The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-27 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON,

way, but in those where professional money-
lenders are concerned, we, believe that the
object which the Commissioners are desi-
rous of achi(ving would be best advanced by
reversing their former rule, and not only admitting
to bail, bu discharging from custody every person
against whom no more serious charge can be pre-
ferred than that he has become a party to accommo-
dation bills.

The magistrates at Derby, after a careful investi-
gation into the charges against THOMAS MonGAN—
e
a bricklayerleco imported from Shrewsbury during the
recentn at Derby—have bound him over to
t

appear in due season. The charge is a very serious
one—tbat of actually bribing certain electors, and it

is alleged that he, in 60, was caught in the very act.
Tie particulars of the case are interesting, and may
be briefly stated.

In the ancient town of Shrewsbury there resides a
hair-drasser and barber named JOHN FRAIL, who
also is "clerk of the course" at tl'e rcca there. This
person has been "concerned," for many years past,
in most of the contested elections in and near to the
county of
Salop. It may be recollected that his
name was brought into public notice at the Ludlow
election inquiry in 1839-40. Although a man of
very scanty education, of profession not very exalted,
and of appearance not very inviting, FRAIL has
been so fortunate (by reason of his election con-
nexions and tactics) to be on a fooing of some inti-
macy with political personages in his own neighbour-
hood, and his fame having reached London, it is said
that he has got into correspondence with certain
eminent members of the Carlton Club—that famous
purity-of-election confederation !
On Thursday, on the inquiry at Derby, was pro-
duced an envelope, bearing the seal of the Carlton
Club, addressed to " Mr. JOHN FRAIL, Clerk of the
Course, Shrewsbury," and containing the following
letter :

" A good and safe man with judgment and quickness
is wanted immediately at Derby. I suppose that yen
cannot, leave your own place—if not, send one whom
you can trust in your place. Let him go to Derby On
receiving this, and find the Ccunty Tavern in the centre
of the town. Send his card to Cox, Brothers, and Co.
lead works—as coming from Chester. Thet
enough.—Yours, "
W. B.
" Motday "
Mr. Jour/ KEOGH (bnAber to the excellent and
distinguished Member for Athlone) was examined at
Derby, and stated—" I reside at 85, King Wl:liana-
street, London-bridge. I am now out of business-
I was thesecretary of the Reading and Reigate Rail-
way Company. Major Was. BERESFORD, the present
Secretary at War, was the chairman of the board of
directors. Major BERESFORD is a member of the
Carlton Club ; he is the wutleman who sat for a di-
vision of the county of Essex, and who has been
again returned for that division. I have bad frequent
opportunities of seeing Major BERESFORD'S hand-
writing. The whole of the letter now produced is in
the handwriting of Major BERESFORD. The direction
on the envelope is also his writing." This, we rather
think, fixes the authorship cf the FRAIL epistle on
Major BERESFORD, Of " rabble" celebrity, who holds
a public situation in the Ministry as Secretary at
War, and has another appointment quite as ostensible
as" Tory whipper-in:'
It would seem that the Salopian friseur was unable
to comply with the urgent request of the Carlton
Club " polite letter-writer." FRAIL did NOT go to
Darby. Somebody else went--for,
on the polling..
day, THOMAS MORGAN was caught in a back room at
the County Tavern, with gold and notes in his posses-
sion to the value of some hundreds. The man thus
rejoicing in this plethora of cash is—a bricklayer !
But, in all likelihood, be was the " good and safe
man with judgment and quickness," whom W. B.
" wanted immediately at Derby."
It appeared, from the evidence, that Police-sergeant
FEARN, of Derby, apprehended MORGAN, on the Bth
inst., having got into his room by using certain pass-
words which had been confided to him—we presume,
by some one who had " split ;" that he found the
money on his person; that be also found a card in-
scribed "Mr. T. MORGAN, Chester;" that, the next
day, the prisoner said—
" His name was Thomas Morgan; but that he did not
come from Cheater. The reason why he put Chester
upon the card was because Frail wished him to do so. He
then said that ho came to Derby on Tuesday ; that Frail
sent for him, and said he wanted him to come to Derby
to the elecion; and he (Frail) gave him the letter, and
that he came direct to the C,:unty Tavern according to
his instructions. That when he got there he sent his
card to Cox, Brothers, and Co., at the lead works; that
he did net know them at all, and, thoreforo, did not
know if he had ever seen them. That nobody came to
him for two days. He said the gold in the bags was no
mere his than mine. The louse gold was his. One bag
of gold was brought to him over night at the County
Tavern, and the other bag of gold and the notes on the
' following morning. They were given to him in a dark
room, but he did not think he should be able to identify'
the man who brought them. Ile also told me that he
was to wait in the room and pay the money to persons
who brought cheques; which he did, and entered it in
the book with the numbs r 3. As he was a stranger here
he did not know whether they were electors ornot."
On the Bth the prisoner was remanded, but on his
way back to the lock-up a letter was written for him
at his dictation (the " good and safe man" is pro-
nSatlmreewdsbTurlysn:Awnne uinndesrhsrtaenwdsbtbnerrye,
bably not much of a r.cribe), directed to TISDALE,
Ebi is
It
'cnel‘rit°aauui certainly ennieodestr'any Esquire so named. MORGAN
was very communicative to the police-officer, and
(to quote the very words)—
~ tie then repeated to me, that Frail had sent him to
Derby; he said he thought he was coming to Derby to
be u poll-clerk; if ho had known that they had wanted
him for the job ho was come for he would have seen
them d—d before he had come; ho said ho was tic-
tirnifed. I then said to Mellor, Why, that letter has

