23 8 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE TIIE March 1838. Mr. D. Meagher, of the names here as having voted at the last election ; as far as my memory goes — I believe they did not. . so 18 Are von aware of a person of the name of Baldwin voting?— I am. 5010 Oan you state anything respecting him ?— Baldwin voted out of a house that he did not reside in, ' and lie was one of those that are called " bucks ;" and there was another man of the name of Croker, he voted as a householder, thouo- h months previous to the election lie and his family were resident in the bridewell at Cork, and had 110 dwelling, and must have been known to the authorities as such ; and I had informations lodged against him for perjury ; and when I went to the bridewell with the peace officer to have him arrested, he had got a hint of it, and never came back to the bridewell; he got off by Glanmire to Waterford, to escape the arrest; and the police, about four miles off, provided him with means of escape, and I was never able to catch him. 5020. Chairman.] How do you know that the police provided him with means of escape ?— Because I made a complaint of it to the commander of the police; an investigation took place at the Glanmire sessions, and Captain Galway had the man brought to account for assisting the escape. He caused an investiga- tion to be made before the magistrates, and the policemen were brought up, and they stated that the man applied to them, and that they did nothing more than get him a jingle; that it was a friendly act; but I could get 110 satisfaction. ,5021. Were you present when they confessed this?— I was; they said they got him a jingle to go off. 5022. They admitted that?— Yes. 5023. Have those men been kept in the police force since that time ?— They have; but I believe they had had some intimation from the bridewell- keeper, named Matthews, which made them so civil to that man. In fact, the sheriff at the election must have known this man, and though I cannot bring it home to the authorities, still I think the sheriff and the authorities were aware of the escape. 5024. Why has the keeper of that bridewell so much influence over the police- men ?— He knows all the police, and they know him as the bridewell- keeper; he wrote some letter. ,5025. Did you ever see the letter ?— No ; but the policemen said he had received a communication to assist this man. 5026. To escape from justice?— I do not know that he knew it was from justice, but I charged the bridewell keeper. I was one of the board of superin- tendents at the time; I was angry with the bridewell- keeper, and with the sheriff, and with the authorities, because I am convinced if they had assisted me, I should have got the man. ,5027. You are one of the superintendents of the bridewell; and still, though the bridewell- keeper knew that you were anxious to arrest this man, he gave directions to the police to assist him, by means of which he escaped ?— He said that the man mentioned Matthews's name to him, and, by some particular message he gave him, he assisted the man. 5028. The bridewell- keeper being under your orders?— He is under the sheriff's orders, not mine; I am merely one of the board of superintendents, as to the accounts. 5029. As to the keeper then, lie is the sheriff's officer, and you hold the purse- strings ?— Yes. 5030. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] Were you present at the investigation by Cap- tain Galway ?— I was; and the magistrates did not think that there was anything to inculpate the police, and they were acquitted of it. 5031- Were you rightly understood to say that the policemen acknowledged' that they had procured the car for Croker to" make his escape, knowing that the purpose for which lie wanted the car was to escape from justice ?— No,° I did not say that; but I said it was a thing out of course for a policeman to procure a cart for a troubler. 5032. Was there any admission, by any of the policemen, that they had inter- fered to get the car for the man, with the knowledge that he had evaded justice?. .5033. Then all that was admitted by the policemen was, that a person wanting a car, one of them called a car for him?— No, he went and procured a car for him. 1 5034. That