The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-04-26 00:00:00

SPECIMENS OF BRIBERY.

We have been favoured by a London friend with the
following verbatim scraps of the evidence taken before,
the Committee on the Liverpool Election, and which
we understand are in the course of being printed ; and
as they are curious and rather comical, we now pub-
lish them for the amusement of our readers, as in duty
bound, commencing with a fair witness, whose evi
dente is of a very interesting nature :

HOUSE OF COMMONS, 25th March, (6th day of the Inquiry.)—
Alexander Bannerman, Esq., in the Chair. Elizabeth Robin-
son was called in and examined as follows :

Where do you live in Liverpool ?—ln Pellew-street.
Do you remember the last election?—Yes.
Were you in the house of a freeman during the last election ?
—Yes.

Was there a child there ?—Yes.
Did you see any body in that house besides the freeman ?
Not at the time rwent.m.

Did any body come in whilst you were there ?—Yes.
Do you know who that person was ?—No.
Did you see that person give the child anything ?—Yes.
Did you look into the hand of the child ?—Yes.
What did the child's hand contain ?—Three pounds ten shil-
lings—three sovereigns and half a sovereign.
When you saw the gold in the hand of the child, did you ex-
press yourself astonished ?—I did.
Was the mother of the child there ?—Yes.
What did she say then?—" Hold your noise you fool!" She
told me to hold my noise : she thought I had better sense.
Was the husband present?—He was at the door.
Did the gentleman who put the gold into the child's hand
speak to the husband ?—Yes. He took him to the door and
went out himself.

Now I must ask you who this freeman was ? You will ex-
cuse me from mentioning his name, for my life was threatened
not ten minutes before I came away, if I mentioned the name.
By whom ?—By the man himself.
When was that ?—Not once or Lwice.

When was it—at the time you speak of ?—After it came out
that I had mentioned about this three pounds ten, my life was
threatened provided I came up here.
You must tell us the name of the freeman ?—I dare not do it.

[The Committee room was cleared, with the exception of the
counsel and agents, and the witness was then informed that she
would be
.protected, but she inust state the name of the freeman.]
The witness again stated that she dared not answer the
question.
The witness was directed to withdraw. _ _

The witness was again called in, and informed by the Chair-
man that she must state the name of the freeman, and that she
would teceive every protection that the law could afford her,
out that if she did not state the name she would be reported to
the House.

The witness again stated that she dare not state the name.
[The witness was directed to withdraw.]
So much for Madam Robinson's first examination.—
The reader knows that, in consequence of her refusal to
answer the question, she was taken to the bar of the
House of Commons, and there told by the Speaker, that
she must answer the question, and that, should she refuse
to do so, she would be punished for her contumacious-
ness. On the 29th of March she was again brought be-
fore Mr. Bannerman and the committee, and the follow-
ing delightful colloquy took place :

Elizabeth Robinson was again called in, and further exa-
mined.

CHAIRMAN.-You have now had time for reflection: you
have been admonished by the highest authority in the house;
you were informed by that authority, that if you chose to
answer as an honest and upright witness, you would receive the
protection of the house. Now, I have again to ask you the
question that was put to you the other day,—what is the name
of the person in whose house you were upon that occasion ?
I hope this hon. committee will allow me to speak. I told the
gentlemen before I left Liverpool what I had done. I told them
I had sworn upon my knees never to divulge it. I am already
aware that a prison awaits me; I never was in one, and I do
not know what one is except from the outside appearance; and
I am willing to submit and surrender my life to it; but the
name I dare not disclose, and, after my oath, I would not do it
if my life depended upon it: and I hope you hon. gentlemen
will take it into consideration that I have been brought here
against my will away from my husband and child.
You state that you swore upon your knees that you would
not state the name—is that the truth ?—lt is the truth.

(The committee room was cleared.)
After some time counsel and parties were again called in.
Elizabeth Robinson was again called in, and cross-examined
by Mr. Hutchinson, as follows :
What street do you live in, in Liverpool ?—Sterling-place,
Pellew-street; I have been there four years now.
Are you Mistress Robinson or Miss Robinson ?—Mistress Ro-
binson.

