The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-31 00:00:00

1/17. Martin, the clerk, read the evidence taken on
the last examination relating to the delivery of the goods
at the institution.
Mr. W. J. Palmer, of Reading, of the firm of Huntley
and Palmer, biscuit bakers, said thatin December, 1855,
he gave instructions for a barrel of biscuits to be sent to
the Samaritan Institution as a gift for the use of the
poor only, in consequence of a letter he received from
Mr. Barber. On receiving the letter he formed the be-
lief that Barber was soliciting the gift for the use of the
poor on Christmas-day.
By Mr. Horsley—He believed that in 1854 his firm
received a letter from gr. Barber, and forwarded a gift
to the institution. He bad not sent any biscuits this year.
By the Alderman—He was led by the names of the
vice-presidents to think it was all correct. He believed
Mr. Samuel Gurney's name was in the circular, and he
was influenced by that. [lt may be stated that the
witness is a Quaker.]
Joseph Bright was called, and examined by Mr.
Sleigh. He said he was a labourer at St. Katherine's
Docks. On the 3d of December, 1855, he was engaged
by Mr. Barber, at the Samaritan Institution, to attend
to the lavatories, and entered upon the duty on the fol-
lowing day. He was paid 3s. a week, with board and
lodging. In a fortnight afterwards (a week or two
before Christmas-day) he was employed as cook. Cn
Monday before Christmas-day he remembered a sack of
flour being delivered from Ponsford and Co. It was
carried up stairs into a gallery in the private part of
the establishment, where the family lived. He- saw no
portion of the flour used in making puddings before
Christmas-day. He remembered two 36-gallon barrels
of beer being brought in the day before Christmas-day,
1855 ; he was at the institution all Christmas-day. Just
before Christmas he remembered a barrel of biscuits
coming into the institution. Poor people came for relief
on Christmas-day, but no beer or biscuits were given to
any of them. [lt was stated in Barber's circular that the
gifts were to be distributed to the poor on Christmas-day.]
One of the barrels of beer was tapped either on the Sunday
or Monday night before Christmas-day (Tuesday). Beer
was given to the persons who were employed by Mr.
Barber in distributing the food to the poor. There were
three female servants, who frequently •
the barrels in quart earthenware jugs, an,
to Mr. Barber's private apartments. The
for relief never went upstairs. (Laughtet
beer came in witness had been employee
go to the public-house for the consnmpth
upstairs. He was sent out for beer to t
on one or two occasions after the beer was
; the week after Chi istmas-day he saw beer drawn from the
" barrel and taken upstairs. He remained with Barber
until the 7th Feb., and up to that time the drawing of the
beer continued. They had tapped the second barrel by
that time. Mr. Barber kept the key, and the servant
brought it down when she went to the barrel. Before the
second barrel was tapped a drayman came for the first
barrel, which was not empty, and Mrs. Barber ordered
the remainder to be put out into a brown pan, and car-
ried up into the private apartment to be bottled up.
There was a gallon and a half or two gallons. About
the beginning of Jan. in this year Barber gave a dinner
party in his private apartments. Be-sides Mr. and Mrs.
Bauer and a young lady, Mr. Barber's father dined
with two of the finance committee, Mr. Guadiano and
Mr. Maddocks. Witne.ts waited at table, and assisted
in drawing the beer from the barrel for consumption. A
servant maid also drew beer from the barrel. Witness
made the soup for the poor. Ile did not put any flour
or biscuits in the soup.
By the -Altierman —There wai no desert after the
dinner given by Mr. Barber to his friends, and no his.
suits were used. Witness had some of the biscuits,
which were given to him by Mr. Barber's son.
By Mr. Horsley—There were two lavatories in the in-
stitution, one for men and one for women. In the men's
lavatory there were four basins. There were two baths
fitted up in regular bath-rooms. Tee gallery in which
the flour was placed ran round the building in which the
poor were fed. No poor person was allowed to go up
there. It was not his duty to take the flour out of the
sack. Mrs. Barber and her female servants made the
puddings. His was the soup department. (Laughter.)
Whenever ho wanted peas, bread, legs of beef, or other
articles, he applied to Mrs. Barber for them. He never
put flour into the soup, and therefore never applied to
Mrs. Barber for any. He had peas, celery, onions, and
carrots fro, the soup, but no turnips or herbs.
Mr. Sleigh said that if this style of examination were
continued he would prove that, with the exception of
a shin of beef in thirty-five gallons of water, the whole
of the condiments were not worth threepence.
Mr. Horsley—Legs of beef were put into the soup.
Mr. Sleigh—Bones of beef.
Witness continued—There was meat on the bones
which were put into the soup. Mr. Barber was present
at the tapping of both the barrels of beer.
By the Alderman—The poor on Christmas-day had
beef, potatoes, pudding, or bread. They had no water.
By Mr. Horsley—He saw about a hundred mugs
bwreoruegnhot it
un s
eodn
ot ti day
ne
e l) b
Christmas-day.
i stefoinars! d Christmas-day,
y.r i s t
The tis
dinners- ay,
t
day began between one and two'ciock. Some of the
persons who were engaged as servants on Christmas-
day, and to whom beer was given, had previously re-
ceived relief as poor persons.
Mr. Horsley—Then the poor were relieved 1 (Cries
of " Oh, oh," in court.)
Examination continued—He left the institution on
the 7th of February, by leave of Mrs. Barber, and
did not go back for a week. He declined to say whe
titer he went to gaol. (Mr. Sleigh objected to this on
the ground that there could be no imputation on a
man's character if ha were taken on a County Court
capias.) He was sent to gaol for seven days for apply-
ing for relief when drunk, having ss. in his pocket.
By Mr. Sleigh—When the mugs were brought in,
Barber said, "The mugs are too large; I will not give
any beer away." The mugs were put in a bushel basket,
and were sent away again, not having been used at all.
There was no communication between the gallery and
the place where the poor were fed. It was approached
by a staircase in the private part of the building.
Henry Flude, an inmate of the West London Union,
said that on the Thursday before Christmas, 1655, he
was employed by Mr. Barber, at the Samaritan Insti-
tution as an under-porter. He remembered a sack of
flour being-brought in on the day before Christmas-day.
Four or five days after Christmas he went with a firkin
butter cask containing flour and suet chopped up to-
gether to a pie shop in Leather-lane. _de sold the cask
of flour and suet at the pie shop kept by a person named
West. A man named Linated, a person in Barber's
employment, went with witness to the pie shop and took
the money. Witness was at, the institution the whole
of Christmas-day, but did not see any beer or biscuits
given to the poor people on that or any other day. The
beer was drawn from the barrels by Mr. Barber's ser-
vants and drunk by Mr. Barber's family.
By Mr. Horsley—He did not see the flour and suet
put in the cask, but Mrs. Barber called him upstairs
with Linsted, and said to Linsted, " You are to sell
that flour." The top of the barrel was , open, and he
could see what it contained. The contents of the cask
were weighed at a green-grocer's next door to the pie
shop. He did not hear Mrs. Barber say anything
about the suet being stinking and unfit for use. He
did not know what was done with the money.
Elizabeth West said she kept a pie shop in Leather-
lane, and always made her pies of sound and whole-
some materials, and never of stinking stuff. About
the 3d January last the last witness and a man brought
a barrel containing sues and flour. It was weighed
next door, and her pieman bought it. Witness paid
for it, but she did not recollect how much she gave for
it. It was good and wholesome.
After some further evidence, in which it was proved
Christthat n be
rno a
s.denr o
y, ther
biscuitsinquiry
was
adjournedgivete tothe
until poor
Friday
me next.