The Express. — 1866-05-02 (London, England)

HARWICH. to be married shortly. On Tuesday, the 17th April, she left Barking-aide and was never seen alive by her family The committee resumed their business to-day at after eleven o'clock; Mr. Gathorne Hardy presiding. Henry Lee, elabourer living at Barking-side, said that Counsel fur petitioner, Mr. Serjeaut Dallantine,Mr. Fitzhe had been keeping company with the deceased for four james Stephen, and Mr. Clarke. Counsel for the sitting years past, and was engaged to be married to her. Another member. Mr. Rodwell, Q.C., Mr. Henry James, and Mr. young man wished to marry her, and her mother favoured Wolferston. him, and did not like witness to go to the house. On the The petition of Dr. Burt and other electors against the morning of Tuesday, the 17th April, he was leaving Bark- return of Captain :Jervis and Mr. Kelk, on the ground of ing along the Cranbrook-road with a bundle bribery, corruption, treating, intimidation, and a corrupt in his hand, when ho met the den:teed, and he paid agreement with the Great EastenCompany, was proceeded her 8.1. which he owed her. She said '• I will go along with. with you." He said in reply, " You had better go home ; Mr. Serjeant Ballantine opened the petition. He said but she stated that she would never go home, and that she that the inquiry would be considerably narrowed, as the would go with him. It was not a matter of previous allegation as to bribery or treating would not be gone arrangement that they were to run away together ; but into. They would be only required to consider whether she had a basket ana an umbrella, and they walked up an agreement entered into by Captain Jervis, as deputytowards London. Between Barking-side and Hackney sta. chairman of the Great Eastern Railway Company, and Mr. tion they had pints of ale at the different public-houses, and Kelk, was not an illegal contract, and one which invalidated they decided that he should get a lodging for her. They I the election. Neither Captain Jervis nor Mr. Kelk took the train to Bow, but could get no lodgings there, I had any connection with the borough of Harwich, or in Whitechapel. By that time it was 11 o clock at except that which arose out of the fact that the former was night, and they had been into seven public-houses. and had a member of the railway board. The borough contained nine points of ale. They decided to cross London-bridge 347 voters, and of these 63 were connected with the railto get lodgings in the Borough. When nearly across the way, and about 60 of the employes of the company voted fi r bridge, and within fifteen yards of the Southwark side, the sitting members. In 11164 a project was started to run witness stopped for a minute, and the deceased walked on. • line of steamers from Harwich to Rotterdam, and the He then saw her go down the steps towards the water, and management of the line was given to Captain he rushed after her. She ran into the river, and was Jervis, who appointed two electors of great in- ' drowned. Once she rose to the surface, and cried out, fluence in the borough, Mr. Daniel and Mr. Groom, " Oh, Harry !" He ran out up to his knees in mud, but to superintend the neffic. In January, 1863, the railway could not reach her, and she sank. He gave an alarm, and company thought it desirable to make • change in the assistance came, but she was carried away by the tide. management of the steamer traffic, and they sent down a In cross-examination, the witness said that he could not person to take charge of it, but at the instance of account for the deceased's act. When in the Whitechapel- Captain Jervis he was allowed to enter the offices road she had said, " I will not go anywhere." She was of of the company. A move was then made to pm- ' sober habits, but she was not quite sober when she rushed vent the contemplated change, and Mr. Kelk coininto the water. Witness never said that she had fallen municated with Mr. Bidder, then one of the members of over the bridge. He bad notasked her to spend the night the railway board, and in the course of conversation Mr. with him. She knew on the Monday that he was to leave Kelk stated that he had agreed in the event of Captain Barking on the Tuesday. She did not threaten to commit Jervis obtaining his return for the borough to pay the suicide. entire election expenses of both. Mr. Bidder reported A brother of the deceased said that a City police-consta- the circumstances to the board, and a correspondence ble had arrested Lee on London-bridge on the morning of with Mr. Belk ensued in which several allusions were made the 18th April, and he was detained for some hour on to the agreement, and he did not in any way deny that suspicion but was then allowed to go away. such a contract existed. Counsel contended that the Stephen Britten, • weterman, proved that he found the agreement was illegal and corrupt. Captain Jervis's body of the deceased in the water above London-bridge on influence at Harwich was a railway influence, said the the 28th Aprll. contract was to the effect that that power and influence Mr. J. Willa, surgeon, said that the deceased died from should be purchased to secure and return a person who drowning, and that no marks of violence were visible on had no claim whatever on the electors. If the contract the body. were proved in evidence and sanctioned by the committee, The Coroner, in summing up, said that the use was in the result would be that Harwich would remain a pocket many respect most unsatisfactory and surrounded with in- borough of the railway company. exphcabie circumstances. He advised that an open ver- I [Left sitting.) diet should be returned. The jury returned a verdict, "That the deceased was found drowned in the Thames, bet under what dream-