The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-23 00:00:00

ELECTION PETITIONS.

The Irish election petitions are still occupying a large
share of public attention. In English news we have the
abandonment of the Hull petition, and the commencement
of the Bodulin inquiry.
At Yonghal oral and documentary evidence was offered
to abew profuse expenditure on the part of the respondent.
Captain Weguelin, who acted as expense agent, depcsed
that he disbursed in all £2,198. Mr. Weguelin paid £7O
for four months' rent of the house in which he stopped.
The accounts which were given in evidence shewed that
the respondent's friends took great care of the wants of
the poor, and at the same time did not forget what
was clue to themselves. There were such items
as " Please give Ellen and Margaret Moloney two nice
dresses, and charge to C. W.'s account." Poor persons
received petticoats, boots, and bonnets. en the Bth of
August the hungry populace were fed with bread to the
amount of £l2. John O'Shea, an elector, who was a
woollen and fancy merchant, had a bill for £OB 18s.
At the Devonshire Arms Hotel the expenses from the
24th of July to the 17th of August were £l5O 2s. 6d.,
and from the 17th of AttguSt to the 12th of Sep-
tember, £256 lls. 3d. The items consisted chiefly
of dinners, bottles of champagne—which one wit-
ness, whose credit was not impeached in this respect,
pronounced very bad—bottles of brandy and sherry, and,
as a natural consequence, dozens of sodawater. Mr. Butt
renewed the application made on the first day to have the
petition dismissed, on the ground that the petitioner had
given and received bribes. The court declined to do so,
but reserved the point. _

At Sligo the chief witness to sustain the allegation of
bribery was a man named Neilan; who swore that he went
to Major Knox to ask the respondent to do something for
him, as he was heavily pressed, and that he received two
letters, one of which directed him to call on a Mr. Pollock.
He did so, and was offered £lO, but he said it would not
do, and finally got £2O in X 5 notes. That was in February
1868. He admitted that it was not in any way suggested
that he was to vote for the respondent. He voted
for Captain Flanagan, ani he told " certain persons "
that he wished to have the £2O repaid. He was pressed to
tell the names of the persons, and at first declined to do so,
but Judge Keogh having insisted upon his telling, he
stated that it was Father Ihnly and Bishop Gillooly. No
one, however, on the Liberal side ever promised to pay
any part of the money. Mrs. Dunleavy, the wife of a
straw-plaiter, and voter, swore that Major Knox came
into her shop in, company with Mr. Pollock and another
gentleman, and handed her a £lO ncte, which he took
Nit of his pocket. She promised to use her influence
with her husband to get him to vote for the respondent.
Her husband gave corroborative evidence. Dominic
Kilcullin, an elector, swore that Brenner, who had been
acting for the respondent, offered to get him money for his
vote, and that the respondent would procure employment
`or his son. He received the following letter :

" 53, Fitzwilliam-square, Dublin, Jan, 25, 18C8.

"Dear Sir,—Wonld you kindly let me know what ap-
pointment your son would wish to have, and I will do my
best to obtain it for him? It will afford me pleasure to fur-
ther your wishes regarding him.
" I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
" D. Kilcullin, Esq., Sligo." " L. E. KNOX.