Are you married?—Yes, I have been, married a second time.
What was the name of your first husband ?—Jeremiah Mas-
sey was my first husband.
Did Jeremiah belong to a club ?—He belonged to a club be-
longing to the shop where he worked.
That is a club which allows money to widows to bury their
husbands ?—Yes.

Did you get the allowance for burying Jeremiah when he
died ?—Yes, he was buried.

Do you mean to state that that club allowed you the usual
allowance which they give to widows when a husband dies?—
They do not give any.
\% not the club to which Jeremiah belonged in the habit
of allowing. sums of money to the widows of partners of that
club ?—To Inter them, but no more.
When Jeremiah died, did that club make yon any allowance
for burying him ?—Yes, he was decently interred.
Did the club allow you any money to bury him ?—His club
buried him and I had nothing more to do with it.
Did the club to which your husband belonged make you any
allowance upon his death?—None, no more than burying
him.
Did they make you any allowance for burying him ?—NO,
they decently interred him themselves.
Did you not apply to them for the allowance, and did they
not refuse you, and was not the allowance given to his mother ?
—No ; bring his brother before me, and, if he can say it was, I
am willing, and would, with my life, pay for it. His brother ne-
ver received one halfpenny.
Did you not apply to them, and did they not refuse to make
you any allowance ?—No, I did not.
At what church did you marry Massey, and when ?—That I
am not brought here for; nor, should my life pay for it, I would
not do it.
Are you sworn not to answer that question too ?—/ will not
do it : a question that I was not brought from Liverpool to answer
—I
will not answer. _ _

[The witness withdrew.]
The next witness, whose evidence has acquired some
notoriety, and which is nearly as excellent in its nay as
that of Mrs. Elizabeth. Robinson, is Mr. Charles Aber-
crombie, who was examined on the 16th March. It is as
follows : _ _ _

Are you a merchant in Liverpool ?—Yes.
Do you remember, on the second day of the last election,
about the close of the polling, standing near the steps of the
Toxteth-park booth ?—Yes.
Was there aperson of the name of James Baird there ?—Yes.
Did you see some voters standing near the bar?-1 did.
Will you tell the committee what you saw take place saw

STANDARD.

several voters go up and give their votes. One was dressed in
a blue jacket and canvas trousers, and he appeared to me to be a
sail-maker. I did not hear his name, but he voted for Sir H.
Douglas and Lord Sandon. I saw one of the canvassers put
something which appeared to be like a bank-note into his hand.
He turned round with it in his hand, and opened it. it was a
five pound Bank of England note ! ! and I told him when he
turned about that he was welt paid for his vote, and the man
put it into his pocket and walked away.
What coloured ribbons had the gentleman that was, canvas-
sing ?—The canvasser had red ribbons, with one of Lord San-
don's tickets in his hat.

At what time of the day was this ?—Between half-past two
and three o'clock.

Did you yourself interfere in the election any way ?—I did
not.

(Cross-examined by Mr. ROGEns.)
Where were you standing at this time ?—About two or three
steps behind the voter that received the money.
You say the man you saw was in a blue jacket and canvas
trowsers ; that is a very common dress, is it not ?—For
sail-
makers it is.

You did not hear anything about voting at the poll-booth ?
I only heard him give his vote ! !
Was there much noise at the time ?—Not a great deal.
You do not know who the man was ?—No.
Have you ever seen him since ?—Not to my knowledge.
Have you made any inquiries to find out who the man was?
—No.

Did you communicate the circumstance to the committee at
Liverpool?—No, I did not; I came here against my will!
You do not know whether he was a ten pound householder or a
burgess ?—No.
ISid you make any inquiry as to the gentleman who had red
ribbons in his hat ?—I did not.

Did you know him before? I did not.
Were there many people standing round—could other per-
sons have seen this as well as yourself? If others had been
standing beside me they might have seen it.
Was any body standing beside you ? They were standing
close to the Knot, with their faces to the Booth.

