The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-03-05 00:00:00

PETITION.

THE RESPONDENT UNSEATED.

The adjourned inquiry touching the election of
Mr. J. W. Chadwick to the Kidderminster Town
Council in November last was concluded on Thurs-
day morning.
'Directly after :the: opening of the Court on
Teursday morning, Mr. Lockwool, the leadiug
counsel for the respondent, stated that f ince the
previous evening his friend and himself had e?ne
very carefully through the evidence given, and'had
come to the conclusion that there were facts in it
which they could not deny and inferences which
hey were not prepared to rebut. They felt sure
that the Commissioner would, in the discharge of
his duty, have had to draw the inference that
agency had been established on the part of both
Hampton and Hopkins, and that there wa3 no
doubt that a series of corrupt acts attached to the
names of those men which would be sufficient to
void the seat which his learned friend and himself
had been retained to defend. He therefore proposed
not to keep up that inquiry any longer, and Mr.
Chadwick's seat must be given up. The agency
had, however, only been established by ratificatio
and adoption, and not by appointment. Those per-
sons
ic wereut t
a
not appointed
vd
eien
t t a
as agentsat
H
a nblyp t
011, a
tleast
r . Ch ad
wk b
took the deeper,t possible interest in the return of
Mr. Chadwick. Mr. Hampton was a young man
whose zeal was greater than his discretion, and
forgetting the true interests of him whom he sought
to benefit. he had undoubtedly doe that which put
him in the p ainful pea tion which he now occupied.
Whatcver might have been done by Mr Chadwick's
over zealous friends he (Mr. Chadwi.l) had the
satisfaction that no persmal charge. attached to
him, and that his personal honour had not been
touche3.

_
Mr. Powell commended the counsel on the other
side for the manly course they had taken, aacl said
he quite concurred in the remarks made by Mr.
Lockwood on hehllf of the respondent. The latter
had to suffer for the indiscretion and over-zeal of
some of his supporters.

siouer, "vidence was Put in by Mr. Powell to the
In accordance with a request from the Commis-
effect that every attempt had been made to find
Hopkins, and tailed.
The Commissioner referred to what happened in
Rushton's case, and said that it would probably be
his duty to report concerning the manner in Which
Hopkins was keeping out of the way.
The Commissioner said it then became his duty

to pronounce his finding in that case, and he should
do so briefly. He was confident that the learned
counsel hid not injured the interests of Mr,
Chadwick by the admission they had made. To
his mind there was such strong evidence of the
agency both of Hampton and Hopkins, ani of
bribery by both, that tie certainly should have had
no hesitation in finding that they were both agents.
and were both guilty of bribery in the cases of
persons who were called as witnesses. If witnes,es
had been called to deny those statements it ;night
have lyen a question of credibility, but in the
absence of such witnesses he was satisfied that
everything was done that could have becn done by
the lelrned counsel in watching their clie,lts'
interests. He was glad there was no personal
charge against the respondent. He should have to
declare that Mr. Chadwick was not duly elected
and turd hi 3 election was void ; and that he would
have to pay the costs of the pntitionere and all the
costs incidental to the petition.

SINGULAR DROWNING CAST, AT RowLs'y.
Early on Tuesday morning a man named Ezra
Smith (49), of Rowley, and engaged as a coachman
and gardener in the service of Mrs. Beasley, of that
place, went with a bucket to fetch some water from
a well in a field at the re,r of tho house. As he
did not return, search was made for him., aod about
mid-day he was found dead lying will' his head
embedded in the mud of the well, and the bucket
lying besirie him. It is snpposed that he fell head
foremost into the well, and was unable to extricate
himself from the mud. An inquest will be held.