The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-11 00:00:00

THE ANDOVER UNION.

UNEXPECTED TERMINATION OF THE INQUIRY.
ANDOVER, WEDNESDAY.—This morning the post brought
a letter from the Poor-law Commissioners in London, to Mr.
Westlake, the medical officer, with instructions to Mr. Parker,
the Assistant-Commissioner.

The following is a copy of the letter to Mr. Westlake :
" Poor-law Commission-office, Somerset House,
Sept. 9, 1845.
" Sir,—The Poor-law Commissioners have bad under con-
sideration the length to which the inquiry at Andover has
already extended, and the suspense, as well as the outlay, to
which both parties interested in this inquiry have necessarily
been exposed. All this must be still further incurred if the in-
quiry is continued in the same form.
" On these grounds, and because the Commissioners wish
that :some, at least, of the questions now raised should be
brought before a jury, they have determined to take the follow-
ing course :
" 1. The Commissioners will cause an indictment to be
preferred against the master in respect of any one case of as-
sault with improper intention alleged to have been committed
on a pauper whilst an inmate of the workhouse. The Corni,
missionsrs will take any case which you, as the accuser of the
master, may suggest, and will cause the bill to be preferred at
the next quarter sessions, which v. ill take place in the month of
October.
" The Commissioners will, in like manner, cause an in-
formation before justices to be laid against the master or
matron, under section 97 of the Poor-law Amendment Act,
for any one act of embezzlement or misapplication of food,
clothing, or goods belonging to the union, which you may
select. It will, on this charge, be open to any one to show
that the inmates have not received their full and proper allow-
ance of food.
" It is needless to say, that if the master is convicted by a
jury on the first of these charges, the Commissioners would at
once dismiss him from office.
" If he is convicted on the second charge, he becomes dis-
qualified by the operation of the Act from holding office here-
after. If an indictment for embezzlement or theft be thought
more effective, the Commissioners have no objection to that
form of proceeding, instead of the information under the 97th
section of the Act above referred to.
" 'the Commissioners are convinced that this course will at
once be the most satisfactory and the most expeditious in bring-
ing the matter to an issue.
" In order to remove misapprehension, the Commissioners
wish it to be understood that they will cause the indictment to
be prepared, and the Bill to be preferred, and the information
to be laid, at the cost of the Commission ; but they will not un-
dertake to defray, out of the funds at their disposal, any sub-
sequent expenses, either for the prosecution or the defence.
The parties making the charge can in this, as in every other
case, take their own measures to obtain a conviction, and the
master must, of course, provide for his own defence.
" The Commissioners will also recommend to the board
of guardians that they suspend the master and matron until the
result of the indictment and information is known, and place
some other persons in charge of the workhouse. The discre-
tion of doing this is, by the regulations of the Commissioners,
vested in the board of guardians. The Commissioners can
dismiss, but this of course is a step implying a final decision on
the merits of a case, on which no evidence as regards the master
is yet before the Commissioners, and on which they must lie
understood as expressing no opinion whatever.
" Mr. Pirker, Assistant Commissioner, will be directed, on
the receipt of a copy of this letter, to suspend all further inquiry
until the result of the indictment and information shall be
known, since the continuance-of such proceedings in the inter-
val might be held to prejudice the case one way or the other.
" The Commissioners request that you will notify to them,
as soon as possible, the exact cases which you desire to select
in such a form as to enable the indictment and information to
be properly prepared forthwith. The Commissioners have no
objection to both of them being seen by your solicitor before
they are finally settled. They also request, with reference to
the former, that you will supply them with tie list of witnesses
necessary in your opinion to support the bi 1 before the grand
jury.

" I am, Sir your most obedient servant,
( Signed) " GEORGE COODE, Assistant Secretary.
" To T. C. Westlake, Esq."
Thus, for the present, the inquiry is brought to a close, just
as all the evidence for the prosecution had been adduced, and
before one witness had been called for the defence.