Did you mention it to any one at the time? I mentioned it
to Mr. Baird. But you did not point it out to other persons?
I. did not. Can you describe the person with the red ribbons?
No, if I had been anxious to find it out I could have seen it
becp.use I knew two of the canvassers that were there, but I
did' not wish to have any thing to do with it.
Will you give us the names, of those two gentleman ? The
one was Lieutenant Robinson of the Royal Navy; the name
of the other was Fairclough.
Is Mr. Fairclough a sort man or a tall man ? He is
either a cooper or the son of a cooper, I do not know which.
Had you seen how long this man had been standing at the
bar? No, 1 could not say.
How long had you yourself been there? I stood there about
ten or fifteen minutes altogether.
Were they in front of you or behind you ? They were in front
of me.

They could not fail to see that you were standing close to
them ? They were within a yard and
.a half of me!
What aged man was the gentleman who put a five pound
note into his hand? His back was to me at the tune he did it.

Can you say what his figure was? From his appearance I
shouldjudge him to be a man under thirty years of age.
Could you observe whether he was a young man or not ?
His back was to me at the time, but I should suppose they were
both apparently then under thirty years of aye.
Did you observe the canvasser's face ?—I had a slight view
of his face, but I did not wish to look at it.
(The committee adjourned and reassembled on the 20th
March, when Mr. Abercrombie was again called in and cross-
examined.)
What compartment was it that the man voted in ?—He voted
in the one on the left hand.

Is that the one nearest to the Town of Liverpool ?—Yes ; at
least he was standing there when he got the money, about the
centre, as far as my recollection goes he was standing on the
left hand side. _ _ _

You know that the compartments are divided according to the
letters of the alphabet, and where there are two compartments
only it runs (rain A to I, and from 1 to Z. ?—I think there were
only two compartments at that booth.
You are sure that he voted at the compartment next the
Town ?—He stood there.
Did you see Mr. Baird vote ?—Yes.
Can you tell me whether he voted at the same compartment
that Mr. Baird did ?—Mr Baird voted in the same place where
the man stood.

Then he must have been within the letters A and I ?—I can-
not say with certainty that he voted there; I can only say that I
saw him standing there.
I understood you to say on Monday that you did see the man
vote ?—I heard him.

Then if you heard him you must have had an opportunity of
seeing in which compartment he was voting ?—I have stated
that he stood in the compartment nearest to the Town, but he
was not close up to the left hand ; he stood about the centre of
the left hand compartment.
Have you ever expressed any wish to disfranchise the bur-
gesses of Liverpool am not aware that I ever did ; but I
should certainly wish it, for it certainly would be a benefit to me
in my business.
Do von not wish it ?—lt would be a benefit to me in my busi-
ness, so far as mynothing trade is concerned, and else. •
Will you explain what
you mean by that ?—I think that, as
a ship owner, I pay more for carpenters' wages, more for sail
makers' wages, and more for labourers' wages generally than I
should if they were disfranchised; because they employ those
men not for their ability or capacity of working, but because
they afterwards have votes at the elections.

'hien you are assuming that the liberal wages given to the
lower classes is an injury ?—I am assuming that if I give a man
4s. Bd. a day for his labour, and could get another that would
do double the labour for the same money, it would be a benefit
to ME.

We have only this week room for the evidence
.of one
witness for the defence, but, as he is an important one,
we need offer no apology for publishing an abstract of
it here.

MARCH 29th.—John Wright, Esq., called in and examined.
Are you a magistrate of the county of Lancaster ?—I am.
And also of the borough of Liverpool ?—I am.
Do you live in Liverpool ?—I live at Everton, close at Liver-
pool, within the boundary of the present borough.
Were you a supporter of Sir Howard Douglas and Lord San-
don at the last election ?—I was.

Did you canvas the old as well as the new constituency ?
Of course I did.

