The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-20 00:00:00

KIDDERMINSTER ELECTION

(COMMITTEE.—(YESTERDAY.)
The Select Committee appointed to try the merits of
the petition presented against the return of Mr. Best,
the Member for Kidderminster, on the ground of alleged
bribery, treating, and corruption of the constituency,
re-assembled this morning, at eleven o'clock, to continue
the inquiry. -
The drat witness called this morning was
Edward Wyre, who said he was a cordwainer at Sut-
ton, near Kidderminster. He remembered the polling
day at the election, which was on a Wednesday. On
the Monday preceding he went to a public-house called
the Grand Turk, in the evening, towards nine o'clock.
Went into a large room up stairs, used for a club-room,
where there were about a de zen people, whom be did not
know. They were seated. Remained there till half-
past eleven. Mr. Samuel Tolley, Mr. Clews (who keeps
the Horns), Mr. William Butler Best, the father of the
Member, Mr. Whitehouse Best, the Member's brother,
and his cousin, Joseph Best, jun., came into the room.
The Member himself also came in about ten o'clock.
The room afterwards became quite crowded with people,
who were drinking at a table. Mr. Tolley was in the
chair, and addressed the people in the room upon pa-
' tics in general. That was before Mr. Best came in.
Mr. Best, the Member, spoke on the subject of the elec•
tion, and his brother, lather, and cousin sat down at the
table where the drinking was going on. The beer was
brought into the room as often as it was wanted. Did
not notice whether Mr. Best, the Member, drank any of
the beer, but the Member's father drank, as did also
Mr. Whitehouse Best. The Member stayed in the room
about an hour, during which time the drinking went on.
Knew a person named Benjamin Harvey, a voter. Saw
him in the room. Harvey was asked toArink by Mr.
Pitt, the butcher, and he refused. Witness asked
Harvey to drink with him (witness), and he did so.
Harvey got up, and interrupted the Member. Mr. Best
while he was speaking. Harvey was one of Mr. Giv-
borne's party. Harvey wanted to go out of the room,
when Mr. E. Keysell and Mr. Pitt brought him back
again, and got him to drink with them. They then
kept him in a corner of the room for some time, when
he attempted to go away, but the same two gentlemen
brought him, back again. The Member was there all
this time, as was Mr. Joseph Best. Witness paid no-
thing for the drink, nor did he see any money paid for
the drink by any one. As he was going away there was
a "row" is the back yard; a man named Casewell, a
voter, was kicking up a disturbance, and Mr. Keysell
and witness brought Casewell through the crowd, and
took him to the Lion Inn, when Casewell went into a
room up-stairs. Witness heard Mr. John Best, tl
Member, speak from the window of that room during the
election. Afterwards saw Casowell have a sovereign in
his hand, when he came out of the Lion, which he did
not see him have before he went into the house. Witness
afterwards went with Casewell to the Pack Horse, where
they had something to drink without paying for it. They
then returned together to tt e Grand Turk, and after
staying there awhile, they went together to the We try
Travellers public-house, about one o'clock in tie morn-
ing, to have a glass of brandy .and- water, which they fa I.
Cross examined by Mr. ALEXANDER—Is not a voter
for Kidderminster. Had known Benjamin Harvey a lorg
time, but was not intimate with him. Harvey was drunk
when he came into the room. Ho did not get me re
sober whiltt he remained there; on the contrary, he aas
very drunk when he left the room. Witness was quite
sober the whole night. Had drunk about two pints of
beer before he went to the Grand Turk. Was not so
sober that night as he was now, though he was not
drunk.--(Laughter.) Could go and drink five or s.x
quarts of beer, and not be much the worse for it.
Mr. ALEXANDER—You are a strong friend or the
brewers then ?—Always took brandy-and-a ater after
drinking beer, to keep the beer down.—(Laughter.)
He was not that night in the state of drunkenness de-
scribed as "market pert" in that part of the country.
There was no brandy at the Grand Turk, but if there
had been he should liked to have had some of it.

