these 41 ? — No.
- 1757.
As I understand it, what you did was to employ 41 persons for Deal, Walmer, and Sandwich, and that each of those persons that you employed was paid a lump sum of 6L ? — Yes ; they were not all paid by me ; some were paid by Mr. Hughes himself I think.
- 1758.
I should like to know how that is ; how was it you said just now that you gave him receipts for the whole ? — I gave him receipts for what I paid.
- 1759.
I have it down here in Mr. Hughes’ return, under your name, “Paid to Olds 36L., 90L., 90L, and 80L on account of canvassers,” making in all 246L., and 41 canvassers; at 6L a head would be 246L., so that those four sums which are returned as paid to you would exactly cover the 41 canvassers at 6L. a head ? — Yes that is so.
- 1760.
Are you sure that you did not employ any other canvassers ? — I did not.
- 1761.
Were there any canvassers employed to your knowledge by the day ? — Not that I am aware of:
- 1762.
Either at Deal, Walmer, or Sandwich ? — Not that I am aware of ; they may have been employed by Mr. Hughes, and not come to my knowledge.
- 1763.
You had the management of the canvassing department, had you not ? — Merely the paying of them, nothing further.
- 1764.
Did you select the men for canvassing ? — A great many of them.
- 1765.
But not all ? — Some were suggested to Mr. Hughes by others, and some were selected by me, but Mr. Hughes had the whole control.
- 1766.
You know of no other canvassers excepting those you mentioned ? — No.
- 1767.
At either place ? — No.
- 1768.
As I understand you, you returned the 41 receipts to Mr. Hughes ? — Yes.
- 1769.
That you are sure of ? — Yes, quite.
- 1770.
Have you never seen them since ? — I have never seen them since.
- 1771.
Did you receive a sum of 36L. from Mr. Hughes ? — I might have done, but I really cannot tell the amounts, because I have no books or papers to guide me. I received various sums from him and returned him an account of what I had done with them.
- 1772.
He has returned you as receiving 36L., do you remember whether you received that or not ? That is the first sum you are returned as receiving, and the following day, or the same day, you are returned as receiving 90L. ? — Yes, I think that is right.
- 1773.
Then a day or so afterwards, or, at all events, shortly afterwards, you are returned as receiving two further sums of 30L and 90L. ? — I believe I did.
- 1774.
Making in all 246L ? — Yes.