Upon that canvas were you applied to for money, or drink,
or any other inducement to vote by any members of the old
constituency ?—Never, not a farthing, in either one way or
the other.
_ _

Have you lived in Liverpool long ?—All my life, nearly.
Do you know the old burgesses generally ?—I do, perhaps as
well as any body.
Do you know whether any jealousy existed amongst the old
constituency of the new ?—Certainly, there was great jealousy,
Were they unwilling to vote at the same polling booth ?—So
much so that we were absolutely obliged to go to the Mayor to
desire that placards should be put up to state to them that they
must vote at such places as were pointed out by a former
placard, according to the new bill.
What was the general state of the town, during the election,
with respect to drunkenness P—l should say, from the 'observa-
tions that I had occasion to make before, at other elections, and
at this, that certainly it appeared to me that there was less drun-
kenness at this than at almost any election I had seen.
Do you know what directions were given to the canvassers ?
—I do; there was a report, on the first day's election, that our
opponents were about to give the wages of the day, and it was
spoken of in the committee where the canvassers were to come ;
and we were all of one mind strongly to enforce upon the can-
vassers not only not to give, but not to promise to give anything,
In consequence of that resolution of the committee, were
those directions given to the canvassers ?—They were.
We conclude our extracts for the present with the fol-
lowing complete and unanswerable refutation of Mr.
Abercrombie's statements in the evidence of Mr. Fair-
elough :
Mr. Robert Fairelough was called in and examined by Mr.
Hutchinson-as follows:

You live at Liverpool?—l do.
Are you a wholesale grocer there?—Yes.
What is your father?—A cooper.
Did you vote at the last Election for Lord Sandon and Sir
Howard Douglas?—l did.
_ _

Were you a canvasser for Lord Sandon?—l was.
Did you attend the Toxteth Park district booth ?—I
Did you yourself give away any money to voters to induce
them to vote at the Election?—Not any.
Did you see any given?—Not any.
Were you at the roxteth Park booth about three o'clock in
the afternoon of the second day ?—I was.
Did youlake up some voters in a coach about that time ?
Yes. . .

Were you there with those voters at that time ?—I was.
Did you see a gentleman of the name of Baird standing near

0 :) i ..1.9
a)

the steps of the bar of the booth ?—I think he was leaving the
booth.

Did you see any other gentleman with him P—There was a
person went away with him.
1)o you know who that person was P—No, I do not.
Were you at the moment at the booth with a voter ?—I was
standing in the parapet of the street—they would not allow me
to go into the booth.
Did the man at the time make any application to you for a
ribbon to shew his colours ?—Yes.
One of the voters?—Yes.

Did you at first ;efuse to give him a ribbon ?—Yes I did.
Did he go up the steps of the bar to vote ?—Yes he did, I
refused him a long time, he said he must shew his colours;
said, "when you have voted I will give your wife a good ribbon;"
and when lie came down I gave him one.
How was that man dressed ?—He had a blue jacket and white
trousers.

Had you at that time any ribbons in your pocket, wrapped up
in paper ?—I had.
Did you give him one of those ribbons or two ?—I gave him
one at the time, and we went down to the tally-room together,
and I then gave him another; he said that one was for his wife,
and he wanted one for himself.
Can you take upon yourself to say that the paper you gave
him contained nothing but a ribbon?—Fes, I will swear it.
Did you give him a £5 note, or anything of the kind ?—No,
I did not.

Do you recollect, after having given the voter the ribbon.
hearing a gentleman standing by say anything to him heard
him make a remark something to this effect, that he had made
a good day's work.
Upon hearing the gentleman make that remark to the voter,
did you yourself say anything to the gentleman ?--I said that if
he had a vote, and he would vote, he should have the same.
Did you afterwards see the gentleman that you spoke to walk
away with the other person with whom he was standing?—Yes,
he did.

The other gentleman, you have told us, was Mr. Baird ?
Yes, they left the booth together.
Are you able to tell us the name of the voter P—No, I cannot.
I took five men up at the same time.
Are you quite positive about his dress ?—They were all dressed
alike that I took up.
Do you know where they had met with that man ?—Atßo-
by-'s, a public-house in Jackson-street, and at the tally-room
likewise. We left Jackson-street and walked into Mill-street;
and a coach was going, and they said they would not walk but
ride, and they got on it and went to the tally-room, and then I
went from the tally-room to the hustings.