(A."ter the examination of other witnesses the Com•
mittee adjourned till to•morrow.)

THE LATE DREADFUL ACCIDENT

IN FRANCE.

PARIS, FRIDAY.

The President of the Republic set out yesterday
for Angers, in order to ascertain personally the extent
of the disaster of the 16th, and to administer conso-
lation to the sufferers.

The following details of the catastrophe are given
in the Journal de Maine et Loire of the 16th :
" A frightful event has just occurred here. We write
tinder the strongest feelings of distress. At 11 o'clock
this morning a squadron of Hussars, coming from
Nantes, had crossed over the suspension bridge
of the Basso Maine, without any accident, although
the wind blew very heavily fcom the west, and the
river was very agitated. The last of the horses. had
scarcely crossed the bridge than the head of the co-
lumn of the 3d battalion of the 11th Light Infantry
appeared on the other side. Reiterated warnings were
given to the troops to break into sections, as is usually
done, but the rain falling heavily at the time, it was
disregarded, and the battalion advanced in close column.
The head of the battalion had reached the opposite
side, the pioneers, the drummers, and a part of the
hand were off the bridge, when a horrible crash was
heard; the cast-iron columns of the right bank sud-
denly gave way, crushing beneath them the rear of
the 4th company, which, with the flank company,
had not entered on the bridge. To describe the frightful
spectacle and the cries of despair which were raised is
impossible; the scene at the bridge of Beresina can
alone give an idea of it. The whole town rushed to
the spot to give assistance. In spite of the storm
which was raging, all the boats that could be got at
were launched to pick up the soldiers in the river, and
a great number who were clinging to the parapets
of the bridge, or who were kept afloat by their knap-
sacks, weret mmediately got out. The greater number
of them were, however, found to be wounded by the
bayonets or by the fragments of the bridge falling on
them. Every one on the spot vied with each other in ren-
dering assistance, and as the soldiers were gut out they
were led into the houses adjoining, and every assistance
given. Those who were too much injured to walk
were placed on litters. All the authorities of the
town, the troops in the garrison, and the officers and
soldiers who had escaped injury had only one idea—
that of rendering all the assistance in their power. A
young lieutenant of the 11th (M. Loup) rendered him-
self conspicuous for his heroic exertions, and a young
workwoman, at the imminent danger of her life, jumped
into the water and sated the life of an officer who was
just sinking. It is impossible for us at this moment
to estimate the number of lives that have been lost ;
of those that escaped with their lives there is
scarcely one but has received wounds from the
bayonets of his comrades. Several acts of devotion
deserve to be mentioned. A journeyman hatter, named
Turgis, who had acquired some notoriety iu the late po-
litical trials, stripped and jumped into the river, and by
his strength and skill in swimming saved a great many
lives. One of the soldiers, who had reached the shore
unhurt, immediately stripped and swam to the assist-
ance of his comrades."

A letter from Angers says :
" The Lieutenant• Colonel, an old officer of the Em-
pire, assisted by the Adjutant and by somo cf his man,
escaped with his life; but although seriously wounded
and bruised, he would not quit the spot, but remained
to watch over the rescue of his companions in
arms. It is impossible to describe his solicitude and
his coolness in the midst of the frightful scenes
by which he was surrounded. The inhabi-
tants of the town warmly seconded the exertions of the
officers, who forgot themselves to go to the assistance of
their soldiers. A grand musical congress was to have
taken place next week at Angers, but, in consequence of
this catastrophe, the committee has decided that the fetes
shall not take place."
The following additional details are from the Pre-
cursor of Angers of yesterday :
" The suspension- bridge which has fallen was built
about twelve years ago, but about a year slime under-
went repairs which cost the town about 36,000 f. The
suspending chains at first gave si ay on one aide only,
when the soldiers on the bridge, feeling the movement
of the floor of the bridge, naturally rushed to the other