no post-mark upon it.' The prisoner said, But tilers's
the seal, that has not been breker.' 'I said, the letter
has been opened; he seid, ' The seal bag not bean broken,
and the crest is upon it, and that will tell where it came
from: He said the money was not his, but that as it
was given to him he should claim it. Ile said, that
many a man fixed as be was would have gone off with
the money. He told me lie was a bricklayer, and came
from Shrewsbury. He said there were three newspapers
in Shrewsbury; one would expos) him,_ and the other
two would try to smother it up, Ile said, there was a
new law for bribery, but be did not know what it was;
he said he expected they would make a witness of him,
end he should speak the truth. He said, the figures in
the book was the amount of money that he had paid,
and the numbers; that if we had not found the book we
should have been bothered. He said, the figures were
iu his handwriting."
A voter named SHARROCS proved that he had
voted for floasFam, the Tory candidate, on a pro-
mise of Two Pounds—that he then went up-stairs to
a bauk•room in the County Tavern, 'where (he says)
—"I found a man at the top of the stairs; he allowed
the stoutish man to pass by him into a room at the top
of the stairs, but he would not allow me to pass. The
stoutish man remained in the room two or three
minutes, when he came out again, and called me up
to the door, and putting his hand on my shoulder,
turned me round with my back towards the door, the
stoutish man put my right hand behind me, the door
was opened, and some one in the room put two sove-
reigns in my hand. I was not allowed to see the
person who put the sovereigns in my band ; the per-
son inside the room shut the door, and I went down
stairs." The room at the door of which SumutocK
received the two pounds was that in which MORGAN
was apprehended.
As to the facts there can be no doubt. The pay-
ment to SIIARROCS is marked off in the briber's
book, and the briber (who scorned to think that his
Salopian employer had led him into jeopardy) has
admitted the truth of the evidence adduced. He
promised,
in his fright, that lie would tell the truth. He
may, if ever produced before a Parliamentary Com-
mittee. But is it probable that this MORGAN will be
allowed to remain in England ? He is personally
bound in 3001. for his appearance, with two sureties in
1501. each. Can any reasonable man expect that he
will appear? The amount of bail is insufficient. The
Carlton Club correspondents can readily pay the
amount, and allow 2loaoas; to retire to Boulogne, as
rF
ennA IrLo,utvie
etoetblie ervi''has arrived in
Continent we know
not.
LED:dAonn_nswdhiedt.he
_• _

----
The part which Major Bunrsponn is said to have
taken in the transaction indicates Fuel intense folly
that we really can scarcely imagine how that astute
and acute tactician could have been so concerned.
It is for him to rebut, promptly and publicly, the
heavy implication against him. In a light, flimsy,
and weak manner, he has given a sort of denial to
the charge. This was in a speech at Braintree. It
cbenceefore the.
simply is a round-the-corner declaration that the
newspapers have maligned him, and that in his plaec
in Parliament he will undertake to show his inno-
In like manner the police reports tell us that
magistrates " the prisoner reserved his
defense."