The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-04 00:00:00

Did Mr. Bloomfield ask you if Mr. Patey had
taken vegetables ?—Yes, and I replied that I did
not know if he had. Mr. Bloomfield has come here
at night with a great walking stick, as if he would
take advantage of me, and knock me down, and
told me I should have to go before the magistrates,
and would have a great deal upon my mind.
Did Mr. Bloomfield come late in the evening to
take things from the union P—l have seen him here
on a Sunday evening with a basket. I have not
seen him take away soap or candles; but 1 have
seen a basket of candles and soap put in a little
room, which the master told me was for Mr. Bloom-
field, and that his (the master's) son would come
and take it away.
The Inspector—This is a serious matter. Repeat
the answer.
Witness—The master told me what was in the
basket. I went and looked into it, and saw half a
dozen bars of soap. It was last June twelvemonth.
The Inspector—What became of the basket ?
The master's son took it away in the evening in
Mr. Ridout's cart. I don't know where it went
beyond what the master told me.
The Rev. J.H. Austen—Have you ever seen Mr.
Bloomfield take away things himself P—Yes, cab-
bage, brocoli, and celery. I asked the master what
Bloomfield did with the vegetables. He told me
that Mr. Bloomfield made presents of them to his
friends. Mr. Bloomfield had found fault with him
and twitted him, saying that it would be a bad job
for him (the porter), and that it lay in his power to
turn him out of his situation, as it would be
months before they (the guardians) would be turned
out, and they would see what they could do for him.
The master has attempted to stop my speaking
about this matter. He has asked me to come before
the board and say I had not taken anything away
from the house, and that the lard was preserved
currants with a cake of fat on the top. Mr. Bloom-
field has told me I ought not to have said anything
about it, but to have mentioned it first to him.
TL e Rev. J. H. Austen—Does the master come
in pretty regularly at night P-.'Witness—Not at
regular hours. He is not always sober. Almost
18 months ago, I saw him take a shoulder of pork,
weighing, I should think, 301b5., and three loaves,
in a rush basket.
Edward Long was next called, who said he had
been sent with a box to Mr. Hamilton's house dur-
ing the late master's period of office. He had not
carried things out of the house in Mr. Frampton's
time.

John Hooper—l am an inmate of the workhouse,
and have been so four years and a half. I put up a
small barrow load of potatoes of about three pecks
by the master's orders at the latter end of March or
the beginning of April, and a boy named Major
wheeled them away to Mr. Foot's, one of the
guardians.
Mr. Foot—Were not the potatoes which I had
small and not eatable ?—They were so.
The master of the workhouse, John Frampton,
was called, and admitted that generally what the
witnesses had stated was true. He had sent nothing
away but hams and a bit o: roasting pork.
The Inspector—Have you over sent vegetables
out of the house P—l have, sir.
Have you ever sent soap or candles P—No, sir.
If any witness has stated that you sent soap or
candles to your house in the town in order that the
guardians might have the opportunity of getting
them therefrom, would that be untrue ?—Yes. It
is not true.
Having admitted that you sent these things out
of the house, I would next ask you whether you had
any authority for so doing from the guardians ?
No, sir.
Did you suppose that any individual guardian
had the power to authorise you to send stores to
his house ? —No. The fact is it was generally
understood as a practice that had always been
adopted. I have myself received vegetables from
the garden some years since. The porter said it
was the regular practice.
You never imagined that hams weighing at least
201bs. could be given away—was it right or a
honest thing to dispose of the articles for which
you were put in trust P—l know it was not now,
unfortunately.
It appears that food has been sent out of the
house to an enormous extont, and in such quanti-
ties as must be felt by all the ratepayers,
Witness—l thought the hams were my privilege,
as they had always been considered so by the mas-
ters. The whole amount sent away did not exceed
601bs.
The hams were not yours any more than they
were mine, but belonged to the ratepayers.—lt was
done innocently and ignorantly.
Having sent such a quantity of meat out of the
workhouse, have you ever accounted for it in the
union books P—No, but I have given meat back in
its place.
You have not shown what quantities you sent
out P—No.
The Auditor—You have only charged what was
left.
The Inspector—You have only shown in the ac-
counts what meat has been consumed in the house.
In consequence of that mode of keeping the
counts it was impossible for the guardians or auditor
to have any check upon you ?—Certainly so, sir.
What would you admit as the gross quantity you
have sent out of the house P—l may have sent out
501bs. or 601bs. during my time of office.
The Auditor—Was lard also sent from the house ?
—I understood it was my privilege, as it was not
consumed, and sent a small quantity to Mr. Hamil-
ton—perhaps about 81bs. or 91bs. Mr. Hamilton
has always said that if I sent him vegetables it
must be a small quantity, as there were only him-
self and Mrs. Hamilton.
The Auditor—You did not make any reference to
the quantity sent in the hampers ?
The Inspector—Do you consider that the things
you sent away were any part of your allowance ?
Oh, no, sir.
Mr. Bloomfield—Did you ever send anything to
my house ?—No. I never told the porter that there
was a basket in the house containing soap and can-
dles for you.
You never came to the union in the dead of night
or after dark. I never sent you vegetables enough
to last a week. You might had a stick of celery,
nothing else.
Have I not given you something from my garden
in return, and been the instrument of getting you
200 or 300 sticks celery ?—Yes, and you have
brought me different seeds from time to time.
You have had things from various ratepayers ?-
Yes.

You have not confined your favours to the guar-
dians, but given things to ratepayers P—No.
It is not understood that broccoli is not for the
poor P—lt is not the case.
Mr. Kite (to witness)—Lance has stated that
you were in the habit of sending me potatoes con-
tinually P—l may have sent you a cabbage, or a
broccoli, or some French beans occasionally—
(laughter)—but not potatoes.
The Rev. J. H. Austen—Might any guardians
have said to you, " Send me a few vegetables ?"
The Inspector—Have you been requested by the
guardians individually to do so?—Not at all times.
Mr. Bloomfield—Did you not understand when
you entered office it was the custom of the master
to grow certain vegetables for his private use ?
Yes.

Mr. Bennett—Did Mr. Hamilton request you nol

to send him any more meat, after receiving the
first piece P—l don't recollect. He has always told
me to send only a very small quantity, if any.
Mr. Hamilton—Did I over tell you to send me
any meat ?—No.
The Inspector—Did Mr. Hamilton ever request
you to send the lard?—No. I sent it voluntarily.
How many celery plants did Mr. Bloomfield ob-
tain for you ?—He only told me I might get them
of Mr. Stone.

Mr. Hamilton—Have not I and Messrs. Parton
Stone, and Foot sent you some choice seed pots•

toes ?—Yes.

The Rev. M. Patcy—Have I ever asked you for
a stick of celery, or anything elbe ?—No. I put two
or three sticks once in your carriage without your
knowledge, and Mrs. Patey thanked me for them.
Mr. W. Parr was next examined, and stated—l
am clerk to the Poole Union, and have been so up-
wards of 12 years. The late master always had the
privilege of a piece of garden ground for his own
use, where he might grow anything he pleased. It
was a small plot. When Mr. Frampton was ap-
pointed I don't think anything was said about gar-
den ground, but I believe it was thoroughly under-
stood by all the guardians that he was to hold the

office under the same terms as his predecessor. Most
of the guardians werepreserat, and he believed they
would corroborate his statement.
After the examination of other witnesses, whose
evidence did not throw further light upon the trans-
actions,

The Inspector said the inquiry is now closed. It
will be my duty to send the depositions to the
Poor-law Board, who will communicate with the.
board of guardians in reference to the matter.

The investigation occupied upwards of seven
hours, and the greatest interest was manifested
throughout the proceedings.

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